Kogi
SDP tells INEC to discountenance APC’s protest against inspection of election materials
***Says, they are in a panic mode already
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate in the November 11, 2023 election in Kogi State, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka have asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discountenance the false alarm and propaganda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Kogi State government with the intent to stop the inspection of materials used for the conduct of the November 2023 polls.
The party in a statement issued in Abuja by its Governorship Campaign Council Spokesperson, Faruk Adejoh-Audu said the request by APC and Kogi State government for inspection cancellation indicated that they are in a panic mode.
He pointed out that the protest was not only strange and panicky but baseless in view of the subsisting order of the Court for the inspection of the election materials.
APC through the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo had asked INEC to stop the legal team of SDP and its governorship candidate from being allowed to inspect the materials used for the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Fanwo claimed that the inspection exercise ordered by Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal would give undue advantage to the opposition party in the raging legal battle on the election.
However, SDP in the statement said the call by the APC and Kogi State government was nothing but a mere desperate ploy to truncate its petition from being heard within the statutory 180 days life span of the petition.
The party alleged that the Kogi State government had in November last year, dressed some political thugs in SDP’s T-shirts and mobilized them to the INEC office to make a similar call for the cancellation of the court’s ordered inspection exercise.
SDP claimed that for the first time in Nigeria’s history, materials used for state elections had to be moved away to Abuja to prevent sponsored thugs from destroying them and foisting a fait accompli on the judicial review process.
The SDP statement reads in part,
“Once more, Nigerians have been inundated with the crude and relentless crusade of government in Kogi State to ignite a phantom controversy aimed at discrediting the judicial review of the electoral heist in Kogi on November 11, 2023 with the hope of further delaying the process.
“One Kingsley Fanwo, the commissioner of information who has been acting as a purveyor of falsehood and rumour for the Kogi State government on Tuesday called on INEC to override the order of the Kogi State Elections Petition Tribunal directing that the legal team of our candidate be allowed to inspect the materials used for the elections.
“The Kogi Government outburst on Tuesday is the latest in several desperate acts to discredit, undermine or all together truncate the Tribunal’s process to allow the puppet and cousin of Mr Yahaya Bello, one Ahmed Usman Ododo to escape with the peoples mandate as a booty of the brazen electoral heist of the November 11 Governorship Elections.
“In the course of this judicial review, Mr. Bello and his security collaborators in Kogi State on November 29, 2023 went to the bizarre extent of costuming over 500 thugs in SDP T-shirts and deploying them to INEC to prevent the Inspection of the materials as ordered by the tribunal.
“So desperate and brazen were these attacks which everyone knew was being orchestrated by Mr Bello that for the first time in Nigeria’s history, materials used for state elections had to be spirited away to Abuja to prevent state government from destroying them and foisting a fait accompli on the judicial review process.
“The Tribunal was forced to adjourn indefinitely on November 30 until its order to allow the SDP Candidate to inspect the materials was complied with.
‘The outbursts of Tuesday calling for a halt of the inspection of the said materials must therefore be understood by Nigerians as a sustenance of their crusade to not only discredit the process but also waste the statutory time of 180 days provided for the tribunal of first instance to adjudicate on an election petition.
“But they have failed. The SDP petition will be prosecuted within the statutory time despite their desperation to avoid judicial accountability by engaging in all kinds of criminality to truncate the process.
“We challenge the Kogi State agents to submit themselves to judicial review to see if the brazen electoral heist of November 11, 2023, can survive the least minimum scrutiny.
“Attempting the deployment of thugs to delay the process or falsehoods to obfuscate the issues will not save any attempt at self-help”, the statement said
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Professor Tom Adaba, the first Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), who died early Saturday at the age of 84.
Describing the late broadcaster and scholar as a “leading light for development in Nigeria and a courageous voice of the people of Ebira land and Kogi State,” Governor Ododo paid tribute to his legacy in media, academia, and public service.
Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah in a statement quoted Ododo to have said,
“I am saddened by the death of our father and leader, Professor Tom Adaba, who has gone to be with his maker. Our prayers are with his immediate family, the people of Kogi State, and Nigeria at large for the colossal loss of a man widely regarded as a teacher, mentor, and leader,” he said.
The governor extended condolences to the Ohinoyi of Ebira land, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Muhammed Anaje, and the entire Ebira community, recognizing Prof. Adaba’s contributions, including his traditional title as the Ohieteohueyi of Ebira land.
Born in 1941, Prof. Adaba achieved several historic firsts, serving as the first Nigerian President of the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), the first Principal of the Nigeria Television College, and later, the first Director-General of NBC, before retiring in the late 1990s.
May his soul rest in peace.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has empowered 500 women from Kogi State’s 21 local government areas, reaffirming the crucial role of women in economic development.
Speaking at the empowerment distribution event at Muhammadu Buhari Square, Lokoja, Mrs. Tinubu—represented by Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo, wife of the Kogi State Governor and State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, stressed the importance of investing in women for national progress.
She stated that the initiative, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is designed to promote inclusivity, economic empowerment, and sustainable development, particularly for women. She also revealed that 18,500 women across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones would benefit from the program, starting with the North Central region.
“Empowering women is fundamental to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly goals 5 and 8, which focus on gender equality and economic growth,” she emphasized.
The program, executed in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs and the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), provided beneficiaries with essential business tools, including deep-chest freezers, maxi gas cookers with ovens, generators, and industrial grinding machines, to boost entrepreneurship and economic independence.
Mrs. Tinubu urged the beneficiaries to maximize the opportunity, ensuring self-reliance and contributing to the nation’s economic development.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has expressed deep grieve over the passing of the District Head of Adavi, Alhaji Salihu Ozi-Salami, who passed away on Wednesday at his residence in Ogaminana, Adavi Local Government Area.
In a condolence message, the Governor described the late Alhaji Salihu Ozi-Salami as a distinguished leader who served his people with honor, dedication, and a deep commitment to peace and unity. He acknowledged his invaluable contributions to the growth and stability of Adavi and the larger Ebira community.
Special Adviser on Media to the
Governor, Ismaila Isah quoted in a statement quoted Ododo to have extended his sympathies to the Ohinoyi of Ebira Land, Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tijani Muhammed Anaje, the Ohi Otenyiete of Ebira Land, Alhaji Isa Ozi-Salami, who is the deceased’s younger brother, as well as the late leader’s family and the entire Ebira people.
Governor Ododo prayed for Allah’s mercy upon the soul of the departed and for strength and solace for those left behind to bear the loss.
Born in 1939, Alhaji Salihu Ozi-Salami was appointed District Head of Adavi in 1994. He lived a life of service and integrity until his passing at 86. His remains have been laid to rest in accordance with Islamic rites at his residence in Ogaminana.
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