Politics

Tinubu Resolves Ondo Political Crises As Opposing Factions Vow To Uphold Peace

In his bid to restore political stability in Ondo State, President Bola Tinubu, late on Friday, waded into the months-long crisis between factions loyal to the Executive Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.⁣
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This followed marathon negotiations between the President and the Deputy Governor, representatives of Governor Akeredolu, federal and state lawmakers of Ondo, officials of the state’s chapter of the All Progressives’ Congress, and other stakeholders in the state at the State House, Abuja.⁣
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The President advised all opposing parties to bury the hatchet and embrace peace, eliciting commitments to this effect. ⁣
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This means that Governor Akeredolu remains Chief Executive of the State, Aiyedatiwa remains Deputy Governor, and members of the State Executive Council continue their respective duties, even as the leadership of the State’s House of Assembly and the APC Chapter in Ondo State is preserved.⁣
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Mr. Aiyedatiwa, who declared his decision to maintain the status quo and unite all the factions, said: “I want to say that I pledge to all of you that I embrace every one of you. I put behind all that has happened before now. I’ve let go and also let God, just as the President has advised us.⁣
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“And I want to say that with no offence, no guile in my mind whatsoever. All that has happened is politics. Impeachment is part of politics. If you survive it, it is also politics. It has come. I’ve survived it, and every other thing is in the past. ⁣
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“It is one big family and our father has intervened to bring all the children together to remain under the same family and with the position that I occupy, I will carry every one of you along in every decision that needs to be taken and in everything that we do, we will work together; the executive and the legislature will work together to ensure that governance is on the right track.”
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He pleaded with all members of the State Executive Council to rally around the Governor and himself to “bring the dividend of democracy” to the people of Ondo State. ⁣
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“All the Executive Council members, I want to plead with all of you to cooperate with me, with the Governor, so that we can bring the dividend of democracy to our people.⁣
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“We should respect one another regarding the offices we occupy and our age differences. So, it’s going to be mutual respect. ⁣
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“And I want to assure the party structure that we will work together because the party is supreme. We will always give you your due respect,” the Ondo State Deputy Governor pledged. ⁣
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The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oladiji Olamide, who read the details of the resolution, said, “Our resolution is that one, we shall embrace peace. Secondly, there would be no more dissolution of the cabinet, and the Deputy Governor would maintain the status quo as far as the House of Assembly leadership is concerned.
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“We will maintain the status quo as far as the party leadership in the state is concerned and maintain the status quo as far as the leadership of the State House of Assembly is concerned. Thank you, Mr. President.” ⁣
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On her part, the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu, stated, “Our Father, the President, has taken the trouble to settle our rancour in Ondo State. We owe you all the gratitude, Sir. We will not disappoint you. We have taken every word you said. And we are going home as one united family under the party, APC.” ⁣
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In his remarks, the Ondo State APC Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, expressed delight at the outcome of Friday’s late night deliberations, affirming that the party will remain a watchdog to ensure that the new commitments are adhered to. ⁣
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“Today is my happiest moment. And I know sanity has come to Ondo State. So, on behalf of the teeming supporters of our party in the state, we appreciate our leader, Mr. President.⁣
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“PDP has crumbled in the state; virtually, they decamp every day. The only problem we have is the one you have solved for us today. And that problem has been resolved permanently,” Adetimehin stated. ⁣

Politics

OGSIEC amends electoral guidelines, reduces age limit to 25 years for LG polls

The Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, OGSIEC, has amended the age qualification for candidates in the November 16 local government elections, reducing the minimum age from 30 to 25 years.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Commission’s Chairman, Babatunde Osibodu, and obtained by DAILY POST on Friday.

Osibodu stated that the amendment followed a review of the laws governing the conduct of Local Government elections, bringing the guidelines in line with Section 7(4) & 106 of the Nigerian Constitution, which stipulates that a candidate is qualified for election if he or she has attained the age of 25 years.

The Commission also extended the deadline for each party’s primaries by one week.

