The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Anambra State, has declared the candidate of the Labour Party,LP, Honourable Afam Victor Ogene the winner of Ogbaru Federal House of Representatives election. Announcing the results in Atani,the Headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area, the Returning Officer, Professor Kingsley Ubaorji of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State, said Hon Afam Ogene of Labour Party,polled 10,851 votes of the total votes cast, followed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, Hon Chukwuma Wilfred Onyema who polled 10,619 votes, According to the Returning Officer, Honourable Arinze John Awogu of APGA came third with 10,155 votes. “That Hon Afam Ogene of the Labour Party, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes cast is declared winner of the election,” the Returning Officer announced. Other Candidates scored as follows: Honourable Mrs Nkechi Ismade of APC scored 303 votes, Nwachukwu Victor of ADC scored 39 votes, Obunne Celestine of NNPP scored 124 votes while Nwadialor C of SDP scored 27 votes. Earlier, the PDP led with over thousand votes in the supplementary election, while APGA came second, followed by LP. However, when the results were summed up with the previous February 25th election, the Labour Party Candidate came first followed by PDP Candidate, and APGA as second and third. Hon Afam Victor Ogene defeated the incumbent House of Representatives member of the constituency, Hon Chukwuma Onyema of Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, who is a third term member in the Green Chamber.

  The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, has backed the calls to increase the tax payable on Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSB) to reduce diabetes and other ailments related to sugary product consumption in the country. He said this in Abuja, when he hosted the management of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) on advocacy meeting to discuss SSB Tax in Nigeria. “I think the most important thing for us is to acknowledge and appreciate an initiative such as this, as advocated for by CAPPA. We are killing ourselves by virtue of our ignorance. So, whatever needs to be done should be done. It’s a campaign that I think all of us must sign on. “I think everybody must listen to what is being said on the things that are dangerous and injurious to our health. For those of us who are used to taking all of these beverages, it is going to be a very difficult decision. But it is a life and death decision. So, whatever needs to be done to help our people stay alive, I think all of us must sign on to it,” Bishop Kukah said. Speaking on SSB taxation, Kukah said that while the tax hike is good, there must also be measures to prevent fake products as replacements. Speaking earlier, Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the organisation was working with opinion and respected leaders in Nigeria on the issue of SSB consumption and the need for government to increase the taxes to save the people. “During the last exercise, an attempt was made to increase it to N20 per litre and there was a lot of outcries because a lot of people don’t even have an understanding that this is a tax to save the lives of the Nigerian people, and that they on their own should reduce consumption of this product,” Oluwafemi said.

  The Times, a British national daily, says Chinese nationals in the mining sector are funding terrorist groups in parts of Nigeria to secure access to the country’s mineral reserves. In an exclusive report published on Saturday, the newspaper said through bribes and illegal transactions, “Beijing could be indirectly funding terror in Africa’s largest economy”. The report revealed that some Chinese nationals who have worked informally as miners in Zamfara serve as runners for some militant groups in the state and other north-western parts of the country. “Chinese companies working in parts of Nigeria where attacks are frequent have been striking security deals with insurgents, The Times has learnt. Attacks on Chinese citizens, of whom there are said to be between 100,000 and 200,000 in Nigeria, have become regular occurrences in recent years amid the country’s many conflicts,” the report said.   “Research shared with The Times from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based analytical group, has revealed videos on social media and WhatsApp of militant leaders boasting that they are so powerful that Chinese workers wishing to operate in their areas must pay them ‘rent’. They have taken over swathes of northwest Nigeria, turning the region into the country’s bloodiest conflict zone. “In one pocket of Zamfara, researchers found, interaction with militants runs so deep that some serve as runners for Chinese miners who have spread throughout Nigeria, controlling digs for gold. The country has some of the largest gold reserves in the world. “Often operating informally in small groups as contractors registered to clearing-house companies, they speak local languages and can stay for years at a time living in remote areas that western companies consider off-limits.   The Times also said Chinese mining contractors, who often pay a pittance to locals working on their fields, often smuggle minerals out of the country illegally and are sometimes arrested. “Chinese mining contractors, who local communities have accused of abuses and paying pitiful wages, often smuggle minerals out of the country illegally and are sometimes arrested. “In 2020, 27 miners, including 17 said to be Chinese, were arrested in Osun state. Last October a Chinese citizen, Gang Deng, 29, was jailed for five years after being found with 25 tonnes of a mineral thought to be lepidolite, containing lithium, which is used in batteries. “SBM also found Chinese workers involved in the Boko Haram conflict in Nigeria’s northeast, with a case of a Chinese smuggler being paid to help a jihadist group move metal ore out of the country.”

