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Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Monday hailed the affirmation of his re-election by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

A statement by the Special Adviser, Media & Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, quoted the governor as thanking the tribunal for its verdict and expressing his gratitude to the people whose electoral choice has been reaffirmed.

The tribunal on Monday upheld the election of El-Rufai as the duly elected governor.

The Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Ibrahim Bako, said the petitioner, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Isah Ashiru, was unable to prove his allegations of massive rigging and other electoral irregularities against Governor El-Rufai, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the petition filed before the tribunal, the PDP candidate had alleged that irregularities marred the conduct of the March 9, 2018 governorship election and asked the tribunal to declare him winner.

Read Also: BREAKING: Tribunal upholds El-Rufai’s election

The Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Mohammed Bello, who was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, had said El-Rufai polled 1,045,427 to defeat his closest rival, Isa Ashiru, the PDP candidate, who scored 814,168.

The PDP and its governorship candidate, Ashiru, had petitioned the tribunal asking it to nullify El-Rufai’s election.

The petitioners, in their final written address, asked the tribunal to cancel 515, 951 votes, which they contended, were unlawfully added to the total votes cast during the poll.

The petitioners called 135 witnesses out of the 685 they assembled to prove alleged massive rigging, ballot stuffing and other irregularities during the poll as contained in their petition.

The petitioners accused the INEC of adding 391,741 votes to El-Rufai’s and 124, 210 unlawful votes to the PDP through wrong or double entry on the result sheets.

They said that declaring El-Rufai as the winner by INEC was illegal, as he did not poll the majority of lawful votes.

The PDP through its legal team led by Mr. Emmanuel C. Ukala (SAN), said deducting 391,741 votes from 1,045,427 scored by El-Rufai and 124,210 from Ashiru’s 814, 168 votes would give victory to PDP and Ashiru, its candidate.

The PDP Chairman in Kaduna State, Hassan Hyet, has said his party will appeal the tribunal’s judgment.

A cleaner, Lydia Ekeremoyia, was on Monday arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing her employer’s wrist watches valued at N250,000.

Ekeremoyia, 25, resident in Lekki area of Lagos is facing a lone count charge of stealing before Magistrate T.A. Anjorin-Ajose.

She pleaded not guilty.

Read Also: Man arraigned for allegedly stealing N2.3m diesel

The Prosecutor, Insp. Ajaga Agboko, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on August 31 at about 11:56a.m. at No. 6, Omodayo Owutuga, Bera Estate, Chevron Lekki, Lagos.

Inspector Agboko  alleged that the defendant, stole two Seiko gold wrist watches valued at N250,000 belonging to  her employer, Mr Eieri Anwara.

She pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate  Anjorin-Ajose, granted the defendant  bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case until October 10.

No fewer than six people have been kidnapped on Kaduna-Abuja highway on Sunday evening.

The six people The Nation learnt were travelling from Offa to Kaduna on board a commercial bus, Okin Motors.

The incident, according to sources, happened around the Rijana axis of the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.

Though, police were yet to confirm the incident at the time of filing this report, the development associations of of offa people, Offa Descendants’ Union (ODU) said was already making efforts to secure the victims’ release.

National Public Relations Officer of the Union, Maruf Olalekan Ajenifuja  in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Monday said, ODU has waded in and efforts are in top gear to secure the release of the victims.

Read Also: Police recover kidnapped Ondo varsity lecturer’s official car

The statement added that all the abducted people would be released soonest.

According to him, “The Offa Descendants’ Union (ODU) has received the sad news of the Kidnapping of 6 people travelling with Okin Motors from Offa to Kaduna on Monday.

“This worrisome incident happened at Rejana along Abuja-Kaduana Expressway thereby throwing many families into period of sorrow.

‘ODU. has waded in and efforts are in top gear to secure the release of the victims and we hope they would be released soonest by the special grace of God. We may not be able to give you details at the moment due to security reasons.” The statement read.

Meanwhile, Chairman Yoruba Traditional Council of Obas and Chiefs in the 19 Northern states and Abuja, Ambassador Muhammad Arigbabuwo has called for release of the victims The Monarch made the plead while speaking with the media in Kaduna on Monday, appealling to their abductors to free them because they are people in search of means of survival.

He also asked the goverment to improve in the welfare packages of all security agents, especially those in the frontline.

Residents of some parts of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, have vacated their homes following incessant attacks and harassments by hoodlums suspected to be cultists.

Areas mostly affected, according to investigations by our correspondent, are School Road, Itu Road, Ikot Ekang, Church Road, Nelson Mandela Street, Ikot Ndem Street, Udoette Street among others.

The areas are within the axis of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) and the Uyo City Polytechnic, a private tertiary institution.

Residents of these areas live in morbid fear due to the deadly operations of suspected cultists who invade houses and shops with guns, machetes and other weapons.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, said: “These boys who are members of various confraternities carry out their operations anytime it pleases them. Sometimes,they divided themselves to different directions for them to be faster.

