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Tag: Edo guber

  • Edo Guber: PDP raises alarm over alleged interruption, manipulation of collation of results

    Edo Guber: PDP raises alarm over alleged interruption, manipulation of collation of results

    Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council and Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, has said that there were suppression of votes in three key local government areas in the state.

    He said the three local government areas have high voting population in the state.

    Fintiri, who spoke at a press conference at the Situation room of the PDP in Benin City, listed the affected local government where votes were allegedly surpressed to include Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba/Okha local government areas.

    This is even as INEC has announced result in Egor local government area and fixed 5pm today for the announcement of results in Ikpoba-Okha and Oredo.

    But the Adamawa Governor said collation processes in the three local governments were violently disrupted.

    He alleged that agents of the PDP agents were barred from entering the collation centre

    Fintiri said an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of the Police stopped the collation of results in the affected local government areas and ordered the movement of all the results to the INEC headquarters in Benin City.

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    According to him, “The collation process was violently interrupted in several local government areas across the State. In Edo South, local government collation processes were stopped in Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, and Egor and moved illegally to the State Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin on the instructions of an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in complete breach of the statutory collation process.

    “Affected Party Agents and representatives were then ordered to converge on the INEC State Headquarters in Aduwawa, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area for the completion of the collation exercise.

    “Upon arrival, agents of the PDP were not allowed into INEC State Office for the exercise. On the other hand, agents of the APC were allowed unfettered access into the INEC premises to participate in the collation process.

    “This was also in breach of the Electoral Act section on neutrality as well as the rules and regulations published for these elections

    “As a result of the attack the council Vice Chairman, Honourable Benji Ojetu was left in critical condition from a shooting injury. Because of this assault, the expected results from Wards 7 and 11 were not delivered”

    “At the INEC state office a 2km-long garrison barricade was created by the Police to cordon-off access, thereby restricting movement in the area.

    Finitri called for “the restoration of the collation process in accordance with the Electoral Act and the INEC rules and regulation for this election.

    “Any other illegal and unlawful actions going forward will be a violation of the will of the people and an abuse of the Electoral Act 2022”.

  • Edo guber: Disregard Fintiri’s illegal results, APC tells Edo electorate

    Edo guber: Disregard Fintiri’s illegal results, APC tells Edo electorate

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has branded the announcement of the results of Edo State governorship election by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors led by Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State as a blatant violation of electoral law.

    The governing party also said the action by the opposition governors was an attempt to disrupt the democratic process and cause a crisis in the state.

    APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka in a statement in Abuja on Sunday faulted Fintiri describing his action as “utter desperation and mindless impunity.”

    Governors elected on the platform of the PDP led by the Governor of Adamawa state, Umaru Fintiri on Sunday, September 22, 2024, in Benin addressed a press conference to declare the Edo State Governorship election, held on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

    Reacting to the development in the statement, Morka noted that, “in a display of utter desperation and mindless impunity, Governor Fintiri announced what he described as “results of the Edo State Gubernatorial Election” held yesterday, Saturday, September 21, 2024.

    “We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, this act of executive brigandage and contempt for the rule of law and democratic norms. Governor Fintiri has no authority to collate or announce the results of any election.

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    “This unprecedented illegality is calculated to cause unrest in Edo State, disrupt the peaceful conclusion of the election process, and undermine the lawful authority of INEC. We urge our law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant to maintain peace and security in the state.

    “Fintiri’s bizarre action follows Governor Godwin Obaseki’s disruptive overnight invasion of INEC’s premises in Benin City until he eventually withdrew in the early hours of Sunday, following protests by APC leaders.”

    APC maintained: “The power and duty to conduct, collate, and announce the result of the election is exclusively vested in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by law.

    “By seeking to usurp the statutory power of INEC, Governor Fintiri engaged in unmistakable and egregious violation of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

    “It is a thing of disappointment that Governor Fintiri, a beneficiary of the electoral process, would so recklessly disregard the same process that brought him to office as Governor, in a desperate move to mislead, and achieve a partisan political advantage.

