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  • Bandits kill 50 civilian JTF members, others in Zamfara

    No fewer than 50 persons, including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force(CJTF) have been killed in a fresh raid by bandits in Zamfara State.

    Speaker of the State House Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, said yesterday that the  CJTF had confronted the bandits in Sakajiki community in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area.

    Rikiji who was on a condolence visit to Kaura Namoda emirate decried the worsening security situation in the state.

    “We were told that the members of Civilian JTF had mobilised people from Sakajiki community in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area and confronted the bandits in the forest which led to the killing of over 50 persons including members of CJTF,” he said.

    Rikiji, who is the Chairman of the State Government Relief and Damage Assessment Committee, described the act of the CJTF as unprofessional, saying “confronting the bandits is not the duty of CJTF members.

    “Their duty is to support security personnel to carryout operations not to lead operations; only security agents have the right to organise operation to confront bandits,” he added.

    He urged traditional rulers in the state to caution CJTF members in their respective domain to avoid taking laws into their hands.

    Read also: Zamafara: APC insist it will present candidates for 2019 elections

    “This is the directive from governor Abdul’aziz Yari that CJTF members should not confront bandits again; let them cooperate with the security personnel.

    “We have already received the list of the number of the deceased and other affected victims from the local government Chairman aimed at assisting them.

    “The state government would provide assistance to the families of the deceased and other victims of the incident very soon,” he added.

    Responding, the emir of Kaura Namoda, Alhaji Muhammad Asha, thanked the state government for the gesture and assured of his palace’s continued support and cooperation with government to address the problem.

    He said the emirate had embarked on special prayers to seek Allah’s intervention over the security challenges in the state.

    “We have already mobilised our Imams of Jumu’at Mosque and Ulamas to offer special prayers in this regard during Jumu’at prayers,” the emir said.

    The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Lawal Abdullahi, thanked the state government for the assistance to the victims.

  • Primate, others laud ICT centre

    The Primate of African Church Cathedral, Ifako,  Rev Emmanuel Josiah Udofia, and the Lagos African Church Grammar School Old Students Association (LAFROSA) have praised the Chairman, Ifako Ijaiye -Local Government, Apostle Oloruntoba Oke, for donating a modern ICT centre to his alma mater, Lagos African Church, grammar School, Ifako (LAFROGRAMS).

    Declaring the event open, the Primate thanked Oke for giving back to his former school and prayed for him.

    LAFROSA’s National President, Otunba Moses Paul, described Oke as a true leader, urging other old students to emulate his gesture.

    Principal of the school, Mrs Mojisola Oyetayo, thanked the donor for the centre.

    Read also: ICT mainstay of economy, says Shittu

    She said through him, LAFROGRAMS has one of the best ICT centres in the state, because it is Joint Admissions Matriculation Board compliant.

    Oke said the ICT centre was a dream come true, promising to donate more in future.

    Present at the unveiling were former Principal of the school, Mrs Huneph Adeoba, L. S. Ogunyale, Rev. Ogunshipe, and the Proprietor of Ifako International school, Wande Majekodunmi, among others.

  • VC warns students against cultism, forgery, others

    The Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, has warned students against cultism, forgery, examination malpractices and other vices throughout their stay.

    He said cultism and deviant behaviours remained an anathema and would not be tolerated.

    Speaking at the weekend during the matriculation of over 9,000 regular and Continuous Education Programme (CEP) students, Ahaneku warned that misconducts attracted expulsion.

    He listed payment of school fees and attendance of 75 per cent lectures in all courses as prerequisites for successful graduation of students.

    Ahaneku said: “You must take your studies seriously and avoid associations capable of jeopardising your future.

    “The university has provided you with congenial environment and welfare facilities for your development in character and learning.

    “These facilities include a work-aid scheme to assist indigent students who attain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.50; a Group Personal Insurance and well-equipped hostels.”

    The vice chancellor said the institution enjoyed full accreditations in all the 107 programmes across the 14 faculties.

    “The institution has linkages with universities across the world to facilitate academic programmes development, teaching/research and staff/student exchange,” he added.

  • Mohammed, emir, others attend Fidau for Kwara monarch

    Kwara State Deputy Governor Peter Kisira, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed and Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari and other top dignitaries yesterday attended the Fidau prayer for the repose of the soul of the late Etsu Patigi, Ibrahim Chatta Umar.

    Etsu Umar died last Tuesday in Abuja and was buried the following day at Patigi in Patigi Local Government Area.

    Speaking at the event, Kisira urged Nigerians to contribute their quota to the growth of their community, which, he said, would in turn lead to progress.

    Kisira implored them to use their positions and wealth to serve and give their best to the growth of their communities to make life meaningful for the downtrodden.

    The deputy governor added that government alone could not meet the need of the people, hence the support of the people in achieving the needed growth.

