The Chief Executive Officer of Social Plus Africa Communications Ltd extends congratulations to Usman Ododo, the Governor-elect of Kogi State.

Commending the outgoing Governor, Yahaya Bello, for his dedicated efforts in preserving his legacy, Mr. Momoh conveyed his sentiments through a press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Hajiya Abdullahi Mulikatu.

Following the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Usman Ododo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, emerged victorious in the governorship election with a total of 446,237 votes.

The declaration was made by the state’s returning officer, Johnson Urama, at the INEC collation centre in Lokoja at approximately 10:24 p.m.

Ododo secured victories in 13 out of the 21 local government areas in the state, while the SDP candidate, Murtala Ajaka, was declared the runner-up with 259,052 votes, winning in eight local governments.

Dino Melaye, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, secured the third position with 46,362 votes but did not win in any local government.

Hundreds of PDP supporters in Bayelsa State on Sunday staged a peaceful protest in Yenagoa against the alleged manipulated results of Saturday’s governorship election conducted in Nembe-Bassambiri, Nembe Local Government Area.

They alleged that the election did not take place in Nembe-Bassambiri and that the results from the polling units in the area were concocted.

They had at about 9:30 am converged on the Isaac Boro Peace Park at Ovom on the Mbiama-Yenagoa Road before marching towards the gate of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Bayelsa State office, along the Swali Market Road.

But as the protesters approached the Swali Road from the Lambert Eradiri Road and moved past the roundabout connecting Mgbi Road, several armed security operatives mounting a checkpoint on Swali Road stopped them from getting close to the junction leading to the INEC office entrance.

The security operatives blocked the road with Armoured Personnel and several security patrol vans while taking strategic positions around the area.

Speaking in an interview with reporters, the state Commissioner for Education, Gentle Emelah, said they embarked on the demonstration because eligible PDP voters in Nembe-Bassambiri were disenfranchised and it was unacceptable.

He called on INEC and the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga, to reject results from Nembe-Bassambiri, insisting that voting did not take place in the community.

Emelah said, “We are here to tell the world that election is not violence. Election is a serious responsibility. Everyone that is having electoral rights ought to cast his vote.

“But what is happening in Nembe-Bassambiri is not acceptable in the sense that you cannot disenfranchise eligible voters and coerce INEC to do your bid. We are saying that a level playing ground should be provided to every adult of voting age to cast his or her vote.

“We know that there was no election in Nembe-Bassambiri. So because of that, we are taking INEC to discard that result. And if at all, let them revisit the Bassambiri issue and make sure that everybody will have the right to vote.”

Also speaking, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Diriyai Dambo SAN, described the incident in Nembe-Bassambiri as “a rape on democracy”, claiming that the party’s supporters who were travelling to Nembe ahead of the governorship polls on November 10 were allegedly subjected to a life-threatening situation.

Dambo said that balloting was not conducted in Nembe-Bassambiri, particularly in constituencies 2 and 9, and that fake results were written and posted on social media.

He demanded that INEC should apply itself to the rule of law and do the right thing in line with the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

Dambo, an indigene of Nembe, said, “If what we are here for is allowed to go on, then there will be a massive rape of democracy. We are here because we were disenfranchised in Nembe-Bassambiri where I am from. Precisely, on the 10th of November, most of our people with about 58 buses left Yenagoa to Nembe with escorts.

“When we got there, the SWAT Team was blocking the entrance to Nembe with other APC acclaimed youths. They said we should come down for a search. One of our boys identified as Kile came down and they manhandled him. He escaped by the whisker. Thereafter they started threatening us, up to the extent that they threw tear gas at us. They said we could not come in, to the extent that most of them were scared for their lives so they had to leave.

“Subsequently, we now saw that there was no election in Nembe-Bassambiri, constituency 2 and 3. And we now found out that results started coming out on social media, results that were uploaded in the BVAS. And you see that these results are the kinds of results that are so outrageous, we don’t know where they are coming from.

“So we are here to appeal to INEC, we are not coming to disparage INEC. We just want them to follow the rule of law and ensure that they do what is right thing in line with Mr President’s resolve that there have to be free and fair elections in the country.

