Category: Featured

The Federal Government has said the suspension of Twitter has not been lifted because the company has met 10 out of the 12 conditions given it.

The government however raised the hope of Nigerians that it is a matter of time before all issues with Twitter are resolved.

But it clarified that the suspension of Twitter had nothing to do with issues bordering on President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the clarifications while responding to a question from a participant at Nigeria International Partnership Forum in Paris.

Most investors at the forum were eager about the circumstances behind the suspension of Twitter.

Read Also: Unresolved Twitter suspension

Mohammed, who spoke in fluent French, caught the audience unawares.

The lady participant, who asked the question was perplexed and caught off guard by the Minister’s mastery of French.

But Mohammed took time to explain why the suspension of Twitter was not yet lifted.

He said: “I want to categorically say that Twitter was not banned by Nigera, it was only suspended. So, Twitter was never banned, it was suspended.

“Also, the suspension has nothing to do with President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The correspondences between us and Twitter have reached advanced stage. I want to say that the correspondences and the exchanges have been fruitful.

“But we have a few more issues to resolve. Out of about 12 conditions, Twitter has been able to meet 10.

“Very soon, all issues will be resolved in a way that it will be good for both our country and Twitter.”

The Senate on Wednesday approved $16,230,077,718, €1,020,000,000 and a grant component of $125,000,000.00 under the 2018-2020 External Borrowing (Rolling) plan” for the Federal Government.

This followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts by the Senate.

The report was presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia, at plenary.

Read Also: Senate upgrades Gombe general hospital to federal medical centre

The recommendation of the Committee: “That the Senate do approve the under listed ongoing negotiation of external borrowing in the sum of $16,230,077,718, €1,020,000,000.00 and a grant component of $125,000,000.00 under the 2018-2020 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan” was approved by Senators when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan at plenary.

Details shortly…

The planned resumption of the trial of the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has been stalled owing to the refusal of the defence lawyers to participate in the proceedings.

Before the commencement of proceedings, some of the defence lawyers, led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, walked out of the courtroom in protest against the refusal of the security agents to allow all members of the team, including a foreigner, into the courtroom.

When proceedings commenced a little after 10 am, Kanu, who was brought into the courtroom around 9:52 am, complained that security agents prevented some of his lawyers, particularly Bruce Fein from the United States access into the court room.

He told the court that Fein, who he said was handling a case for him in the US, was around to witness his trial.

Kanu said: “I have an ongoing case in the US. I have not been allowed to see him. He is here to see me and to observe the proceedings.

Read Also: VIDEO: Nnamdi Kanu in courtroom drama with security agents

“He has been to the DSS to see me, but they denied him access to me,” Kanu said.

When asked by the judge, Justice Binta Nyako if he would conduct his case in the absence of his lawyers, Kanu said no.

But, lead prosecuting lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, who is the Director of Public Prosecution, urged the court to proceed with the trial in the absence of Kanu’s lawyers.

Abubakar contended that since Kanu’s lead lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who was earlier granted access into the courtroom, walked out with his team shortly before the commencement of proceedings, they should blame themselves.

He noted that ordinarily, the case was fixed for the hearing of an application filed by the defendant, adding that since the defence lawyers were absent, the court should deem the application abandoned.

Ruling, Justice Nyako frowned at the conduct of Kanu’s lawyers.

The judge rejected the prosecution’s application to deem the defence’s pending application abandoned.

She elected to adjourn further proceedings tilll January 19 and 20 next year.

Details shortly…

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Prof Charles Soludo has been declared Anambra Governor-elect.

He defeated candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mr Valentine Ozigbo and Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to emerge the winner.

He polled 112,229 votes to defeat Ozigbo of PDP who came second with 53,807 votes, while Uba of APC came third with 43,285 votes

The results were announced by the Anambra governorship election Returning Officer, Prof Florence Banku Obi around 1:15am.

Read Also: My victory reflects supreme will of Almighty God – Soludo

She said: “We’ve completed the governorship election in Anambra State. In this Anambra election, we had a total of 2,466638 registered voters, but 2,53388 were accredited

“Also, we have total valid votes of 2,41523 while rejected votes stood at 8108 and total votes cast stood at 2,49631.

“From this, that Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby returned elected.”

The Ihiala supplementary election results arrived INEC office in Awka at exactly 12.30am

The APC agent, Chief Chibuzor Obiakor refused to sign the result when called upon by Prof Obi while the PDP agent, Dr Alex Obiogbolu and few others signed

Other agents, including those of Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), did not attend.

