Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Anambra State Governorship election 2021, on Tuesday declared that the race is “over”.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that following the declaration of the Anambra State Governorship election as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there is tension in Ihiala Local Government Area (LGA) as the electoral umpire holds supplementary poll in the area today.
Per the results declared by INEC on Sunday in 20 local government areas, APGA’s candidate, Prof Soludo, is leading in 18 with a total of 103,946 votes, followed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) Valentine Ozigbo with 51,322 and the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) Andy Uba with 42,942.
The election held on Saturday, and was declared inconclusive by INEC the following day.
The supplementary election in Ihiala is holding today, November 9, 2021, and Soludo insists nothing can stop his triumph.
“Let’s do a simple math. Ihiala has 148,000 registered voters but only 42,000 voters picked up their PVC. So INEC statistics shows that you won’t get more than 42,000 votes in Ihiala. It is game over,” a post on Soludo’s known Facebook page reads on Tuesday morning.
THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has announced that the supplementary election for Ihiala Local Government will commence today at 10am and end at 4 p.m.
According to a statement signed on Monday by Barrister Festus Okoye, National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, the decision was taken following a careful review of the prevailing situation in Anambra state and is in consonance with the stakeholders including security agencies.
“The Commission urges political parties, voters, election duty officials, election observers, the media and the general public to note this slight modification. We also appeal to citizens to conduct themselves in an orderly manner to ensure that the election is brought to a peaceful conclusion,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), in the Anambra governorship election, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, has said today’s supplementary election will be in his favour.
He said with last minute consultation with relevant stakeholders across party line in Ihiala Local Government Area, victory is sure for him, PDP and the people of Anambra. INEC had announced the election result of 20 out of 21 local government areas in the state, with the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) leading, followed by Ozigbo.
Ozigbo, while addressing the press, on Monday, in Awka, advised co-contestants to shun sentimental politics, stressing that such practices will hinder the state from development.
“My happiness is that the election is not yet over, and I believe that with the ongoing consultation with Ihiala people, based on my long time relationship with them, I will be declare the winner, by God’s grace.
“We have the statistics, and know the areas where INEC could not conduct election on Saturday, and we call on them to ensure they do so.
“With over 248,000 votes at stake in Ihiala and other places where election did not take place, the party still has hope of producing the next governor,” Ozigbo said.
He appealed to the people of Ihiala and other areas to come out en mass to vote for PDP as a better alternative in the state governance.
Palpable fear has enveloped some government officials and politicians that were reportedly fingered in the mismanagement of funds meant for development projects in the Niger Delta.
THE WHISTLER investigations revealed that tension has been building up since September when the Presidency received a report from the forensic audit committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC).
Investigations by THE WHISTLER revealed that highly placed present and former members of staff of the NDDC have been making frantic efforts to scuttle the probe, amid calls by concerned groups on the Presidency to make the report public.
Top politicians, some of whom are influential members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), opposition members of the People’s Democratic Party, civil servants, community leaders and corporate organisations linked to the contract scam at the Commission are sweating over their fate due to the weighty allegations.
Findings by this website revealed that those culpable have been trying to lobby Presidency officials in a manner that will ensure that the forensic audit report does not see the light of the day so as to save their political career and avoid prosecution.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is personally supervising the implementation of the Presidential directive, is however unperturbed as he tries to mask those behind the looting of NDDC.
It was gathered that Malami has been discretely trying to ensure all efforts are geared towards unmasking those highly-placed officials that are involved in the mismanagement of the NDDC.
Key findings of the forensic audit report had revealed amongst others that “between 2001 and 2019, the Federal Government approved the sum of N3,375,735,776,749.93k as Budgetary Allocation and N2,420,948,191 as income from Statutory and Non-Statutory Sources, which brings the total to approximately Six Trillion Naira to the commission.”
The report stated, “There has been colossal loss of resources in the form particularly, uncompleted and unverified developmental projects,” adding that “out of a total of 13,777 Projects (spread across the Nine States of the Niger-Delta Region) only 6,830 Projects have been completed.”
The audit report also revealed that “contrary to the TSA Policy of the Federal Government, the NDDC maintained 362 Bank Accounts with lack of proper reconciliation of the accounts,” while also pointing out “absolute violation of Due Process on Award of Contracts and Variations leading to massive Waste of Public Funds.”
According to a Presidential directive to the Attorney General which was sighted by THE WHISTLER, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) would be required to carry out “personnel audit and review of management and governance structure of the NDDC in-line with all applicable Laws and International Best Practices.”
According to the Presidential document, “The ICPC should also be required to review the processes, operational guidelines and financial manual (vis-a-vis provisions of the Public Procurement Act and other relevant Act) for the implementation of proposed financial management reforms to ensure effective compliance.”
The document, according to findings would also require the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) “to take all necessary steps, permitted by Law to recover all payments made for projects executed for private use; and to contractors who have abandoned the projects, not achieved reasonable milestone or milestones commensurate to payments already received.”
