Edo Election: Oshiomhole Taunted After Loss (Photos)

Some Nigerians have taken to social media to share hilarious memes in reaction to the outcome of the Edo gubernatorial election.

Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was on Sunday re-elected as governor of the state for second time after securing the highest votes in the election which was held on Saturday.

He polled 307,955 votes across 18 local government areas while Osagie Ize-Iyamu, his main challenger and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), got 223,619 votes.

Obaseki’s journey to triumph wasn’t a smooth ride.

During his campaign, Obaseki’s strategy to mobilise Edo residents to vote for him had touched on ending godfatherism in the state.

The politician had also adopted the slogan “Edo no be Lagos” shortly after he left the APC to seek re-election under the platform of the PDP.

Before defection, he had met Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the APC, for endorsement as the party’s candidate but the former Lagos governor had referred him to the direct primaries endorsed by the party.

After the governor went through the direct primaries as recommended, he was disqualified by the committee set-up by Adams Oshiomhole, his estranged godfather, who doubles as his predecessor.

A few days to the election, Tinubu, who was among the APC leaders who campaigned for Obaseki when he was elected for first term under the party, had in a sponsored broadcast on TVC, urged Edo residents to vote out the governor.

In his response to the broadcast, Obaseki had tackled the ex-governor of Lagos, saying he cannot extend his political empire to Edo state.

He had, thereafter, pledged to end godfatherism in Edo and Lagos, saying that “democracy is not a government of godfathers but of the people.”

Since Obaseki’s victory at the poll, quite a number of Nigerians have taken to social media platforms to share extremely amusing memes to mock Oshiomhole, Tinubu and Ize-Iyamu.

#thecable

Below are some of the memes:

Edo Election: Oshiomhole Taunted After Loss (Photos)

Some Nigerians have taken to social media to share hilarious memes in reaction to the outcome of the Edo gubernatorial election.

Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was on Sunday re-elected as governor of the state for second time after securing the highest votes in the election which was held on Saturday.

He polled 307,955 votes across 18 local government areas while Osagie Ize-Iyamu, his main challenger and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), got 223,619 votes.

Obaseki’s journey to triumph wasn’t a smooth ride.

During his campaign, Obaseki’s strategy to mobilise Edo residents to vote for him had touched on ending godfatherism in the state.

The politician had also adopted the slogan “Edo no be Lagos” shortly after he left the APC to seek re-election under the platform of the PDP.

Before defection, he had met Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the APC, for endorsement as the party’s candidate but the former Lagos governor had referred him to the direct primaries endorsed by the party.

After the governor went through the direct primaries as recommended, he was disqualified by the committee set-up by Adams Oshiomhole, his estranged godfather, who doubles as his predecessor.

A few days to the election, Tinubu, who was among the APC leaders who campaigned for Obaseki when he was elected for first term under the party, had in a sponsored broadcast on TVC, urged Edo residents to vote out the governor.

In his response to the broadcast, Obaseki had tackled the ex-governor of Lagos, saying he cannot extend his political empire to Edo state.

He had, thereafter, pledged to end godfatherism in Edo and Lagos, saying that “democracy is not a government of godfathers but of the people.”

Since Obaseki’s victory at the poll, quite a number of Nigerians have taken to social media platforms to share extremely amusing memes to mock Oshiomhole, Tinubu and Ize-Iyamu.

#thecable

Below are some of the memes:

Edo Election: Oshiomhole Taunted After Loss (Photos)

Some Nigerians have taken to social media to share hilarious memes in reaction to the outcome of the Edo gubernatorial election.

Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was on Sunday re-elected as governor of the state for second time after securing the highest votes in the election which was held on Saturday.

He polled 307,955 votes across 18 local government areas while Osagie Ize-Iyamu, his main challenger and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), got 223,619 votes.

Obaseki’s journey to triumph wasn’t a smooth ride.

During his campaign, Obaseki’s strategy to mobilise Edo residents to vote for him had touched on ending godfatherism in the state.

The politician had also adopted the slogan “Edo no be Lagos” shortly after he left the APC to seek re-election under the platform of the PDP.

