The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Abiodun Oyebanji as the winner of the governorship election in Ekiti State.
Oyebanji who won 15 out of the 16 Local Government Areas of the state gathered 187,057 votes.
The Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Segun Oni came second with 82,211, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bisi Kolawole gathered 67,457 votes.
The returning officer for the election, Professor Kayode Oyebode at 3:04 am on Sunday declared Oyebanji winner of the governorship election.
A total of 16 candidates partook in the election. The total valid votes in the election were 351,865, void votes, 8,888 and total votes cast, 360,753.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun has confered honorary chieftaincy titles on Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and his wife, Prof. Hafsat Ganduje as Aare Fiwajoye of Ibadanland and Yeye Aare Fiwajoye of Ibadanland respectively.
As the Governor called on Nigerians to continuously promote national integration toward engendering a united Nigeria.
He made the call on Saturday at the ancient Mapo in Ibadan after he and his wife were honoured with chieftaincy titles by Olubadan of Ibadanland.
Two hours after their cultural title, the league of Imams and Alfas Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States also conferred Aladeen Yorubawa on Governor Ganduje at a colourful ceremony held at the palatial Palace of Onimalu, Asiwaju Mutiullai Oladejo, the Asiwaju Adinni of Ibadanland.
The ceremony was attended by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, the Emir of Kano, and National Assembly members.
Also in attendance are Oyo state APC gubernatorial candidate Sen. Teslim Folarin, Sen. Kola Balogun as well as Chief Bayo Lawal, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Ganduje said Nigerians needed to collectively encourage and promote national integration toward achieving national unity.
He recalled the age-long friendship between Kano and Ibadan, saying the two old cities would sustain the friendship and extend to other parts of the country.
According to him, “We are grateful to the Olubadan, Olubadan-n-Council and Ibadan people for honouring us with these prestigious titles. This gives us motivation and encouragement to do more in promoting unity.
“You made history today in terms of promoting national integration. This is a topical and very important issue we must always discuss as well as promote to achieve peaceful coexistence among Nigerians,” he said.
The governor thanked Tinubu for gracing the occasion, expressing confidence that Tinubu would promote the concept of national integration.
Tinubu, a former Lagos Governor, said that giving out such chieftaincy title to a non-indigene was a rare privilege.
He described the honour bestowed on Ganduje and his wife as well deserved, saying it was a demonstration of unity between the North and South.
The former Lagos governor appreciated the traditional ruler as well as Ibadan Indigenes for honouring his friend with a chieftaincy title.
The APC presidential aspirant urged the people to always promote national unity, saying such would engender national growth and development.
Prof. (Mrs) Elsie Adewoye, the President, of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, described the honour bestowed on Ganduje, who is an alumnus of UI as well deserved.
“It is a deserving honour. It is no fluke or propaganda. I have been to Kano and saw all these dividends of democracy,” she said.
Earlier, Oba Balogun, said that Ganduje and his wife were detribalised Nigerians, adding the honour was well deserved.
The traditional ruler narrated how Oba Yoruba Kano, Alhaji Muritala Alimi, introduced the Gandujes to them as detribalised Nigerians.
“We were made to know how supportive our guests were to the aspiration and eventual emergence of our brother as Oba Yoruba Kano about two years ago.
“We recall how Ganduje came down to Ibadan when there was a clash between Hausa traders and the people of Sasa at Sasa Market to calm the frayed nerves and peace was restored.
He said that Ganduje was currently building an auditorium for the university, adding that the project has reached 70 per cent completion.
Balogun said that the conferment would further cement the bond of friendship that had long existed between the Ibadan and Kano people.
The traditional ruler said that it would go a long way in maintaining handshake across the Niger and engender the much sought-after unity which has turned fragile over the years.
“The Gandujes, being our in-laws in Ibadan through their daughter that got married to our son, Idris Ajimobi have done it all.
“Bestowing a befitting Chieftaincy title on the hardworking and amiable governor with his wife will be a reward for a man who has been compassionate to us as a people.