The document further revealed that “The EFCC would equally be required to reconcile and recover outstanding 3% contribution from oil companies (estimated to be in the region of $4bn), and to recover all NDDC converted Projects from individuals and put to the use/purpose(s) originally intended.
“EFCC would be required to review and reconcile all the 362 Bank Accounts maintained by the NDDC and ensure proper harmonization in accordance with the Federal Government’s TSA Policy.”
THE WHISTLER understands that the Presidency has further empowered the anti-corruption commission to “investigate and profile all contractors and individuals involved in issues relating to over-payment and to recover funds received from the Commission as may be necessary.”
The Presidential directive also requires the Code of Conduct Bureau/Tribunal “to investigate and, as may be necessary, prosecute any staff of the commission at the Code of Conduct Tribunal; including all active and retired persons who have been howsoever involved in cases of contract splitting, overpayment of contracts, and general incidences of conflict of interest in violation with the code of conduct for public officers.”
Further investigations also revealed that the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) have also been mandated “to ensure the enforcement of the extant provisions of Presidential Executive Order #06 on the Preservation of Suspicious Assets connected with corruption and other relevant offences.”
With his directive, the Nigeria Immigration Service is on alert to track and block the travel documents of suspected culprits trying to flee the country.
Similarly, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) would be required to “cooperate with any Agency of Government involved in the investigation of any transaction connected with the NDDC Report and Lift the Veil of Incorporation on any company identified to have violated any of the relevant Laws,” according to the presidential document sighted by THE WHISTLER.
The Presidential document also directed the AGF to take steps to review and ensure the amendment of the NDDC Act to correct anomalies clogging efficiency and bring it up to modern realities, and (coordinate the activities of all Agencies of the Federal Government involved in the Presidential directives.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Silva and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari are to also ensure full compliance by Oil Companies with the NDDC Act in terms of Fund contributions
Meanwhile, some stakeholders are demanding the immediate release of the forensic audit report and unmasking those behind the plundering of the NDDC resources.
An advocacy group, the South-East, South-South Professionals of Nigeria (SESSPN), in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, requested that the report should not be swept away.
The group President, Hannibal Uwaifo and the Publicity Secretary, Collins Steve Ugwu said, “We expected that the submitted report will quickly trigger a sequence of actions to preserve such a special development vehicle like the NDDC, from ever being so criminally abducted by rogue elements, for such aggravated rape and plunder visited on it.”
They demanded that the report should be attended to swiftly, to punish the culprits and to placate people of the Niger Delta who have suffered the consequences of the contract scam.
As the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fixes November 9th, 2021 for the supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government, the final results released on Sunday night showed the candidate of APGA won in 18 out of the 21 local governments declared by INEC.
The final results show that APGA, whose candidate is Mr Charles Soludo, polled 103, 946 to come first, the PDP, with its candidate, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, polled 51, 322 to come second while the APC with its candidate being Mr Andy Uba polled 42, 942 to come third.
The state Returning Officer for the election, Prof Florence Obi, the vice-chancellor of University of Calabar, who made the declaration in the early hours of Monday, around 12:20 a.m., said this was because there was no election in Ihiala Local Government Area which has over 148,000 registered voters.
Charles Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), scored a total of 103,946 votes and won the election in 18 out of the 21 local government areas of the state.
His closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 51,322 and won in only one local government area.
“Based on constitutional provision and consideration of the Electoral Act as well as the revised regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections issued by the commission, supplementary election is indicated for Ihiala Local Government Area,” the state returning officer, Mrs Obi said.
She said the constitution provides for a candidate to secure both the highest number of votes cast and 25 per cent of votes cast in at least two-third of the local government areas of the state to declare the winner.
“Therefore, it is important to complete the election in Ihiala to make this determination,” she said.
The election, which held amid tight, security was extended to the following day.
The Returning Officer in the ongoing governorship election for Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra, Micheal Otu, said election did not hold in the local government he presided over because he was locked up in the toilet and forced to sign election papers.
“I was made to sign the election papers under duress,” Mr Otu narrated during collation of results at Akwa on Sunday.
“I almost collapsed. I was locked in a toilet. As far as I’m concerned, there was no election in Orumba North.”
Mr Otu’s statement comes amidst reports that the governorship election held on Saturday was peaceful, free and fair throughout the state.
Orumba North has 93,608 registered voters.
INEC has taken a break from the ongoing collation of results to examine if election actually took place at Orumba North Local Government Area, or not.
From results of 16 local government areas collated so far Charles Soludo of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won 15, while Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won Ogbaru LGA.
The Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Charles Soludo, has extended his lead in the Anambra State governorship election.
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is currently leading in more than two-thirds of the Local Government Areas of the state.
The Governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party, Ifeanyi Uba and Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party have won one LGA each.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Andy Uba is yet to win any LGA in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission announced that elections did not hold in Ihiala LGA.
In all, Soludo has a total of 97,847 votes across 14 LGAs, followed by Ozigbo with 43,142, and Uba with 47,072 votes.