    On the late Etsu Patigi, Kisira described him as a hardworking man who had passion for the progress of his community, the state and the nation.

    He advised the people of the community to emulate the late monarch’s sterling qualities to ensure peaceful co-existence and growth.

    He noted that the late Etsu contributed immensely to the giant stride and progress recorded in the community and the state, calling on resident not to allow his lofty dreams to die.

  • Friends, associates, others celebrate Pius Adesanmi in Ondo

    FRIENDS, associates and admirers at the weekend paid tributes in Akure, the Ondo State capital, in honour of Prof. Pius Adesanmi, who died in the ill-fated Ethiopian Airline 302.

    In attendance at the event, which took place at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Adegbemile, Akure, were the Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor on Public Utilities, Tunji Light Ariyomo; former Ondo State Head of Service (HoS) Ajose Kudehinbu; Rev. Fr. Joseph Ogodo of Ondo Catholic Diocese, who is the Director, Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute, Igoba, Akure; President of 83/88 set of St. Thomas Aquinas College Akure Old Students’ Association Tope Famuti, and others.

    Speaking on the life and times of the late erudite scholar, Ariyomo said Adesanmi was an intrepid revolutionary, who fought with superior ideas for the emancipation of the black race.

    According to him, the late Adesanmi believed that education and leadership were two principal keys to the liberation of Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

    He said: “Pius knew long ago that our future as a people would be affected by the depth and quality of our education as well as the quality of minds that constitute our leadership.”

    Ariyomo added: “There are many works of Pius that many have described as the best. For me, however, due to its central significance to the leadership ascension theme of most African democracies, my best of Pius’ works is an essay titled ‘2015: I endorse you, spectocrat!’”

    Ariyomo, who could not hold back tears, described Adesanmi as brilliance-personified.

    Kudehinbu, in his tribute, described the late professor as someone who was focused on seeing Africa become a safe haven for its people.

    He said the late erudite professor was never tired of promoting knowledge that could lead to bridging the gap between the poor and the rich.

  • Rerun polls: Tambuwal, Aliyu, Ganduje,Yusuf, others locked in fierce battle

    After the March 9 governorship elections across the country, the polls in six states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto – were declared inconclusive. In this analysis, Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI who has been monitoring the situation writes on how the elections in five states will be fought and won. In Adamawa, the governorship rerun is on hold following a court order; the supplementary poll holds today only in two constituencies for state assembly.

    THE two major parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resorted to a war of words when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the recent governorship elections in six states inconclusive and announced later that it would conduct supplementary polls in five of the affected states today. The governorship rerun will not hold today in Adamawa because of a court order barring INEC. It will, however, hold in two constituencies for the state assembly.

    Both conventional and social media are awash with last ditch efforts by the affected parties to get an upper hand in today’s supplementary elections. The two parties have been busy with fresh campaigns, establishing alliances and heading to the courts, to secure injunctions to stop the election.

    Curiously, it is first-term governors from either the APC or the PDP that are facing serious challenge in the states where elections are scheduled to hold. The following is how the supplementary election battle in each of the states would be fought and won.

    BAUCHI

    The back and forth movement over today’s supplementary election in some polling units Bauchi State was eventually settled on Thursday, with INEC saying it will go ahead with the exercise.

    The Bauchi State governorship election was declared inconclusive, follow ing irregularities in some polling units across 15 local government areas.

    The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bauchi, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said today’s supplementary elections are due to be held in 36 polling units in 15 local government areas. There are 22,759 registered voters in the affected 36 polling units where the supplementary elections will be taking place today.

    In the results released so far, the PDP candidate, Bala Mohammed, is leading with 4,059 votes; having scored 469,512 votes, against 465,453 votes polled by the incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the APC.

    Results from Tafawa Balewa local government are also in dispute, after thugs attacked the local government collation centre and disrupted the collation of results.

    INEC had decided to resume the collation of results in the council, but a court ruling has  suspended the exercise in the local government, which is regarded as a stronghold of the PDP. So, the local government is not part of today’s supplementary elections.

    INEC had indicated that it would resume the collation of results of the disputed Tafawa Balewa Local Government after considering a report submitted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bauchi. But it had to stay action on the matter, following the court injunction. The PDP insists that the initial cancellation of the result from the local government was illegal because the returning officer did not have the power to cancel the results already collated. The party said since there were no reports of violent clashes and disruptions of voting at the polling units,  which was the only ground for the cancellation of results, the returning officer acted outside his power by rejecting the result from the council. The PDP on Thursday threatened to boycott today’s supplementary elections on the grounds that INEC has allegedly compromised the process by acceding to the demands of the ruling APC.

    It had also appointed a new collation/returning officer to conclude the collation process, after Mrs Dominion Anosike withdrew over alleged threats to her life and her family. But the decision of the electoral body was rejected by the APC.