But the former National Chairman of APGA, Senator Victor Umeh, who was the Party’s agent, signed the documents.

Three persons were shot dead when gunmen attacked Anara market in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

The incident, which occurred around 10pm on Tuesday, left many people wounded following gunshot injuries they sustained from the attack.

According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen in a white Sienna vehicle stormed the market and opened fire, killing three people.

Read Also: Gunmen kill Air Force chief in Kaduna

Among the deceased were two Igbo and a northerner selling suya at the junction of the daily market.

“The gunmen were in white Sienna vehicle. As they arrived the market, they just opened fire and shot dead three people and several others were wounded from the gunshots, the three people died immediately,” the eyewitness said.

“Nobody knows why they attacked the market, they arrived and started shooting at the people sporadically, people scampered for safety, some people fell on top of each other,” another witness said.

Details Shortly…

With 112,229 votes, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, was at exactly 1.50am today declared winner of the Anambra State governorship election.

He defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Valentine Ozigbo, who polled 53,807 votes, All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer and Andy Uba, who scored 43,285 votes.

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came fourth with 21,261 votes.

The Returning Officer, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof Florence Baku-Obi, said Soludo, a former Central Bank Governor, satisfied the requirements of the law.

She said: “That Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

Before declaring Soludo winner, Prof Banku-Obi had announced the outcome of the supplementary election held in Ihiala Local Government Area yesterday.

It was the only council where the election did not hold last Saturday due to logistics and security  challenges.

APGA scored 8,283 votes in the supplementary election, defeating the PDP, which got 2,485 votes; the APC, which scored 343 votes, and YPP, which got 344.

Eighteen parties participated in the governorship election for which 2,466,638 voters registered.

Total valid votes were 241,523 out of the 249,631 cast. The rejected votes were 8,108. APGA won in 19 of the 21 council areas.

Soludo, in his acceptance speech, described his victory as “a divine journey whose time has come”.

He extended a hand of fellowship to his opponents, saying there was room for everyone to contribute.

“We are all brothers,” he said.

Soludo promised to work hard “every day”, promising not to disappoint.

“My role will be that of your chief servant. The ultimate winner is Anambra. There is joy in the land,” he said.

The governor-elect spared a thought for policemen who lost their lives in the course of the electioneering.

“I won’t forget those who lost their lives in the course of this election, especially the three policemen killed by unknown gunmen,” he said.

He thanked Governor Willie Obiano, APGA leadership, the judiciary and others who played a role in his victory.

Senator Victor Umeh, who was the party’s state agent, said there was nothing to be challenged by any of the parties that participated in the election as Soludo won outright.

Umeh said he expected the other candidates to call the governor-elect to congratulate him.

“They should concede victory to Soludo and APGA. They should know that politics and elections are nothing something anybody should die for.

“It is a clear choice made by the people of who will be their governor,” Umeh said.

The supplementary election was not without incident.

Suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and security operatives engaged in a shootout at Ihiala.

The incident took place at Mbosi and Osumoghu border communities between Anambra and Imo states during the supplementary governorship election.

The gun duel lasted over three hours, according to eyewitnesses.

The Police Zonal Public Relations Officer, Nkeiruka Nwode, denied the death of any security operative.

Read Also: Umahi denies accusing Obiano, Soludo of rigging Anambra governorship poll

The 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha Commander, Col. P.A. Adeke, said many of the suspects fled with gunshot injuries.

“They all wanted to die today (Tuesday). We wanted to finish them. So, many were gunned down and many others ran away with gunshot wounds,” he said.

It was gathered that the gunmen were seeking to enter Ihiala through Imo.

Some reporters, who were covering the supplementary election, ran into a barricade set up by joint security operatives at Mbosi/Orsumoghu junction, where the shooting took place.

The operatives comprising mobile policemen, Army, Navy and other security agencies, stopped the journalists, and after a brief search, turned them back, saying a gun battle was ongoing ahead.

Two unidentified policemen and a soldier told our reporter: “You have to go back for your own good. For three hours now, we have been exchanging fire with your IPOB brothers.

“Our men are in the bush now, and it will be risky for you to take this route.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, said election materials were not deployed to six communities in Ihiala – Lilu, Azia, Orsumoghu, Mbosi, Isseke and Ubulu Isiuzo – due to security reasons.

Senator Umeh was stopped from entering Ihiala by an army commander.