Before defection, he had met Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the APC, for endorsement as the party’s candidate but the former Lagos governor had referred him to the direct primaries endorsed by the party.

After the governor went through the direct primaries as recommended, he was disqualified by the committee set-up by Adams Oshiomhole, his estranged godfather, who doubles as his predecessor.

A few days to the election, Tinubu, who was among the APC leaders who campaigned for Obaseki when he was elected for first term under the party, had in a sponsored broadcast on TVC, urged Edo residents to vote out the governor.

In his response to the broadcast, Obaseki had tackled the ex-governor of Lagos, saying he cannot extend his political empire to Edo state.

He had, thereafter, pledged to end godfatherism in Edo and Lagos, saying that “democracy is not a government of godfathers but of the people.”

Since Obaseki’s victory at the poll, quite a number of Nigerians have taken to social media platforms to share extremely amusing memes to mock Oshiomhole, Tinubu and Ize-Iyamu.

#thecable

Below are some of the memes:

Edo Election: Oshiomhole Taunted After Loss (Photos)

Some Nigerians have taken to social media to share hilarious memes in reaction to the outcome of the Edo gubernatorial election.

Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was on Sunday re-elected as governor of the state for second time after securing the highest votes in the election which was held on Saturday.

He polled 307,955 votes across 18 local government areas while Osagie Ize-Iyamu, his main challenger and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), got 223,619 votes.

Obaseki’s journey to triumph wasn’t a smooth ride.

During his campaign, Obaseki’s strategy to mobilise Edo residents to vote for him had touched on ending godfatherism in the state.

The politician had also adopted the slogan “Edo no be Lagos” shortly after he left the APC to seek re-election under the platform of the PDP.

Before defection, he had met Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the APC, for endorsement as the party’s candidate but the former Lagos governor had referred him to the direct primaries endorsed by the party.

After the governor went through the direct primaries as recommended, he was disqualified by the committee set-up by Adams Oshiomhole, his estranged godfather, who doubles as his predecessor.

A few days to the election, Tinubu, who was among the APC leaders who campaigned for Obaseki when he was elected for first term under the party, had in a sponsored broadcast on TVC, urged Edo residents to vote out the governor.

In his response to the broadcast, Obaseki had tackled the ex-governor of Lagos, saying he cannot extend his political empire to Edo state.

He had, thereafter, pledged to end godfatherism in Edo and Lagos, saying that “democracy is not a government of godfathers but of the people.”

Since Obaseki’s victory at the poll, quite a number of Nigerians have taken to social media platforms to share extremely amusing memes to mock Oshiomhole, Tinubu and Ize-Iyamu.

#thecable #EDO2020

Below are some of the memes:

North East Elders Re-Echo Call For Sack Of Service Chiefs

• ‘We’re tired of excuses by military top brass’

• ‘Our silence misconstrued because of background of service chiefs’

• Nyiam, Yakassai, others back call

• ‘Their retention against military protocol’
Northern elite, yesterday, threw their weight behind the call on President Muhammadu Buhari by North-East elders to sack the service chiefs owing to the worsening security situation in the country, especially in the Northeast region.

Among those that supported the firing of the security top brass was a delegate to the 2014 National Conference, Tony Nyiam; human rights activist and former liaison officer to the late President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai; President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shetima; and another northern activist, Dr. Tanko Yusuf.

The North East elders, under the aegis of Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, (CNEEPD) had, during the weekend, expressed worries over growing insecurity, saying excuses being tendered by service chiefs were no longer acceptable to them.

The elders, who made their position known in a statement, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, listen to Nigerians by implementing a recent resolution by the National Assembly asking him to rejig the country’s security design with a view to improving security, which they described as “so bad.”

The statement, tagged: ‘We are tired of excuses, sack service chiefs now,’ was signed by the group’s Chairman, Zana Goni.

The elders regretted that their silence had been misconstrued by some people and sections of the country because of the geographical background of the security chiefs, explaining that their action was nothing close to that.

According to the elders, they had been silent with the hope that things would get better as promised regularly by the military leaders.