    PDP chairman, Hamza Akuyam, said no supplementary elections should take place until the full governorship election results collation, which ended with Tafawa Balewa local government, are announced.

    He said: “Doing otherwise will be synonymous with writing a reseat examination while the main examination has not been marked.” He accused the REC in Bauchi of deliberately keeping everybody waiting at the collation centre until around 2pm when he abruptly surfaced with a court injunction halting the collation exercise.

    With the current state of affairs, the PDP is in pole position to win the election. Apart from the fact that it is leading with 4,059 votes, the results from Tafawa Balewa Local Government, which is a stronghold of the party is still outstanding. At the end of the day, the opposition party is likely to carry the day.

    BENUE

    In Benue State, with the margin between Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP and his APC counterpart, Emmanuel Jime, INEC is conducting today’s election to fulfill all righteousness, because it is obvious that PDP has an unassailable lead.

    The supplementary election will be conducted in almost all the 23 local government areas with about 121,091 votes at stake. After the March 9 election, the PDP was leading 81,554 votes. The party polled 420,576 votes, while its closest challenger, the APC, scored 329,022. INEC had to declare the election inconclusive, because cancelled votes -121,091 — were higher than the margin between the two top candidates.

    Governor Ortom is likely to emerge victorious at the end of today’s exercise, because it will be difficult to have a 100 per cent turnout and the APC getting enough votes to cancel the PDP’s lead. The two leading political parties have been wooing voters ahead of today’s election.

    The PDP had insisted that Ortom won the election and that he should be declared winner of the election.

    KANO

    Today’s supplementary election in Kano State is a battle between former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and incumbent Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. The election is likely to determine the political future of the two gladiators. The two politicians were allies from 1999 when they were elected as governor and deputy governor respectively, up to 2015 when the former nominated the latter to succeed him as the state governor.

    But, less than two years after the election that brought Ganduje to power, his relationship with his former boss became sour and this finally led to the defection of Kwankwaso to the PDP.

    Ganduje is seeking re-election to complete a second tenure as governor, while the ‘PDP candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf, is contesting governorship for the first time.

    This is where the real contest is. Although the PDP occupies the high ground in this contest, its lead is not enough to guarantee that it would triumph at the end of the day. The final outcome would be determined by the electors who will come out to cast their ballot today.  In the results declared so far, the PDP flag bearer leads the incumbent governor with 26,000 votes, while the votes at stake in the 172 polling units where the supplementary election is taking place are 128,572.

    The March 9 governorship election was cancelled in the affected units due to disturbances over voting and nonusage of the Card Reader machines.

    The declaration of the election as inconclusive is in accordance with section 26 of the INEC Act, because the number of cancelled votes is beyond the margin between the candidate with the highest votes and the one that came second.

    In the results released so far, the PDP candidate scored 1,014,474, while the APC had 987,819 votes.

    There is no telling who will emerge victorious at the end of the day, given the number of registered voters in the area where results were cancelled.

    Nevertheless, the PDP candidate appears to have an upper hand, with the 26,000 votes advantage he enjoys going into today’s supplementary election.

    PLATEAU

    In the case of Plateau State, today’s supplementary election may turn out to be a mere formality. Incumbent Governor Simon Lalong, who is the APC candidate, is in pole position to secure his re-election.

    While the supplementary elections in Adamawa, Bauchi and Benue seem set to go PDP way, the APC has similarly secured acomfortable lead in Plateau State.

    Other things being equal, the incumbent, Simon Lalong, seems ready to clinch a second term in office.

    So far, in the declared election result, Lalong polled 583,255 votes, while Jeremiah Useni of the PDP secured 538,326 votes. With a margin 44,929 between the two contestants and 49,377 cancelled votes, today’s election is a mere formality.

    Observers say the supplementary election is needless and a mere waste of time and resources because it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Useni to come from far behind to level up the margin and beat Lalong. They say the odds weigh heavily to the point of impossibility against the PDP candidate, for him to defeat the APC candidate.

     

    SOKOTO

    In Sokoto, the PDP candidate, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is clinging to a narrow lead ahead of his APC counterpart, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto. Tambuwal leads with 3,413 votes, having scored 489,558 votes, against his APC counterparts 486,090 votes.

    A winner could not be declared since the cancelled votes were more than the margin between the winner and the runner off. The number of registered voters in the area where results were cancelled are 75, 403, whereas Tambuwal is leading his APC counterpart with 3, 413 votes.

    Sokoto is another electoral contest that is too close to call. After defecting to the PDP to pursue his presidential ambition, Tambuwal lost some of his local support, especially that of the defacto godfather of Sokoto politics and a former governor of the state, Aliyu Wamakko.

    The APC draws most of its support from the influential Wamakko and many analysts did not give the PDP a chance until it managed to secure a respectable portion of the votes during the presidential election.