The former lawmaker arrived at about 10:30 am in the company of other party members, but was turned back by the army commander.

“You are not supposed to be here,” the military officer screamed at Umeh, who said he was at the local government headquarters “to ensure things go well”.

“You are a state agent, not LGA agent,” the senior military officer told to Umeh.

A PDP chieftain  Chief Ugochukwu Okeke, decried the late deployment of materials for the supplementary election.

Speaking shortly after casting his vote at Unit 20, Odoata Central School, Uzoakwa, in Ihiala LGA at about 2 pm, he said four hours were lost to the deployment of logistics for the exercise which was supposed to commence at 10am.

Okeke, a former governorship aspirant, said he was glad the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) machine captured him in less than three minutes while expressing hope the efficiency of the machine would keep improving.

Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr CDon Adinuba, expressed confidence that APGA would extend its lead at the end of the Ihiala election.

Adinuba blamed the late deployment of electoral officials and materials on traffic congestion and the peculiar security situation in the area.

He said Ihiala remained a stronghold of APGA, adding that the party was expecting about 90 per cent share of total votes cast.

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Akachukwu Nwakpo, said he voted for APGA because the results announced so far reflected the people’s wishes.

He spoke after voting at his polling unit 004 Ward 01 at Umuatani Hall, Okija, in Ihiala.

“We believe it is time to finish this election by helping the winning party to make it to the end so that the military can leave and we can have a more relaxed environment for us to focus on issues that concern our communities.

“The leadership of my party, ADC, agreed with what we have done because we are not in the supplementary election and we did not score or get enough votes to be competitive.

“APGA is also a sister party because the founding members of APGA founded ADC and I also came from APGA to ADC. More so, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo is my friend.

“So, I feel this is an opportunity to support one another and for us to build together and let our people be part of governance,” he said.

Nwakpo praised INEC for ensuring the BVAS machines worked efficiently during the supplementary election.

 

 

Crisis is brewing between the National Assembly and All Progressives Congress (APC) governors over the retention of the direct primary for picking candidates by political parties in the amended Electoral Act.

According to the governors, the retention of direct mode amounted to the usurpation of the function of political parties.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the governors, saying that direct primary cannot be imposed on parties.

Yesterday, the Senate passed the Conference Committee Report on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, following its consideration by both chambers of the National Assembly.

The National Assembly also gave its nod to the electronic transmission of election results.

Although, the Upper Chamber initially rooted for indirect primary, it made a u-turn and supported the direct mode.

Also, the House of Representatives rebuffed pressure by the governors to jettison the direct primary.

Sources said President Muhammadu Buhari is likely to assent to the bill within a week.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan, on October 13, 2021, constituted a seven-man Senate Conference Committee to meet with its counterpart in the House of Representatives to harmonise the differences in the two versions of the bill.

The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, who chaired the Conference Committee in the Senate, presented the report of the harmonised version.

He said the bill, when passed by the National Assembly, and subsequently assented to by the President, would regulate the conduct of elections at the federal, states and local councils and the Federal Capital Territory.

He disclosed that the Conference Committee, at its retreat, considered and adopted 21 clauses in the bill.

Abdullahi said: “It is imperative to point out that with the successful harmonisation of this bill, a process that started from the 7th Assembly through to the 8th National Assembly has now been completed by the 9th National Assembly.

“The Bill is now ready for passage and presidential assent.

”I am happy to state that most of what we call ‘citizens’ top priorities’ on the Electoral Act Amendment, including the use of technology, have been addressed by the Electoral Bill, 2021.”

The Senate had on October 13, 2021, re-amended certain aspects of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, especially Clauses 43, 52, 63 and 87.

House or Representatives spokesman Benjamin Kalu said the clean copy of the bill will be sent to the President within the next seven days, adding that the Electoral Act has returned power of selection to the people.

Addressing reporters after the House sitting along with the Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, Akeem Adeyemi, he however, ruled out the possibility of vetoing the bill, saying there is no reason for the President to refuse assent.

Kalu said: “There was an agreement between the two chambers for the advancement of our democracy. We should begin to look at the principles of democracy that should be fine-tuned to meet the best of democracy in other advance democratic climes.

“One of such is returning power to the people where this government of the people, by the people and for the people will be operating fully for the benefit of the people.

Read Also: Amended Electoral Act: APC backs direct primary

“That was why the two chambers accepted that for the benefit of the people, the principle of direct primary will outweigh that of indirect primary. Therefore, we stood clearly and still standing for direct primary.”