“They would have allowed everybody to come into Nembe-Bassambiri and vote; one man, one vote. But this one, none of us went in there to vote, only the APC people were there. They manipulated everything and started posting results on social media. We don’t want that to continue. So we are here to appeal to INEC that they should look into those results very well and do what is right.”

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Kogi State governorship election, Senator Dino Melaye, has called for the cancellation of the election due to the “irregularities that marred the election.”

Melaye, in a press conference on Sunday in Lokoja, the state capital, said that the irregularities that marred the Saturday election in all three Senatorial Districts were unprecedented in the history of the state, and should not be allowed to stand.

He described the exercise as ‘shameful and unhealthy’, regretting that the Independent National Electoral Commission “has not learnt any lesson to realise, ameliorate and palliate the problem they created for the democratic process during the general elections in the country, still repeating the same in the governorship election.

“Yesterday in the five Local Governments of Central Senatorial districts in Kogi State, there was no election. In the end, surprisingly, accreditation was done manually. The BVAS was not used. Prepared sheets manifested even before accreditation and evidence is all over the media.

“INEC as a matter of urgency must cancel the election. In many areas where I won, my agents were told there were no available result sheets to enter the results and we have evidence to back up these claims

“As I speak to you, it is shameful that this is what our democracy has descended to. INEC has manifested ever than before, that they can not be trusted, they are biased, they are compromised and they can not be neutral umpire.”

The two-term Senator representing Kogi West said that INEC officials and youth corps members were caught yesterday with prepared result sheets even before the commencement of the processes.

He added that a youth corps member was arrested with a prepared result and  N1 million.

“They were deliberate suppression of my votes in Lokoja and Kogi Local Governments. This was deliberately done by Governor Yahaya Bello and APC to make sure that even their orchestrated arrangement didn’t come second.

“Because they do believe that there will be a second ballot and they believe if there is a second ballot, I have influence and tremendous support in the central and I can make an inroad in the East. So they preferred any other person to become second,” Senator Melaye posited.

The Chairman of Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State, Muhammed Danasabe, is dead.

Danasabe died in the early hours of Friday at a Lokoja hospital during a brief illness.

His death came barely 24 hours after the governorship election in the state.

According to a family source, the deceased will be buried at the Unguwan Kura Muslim Cemetery after the Juma’at prayer.

He’s survived by his mother, wife, and children.

Details later…

Hajiya Halima Shehu, the newly appointed National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Program Agency NSIPA, has assumed office with a pledge to address operational issues and usher in life-transforming interventions.

During a press briefing held on Tuesday, Hajiya Halima Shehu acknowledged the criticisms that have plagued the NSIP programs, including concerns about transparency, accountability, fair beneficiary selection, realistic databases, and adequate publicity.

She emphasized the importance of improving these aspects, especially since the programs are now governed by a legal framework that clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of the agency, the CEO, and stakeholders.

Addressing the critical issue of poverty, Shehu stressed its correlation with increased crime rates in society. She believes that by lifting people out of poverty, the crime rate can be reduced, making the country safer and more prosperous.

“Poverty as we all know, engenders crime in any society, the more the people are uplifted out of poverty the lesser the crime rate in any society” – She said

Shehu also disclosed a concerning statistic, stating that the number of poor and vulnerable individuals in Nigeria is significantly higher than those who can afford basic human necessities, with less than 30% of the population having been empowered by the NSIP programs to date.

The NSIP programs have been running since 2016, aiming to alleviate poverty across Nigeria. However, they have not yet achieved their goal of eradicating poverty in the country.

Shehu expressed gratitude for the trust placed in her and her team by President Bola Tinubu. She recognized the magnitude of the task before them and stressed the importance of focus, commitment, dedication, and collaboration with all stakeholders, both domestic and international, including development partners.

In conclusion, Shehu conveyed her confidence that, with the support of the Ministry and all stakeholders, NSIPA will turn President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” mandate into a practical reality for vulnerable Nigerians.

She also highlighted the need for resilience, empathy, and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the population in leading such a significant agency. Shehu thanked the audience and extended her blessings to NSIPA, the Ministry, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, concluding the press briefing with a message of hope for a brighter future for those in need.