    The supplementary election may, however, offer the APC an opportunity to rouse itself from slumber and restrategise for a better outing.

  • Rainstorms blow off Ekiti monarch’s palace, others

    THE palace of Alare of Are-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, Ekiti State and other houses in some parts of the state have been blown off following heavy rainstorms.

    Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

    The rainstorm in Are-Ekiti, which began at about 5:30pm and lasted for about two hours at the weekend, was preceded by a whirlwind.

    Pieces of roofing sheets, smashed ceiling, electric poles, kiosk and debris of destroyed houses were seen in the affected areas.

    Other areas affected included Odo-ode area, Idemorun, Oke-Afin, Ayegunle and Ilawemon.

    It was also gathered that another rainstorm on Tuesday affected Ado-Ekiti and other communities like Afao and Igbemo.

    Isan Ekiti and Iludun in Oye Local Government were also hit by the heavy rainstorm.

    No fewer than 45 houses were specifically blown off in Are-Ekiti with no report of causality.

    Some of the affected residents are being accomodated by friends and family members.

    Speaking with reporters in his palace yesterday, the Alare of Are-Ekiti, Oba Boluade Adebiyi, lamented that his palace and many other buildings were affected by the heavy rainstorm.

    Oba Adebiyi, however, pleaded with the state and the Federal Governments to come to the aid of his community, saying the degree of damage done was beyond their capabilities.

    “As you can see, part of the palace roof has been blown off, but that is not my immediate problem now.  My concern now is how to take care of my people that have become homeless by this natural disaster,” he said.

    Oba Adebiyi, who said he has contacted relevant state and federal authorities to come to the aid of the community, also appealed to the indigenes of Are-Ekiti in the diaspora to come home and help their people.

    One of the victims, Mr. Ayodele Anisulowo of No 18, Odo-Ode Street, whose house was affected, described the incident as massive.

    He added that all what he had painstakingly laboured for, for many years have gone down the drain.

    “My properties have been blown off with water entering into my room. Everything is soaked and destroyed. This is a serious thing. I don’t know what to do because I am now hopeless and homeless,” he said.

    Another victim, an octogenarian and widow, Madam Jibiye Adeleye, lamented that she has been forced to relocate to her father’s house pending the time her children can repair their father’s house.

    General Manager of Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Mr.  Olajide Borode, however, told reporters that Are-Ekiti was not the only community affected by the rainstorm.

    According to him, Ado Ekiti and some other communities like Afao and Igbemo were equally affected. He added that Isan Ekiti and Iludun in Oye Local Government were also hit by the heavy rainstorm.

    He said: “We and NEMA have jointly visited some of the affected areas for on-the-spot assessment of the damages.  More than 30 houses were destroyed in Isan and Iludun.

    “Roofs of 40 houses were blown off in Afao. More than 45 houses were affected in Are-Ekiti.  Among the properties destroyed in Afao was the newly completed Gifted Academic.”

    But, Governor Kayode Fayemi has commiserated with victims of the rainstorm, which damaged some buildings in Ado-Ekiti and some parts of the state.

    He pledged the support of the state government towards mitigating their losses.

    The governor has directed the SEMA in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come up with the detailed record of the affected areas and individuals for necessary support.

    The governor also appealed to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to move round the affected areas and tidy up damaged electricity poles and cables so that power supply can be restored to the areas.

  • APC, PDP claim victory in Benue, Kano, Bauchi, others

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership has spoken on the governorship and Houses of Assembly elections, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)of working with the opposition Peoples Democratic party (PDP) to deny it its victory in some states.

    The party rejected the commission’s decision on the results from Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, alleging that its agents were not invited to witness the investigations conducted by the commission.

    In a swift reaction, the PDP said the APC was playing the victim.

    Although APC’s candidate did not participate in the governorship election in Rivers State, its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said it was clear that Governor Nyesom Wike was losing before INEC halted the process. The results are being doctored to favour him, the party claimed.

    The APC said the process was fraudulently suspended in Rivers, adding that its reports of vote buying by the PDP and thuggery were ignored by the electoral management body.

    Besides, attempts are being made to blackmail the government into withdrawing security agents from the state, the party said.

    The statement reads: “After the March 9 governorship elections across the country, the polls in six states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto – were declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The electoral process was also suspended in Rivers State in a very fraudulent circumstance.

    “Post election, Nigerians will recall that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had severally raised alarm over the plot by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to use violence, vote-buying and other election malpractices to subvert the will of the electorate and steal their mandate.

    “The shocking events leading to the last-minute postponement of the presidential election provided clear evidence with PDP agents caught in different parts of the country with programmed card readers, sensitive election materials and large cache of weapons and security paraphernalia.