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, who defended the Conference Report, said: “The two major issues were of transmission of results and direct or indirect primary. The Senate went back to plenary, rescinded its earlier position and adopted the House position. To me, that put an end to the issue. In any case, you can lay your report for the record”.

However, Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu said members should be given copies of the report to enable them know what transpires at the conference committee

Elumelu said the House should set a date that would enable members to consider the reports, adding that it was good that the House  Committee Chairman on Rules and Business, Hassan Fulata, moved a motion for the  suspension of the consideration of the report.

Explaining why the bill cannot be delayed, Gbajabiamila said: “We have primaries coming in the summer of next year. I think, you know, time is of the essence and particularly because the issues are so clear, discussion of yours is a bit dilatory.”

Rejecting the direct primary, the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), at a meeting in Abuja, said its retention is worrisome.

The Chairman of the Forum and governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, said the National Assembly’s decision amounted to usurpation of the duties of political parties in the determination of their flag bearers.

Bagudu said the shadow poll should be the prerogative of the political parties.

He argued that the resolution was against the spirit of Executive Order signed by President Buhari, which frowns at large gatherings in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The PGF chairman said in the face of present economic realities, the direct primary would be too cumbersome, unwieldy, and overstretch the limited resources of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is mandated to oversee primaries conducted by political parties.

He said: “There have been concerns that political parties are voluntary organisations, and our concern is that once you limit the ability of parties to choose options that they so desire, that may even be arguably undemocratic because noting stops one party from adopting one or the other.

“We took cognisance of the COVID challenge. Nobody was ready for COVID and as a result of COVID, Mr. President signed an Executive Bill, which limits public gathering. So, you can imagine if you have a legislation in place that says you only do something by public gathering, and yet, a challenge that you have never been ready for, limits you.

“We also noted that Ward Congresses, which were recently conducted by the party, were direct primaries. Ward Congresses are direct primary under our constitution.

“Direct primary involves, of necessity, supervisory role by INEC, at multiple levels, at multiple points. So, you can imagine that if political parties are doing their primary, by direct primary, INEC resources will be overstretched, and I think the chairman of INEC had even commented on that. So, whether the legislation has incorporated  the financial implications, I don’t know yet.”

Bagudu disclosed that the forum will meet with the leadership of the National Assembly to impress it on them to review the resolution ahead of the presentation of the Electoral Act 2010 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2021 to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

In attendance at the meeting were Dr Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Dave Umahi (Eboyin), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), and Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).

Others were Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari, and his Nasarawa State counterpart, Abdullahi Sule.

Lagos, Ondo, and Kaduna state governors were represented by their deputies.

The PDP said no political paty has the right to impose its own process on other parties.

In a statement, its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party received the news of the passage of the harmonised Electoral Act Amendment bill with shock.

He said: “Our party holds that it is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of our constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices including the processes of nominating its candidates for elections at any level.

“The PDP also believes that no political party should force its own processes on any other political party as the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sought to achieve.

“Having stated this, the PDP shall, within the next 48 hours, make its final decision in respect of this amendment known”.

 

The Federal Government yesterday disagreed with states over the ratio for sharing the nation’s revenue.

Governors had, as far back as 2019, pressed for 42 per cent allocation and 37 per cent for the Federal Government. They also proposed that allocation to local governments should be increased to 23 per cent.

At a Town Hall meeting in Abuja, the Federal Government said it had proposed a 3.13 per cent extra-allocation for councils. The Federal Government said 2.03 per cent of the 3.13 per cent would be taken off its current 52.68 vertical allocation, while the states should sacrifice 1.10 out of their 26.72 per cent.

Under the current revenue sharing formula, councils receive  20.60 per cent, while 13 per cent is ceded as derivation allocation to oil/mineral producing states.

At the meeting on the review of vertical allocation to the three tiers of government, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said “the review of the revenue formula should not be done on sentiments.

“As an interim and immediate measure, the Federal Government is proposing the following:  Federal Government, 50.65 per cent; states, 25.62 per cent;  Local Governments, 23.73 per cent and derivation allocation, 13 per cent,” he added.

Mustapha,  represented by Andrew David Adejoh, Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, Office of the SGF, gave reasons why the Federal Government was receiving  the largest chunk of the nation’s earnings.

He said: “The Federal Government spends most of its resources on, and for the states and at local government levels,”  citing the  Universal Basic Education(UBE) and Primary Health Care as instances.

