CNPP tasks INEC on credible polls, commends police over arrests

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Conference Of Nigeria

Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to key into the ground already prepared by President Muhammadu Buhari for free, fair, credible, safe, and peaceful elections starting from Saturday, February 25.

In a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the CNPP urged the commission to ensure that its officials were not compromised in line with the level of neutrality

Lawan sympathises with victims of Maiduguri market inferno

By Musa Baba Adamu

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has sympathised with the victims of the early morning fire that gutted the popular Monday Market in Maiduguri, Borno State on Sunday.

Lawan sympathised with shop and property owners who must have suffered unquantifiable loss to the fire incident.

He also commiserated with the State Government and the entire people of Borno over the unfortunate incident and expressed the belief that the appropriate authorities would find out the cause of the incident with a view to preventing a recurrence.

“I commiserate with all the victims particularly the traders and shop owners who are directly impacted by the early morning fire incident at the Maiduguri Monday market.

“My sympathy also goes to the government and the entire people of Borno over the incident. We thank Almighty Allah that there was no report of loss of life in the incident.

“I have no doubt that relevant authorities will thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire outbreak to prevent a recurrence,” Lawan said.

demanded by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The CNPP was reacting to the reported arrest of a federal lawmaker, Dr. Chinyere Igwe, with $498,100 on suspicion of attempted vote buying and money laundering.

The police also recovered a list of suspected beneficiaries of the money, including INEC headquarters in Rivers State.

According to the CNPP, “This arrest is just a tip of how politicians have planned to deploy illicit funds to compromise the electoral process.

“Since they have no access to the volume of cash to deploy for vote buying due to the naira redesign policy of the federal government being executed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, these corrupt politicians are deploying foreign currencies to perpetrate their evil acts.

“We commend President Muhammadu Buhari, who set the template for credible 2023 elections and the CBN Governor who has followed through the presidential directives of the naira redesign policy aimed at reducing corruption and electoral fraud ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“We therefore call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to key into the anti-election rigging template of President Buhari administration and ensure that the will of the people was not subverted on Saturday.

“It’s time for INEC to demonstrate in reality that their officials have been trained to be neutral in the discharge of their electoral duties during the elections.

“INEC should ensure that electoral offences were diligently prosecuted and its compromising officials named, shamed, and publicly sanctioned in accordance with the laws.

“The police and all the security agencies are commended for their efforts to ensure the safety of voters across the country.

“We urge the Department of State Services (DSS), antigraft outfits, the military and paramilitary agencies on election duty to remain on high alerts and proactively nip in the bud all acts capable of instigating violence during and after the polls”, the CNPP stated.

INEC declares Bamidele winner of Ekiti central senatorial election

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Senatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele has been declared as the winner of the Senatorial poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Ado-Ekiti.

With the announcement of Bamidele as the winner of the Ekiti Central Senatorial District, he will be the first Senator in Ekiti Central to be re-elected back to National Assembly since 1999.

Bamidele was declared the winner of the Senatorial election by the INEC Returning Officer for Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Prof. J. Sola Omotola at the State Collation Centre, INEC State Headquarters, New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State on Sunday, 26th February, 2023.

He pollled 69,351 to defeat his close rival, Lateef Oladimeji Ajijola of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 26,181

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters was at his victory thanksgiving service which held at Babamuboni Memorial Anglican Church, Iyin-Ekiti with his wife, family members, friends and political associates on Sunday, 26th February, 2023 where he gave thanks to God for his landslide victory in the elections.

Bamidele also appreciated the good people of Ekiti Central Senatorial District for giving him yet another privilege and democratic mandate to represent them in the Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The federal lawmaker and Chairman, Southern Senators’ Forum also thanked the leadership and entire members of the Church for their continued prayers and support and also sought for more prayers for the tasks and journey ahead.

According to him, “My main purpose of coming here today is to give thanks to Almighty God for His amazing grace over my life and family and for the success of yesterday’s National Assembly and Presidential Election. I also thank God for making me to win the election in a landslide manner.

“I appreciate all our people in Ekiti Central Senatorial District and the Church of God. I am indebted to the Church leadership for their continued prayers and support.

“We also came to seek spiritual blessings and benediction for the tasks ahead of us”

In his remarks, the Vicar of Babamuboni Memorial Anglican Church, Venerable Oluwasola Olusegun Adekola pointed it out that the victory of Senator

Bamidele in the just concluded Senatorial election is welldeserved based on his track record of performance in his previous positions of public duty, especially in the 9th Senate where he brought several dividends of democracy to the people of his Senatorial District.

He therefore prayed for more grace, God’s protection and wisdom, divine strength and enablement for Senator Bamidele to enable him perform more excellently in his second tenure in the Senate.

Below are the results of the Ekiti Central Senatorial District Elections.