    “Undeterred, the PDP executed its rigging plot through its agents across the country by unleashing violence, vote-buying and hijacking election materials to rig and falsify elections results. The result was violent disruption in many polling areas and over-voting which led to many cancelled votes and ultimately the supplementary elections and suspended exercise in some states.”

    Using a state by state analysis, the APC said “INEC declared the governorship election in Benue State inconclusive, citing an insufficient margin in votes obtained by the APC candidate, Emmanuel Jime, and the PDP candidate, Governor Samuel Ortom.

    “Even though the PDP claims a bogus lead of over 81,000 votes, reports strongly establish that this dodgy figure is an aggregate of ‘votes’ obtained by subterfuge, not from the numbers recorded by the card reader. There were cases in Logo, Gwer-West, Vandeikya, Guma, Buruku and Gboko local governments where the card reader was not used.

    “In Guma, a local government predominated by the APC, zero votes were allocated to our candidate by thugs loyal to the governor of the State, as agents of the party were chased away and election material diverted and ballot papers thumb-printed for the governorship candidate of the PDP.

    “In Logo, security reports indicated that the ballot papers were massively thumb-printed the night before the election day, while a brazen case of under-age voting supervised by state government compromised security personnel, was prevalent on the actual day of voting. INEC also reported that 41 polling units in Vandeikya did not use the card reader, as it was the case in many in Gwer-West, Gwer-East, Gboko and other places.

    “A coalition of election observers in Benue has since called on INEC to declare the candidate of the APC, Barr. Emmanuel Jime, the winner of the governorship poll, in line with the Electoral Act and we align with the position of these observers. There is no doubt that our candidate obtained the highest number of legitimate votes with the usage of the card reader.”

    On Rivers State, the party condemned what it described as “this horrid dance in Rivers”, alleging an “unholy alliance between Governor Nyesom Wike, PDP and INEC is to prevent Rivers people from electing a candidate of their choice by imposing Wike, the PDP candidate on them.”

    The ruling party said “It was glaring that Wike was losing until INEC stepped in to halt the process apparently to save Wike from impending defeat. INEC must put a halt to this madness and brazen illegality.

    “The desperation of the PDP governorship candidate, Governor Nyesom Wike to remain in office even if it means destroying the State and killing its people, is throwing the State into turmoil and crisis.

    “With regard to the governorship election in Rivers State, APC has observed with dismay the macabre dance between Wike and INEC in Rivers State. It is on record that Wike through the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga engaged PDP card-carrying members as Local Government Area (LGA) Collation Officers to skew the elections in favour of Wike and the PDP.

    “We call on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to immediately redeploy Mr. Effanga from Rivers State in order to avoid crisis that may follow the organised crime being executed by Wike and Obo Effanga to rig and alter the result of the 2019 governorship polls in Rivers State in favour of Wike.

    “Since the suspension of the electoral process in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike and the State REC Obo Effanga have been re-writing and doctoring unit results in Rivers State Government House to favour Wike.

    “We are dismayed that some sponsored stakeholders including those who witnessed the killing of over 40 persons on the 2015 governorship election day alone due to someone’s quest to become governor by all means, appear to be hoodwinked by the very same character to believe that security agents especially the Army should have stayed away to allow a repetition of what happened in 2015.

    “As a party that was solely at the receiving end of the killings in Rivers State, the APC believes that the proactive steps taken by security agents to checkmate a repeat of the 2015 killings and destructions, is commendable and should be applauded by all peace-loving people.

    “We call on Nigerians and the international community not to be hoodwinked into believing that Nigerian security agencies interfered in the electoral process in Rivers State. It is a misleading narrative being planted in the media to particularly blackmail the military and the federal government into pulling out security agents from the state, thereby returning the State to the killing field many of us witnessed before, during and after the 2015 elections.

    “It is now clear to all that INEC has become deaf and blind to the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike invaded the Obio/Akpor Collation Centre with over 200 armed thugs and ordered his security men to shoot an Army Captain and another soldier providing perimeter security to the Collation Centre. Wike’s thugs carted away the electoral materials including both original copies of unit result sheets and ward collation sheets that were being used for the collation of results and took them to the Rivers State Government House where they were filled out with rigged and inflated figures.

    “We report that in most of the LGAs in the State, voting had concluded, results declared at the polling units and collation had begun before the abrupt suspension of the process. INEC does not have the power under our Electoral Act to suspend elections that has already been concluded. We suspect that INEC might be working to surreptitiously bring in cooked up results credited to Obio/Akpor LGA to skew the election in favour of Wike. We vehemently reject this anti-democratic move.”

    The party asked its members in Plateau state to remain focussed as its lead in the state was unassailable, expressing confidence that its candidate, Simon Lalong will eventually carry the day.