  With collation underway in much of the 23 affected states of the federation, several winners have emerged less than 24 hours since voting commenced in Saturday’s supplementary elections. Out of the five senatorial seats billed to participate in the polls, only Sokoto North had been declared by 7 am on Sunday. Others are Kebbi North, Sokoto East, Sokoto South, and Zamfara Central. In the Sokoto North supplementary election, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko has emerged victorious with a total of 141,468 votes. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate defeated his closest rival Dan’iya Manir Muhammad of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 118,445 votes. Out of the 31 constituencies in 15 states earmarked for the House of Representatives polls, two had concluded collation by Saturday evening. In Kano, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives Alhassan Ado Doguwa won the Tudun Wada/Doguwa Constituency seat. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, Prof. Sani Ibrahim, announced the results, saying the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate got 41,573 votes. His closest opponent, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) standard-bearer Yushau Salisu, polled 34,831 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 211. In a similar vein, the PDP candidate in the Gummi-Bukkuyum Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, Sulaiman Gumi, was declared winner of the supplementary poll. Gumi, who is a serving member of the House of Representatives, scored 35,664 votes to defeat his closest challenger, APC candidate Ahmad Shehu who garnered 35,058 votes. The collation officer for the 2023 Gummi-Bukkuyum supplementary elections Dr. Lawal Saad declared Gumi the winner, saying the latter had scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the requirements of the law. Closing Chapters The winners in Plateau Central and Yobe South were declared on Saturday, based on the February 25 National Assembly elections. The APC’s Diket Plang won the Plateau Central senatorial seat, according to the declaration of the collation officer, Dr. Timchang Lar. He scored 131,129 votes to beat Gulkuna Gotom of the PDP who got 127,023, while Labour Party (LP) candidate Garba Pwul got 36,501. Similarly, the APC’s Ibrahim Bomai was declared the winner in the Yobe South Senatorial District. Announcing the result at the Federal College of Education (Technical) Potiskum, the Returning Officer, Abatcha Melemi, said Bomai polled 69,596 votes to defeat his closest opponent, the PDP’s Halilu Mazagane, who polled 68,885 votes. State Assembly Results Trickle In According to INEC’s data, the supplementary elections into state houses of assembly should have been held in a total of 59 constituencies across 17 states. Collation for two constituencies had been concluded by Saturday evening. The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly Olakunle Oluomo won the Ifo State Constituency I seat. Oluomo under the APC was re-elected after polling 7,546 votes to defeat the candidate of the PDP, Ogundele Okikiola, who scored 6,569 votes. Likewise, in the Kano State assembly, the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) candidate in Garko constituency, Murtala Muhammad Kadage, emerged the winner. The Returning Officer, Prof. Suleiman Mudi, of Bayero University Kano, announced Kadage as the winner shortly after the supplementary election held in three polling units across the local government area (LGA). Fintiri In Early Lead All eyes are on Adamawa and Kebbi states, where the March 18 governorship elections were declared inconclusive. While the results for Kebbi are still being awaited, INEC has declared results for 10 of 20 local government areas (LGAs) in the Adamawa State supplementary governorship election, where Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has taken an early lead. As of 1:19 am on Sunday, Fintiri under the PDP has won seven LGAs, while the APC candidate, Aishatu Ahmed, came out on top in three LGAs. According to the declaration of results by the state collation officer of the Independent National Electoral Officer (INEC), the PDP had 124 votes in Demsa LGA, while the APC got 43.

  It was a horrifying moment as a fanatic shooter walked up to a politician and his brother in India and shot them in the head. In the shocking scenes from the state of Uttar Pradesh, Atiq Ahmad, was shot dead live on TV as he stopped to speak to journalists. According to Mail Online, Ahmad, who had over 100 criminal cases against him, was under arrest and was being escorted by police for a court-mandated medical checkup when the incident occurred. This comes just two days after his son, Asad Ahmad, was shot dead by Uttar Pradesh Police in what was being seen as an extra-judicial killing. Ahmad was asked by journalists why he had not attended his son’s funeral and just as he responded that he was not allowed to go, a shooter sneaked up behind him, pointed a gun directly at his head, and fired a shot instantly killing him. While Atiq collapsed to the ground, the shooter sprayed him with several bullets. Two other shooters then opened fire, killing his brother, Ashraf, who was of a similar criminal background to his cousin. A police constable and a journalist were also reported to have injuries in the melee of bullets. Amid the shootings, attackers were heard shouting the words ‘Surrender’ and ‘Jai Sree Ram’, a slogan to praise the central figure of the Hindu religion, as police captured them. “All the three shooters have been kept in three different police stations of the city,” a police commissioner confirmed following the attack. The Uttar Pradesh government has also ordered a judicial commission to probe the attack. Additional police forces were brought into the area and were foot-marching across the city. Ahmed, who is a former MP, and his brother were in police custody and had been brought to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where Ahmed was facing murder and assault charges. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, where the shooting took place, Yogi Adityanath, has been criticised for promoting “encounters”, a term used for extra-judicial killings in his state. He has now constituted a high-level committee to investigate the killing. Opposition politicians and human rights activists have also slammed Adityanath and the ruling party, BJP, for promoting “anarchy and lawlessness.” “When someone can be killed by firing openly amidst the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public?” tweeted a former Chief Minister of the state, Akhilesh Yadav. ”Due to this, an atmosphere of fear is being created among the public, it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere.’ Mail Online further gathered that police had imposed a strict curfew and were holding flag marches in the area in an attempt to restore law and order. The three shooters have been kept at three separate police stations while initial investigations are concluded.