Below is a break down of votes scored in the LGAS.
A Supervisory Presiding Officer in the ongoing gubernatorial election in Anambra State has absconded with 42 result sheets.
Gabriel Odor, Collation Officer of Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra, announced this at the head office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Awka, the state capital, during the final collation of results on Sunday.
Odor, who is a lecturer at the University of Calabar, said because of the development, elections could not hold in the affected areas.
Prof Chukwuma Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APGA), won in Idemili South.
He polled a total of 2,312 votes to defeat Mr Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had 2,016 votes and Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who secured 1,039 votes.
As the election results continue to trickle in, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Mr Chukwuma Soludo, has defeated former governor of the State, Mr Peter Obi in his local government called Anaocha.
Also, Senator Uche Ekwunife is from the local government and a member of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, like Mr Obi.
Obi was the running mate to Mr Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election and twice Governor on the platform of APGA.
Senator Victor Umeh also hails from the local government area.
Dr Okene Isaac, a lecturer with University of Calabar, who was the local government collation officer said: “Total number of voters 109860, accredited Voter 15940.
South West Movement for Osinbajo (SOWEMOVE) has urged governors and traditional rulers in the region to prevail on the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step down for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the battle for the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Trixx NG learnt the group has already begun lobbying governors, traditional rulers, business and political elites in Yorubaland to seriously consider backing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The group described Osinbajo as being most excellent while APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is described as an outstanding leader who can further advance national interests by endorsing the vice president.
Presenting a report and copies of several correspondences with Obas and other eminent personalities in the South West to the Director of Operations of The Progressive Project (TPP), Alhaji Aliyu Usman Aliyu in Abuja during the weekend, the group said youths of the region will become arrowheads of efforts towards making Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.
In his brief response, Alhaji Aliyu Usman Aliyu explained that the TPP is going to be an umbrella organization for all Nigerian groups at home and abroad who are canvassing for the success of APC and that of Professor Yemi Osinbajo in the 2023 elections.
“Our progressive cause is borne out of conviction and devoid of negative sentiments that becloud politics in most parts of the Third World; we objectively see Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the best towards sustaining the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari and moving Nigeria forward,” Alhaji Aliyu said.
In the various correspondences sent to Yoruba elites, titled “2023: Appeal to South-West Elders/Leaders” and signed by both its Coordinator, Abioye Akerele and Secretary, Olugbenga Byron, the group stated that Nigeria’s Presidency may elude the South West in 2023 if Prof. Osinbajo is not supported for the presidency.
“Not too long after the Moshood Abiola political era, our emphatic strides within the Nigerian power equation is being threatened and today, there are obvious political traps with the potential to dislodge the South West from a vantage point through which we ought to ascend higher, to real power at the centre.
“If current realities are not adequately weighed, using the wisdom of elders like you, the South West may play itself out of the power equation in 2023,” the group stated.
It added that the dynamics of politics of the 2023 general elections are gradually manifesting in different forms, the group lamented that the South West still appears aloof.
“He (Tinubu) is one leader out of many who has been actively involved in the struggle towards making Nigeria work, he is unique in all respects, irrespective of whatever one may think of his political method.
“In the light of the above, we, members of the South West Movement for Osinbajo believe that our revered Obas across Yorubaland, the APC Governors in the South West geo-political zone, all Yoruba political elites, business moguls and leaders of thought should now rise to prevail on Asiwaju to invest his political capital in the person of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, in the overall interest of the Yoruba people.
“We cannot afford to keep distracting ourselves with wrong steps and faulty strategy at the risk of neglecting the very core of our geo-political zone’s priority of regaining power at the centre and actualizing further positive impacts for ourselves and the entire federation come 2023.
“Today, he sits in vantage position and he is greatly enriched with great purposeful insights into what needs to be done towards achieving lasting change; as the number two in Government, he is the closest to the highly coveted seat.
“Prof. Osinbajo has the requisite character, capacity, capability and the intellect to run Nigeria to the satisfaction of the generality of the Nigerian populace.
“We therefore call on you and our entire Yoruba leaders not to “siddon look” by watching while some South West politicians take wrong steps in the on-going political calculations; we must not allow a drift that will only take us all to a chaotic spot, only to then begin seeking desperate solutions.
“We believe strongly that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is our sure bet for 2023 in the entire South West and we need Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the principal game changer to support this bid.
“For the sustenance of the South West’s political relevance in the Nigerian federation and in the larger interest of all Nigerians, it stands to reason that we stand firmly behind Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s candidature for President come 2023.
“As the number two to President Mohammad Buhari, he has demonstrated obvious capacity and capability to re-invent the wheel of progress for national growth and development.
“He has won the confidence of Nigerians across various divides by the way and manner he has conducted himself as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We therefore plead earnestly that our leaders and elders in the South Western Zone must not allow the conflicting interest of a few to destroy the very bright political chances of our entire region in the 2023 Presidential Elections.