Parts of the statement read: “The primaries, initially set to end on Monday, September 9, will now run until Monday, September 16, 2024. The collection of personal data forms (CF001 and CF002) by each political party has also been extended to Friday, September 20, 2024.

“Political parties that have already conducted their primaries may collect the necessary forms for each of their candidates starting from Tuesday, September 10, 2024, with submissions accepted between Monday, September 16, and Friday, September 20, 2024.

“All other schedules in the previously published election timetable remain unchanged; including the Chairmanship and Councillorship elections set to hold on November 16, 2023.”

The Commission also announced that all political parties planning to run in the elections are invited to a meeting by 12:00 pm on Monday, September 9, 2024, at the Commission’s headquarters in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta.

Osibodu however requested that each political party should send not more than two representatives to the meeting.

Politics

Court dismisses case to disqualify Ighodalo as PDP candidate for Edo Guber poll

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday dismissed an appeal seeking to disqualify Asue Ighodalo as governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, dismissed the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/863/2024.

The appeal was filed by governorship aspirants Arthur Esene and Anselm Ojezua.

Esene and Ojezua had, in the appeal prayed the Court of Appeal to set aside the April 17 judgment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja which dismissed their suit for being statute barred.

Justice Barka held that the suit filed before the Federal High Court by Ojezua and four others was filed out of time and statute barred.

He agreed with the judgment of the Federal High Court that, not Ojezua and others fail to establish their claims that Ighodalo forged his voter’s card.

In addition, the judge held that their suit was bereft of any merit because it was based on a flawed assumption that not possession of a voter’s card constitutes a ground to disqualify a candidate from contesting election.

He found that the appellants failed to appeal the findings of the trial court that Ighodalo actually applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the transfer of his registration from Lagos State to Edo and that INEC issued a voter’s card to Ighodalo.

Justice Barka therefore strike out the appeal for being without merit and pto awarded cost of N3 million against the appellants and in favour of Ighodalo, PDP and INEC.

Politics

INEC finalises preparations for Edo, Ondo governorship elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provided updates on its preparations for the Edo and Ondo State governorship elections.

The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mr Sam Olumekun, represented by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Mary Nkem, gave the update during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.

He emphasised the media’s importance not only as a conveyor of information but also as a key player in the democratic process, particularly during elections.

He, however, called for integrity in media reportage as the two off-cycle elections approach in a few weeks.

“Preparations have reached an advanced and critical stage due to the importance placed on the role of the media in elections,” he said.

“The commission has left no stone unturned. These efforts are to guarantee that this election will be conducted with the highest standards of integrity.

“We are intensifying our engagement with stakeholders at both the state and local government levels, while voter education is ongoing on all fronts.

“The training of security personnel has been completed, and the training of electoral officers will be finished in September 2024.

“The Commission is finalizing arrangements with the land and marine transport unions.

“The printing of voter registers for each of the 4,590 units in those states is virtually completed. The installation and deployment of election materials are also completed.

“On Tuesday, the 10th of September 2024, the Commission will meet with other stakeholders to monitor voter accreditation in selected areas in Edo State.

“On the 11th of September 2024, the Peace Accord will be signed by all stakeholders under the supervision of the National Committee, chaired by General Abdulsalami Abubakar. It’s a busy period for us, as you can see.

“Media accreditation opened on Monday, the 8th of July 2024, and closed just yesterday, the 24th of July at 12:30 PM.

“We will publish the list of organizations accredited for the election and share it on all our social media platforms.”

He also warned journalists against reporting fake news, emphasizing that misinformation could harm the electoral process, especially in the digital age.

“The Commission has taken proactive steps to combat this menace, part of which is being open and transparent in all areas, which the Commission has always done,” he said.

“We have made it a culture to constantly update the public through you, the media.”

Additionally, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, offered recommendations to the media to help avoid the spread of fake news.

He reminded the media that their role is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and stressed the importance of journalists understanding INEC’s election result management processes.

He urged the media to comply with the Nigerian media code of electoral coverage, emphasizing fairness and objectivity.

Oyekanmi advised the media to always cross-check facts and figures, noting that breaking news with falsehoods is futile.