    The APC is also confidence that it will eventually carry the day in Kano state, saying “the opposition PDP camp in its self-deceit has continued to delude itself on its nonexistent electoral chance in Nasarawa local government area. The Kano electorate are not deceived.

    “Considering what happened in the inconclusive election widely characterized by PDP vote buying and voter intimidation, relevant agencies must ensure that such antidemocratic practice is not repeated.”

    It accused the Kano State Police Commissioner of actively assisting the opposition PDP to rig inside Kano city with the deployment of police security for Rabiu Kwankwaso loyalists while state commissioner’s orderlies were withdrawn.

    Kano, it said “remains an APC state. With the massive votes garnered by our presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari; the entire incoming 9th National Assembly positions – 3 Senators and 24 House of Representatives – won by the APC in Kano State; 27 State House of Assembly seats won by the APC out of 39 and governorship election victories in all local governments outside Kano metropolitan, there is no doubt that Kano State is a stronghold and key support base of the APC.

    “The APC’s visible achievements in Kano state under Governor Abdullahi Ganduje are enough to give the party an emphatic victory in the rerun election. Again, the rerun will be mostly in APC-controlled rural areas and Nasarawa local government area where our Deputy Governor, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna is from. Undoubtedly, Kano state remains an APC stronghold and remains in our firm control.”

    Speaking further on the decision of INEC regarding the supplementary polls in Bauchi state, the APC said “We reject INEC’s decision on the governorship election results from Tafawa Balewa local government area in Bauchi State, as signed and announced by the electoral body’s National Commissioner and chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.

    “While the close relationship between Festus Okoye who chaired the fact-finding committee and Yakubu Dogara of the PDP is well known, hence inappropriate for the fact-finding exercise for Bauchi State, INEC has failed to adhere to the fundamental principle of fair-hearing by not inviting our agents during the hearing to ascertain the circumstances leading to the cancellation of the Tafawa Balewa Local Government election result.

    “INEC’s decision is illegal as the electoral body contravenes the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. We reiterate that according to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and INEC Guidelines for 2019 General Elections, the electoral body is not empowered to reverse any decision taken at the Collation Centre by the Returning Officer appointed for that purpose. Such decisions can only be reversed by a court of law, especially when INEC cannot approbate and reprobate.”

    The party is also laying claim to Sokoto State, saying “as displayed in the results of the presidential election, Sokoto is a strong APC state. This rubbishes the suspicious and apparently stolen results ascribed to the PDP governorship candidate.”

    APC accused the PDP candidate and Governor Aminu Tambuwal, of using thugs and fake security agents to scare voters in the state. This gave PDP agents a free and field day to rig and manipulate the governorship election. We are also aware of how huge funds were used to buy votes and how complicit INEC officials disenfranchised APC members by purporting that card readers stopped working in APC strongholds,” the party said.

    “The forthcoming supplementary election in Sokoto State gives the APC; our governorship candidate, Aliyu Ahmed and indeed the Sokoto electorate an opportunity to claim our mandate. Sokoto State is ready for the Next Level, we must not allow unpopular elements in the state and their backers in the discredited PDP to steal their mandate and subvert the will of the Sokoto electorate,” it added.

    The APC said it reported cases of over voting in Adamawa State and the use of security personnel to intimidate its agents and supporters, saying: “while we are confident of our party and candidate Governor Jibrilla Bindow’s victory ahead of the supplementary election in the state, we urge all stakeholders to avoid actions that can plunge the state into crisis”.

    “We equally urge INEC and relevant security agencies to ensure the supplementary election is free, peaceful and fair compared to the last inconclusive governorship election in the state which was characterised by many irregularities and voter intimidation. No political ambition is worth the life of any voters.

    “As a party, the APC is very confident of victory in the forthcoming supplementary elections. Our commitment to free and fair elections in the county remains resolute. We urge INEC to ensure that all loopholes that led to rigging, vote buying and intimidation of voters by the PDP is blocked.”

  • Osun, China to collaborate on mining, agric, others

    China has pledged to assist in lifting the socio-economic growth of Osun State through collaboration in infrastructural growth, education, agriculture, mining and commerce.

    Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Dr. Zhou Pingjian gave the indication of his country’s readiness to work with the state government during his visit to Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the weekend in Osogbo.

    Members of the Chinese delegation on the visit are: Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria Mr. Zhou Xikang; Chinese Embassy Political Officer Mr. Huang Shumsing and officials of the CCECC Construction Firm, Mr. Zhao Kang and Mr. Zhao Sicong.

    Officials of the state government, who joined the governor to receive the visitors include Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi, Secretary to the State Government Mr. Oluwole Oyebamiji, Head of Service Dr. Olowogboyega Oyebade, Chief of Staff Dr. Charles Diji Akinola, Supervisor for Finance Mr. Bola Oyebamiji and Deputy Chief of Staff Mr. Abdullah Adeyanju Binuyo.