Read Also: Four Delta communities turn to battlegrounds for cultists

”Their major operations are entering people’s shops collecting phones, money, drinks and others valuable items. This happens in almost all the areas I have mentioned especially in Itu and School roads’’, he said.

A shop owner at School Road told The Nation she used to stay in her shop up till 10pm or 11pm to do business but can no longer that due to frequent attacks by cultists.

‘’I used to keep my shop open to customers till 10pm or 11pm but i close early these days for fear of being robbed or killed by these bad boys.

‘’Many people who own shops around here now close. I have personally been robbed four times since i opened this shop. Some of us have ran away because we don’t want to be killed.

‘’There was a lawyer who owned a house in this area. His name is Barrister Umoh and we learnt he is the state director public prosecutions in the Ministry of Justice. He has ran away and abandoned his house because of these cultists.

‘’Right now there is this information we got that the barrister is planning to sell his house. But who will be bold enough to buy such a house in an area that is not secure, she queried.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Odiko MacDon DSP, said the police were aware of the situation and have beefed up security around the University of Uyo and its environs.

‘’We are trying our best to handle the situation but we urge residents of the affected areas to provide us with information that will help us fish out these hoodlums,” he said.

Ogun State Government has organised free medical outreach for the people of Ilaro in fulfilment of its promise to provide effective health care delivery to the citizens.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, while addressing the crowd who came out for the free medical test at Yewa Empire Ground, Ilaro, said ensuring good health of the citizens was paramount to his administration, adding that the programme was the third phase, as it had been conducted in Odeda and Ilisan-Remo.

Represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the governor said the people’s welfare was very fundamental, which informed the free health care delivery initiative.

“It is very important for us to know our health status, as health is wealth. This medical outreach is meant to educate us more on the state of our health, to advise us on what to eat, when to rest and what steps to take when we notice any symptoms in our body system.

Read Also: Abiodun gives free land to 2,000 farmers 

“There is a disease called hepatitis, which is most common now. We have launched the sensitisation and conducted a test in Ota. Very soon, it will be brought to Ilaro so that our people can get tested to know their status,” he said

The governor added that besides the free medical outreach, the government had inspected some roads in Ilaro.

He said work would soon begin on some of the roads to enhance free flow of vehicular movement.

The Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, who was represented by Chief Emmanuel Adeboye Sanu, praised the government for the kind gesture, saying money without sound health is nothing.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Sade Adebanjo, commended the governor for fulfilling his electoral promises.

The Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran and Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, have hailed Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for building and sustaining the good legacies of the former administration.

The duo expressed satisfaction about the spate of development the state had witnessed in the last nine months of Oyetola’s administration.

The leader of Afenifere socio-political group, Senator Ayorinde Fasanmi, has acknowledged the leadership trait exhibited by the governor in administering the state.

The encomiums were bestowed on the governor during the Celebratory Banquet organised  by the state government in honour of Oyetola and the former governor, who is now the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, at the Government House, Osogbo.

Oba Aromolaran described as “worthwhile”, the consolidation approach of the present administration, which, according to him, had ensured the continuity of good governance and meaningful development.

Read Also: Oyetola and the policy of all-inclusive governance

He described the emergence of Governor Oyetola at the poll and his subsequent victory at the Supreme Court as divine, saying God installed Oyetola to consolidate on the good legacies of the former administration.

While commending the good work Aregbesola did in the eight years of his administration, the revered monarch said his joy was in the fact that the incumbent government is following the same path of good governance.

The traditional ruler implored Oyetola not to relent in his efforts at taking the state to greater heights.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, praised the achievements of the progressive government in the last eight and a half years.

He commended the government for developing the capital, saying Osogbo people would continue to appreciate the good work done to turn around the socio-economic fortunes of the town.

Senator Fasanmi, who described Oyetola as a transformer, hailed the governor for being passionate and aggressive towards advancing the economy of the state.

The veteran politician, who advised the governor not to lose track but remain focused in his commitment to turn the socio-economic fortunes of the state around, told him to be magnanimous since the will of God has manifested in his life.

Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has assured residents of Adigbe-Opako and its environs in Abeokuta that the bridge linking the two communities will be completed within the week.

Abiodun, who spoke while inspecting the project, said it would have been completed by now, but for some necessary modifications done for the bridge, to carry large volume of water during heavy rain.

“We had to make some adjustments to the original design to accommodate large volume of water when there is heavy rain. The work done here before was not enough to stop flood. We believe with what is being done, the problem of perennial flooding in this area will be a thing of the past.

Read Also: Abiodun flags off free medical services in Ogun

”I want to assure our people that we will do a thorough job and the flooding problem will become a thing of the past. By God’s grace, this bridge will be ready before our children resume school,” the governor said.

Urging the people to be patient for a thorough job, he advised them to support his administration to serve them better.

A resident, Mrs. Elizabeth Ajibade, called on those executing the project to expedite action to ensure early completion.

Another resident, Bayo Shittu, said inhabitants of the area had suffered untold hardship as a result of frequent flooding.

He hailed the governor for responding to their plight.