  The direct governorship primaries of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Imo State has been declared inclusive by the electoral committee. JOURNALIST101 gathered that the decision by the electoral committee followed the invasion of the venue for the exercise by underaged voters and students from higher institution where one of the aspirants lectures. A source at the venue told JOURNALIST101 that trouble started when the electoral committee members refused to accredit these students that were obviously not members of the party. The source said thugs mobilized by one of the aspirants held the committee members hostage and forced them to go ahead with the accreditation.   “It took the intervention of Security personnel to contain what could have led to total breakdown of order as the students who came to the venue in more than ten buses have blocked the major entrances to the hall and held the Committee members hostage,” the witness who doesn’t want his name over fear of his safety said. The exercise has been shifted to April 16th, 2023 The two contenders for the Governorship ticket of the ADC are Professor James Okoroma and Professor Okey Okoro.

  The immediate-past Minister of Sate for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Bayelsa State. According to the result declared by Major Gen. AD Jubrin, Sylva, a former governor of the state, scored 52,061 votes to beat other contenders. David Lyon, the governor-elect in 2019, came third. Lyon polled 1,582 votes behind Great Joshua MacIver, who garnered 2,078 votes. Professor Ongoebi Etebu had 1277 votes, Mrs Ikisima Ogbomade 584 and Festus Daumiebi 557. More details later…

  Four local council chairmen in Enugu State have been indicted by a Nigerian military report for alleged gunrunning and political killings in Enugu State. According to SaharaReporters, the Nigerian military authorities have therefore, requested that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi hands over the chairmen for further investigations and questioning so other issues. According to the report the indicted Council chairmen are Udenu – Onah Solomon aka Jack Solo; Igbo-Eze South – Hon Vitus Okechi; Isi- Uzo, Obiora Chibuzor Obeagu and Igbo-Eze North – William Ejike Itodo. Recall that the Enugu State Hose of Assembly had on April 4th urged president Muhammad Buhari to investigate military excesses, intimidation and harassment in Enugu State during March 18th governorship/ state assembly elections. In a motion of urgent public importance presented at the plennary in Enugu on Tuesday by the member représenting Nsukka East constituency Mr Chinedu Nwamba said that the Constitutional role of the Military as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria, chapter 6. Part 3. Section 217 sub section 2a and 2b, which was to defend Nigeria from external aggression. The Enugu speaker also urged the National Assembly to confirm if there is an Act from her to deploy fully armed military personnel to Enugu State on March 18th. However, SaharaReporters reliably gathered the indicted council chairmen are being investigated over their roles in the spate of insecurity witnessed in the state in particular during and few months preceding the last general elections. SaharaReporters had reported prior to the election that four Council chairmen who were close associates of Governor Ugwuanyi were arrested for their involvement of recruiting cultists for the just concluded elections. The Presidential and National Assembly elections were held on February 25, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections took place on March 18, 2023. However, the elections witnessed widespread violence carried out by non-state militias in furtherance of their political interests. Arrests were made by the personnel of the military following actionable intelligence findings from arrested suspects. Military sources told SaharaReporters that the Chairmen of Udenu, Igbo-Eze South, Isi- Uzo and Igbo-Eze North were respectively indicted over the increased cases of kidnapping, killings and arson in the South Eastern states during the period. A raid carried out before the governorship and state assembly elections led to the arrest of armed thugs at various locations in Isi Uzo, Nsukka and Igboeze North and Udenu Local government councils. The arrests followed an alleged report dated February 8, 2023 and signed on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by one Brigadier-General S.A Emmanuel, revealed the discovery of the involvement of local government chairmen and other top politicians in the state in the heightened insecurity in the South East. According to the source, “reports available to the Headquarters on activities of gunrunners/ criminal syndicates in the South East had led to increased spates of killings, kidnappings, arson which were recorded in the region. “Of particular concern was the alleged involvement of security personnel, including one retired police officer from Anambra State, but who was simply identified as CSP Nwafor. “The said Nwafor was the officer in charge of disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra State from 2012 to 2018.” Similarly, some AFN and NPF personnel were indicted for the complicit in the killings and destruction in the South East by the report. It noted that some of the officers were conniving with some unscrupulous politicians in Udenu, Igbo-Eze South, Isi- Uzo and Igbo-Eze North LGAs of Enugu State to undermine the security ambience of the state. The report recommended that suspected security personnels involved be investigated for portraying both the AFN and NPF in bad light. The Inspector General of Police, IGP, was requested to immediately invite the identified local government chairmen for questioning after which they would be handed over (to the military) for further interrogation, the sources further hinted. Credit: SaharaReporters