    Oyetola noted that the partnership with the Chinese government would help the state to actualise her dreams on Public Private Partnership (PPP) and open windows of opportunities for investors to thrive.

    The governor said the state is endowed with mineral resources available for investment, adding that the climate is conducive for investors, especially the friendly government policies and stable power supply of up to 18 hours daily.

    He also spoke of the reign of peace in the state, the availability of arable land and the policy on land bank, which enables investors to access land with ease for their operations.

    He appealed to the Chinese Embassy to collaborate with the state to facilitate the completion of the MKO Abiola International Airport in Ido-Osun.

    Oyetola hailed the Republic of China for being a reliable partner to the Federal Government.

    Oyetola said: “We are satisfied with the cooperation that China is extending to Nigeria. China has become an economic power

    “China is always the best in the area of construction and infrastructure development. Since government has no business in business, our administration is ready to partner with you to drive our investment in all sectors.

    “We have specific interest in mining, Information and Communication Technology, education, agriculture, infrastructure development among others.”

    Chinese Ambassador Pingjian said: “The visit to Osun is intended to strengthen the existing cordial relations between China and Nigeria and promote cooperation and exchanges at sub-national level.

    “Osun is doing well in all areas of the economy, particular in the education sector. I have seen the quality of the schools built around the state and I have seen so many reasons to invest in this state.”

  • Funding challenges of NIPPs, others

    The Independent Power Projects (IPPs) is 12 years old. The idea was conceived by the Federal Government in 2007 to increase power generation into the national grid. However, the operation of the plants is dogged by problems, such as poor funding, gas shortage and poor regulation, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    When the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the Independent Power Projects (IPPs) in 2007, it was to improve power generation across the country. Many Nigerians thought the initiative would help the country achieve its goal of providing stable power supply for its teeming population; more so that the government was working to privatise the sector to make it more efficient.

    Besides, many thought the initiative would help in making power available to the manufacturing sector, thereby revitalising the  economy, which has been in comatose.

    Laudable as the goals are, it has been pretty difficult to grow the sector well and further launch the country on the path of growth, the scheme is yet to achieve its goals. The reason being that many of the independent power projects, embarked upon by either the states government or private institutions were yet to record appreciable progress. While many of the projects were near completion, some have not started at all, due to problems, such as funding and others.

    With the Federal Government issuing licences to 20 firms, which applied to operate as Independent Power Producers in 2011, many have concluded that the government was ready to ensure that the projects record growth.  Not only this, the government directed that a total of 6,258 megawatts (Mw) of electricity be generated to the national grid, while the projects should be sited in 20 out of the 36 states of the federation. Through this, stakeholders, including the government, were expecting the country’s generation to increase from its 5,000 (Mw) of electricity to more than 11,000 (Mw) of electricity.

    Earlier, the government had inaugurated a power plant in Azura, Edo State. Reputed to be the largest IPP in the country, the plant was expected to, ultimately, produce 1,500 Mw of electricity, of which 450Mw would be produced in the first phase of its production.

    Located on 100 hectares in Ihovbor/Odemwende communities, the plant is yet to offer optimal performance, owing to financial problem as investors pulled out of the deal.

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s decision to breathe life into the project, by signing  a $237milliion guarantees with the World Bank to support it, has yet to produce tangible results. The same fate befell other plants, as they struggle to produce electricity that is enough to support socio-economic developments in the country.

    Funding

    Poor funding is taking its toll on projects in the sector. Both the power distribution companies (DisCos) and the power generation companies (GenCos) are facing similar problems.

    According to the Chief Executive officer, Jehata Nigeria Limited, Jameel Jammal, many of the companies that were given licences by the Federal Government, to operate independent power plants, does not have enough money to operate in the sector.  He told The Nation that funding has paralysed activities of the firms such that they are finding it difficult to procure materials for operation.

    Jammal, whose firm owns Abuja Power Station, said operators were finding it difficult to access funds from local banks, adding that the issue is impacting negatively on their activities.

    He said: ‘’ I can tell you authoritatively that many firms, that got the licence to operate independent power plants do not have the required capital for operation. Though many of the companies were able to acquire land, in which their plants would be cited, funding is taking an unprecedented toll on their activities. Many have applied for loans from local financial institutions, which often times charge them double-digit interest rates, especially from 30 per cent and above. In most cases, independent power producers were seen as short-term facility, which in the long run, would not help their businesses. Foreign banks charge us (operators) small interest on loans, as against Nigerian banks that collect higher interest rates from us. Whenever we get loans from foreign banks, their local counterparts are not usually happy, a development, which has been stifling investments in the sector.”