“And who believes that any Nigerian can stay and work in any part of the country without molestation or denial of basic things of life”.
A mild drama was witnessed at Ward 10, Unit 9, Ilupeju, in Ikere Ekiti on Saturday when some security operatives allegedly escaped with money collected from suspected party agents.
Residents of Ekiti State on Saturday (today) trooped out to fulfil their civic rights by voting for their preferred candidates in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
Among other chaotic events that reportedly happened during the exercise today was the alleged snatching of money meant for vote-buying by one of the participating political parties.
Reports had it that scores of angry electorates engaged security operatives to retrieve the money, and almost caused a stampede in the process.
A participant who spoke with newsmen on the incident at the polling unit said the security operatives overpowered the voters and succeeded in carting away the money.
The source according to PMNewsNigeria pleaded not to be mentioned in the print as he identified the security operatives as men of the Nigerian Security and Safety Defense Corps (NSCDC).
He said: “The money was supposed to be used to settle the voters, but the NSCDC men just went there and snatched the bag of money from them.
“Some of the people have voted and have not collected their money before they came to snatch the bag of money from us.
“Some of us challenged them and tried to collect the money back from them, but they overpowered us and ran away with the money,” the source added.
A party agent at the polling unit alleged that the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye was invited to resolve the issue and queried the presence of the lawmaker with his security operatives at the unit.
Afuye, however, denied knowledge of the money snatching, describing the event at the polling unit as a stampede.
“I’ve voted in my unit and I was just going round to see if there is one problem or the other, but there is no crisis, no violence. People can just stampede because they want to vote, instead of them to line up and spending less time, but they will crowd at a place, you know that is part of our culture. But, by and large, the people have been conducting themselves well,” he said.
Speaking further about the alleged snatching of money from suspected party agents, Afuye said nobody snatches money from his party people.
He said: “I am not aware of that, I wasn’t here then, and, if they are snatching money, they are not snatching from my party. There’s been no violence that has been reported to me.”
The Speaker however justified the presence of his security operatives at the polling unit. He added: “You want me to go about without my security agents? Are they harassing people? They are not. They are on their duty, just as you are on your duty as journalists.
“By my position as the chief lawmaker of the state, the moment I don’t go and tampered with whatever they are doing, I’m observing.
“The only time I went there is when they said they wanted to confirm the number of the machine, that’s all.”
When contacted about the event, the Spokesman for Ekiti NSCDC, Afolabi Tolulope, said he was not aware of such an incident, adding that he was not yet at the office to know if any NSCDC officials on patrol made a report about money at voting centres.
Zamfara State government has declared a one-week public holiday for civil servants to enable them obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC).
Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle‘s led government made the announcement on Saturday, June 18, 2022.
A statement issued to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital on Saturday, outlined that the work-free day starts from next Monday to Friday, (June 20th to 24th, 2022).
This according to the government would allow the state’s public and civil servants to be able to fulfil their civic rights in the 2023 general elections.
Governor Matawalle in the statement, directed all the commissioners, Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries, other public office holders, party officials and traditional rulers to monitor and supervise the ongoing Voter Registration exercise.
The statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Hon. Ibrahim Magaji Dosara noted that every citizen above the age of 18 is expected to be part of the exercise, saying that it was their constitutional right to elect their leaders.
Governor Matawalle appealed to the general public to participate in the exercise so that they would not complain later.
Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has charged its members across the country to obtain permanent voter cards (PVC) before the expiration of the deadline to enable them to vote for competent and credible leaders in 2023.
This was contained in a statement signed by the IPMAN chairman Kano chapter, Alhaji Bashir Danmallam, a copy of which was made available on Friday to pressmen in Kano.
Danmallam then disclosed that the directive followed a meeting with the National President of the association, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo with the mandate for him to ask members to obtain their PVCs.
He added that the association had also resolved and directed its members not to give salary to any staff working under them until such staff present their PVC.
NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, says he is in talks with his Labor Party counterpart Peter Obi over the possibility of co-operation in the 2023 elections.
He made the remarks in an interview with BBC Hausa.