“But we have seen that in spite of the funding of the military by our dear President and the assurances by our service chiefs that things would change, nothing seems to be happening in that direction. This is regrettable.

“The worsening security situation in the country is further reinforcing the urgent need to inject new hands with fresh ideas to handle the nation’s security architecture. We have seen that the security situation under the current service chiefs has reached an unbearable state,” they said in the statement.

According to them, the nation has been distressed by mindless killings of citizens and pillaging of defenceless communities by insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers. “There is no denying the fact also that these have resulted in indescribable agony, anguish, and torment to the Nigerian citizens.”

The statement added: “We, the Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, in the strongest terms, restate the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to honour the resolution of the National Assembly and positions of the majority of Nigerians to immediately remove the service chiefs and bring in new hands to effectively confront the security challenges staring us in our face as a nation.”

It also noted that the service chiefs were the longest in Nigeria’s history and argued that they had become war-weary and bereft of new ideas to tackle insecurity.

“We are stating our position this day with deep and unbearable pains, given the lingering and unabated insecurity on our land. There is no doubt that 10 years down the line, the situation is worsening by the day. This is unacceptable, considering the efforts Mr. President has put in so far to arrest the situation,” the elders added.

They said it was obvious that service chiefs Buhari appointed to drive his vision on security had run out of ideas to end the war, and needed to be fired.

According to them, they would no longer sit on the fence and watch the situation, which had become a nightmare to Nigerians, and wondered why the President was still keeping the service chiefs despite calls from every section of the country for them to go.

Nigerians voted for Buhari massively, they claimed, because of his vast experience in security and demanded a secure North East and Nigeria.

They argued that sacking the chiefs and appointing new and younger officers into the system would restore lost morale, zeal, hope, and confidence to the armed forces and the country.

“It is obvious that the current crop of service chiefs have overstayed and have run out of ideas to win the war against insurgents. Mr. President must show them the way out, our ways of livelihood in the North East have been destroyed by insurgents and the poverty level in our zone now is so high. It is on these premises that we call on President Buhari to sack the service chiefs without further delay,” they added.

Supporting the call, Nyiam described it as amazing and hoped that President Buhari would give it consideration.

He said the stay of the service chiefs was against the military protocol that states that “if an officer is in a battle for so long and nothing positive is coming up, he or she should be removed and give space for fresh brains.”

He added, “From my findings as a retired military officer, I was told authoritatively that the Chief of Defence Staff is even performing more than the Chief of Army Staff. I don’t know why Mr. President is very heady about retaining Burutai.”

Nyiam said the demand of CNEEPD must have been influenced by what the National Security Adviser to the President had been saying.

“This is part of the nepotism, which we least expected from the person of Mr. President. The service chiefs are indeed due for removal and retirement, whichever way,” he added.

Yakassai said North East elders were in a better position to air their views on how insecurity was affecting them to the President.

He said, “I have said it that President Buhari cannot handle the problems of this nation and I have been attacked. It is now time for me to rest and allow others to talk.”

While commending CNEEPD, Shetima said the group needed to be applauded for daring to tell Mr. President to remove the service chiefs.

He said: “The North East leaders are not saying something different from what we have been saying. The truth is that insecurity has escalated across the north. But beyond the agitation for the removal of the service chiefs, their tenure is also over. I have said that as we urge the government to ease out the current service chiefs, the government must be committed to ending insurgency by ensuring that necessary tools are provided for the military to confront the bandits. Otherwise, nothing will change.”

Similarly, another northern activist, Dr. Yusuf said he had earlier made a call for the sacking of the service chiefs.

“To be candid, I had spoken ahead of CNEEPD that the current service chiefs are long due for change but the government remained adamant. Aside from these, they are supposed to have retired and allowed fresh brains to handle the situation. Mr. President has been a disappointment in this regard.”

#tguardian

Uzodimma Rejects Edo Governorship Election Results, Heads To Tribunal

The Governor of Imo State and the Deputy Chairman of the APC Edo State Governorship Campaign Council, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has rejected the results of the Edo State Governorship Election.