    Narrating his ordeal further,  Jammal said operators were facing regulatory problems, evident by failure of the government to approve the foreign exchange for equipment import.  ‘’Like in the case of Abuja Power Station, the government has refused to free us ( the company) from some bottlenecks. The firm is seven years old and the government is yet to give approval for the siting of the turbines for modular refinery and the power plant. The turbines for the refineries and the power plant were to be imported from Asian countries, namely China.

    “To bring the equipment, including the expatriates that would fix them to Nigeria, is a problem. These are the problems, which Abuja Power Station and other independent power producers are not only facing, but have prevented them to roll out their operation,’’ Jammel added.

    Gas shortage

    According to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company’s (NDPHC’s) Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chinedu Ugbo, the sector is bedeviled with gas problems, which is having a spiral effects on activities in the industry.

    Ugbo said NDPHC is not free from gas problem, adding that the firm’s capacity to generate 5,000Mw of electricity is being hampered by gas shortage.

    He said the firm has completed Olorunsogo 11 (750Mw), Sapele 450Mw, Geregu 11 (434Mw), Omotosho 11 (450Mw), Ihovbor 450Mw, Alaoji 450Mw, Calabar 563Mw and Gbarain 225Mw. The NDPHC has completed 2,194km of 330KV transmission lines and 809km of 132KV transmission lines; an increase of 46 per cent and 13 per cent over the pre-NIPP status of grid infrastructure.

    Ugbo said despite this feat, the firm is yet to overcome the problem of shortage of gas, adding that the issue is having dire consequences on the operation of operators, especially independent power producers that do not have enough capital to operate with.  He said NIPPs and other operators were also facing right of way (RoW) challenges for distribution equipment and transmission lines, port clearing coordination hitches and performance contractor related problems. He said the equipment imported for the power projects are often delayed or seized at the ports, despite the fact that NIPP was owned by the three tiers of government.

    Ugbo said the recurring snag with power sector  is in  the distribution chain, adding that there is no efficient distribution network which the power producers, especially IPPs can leverage to make power available to the end users.  Another problem with the distribution network, he added,  is poor town and urban planning which has made it difficult to regulate power distribution and downstream activities, thus overloading the grid.

    Manufacturers’ perspective

    The road to efficient power utilisation has not been rosy, as companies had to battle hurdles in the process of achieving that feat. Jammal said his firm has received offers for partnership on the establishment of independent power plants with manufacturers in recent times. The manufacturers, he said, needed such plants in the industrial clusters where they operate, in order to deflate the cost expended on provision on alternative energy such as generators. He said Abuja Distribution Station is studying the issue of forging partnership with the manufacturers, adding that firm needed to evaluate the cost involved before its goes into such relationship.

    Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) imediate past president Dr Frank Jacobs said members enjoyed an average power supply of seven hours in the first half of 2016, as capacity utilisation fell below 45 per cent. He said the development made the body to opt for an independent power projects.

    He said companies, such as Flour Mills Nigeria Plc, Lafarge Holcim, Tower Aluminium, and Cadbury Nigeria Plc, require huge volume of power, adding that the development informed the decision of the body to liase with gas marketers/suppliers on the issue.

    He said the move by MAN to have its own independent power plants would help in revitalising many industrial clusters across the country, adding that the body has sought the  nod of the Federal Government, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and other stakeholders on the issue.

    According to him, the productive sector remains troubled due to various challenges in the operating environment, adding that the absence of conducive manufacturing environment and basic infrastructure would continue to draw back the sector, except something urgent is done to reverse the situation. Power is a major cost for manufacturers and they will explore opportunities where it is cheaper to produce their goods.

    Also, the Chairman, Manufacturers Power Development Company Limited, a subsidiary of MAN, Ibrahim Usman, said the poor power supply in the country was seriously affecting the manufacturing sector, hence the partnership designed to develop small capacity IPPs in its industrial clusters.

    He said the issue of transporting gas to where it would be needed is a problem, adding that members are working to ensure that they overcome the problem.

    He explained that the project, which is in the pilot phase, is expected  to kick off with an industrial estate within Henry Carr in Ikeja. It  will enable manufacturers to manage their energy generation and consumption as well as strategise for power mix like solar, wind, waste-to-energy and biomass in capacities between five and 15 Mw. Usman, who is also the vice president, Northwest Zone of MAN, said the manufacturers would deploy incremental power generation strategy based on needs assessment in order to ensure that industrial clusters’ power demands are met.

    According to him, the MAN IPP pilot scheme will start in areas, such as Lagos, Ogun and Rivers states where gas is available like. Solar energy would be deployed in the north.

    He said: “There is no one model for all as different states have different needs. Talks are ongoing with strategic partners to deploy liquefied petroleum/natural gas in locations like Abuja, Kano, Ibadan, Enugu and Nnewi. It is going to be a case-by-case model for industrial firms. There are foreign technical partners willing to establish smaller capacity solar farms of five to 10Mw, even as waste energy will not be left out.”