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Osun Rerun: Adeleke, Oyetola In Crunch Battle For 3498 Votes

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Ahead of Thursday’s (today) Osun State rerun governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress have engaged in house-to-house- campaign to woo voters.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that members of both parties canvassed for votes in Osogbo, Orolu, Ife North and Ife South, where the re-run will be taking place.

NAN reports that the seven affected polling units have 3,498 votes, which will eventually determine the winner of the election on Thursday.

In Orolu Local Government, rerun election will be conducted in three polling units with about 947 votes expected.

During the September 22 election, APC polled 5,442, while PDP polled 7,776 in the Local Government.

In Osogbo, rerun election will take place in one unit with 884 votes expected.

APC polled 23,379, while PDP polled 14,499 in Saturday’s election in Osogbo Local Government.

Also in Ife North, the election will take place in one unit with 353 votes expected and one unit in Ife South with 1,314 votes outstanding.

In Ife North, APC scored 6,527 and PDP 5,486, while in Ife South APC had 7,223 and PDP 4,872.

In Orolu Local Government, which is the stronghold of Lasun Yussuff, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and a member of the APC, it was gathered that APC members want to pacify the deputy speaker to support the party to sweep the votes.

Although Yussuff is an APC member, sources claim he has not been in good terms with the state Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.

He was one of the 17 aspirants that contested the party’s primary on July 20 but came second with 21 votes.

The PDP, it was gathered, was also looking for a way to talk to the Deputy Speaker to support the party.

Although Osogbo was considered to be the stronghold of APC, with the number of votes polled by PDP during Saturday’s election, both parties have dug in working tirelessly to woo voters.

In Ife North and South, which are strongholds of Senator Iyiola Omisore, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the election, both PDP and APC negotiated with him before he eventually pitched his tent with the APC.

NAN reports that the election was declared inconclusive and a rerun ordered because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two top candidates.

The PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, led the race with 254,698 votes, 353 votes more than his closest rival, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.

The margin was, however, less than the 3,498 votes in the polling units where voting was cancelled.

Consequently, INEC Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Joseph Afuwape, declared the poll inconclusive and ordered a re-run.

“Unfortunately, as the Returning Officer, it is not possible to declare any party as the clear winner of this election at the first ballot,” Afuwape said.

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JUST IN: Reps Reject Bill Seeking Single Six-Year Term, Zonal Rotation For President, Governors

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The House of Representatives on Thursday, November 21, rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at instituting a single six-year term for the president, governors, and local government chairmen across the federation.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 co-sponsors, also sought to divide the country into six geopolitical zones and establish a rotational system for the presidency and governorship within these zones.

Additionally, the bill proposed that all elections be conducted on a single day.

It aimed to amend Section 132 of the Constitution by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4), and renumbering the entire section accordingly. The proposed amendment would have stipulated that elections to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be rotated between the North and South regions every six years.

The bill also sought to amend Section 180 of the Constitution, replacing “four years” with “six years.”

Furthermore, it proposed altering Section 76 by inserting a new subsection (3), which would read: “(3) For the purpose of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.”

When the bill, which was scheduled for a second reading, was put to a vote, the majority of lawmakers voted against it. This is not the first time the House has rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for the president and governors.

In 2019, a similar bill, sponsored by John Dyegh from Benue State, also failed to progress to the second reading.

Dyegh’s bill had also proposed a six-year term for Members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. He argued that a six-year term would allow members of the National Assembly to gain more experience, as opposed to the current four-year term.

According to Dyegh, re-election for the president and governors costs three times more than the first election and is often marked by violence. He believes a single term of five years would help curb the irregularities associated with re-election.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had also proposed a further amendment to the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, advocating for a six-year single term for the president for each of the six geopolitical zones.

He added that the law must mandate electronic voting and the collation of results, and require the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to verify the credentials of candidates, among other reforms.

The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, also backed calls in June this year for a single term for elected politicians.

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I Appointed Aides On Garden Egg, Yam, Pepper To Boost Food Production — Enugu LG Chairman

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Eric Odo, chairman of Igbo Etiti LGA in Enugu state, has defended the appointment of aides for yam, pepper, and garden egg.

On Tuesday, Odo announced the appointments of Ezeugwu Ogbonna as senior special assistant on agriculture (yam and pepper) and Nwodo Ugonna as special adviser on garden egg and pepper.

The appointments attracted criticism from many Nigerians, who viewed the positions as an anomaly.

In his defense on Wednesday, Odo explained that the appointments were designed to increase the production of these crops in large quantities, aiming to meet local demands and support export.

The chairman emphasized that the Igbo-Etiti area is particularly well-suited to cultivating these crops and holds a significant comparative advantage.

“Their appointments are to ensure that local farmers receive adequate attention, needed resources, support, and expertise to enhance production, improve market access, and increase income for farmers,” NAN quoted Odo as saying.

“In essence, the appointment, which is wrongly misunderstood by disgruntled individuals, bad losers, and opposition, reinforces my determination to create a thriving local economy based on the strengths and potentials of Igbo-Etiti’s agricultural landscape.”

Odo explained that the decision was part of a carefully considered plan aimed at boosting productivity, creating jobs, and improving the livelihoods of farmers within the LGA’s communities.

He called on the public to disregard any online or offline comments intended to discredit the appointments, asserting that the council is committed to massive food production and sustainable development.

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JUST IN: Simon Ekpa, Four Others Arrested In Finland Over Terror-Related Activities

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Finnish-Nigerian separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa, and four other individuals have been arrested in Finland over terror-related activities.

A local report in Finland stated that Ekpa, the self-declared “Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government In-Exile,” was remanded in custody by the district court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

In a Thursday statement published on its website, the Central Criminal Police in Finland said it had arrested five people on suspicion of terrorist crimes.

The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime.”

The police added: “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21.”

The statement reads: “The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria.”

The statement quoted the head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen from the Central Crime Police, as saying that “the man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.

“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects of the crime have been arrested during the beginning of the week.”

“International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.

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