He said: “We are really talking to Peter Obi, or at least saying that the committee is working to look into the matter (and cooperate with him), and friends and family are coming to talk to us about it. ”
The former governor of Kano State said their collaboration was especially important as the APC and PDP had not fielded an Igbo vice-presidential candidate.
Obi and Kwankwaso’s collaboration is widely seen as a strong ‘third force’ against Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Fresh trouble has come for the Spiritual leader of the Adoration Ministry Enugu, Rev Father Ejike Mbaka as catholic banned clerics and faithful members from attending his ministry.
Naija News reports that Mbaka’s adversity started after the renowned cleric made a derogatory comment about Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Mbaka while addressing his congregants earlier on Wednesday, June 15, described Obi as a ‘stingy’ man who will never be the president of Nigeria.
The cleric said Obi lacked the spirit of generosity, saying “It is better to have a president who is a gifted old man than a young man with ‘gum’ hands.”
His comment has since received a barrage of backlash from Nigerians across states. Though Mbaka has in a statement on Friday tendered an apology to the former Governor of Anambra State, more punishment has emerged for his consistent comments which are considered not in line with the Catholic teachings.
The Labour Party has submitted the name of Nigerian physcian cum politician, Doyin Okupe as Peter Obi’s running mate.
To beat the Friday, June 17 deadline given to political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Labour Party submitted Doyin Okupe name as a placeholder running mate and would later be changed after the party stakeholders must have agreed on the suitable vice presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
Heritage Bank wins Lagos Environmental Sustainability Award, commits to nature protection
R-L: Kehinde Olugbemi, Ag. Chief Risk Officer, Heritage Bank; Captain Babangida Zakari, Deputy Director of Coordination, Armed Forces Settlement Centre, Oshodi; Prince Ademola Docemo, MD, Lagos State Signage and Advertising (LASSA); Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Government Representative; Brigadier General Maxwell Ejike, Director of Training, Armed Forces Settlement Centre, Oshodi, as Heritage Bank wins Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2022 World Environment Day event held in Lagos State.
For its contribution and support towards Environmental Sustainability, especially, in Lagos, the state government, awarded Heritage Bank with its 2022 Environmental Sustainability Award.
The bank joined other corporate organisations and schools within the State, awarded for their efforts towards protecting nature and limiting the impact of climate change on Earth.
The Award was given to the bank by the state government through the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State in the commemoration of 2022 World Environment Day Celebrations in which the bank was also a major sponsor.
Speaking at the year 2022 World Environment Day finale held at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend, the managing director/CEO, Heritage Bank Plc, Ifie Sekibo, commended Lagos state government and its ministry for the efforts exuded during environmental sustainability to protect ecosystems in supporting health and wellbeing of all creatures.
Sekibo, who was represented by the Chief Risk Officer, Heritage Bank, Mr. Kehinde Olugbemi, said: “as this year’s World Environmental Day Celebration theme implies, we have ‘Only One Earth,’ and truly, only one earth to protect. The fact is that human well-being is closely linked to the health of the environment. And our planet is reaching a breaking point. We are beginning to see the consequences of global warming on ecosystems and communities.”
Today, he said, industrialisation, though positive for human well-being on the flip side, has raked lots of havoc on human existence.
Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), he said, 24% of deaths can be traced back to avoidable environmental factors, adding that, Heritage Bank Plc has continued to prioritise and make huge commitments to environmentally sustainable practices to help build thriving communities and secure future growth potential.
R-L: Ozena Utulu, Ag. Group Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank; Kehinde Olugbemi, Ag. Chief Risk Officer, Heritage Bank; Dr. S. Olayiwole Onasanya, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASEIC) and Titilola Docemo, Regional Head, Lagos Island 2A, as Heritage Bank wins Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2022 World Environment Day event held in Lagos State.
“We realized that our people and other dwellers need clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, and places to live that are free of toxic substances and hazards.
“So, as a part of our sustainability drive in the Corporate social responsibility space, we have continued to put sustainability at the heart of our decision-making for the sake of humanity and the bank’s own bottom line because a healthy planet is the backbone of nearly every industry on Earth,” he pointed out.