”States and local governments have left Universal Basic Education (UBE), and Primary Health Care to the federal government,” the SGF added.

Giving a breakdown of how the government spends its  52.68 vertical allocation, he said that the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) takes 48.50 per cent,   Federal Capital Territory, one per cent; Natural Resources Development Fund of which states are the beneficiaries, 1.68 per cent.

Ecological Fund, according to him,  gets another one per cent shared as 45 per cent to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) , NEDC, NALDA, and NAGGW and 55 per cent for ecological challenges at sub-national levels.

Stabilisation Account, he said,  receives  0.50 per cent (from which, 25 per cent – 0.125 goes to NSIA and 75 per cent, or 0.375 managed by OAGF and mostly utilised for emergency requests by states.

Read Also: New revenue allocation formula long overdue — FG

The SGF added that “within the Consolidated Revenue Fund, disbursements are made for Debt Servicing (some of which are drawn by state governments), Statutory transfers, salaries, pension and gratuities, capital supplementation amongst others.

“The Federal Government spends most of its resources on and for the state and local government levels. When you juxtapose this with the equally greater number or responsibilities on the Exclusive Legislative List, you would even want to make a case for greater allocation to the Federal Government.”

Mustapha explained that in spite of its huge commitments, the government  “has taken cognisance of the growing clamour for a review of the present vertical revenue allocation formula” and hence was prepared to concede a little of its allocation to councils.

He said because of Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to ensuring resources for development to the poorest of the poor in rural communities,  it is imperative to incorporate local communities in our security architecture as well enhancing equitable and inclusive national development.

According to him, the other considerations that informed the government’s position on the review of the present vertical revenue allocation formula   ”include Nigeria’s     increasing visibility in sub-national level and increasing level of insecurity.”

Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Elias Mbam, said the proposed revenue formula will “be tied directly to the responsibility of each tier of government”.

He described the review as “a process that  ”will  be concluded  and recommendations   submitted to Mr. President before December 31, 2021.”

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mohammed Bello lamented that “if the current pattern of funding the FCT  is sustained,  ”the territory will become a big slum in no distant time”.

Bello added that N800 billion was needed to complete 137 ongoing projects in the FCT.

The governors had in 2019 said an increase in the allocation to states would enable them to pay the new minimum wage, fight insecurity and check decaying infrastructure in their domain.

One of the governors had argued that managing states now was becoming very expensive in view of the heightening security challenges, including their contributions to the maintenance of the central police.

The governor said: “We have a template. Our demand is that we want between 40 and 45 per cent. This demand is based on responsibilities assigned to us by the 1999 Constitution, besides those forced on us by the Federal Government.”

 

Yesterday’s supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area is likely to decide the outcome of last Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State. Ihiala, with a voting population of 148,407, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has become the beautiful bride in the election. INEC had to declare the election inconclusive because the number of registered voters in Ihiala is more than the gap between Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and his closest challenger, Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). RAYMOND MORDI and EMMANUEL BADEJO report

The battleground has shifted to Ibiala Local Government Area, with front-runners in the Anambra State election still believing that the contest for Agu Awka Government House is not over yet. Mathematically speaking, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Valentine Ozigbo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Andy Uba still believed as at press time yesterday that they have an opportunity to close the gap between them and the front-runner in last Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The election could not be conducted in Ihiala last Saturday due to the non-arrival of materials and some security challenges. Based on the result released so far, Soludo has taken a significant lead over his opponents, with a margin of over 39,000 votes. Thus, Soludo who has 98,178 votes is coasting home for victory in the contest. His PDP counterpart is on the second spot with 49,401 votes, while the APC’s Uba is closely behind Ozigbo with 40,770 votes. The election was declared inconclusive because Ihiala has a registered voter population of 148,407.

Thus, depending on the outcome of the Ihiala supplementary election, either Ozigbo or Uba can overtake Soludo because 148,407 potential votes are available. There was also no election in Oba Ward 1, Oba Ward II and Akukwu Ward, all in Idemili South Local Government, which have no fewer than 40,000 registered voters.

If the PDP candidate or his APC counterpart succeeds in overtaking Soludo, there may be a run-off between the candidate and the APGA flag bearer because neither the APC nor the PDP has met the spread of at least 25 per cent of votes in 14 local councils, which constitute two-thirds of the 21 local councils that make up the state. Soludo won 18 of the 20 councils announced so far. He lost Nnewi North and Ogbaru. Nnewi North was won by the Young Progressive Party (YPP) candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, while Ozigbo won Ogbaru.