    “To be clear, the purported election results announced by Fintiri are bogus, fake, and contrived by devious imagination.”

    The ruling party then urged the Edo electorate and the general public to disregard Fintiri’s unlawful and unauthorized announcement of election results.

  • Edo guber: Ighodalo’s supporters lift market women with empowerment fund

    Edo guber: Ighodalo’s supporters lift market women with empowerment fund

    Supporters of Asue Ighadalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming Edo governorship election, have shown their belief in his candidacy by providing cash gifts to boost the trading activities of market women in the state.

    The gesture extended by Executive chairman of the Etsako East Local Government Council,  Princess Benedicta Attoh alongside Dr. Uyi Igbinadolor, was meant to enhance the capital base of the market women.

    Tagged, Benedicta’s Market Women Money, each of the beneficiaries selling petty goods like vegetable, pure water, fufu, fish, and others hawking as well as some using grinding machine collected N10,000. 

    In distributing the cash sum, Igbinadolor for Asue/Ogie team stormed the Agenebode main market on Tuesday and handed the money to the traders.

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    While handing over the cash gift to each of the beneficiaries at the Agenebode market, the National Coordinator of the Team Dr. Uyi Igbinadolor for Asue/Ogie, Chief Jude Ogbekile urged the beneficiaries to plant the financial support from the U.S based donor as a seed by adding it to their micro businesses. 

    He thanked the council chairman for the good report about her human capital development activities as seen and heard across during the tour in the market.

    Addressing the women, the council chairman introduced Dr. Uyi Igbinadolor as the donor of the N300,000 for 30 women meant to give lifeline to support the poorest of the poor in the society.

    She described the lifeline support as one that is offering hope, dignity, reducing poverty, promoting self-sustainability and development.

    She called on public- spirited men and women to emulate the Edo born United States based medical practitioner, Dr. Uyi Igbinadolor by extending helping hands to those that need help the most in the society. 

    She said charitable donations play a significant role in poverty alleviation, especially in rural communities. 

    Attoh further expressed gratitude to Sir Tonna Okei, a brother and friend also based in the United States who she said facilitated the donation saying Dr. Igbinadolor has a track record of always putting smiles on the faces of the downtrodden in the society. 

    She assured that the distribution of financial support to the downtrodden across various markets in Etsako East Local Government will continue in Okpekpe, Imiegba and Okpella markets respectively within the week.

  • Edo guber: Only 24,000 members accredited to vote in Edo APC primary – Okpebholo

    Edo guber: Only 24,000 members accredited to vote in Edo APC primary – Okpebholo

    Senator Monday Okpebholo, one of the contenders who vied for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Edo state, has contested the validity of the over 40,000 votes announced by the election committee chairman, Governor Hope Uzodinma.

    Okpebholo stated that only 24,000 party members were accredited to vote during the exercise.

    Despite the declaration of Hon. Dennis Idahosa as the winner of the shadow election on Saturday, February 17, with 40,453 votes by the Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, Okpebholo, who declared himself as the winner, submitted a letter to the Primary Election Appeal Committee.

    In the letter, he requests issuing a certificate of return, citing his victory in the contest with over 12,000 votes from the accredited 24,000 voters.

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    In the letter, the governorship hopeful explained how the Elections Committee constituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC, led by the Chief State Electoral Officer/Returning Officer, Dr Stanley Ugboaja, successfully conducted the polls, where 12 aspirants competed.

    He argued that the results announced by Governor Uzodimma were not a true reflection of what happened, as confirmed by the returning officer.

    He said: “My humble appeal to your respected Committee is to look at the facts that I have presented and affirm them as cogent, and verifiable, apply the relevant provisions of the law guiding our primary elections, and uphold the result collated, signed, and announced by the, and proceed with the official process by issuing me the Certificate of Declaration as the Winner of the 2024 Edo State Gubernatorial Primary Election.

    “I have implicit confidence in the integrity of your committee to uphold the rule of law, fairness, equity, justice, and regards to due process of the law, which are the hallmarks of democratic governance driven by internal party democracy.”