Earlier at the event, Lagos state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated that, there is an urgent need for everyone to focus on the need to live sustainably with nature for the benefit of mankind, adding that, this has become necessary to shift to a greener lifestyle through both policies and individual choices.
He added that sustainability of the environment is among the most pressing issues in the world today out of which the Earth faces triple planetary emergencies namely, Climate change, loss of biodiversity and Environmental Pollution.
The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omolaji Gaji, added that, the impact of the challenges has negatively made the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) less successful.
“With nature in emergency mode, the #OnlyOneEarth campaign for World Environment Day 2022, wants us to celebrate the planet through collective environmental action”, he said.
The governor commended Corporate Organisations, such as Heritage Bank for ensuring that the persistent drive of the State’s policy towards entrusting the legacy of greening and restoration of indigenous trees to the citizen is sustained.
Similarly, the commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello said, government through the ministry of the Environment & Water Resources has implemented several programmes to mitigate these challenges through Tree planting, Climate change summit, Environmental bees’ clubs in schools, waste to wealth and ban on open defecation.
Speaking through the Director of Sanitation Services Department, Dr. Hassan Sanuth, the PS added that, the government keyed into this call in 2021 by commencing the greening of Abraham Adesanya setback, together with restoration of some historical plants in specific locations like Agege, Idi-Mangoro where Mango trees were planted, Idi-Agbon in Ifako-Ijaiye where coconut trees were planted and in Lagos Island where breadfruit trees were planted at St. Paul Anglican Primary School, Breadfruit Lagos as part of this year’s celebration.
The guest lecturer, Dr. Ayo Tella while delivering his paper, noted that, Anthropogenic effects caused by human activities such as the felling of trees have altered the earth’s natural systems and survival of many species.
Heritage Bank had earlier donated plastic bins to Navy Town Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos, to mark the World Earth Day even as it has embarked on a project to address water crisis, whilst contributing towards making clean and potable water accessible to all.
Similarly, a global open-source movement known as Liter of Light Nigeria partnered with Heritage Bank Plc to provide sustainable solar electricity for Itomaro community in Lagos State while the bank, in 2020, had been on the move to distribute over 10, 000 mosquito nets to rural dwellers.
Talented Nigerian singer, Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe, popularly known as Wande Coal has been called out for allegedly assaulting a resident in Lagos State.
A Twitter user identified as Folarin_AA in a post on his account claimed the singer and songwriter and his team beat up his elder brother.
According to Folarin, his brother was beaten while he tried to move his car out of Wande Coal’s way.
He wrote, “You’re a b**tard Wande Coal and you would not get away with what you did to my brother this evening, My elder brother called me subbing like a child because you and your gang beat him mercilessly simply because his vehicle was in your way.
“This b**tard and his gang asked my brother to remove his vehicle so they could move, my brother obliged and went to get his car keys, as soon as he approached his car to open it, one of them slapped him before he could say anything else, another punched him.
“Never felt so livid in my entire life. My elder brother called me sobbing like a child. They beat him so bad he was crying so much. Who do you think you are?”
“My brother is in tears with a swollen face and black eye. All because of what? My brother is the most easy-going person I know. Always avoids trouble, so I am pretty sure he did absolutely nothing to warrant getting treated like that. You wouldn’t get away with this.”
As of the time of filing this report, Wande Coal is yet to react to the allegation.
The Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Mohammed has been impeached.
It was gathered that Mohammed who represents Akpa 1 State Constituency was impeached during an emergency sitting held at the State Assembly complex in Lokoja.
Hon. Enema Paul, the member representing Dekina/Okura Constituency made this known in a motion of urgent importance reason the floor of the assembly.
The assembly accused Muhammed alongside 3 other principal officers of gross misconduct and arbitrary use of their offices. The three principal leaders are; Bello Hassan Balogun (Majority Leader), Idris Ndako (Deputy Majority Leader), and Hon. Edoko Moses Ododo (Chief Whip).