All three major candidates expressed hope before yesterday’s supplementary election that they can still win the governorship election by taking the upper hand in Ihiala. Soludo has the brightest chance of winning, based on the low voter turnout that characterizes previous elections in Anambra, including last Saturday’s poll and voting pattern observed throughout the state in the election. Not surprisingly, the APGA flag bearer has expressed confidence that he would win the election. Soludo’s victory is just being delayed on technical grounds by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But, Ozigbo believes he can still beat Soludo in the election by winning Ihiala with a wide margin. The PDP candidate expressed the hope that he would close the gap if electoral officials were effectively deployed on time for the supplementary election. He said Ihiala alone could in turn the result with the level of awareness already created in the council. He, therefore, urged INEC to ensure that voters did not encounter the frustration they experienced on Saturday by making sure that proper deployment was made and machines were functional.

Ozihbo said: “I want to assure the good people of Anambra that the election is not over; it is still winnable for us, the PDP. The over 248,000 votes in Ihiala and other places is enough to change the situation. I urge the people to remain hopeful and make it possible by coming out to vote.

“While we commend INEC for their effort to improve the electoral process with technology, we want to acknowledge the imperfection that marred the exercise. It was a big experiment we did not deserve.’

The PDP candidate blamed denominational and money politics for the current outcome of the process. He called on the Anambra electorate to de-emphasise them to get the best of the contestants.

Of the three front-runners, the APC candidate stands the least chance of winning the election. The party would however be counting on Ifeanyi Chudy Momah, the member representing Ihiala Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Momah who was initially elected on the platform of the APGA defected to the ruling party at the centre in the run-up to last Saturday’s election. This, Uba would be counting on him to deliver Ihiala with a wide margin for his new party.

Read Also: Anambra poll: Police denies alleged soldiers’ killing in Ihiala

Why did the election not hold in Ihiala Local Government Area? Last Saturday, the governorship election had held in 20 out of the 21 local governments but did not hold in Ihiala. INEC said it could not hold an election in Ihiala due to security threats. But the Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr Echeng Echeng denied the allegation, saying that statement was far from the truth, as his men and other security agencies were fully mobilized and were on the ground to ensure the smooth running of the election in the local government.

Echeng said only INEC can say why it did not hold elections within the local government. The police chief said that prior to the election; the police high command had put adequate security measures in place for the election to hold throughout the state.

While responding to the level of its preparation for yesterday’s supplementary election, Echeng said the police have beefed up the security in Ihiala and were fully ready. He urged the electorates to go out to exercise their franchise, saying more security personal had been mobilized and deployed.

He said: “We are very prepared for the supplementary election. We have deployed our men and they are set to go. We are going to shut down the local government area and we shall dominate the whole area.”

He also assured that the police have enough firepower and security architecture to remove any perceived threat in the concerned local government area.

While admitting the vulnerability of the Ihiala Local Government Area, the police boss said they have taken all necessary measures to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Meanwhile, former APGA chairman, Senator Victor Umeh, who lauded the electorates for coming out to vote for his party, said he was confident that, the APGA will with the supplementary election further maintain its lead. He said: “We are extremely grateful to the electorates.  In 20 local governments, the APGA won in 18 and that underscores the acceptance of the APGA by the people of Anambra.

He added: “With where we are now, we are very comfortable and we have surpassed the constitutional requirements to win this election.  What we are trying to do now is that we want to give everybody the chance to exercise their franchise.”

Umeh, however, decried the attitude of the APC and the PDP for not endorsing the election results sheets. He said: “We are, however, not happy with the attitude of the APC and the PDP for refusing to sign the result sheet, having signed peace accord and pledged to deepen democracy.

Authorities have urged the people of Anambra to remain calm and law-abiding as the election runs its full course. Police assure adequate security for supplementary elections in Ihiala Local Government. The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) said it has made all necessary security arrangements to ensure that today’s governorship supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra state holds without any hitch.

The Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr Echeng Echeng, said this yesterday while speaking on a live television programme monitored by The Nation.

Incidentally, former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju who governed the state on the platform of the PDP hails from Ihiala. Aside from Ihiala city, which is the local government headquarters, some of the other towns in the council are Amorka, Azia, Lilu, Okija, Mbosi, Isseke, Orsumoghu, Ubuluisiuzor and Uli.