February elections important to S’West – Ekiti Gov, Oyebanji

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has described citizens’ reluctance to exercise their franchise rights during elections as a trend that must be tamed by stakeholders, saying it portends grave danger to electoral growth.

Oyebanji who praised the people of the state for trooping out to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, to participate in the 2023 impending polls, described the public holiday declared by the government, on Tuesday, as a huge success, due to the impressive turnout recorded.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Mrs Monisade Afuye, said this on Tuesday when she visited INEC offices to monitor compliance with the directive of the state government

The INEC local government headquarters visited included that of Ikere, Ado, Aramoko, and Ido Ekiti.

Afuye while addressing the electorates maintained that collection of PVCs is one of the ways to strengthen the country’s electoral system, saying no nation experiencing voter apathy can grow and develop.

She said: “Governor Oyebanji has demonstrated leadership by declaring today (Tuesday) a public holiday for you to collect your PVCs. It is good that you have come in large numbers. It is for your own benefit, but some don’t value it.

“We are moving round so that the purpose for which this holiday was declared will be met and we have no reason to regret with the population of registrants that we are seeing at all INEC offices that I have visited.”

She further stated: “This year’s elections are very important to us in Ekiti and Southwest and poor interest to vote will not help our cause. We also commend the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission for making themselves available for this exercise.

“You should not only collect these PVCs, come out on the day of elections and vote, this is the best way for you and I to build our nation”.

The INEC Electoral Officer, Ido/Osi Local Government, Mr Chris Ogunmakinwa, applauded the state government for declaring a public holiday for the collection of PVCs.

Ogunmakinwa said the gesture has helped in increasing the number of PVCs seekers considering the large number of registrants that besieged the INEC office.

By Musa Baba Adamu

Aformer stalwart of PDP in Cross River State has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state to which he now belongs will work hard to ensure that PDP does not win the governorship election in March 2023.

Former Commissioner for Lands and former Managing Director of Tinapa Business Resort, Bassey Ndem stated in an interview in Calabar that it would amount to gross injustice for PDP to return to power in the state.

According to him, allowing PDP to win will deny those in the Southern senatorial district access to power for several more years.

He said: “PDP was wrong to have decided to zone power to Cross River Central thereby denying the southern district [the] opportunity to access power whereas it is their rightful turn.

“We will do everything legally and electorally possible to discourage voters from voting for their governorship candidate. We will block them.

“I believe much in merit. I believe much in rotation. This is why the APC will win the governorship election in March 2023 because they have rightly zoned the governorship to those whose turn it is in the southern district. This is why the people are happy and ready to vote massively for their son, Prince Bassey Otu.”

Ndem, now a traditional title holder in the Efik Kingdom further explained why he refused to defect from APC to Labour Party as rumoured.

He said he had to ponder over such a decision deeply, saying if he had done that in order to run for

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Director General of AtikuOkowa Presidential Campaign Council in Anambra State, Prof Obiora Okonkwo has said that only the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, can truly unite Nigeria.

This was contained in a press statement, released on his behalf by the deputy spokesperson of the council in Anambra, Mr Chibuike Uloka.

Okonkwo avowed that: “The unrest in the South East and other parts of the country is believed to be a failure of the central government, and has continued to threaten the unity of the country and affect the economy of the region and the country. Only the victory of Atiku Abubakar will be enough to appease the South East and restore the stability of our democracy.”

Okonkwo urged for more support for the presidential candidate of the PDP, insisting that Atiku’s presidency will reorganize the nation and stabilize our nascent democracy.

According to the statement, Okonkwo had earlier reminded members of the Inter-Party Advisory governorship on the ticket of LP, he would have slashed the votes for other southern guber candidates thereby reducing their chance to win.

in Delta

“It was for this reason that I had to invite other governorship aspirants from the southern district in both