According to IgbereTV reports, the Governor made this known when he arrived the Imo State Government House Owerri on Sunday morning after the election which held on Saturday, 19th September, 2020.

Governor Uzodimma disclosed that the entire process in Edo State was marred by irregularities from officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who sabotaged the system, making it difficult for the APC votes to count.

Governor Uzodimma went on to describe the conduct of INEC officials in the Edo Governorship Election as 'shameful'.

The Governor also thanked the Governorship Candidate of the APC in Edo, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, for his resilience and doggedness.

He also assured that the APC is already gathering evidence to proceed to the Election Petition Tribunal any moment from now, confident that the party will get judgment in due time.

Governor Uzodimma urged all APC faithfuls and party supporters to remain calm and law abiding, noting that what happened in Edo State is a sabotage to our hard-worn Democracy in Nigeria.

#igberetv #Edo2020

Mele Kyari: Petrol Subsidy Removed Because Of Fraud

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, said the Federal Government removed subsidy on petrol because of fraud.

Kyari said some cabals which he failed to identify perpetrated the fraud in the oil industry.

The NNPC boss also said over N10tn was spent on fuel subsidy between 2006 and 2020 without significant impact on the Nigerian masses.

He said the beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy regime were the marketers who smuggled the subsidised product to neighbouring countries.

These marketers, he explained, made more profits with fake documents to collect subsidy for fuel they never imported.

The NNPC GMD spoke in an Hausa programme on Liberty FM, Kaduna, monitored on Saturday.

He said fuel subsidy was the root of all the atrocities and frauds in the oil sector.

According to him, the government removed the subsidy with a plan to reinvest on projects that will have direct impact on the masses.

He said, “The crude oil is a global commodity and its price is not hidden. Everyone can calculate and know how much the cost of every final product from the crude at international market is.

“Since the inception of the country, the government has been paying subsidy on petrol to make it cheaper for Nigerians to buy below the cost price.

“This subsidy is designed to assist the masses of Nigeria; that is the intention, but in reality, the masses are not the beneficiaries. First, the masses are not the owners of the exotic cars buying fuel, owning the filling stations and doing the oil business.

“This subsidy that the government has been paying over the years is the root of all the atrocities and fraud committed in this country.

“If you look at it from 2006 till 2020, we have spent over N10tn on fuel subsidy. Apart from that, there is also subsidy on foreign currencies. Everybody knows how much is dollar in the market, but government is also subsidising it. So, this and the fuel subsidy within this period is around N14tn to N15tn.

“What was happening with the subsidy is that, some marketers were smuggling fuel to other neighbouring countries because it was cheaper in Nigeria due to the subsidy.

“Another one is those who use fake documents and bring to government to collect subsidy for fuel they never imported and the previous government was paying them.

“So, it was not the masses of Nigeria that were enjoying this subsidy except some cabals, who are rich and powerful.”

He added that the cabal enriched themselves to the detriment of the masses who were the primary target of the subsidy.

#punchng

Nigeria confirms order for a dozen Mi-35 helicopters from Russia


Russia and Nigeria have confirmed a contract for the delivery of 12 Mi-35 attack helicopters, with six having already been delivered.

Nigeria ordered 12 Mi-35Ms in September 2015. Deliveries began in December 2016, with half of the order presently fulfilled. Nigerian Ambassador to Russia Steve Davies Ugbah earlier said that securing the delivery of the remaining six was being discussed.

In October the Ambassador said defence cooperation between Moscow and Abuja was largely hindered by anti-Russian sanctions. “Sanctions against Russia do not help this matter, as you can imagine. Russia is a reliable partner that always fulfils its obligations. We will agree on the delivery of the remaining Mi-35 helicopters, and then we will see what we can do as part of the law.”

“We are trying to work within the system so that Russia does not lose anything, but also that Nigeria does not lose. The schedule of deliveries will be discussed. Our wish list is quite long. We continue to discuss these issues with Russia. But I want to emphasize – without Russian help, without Russian equipment, the fight against terrorists in my country will face very big challenges. We are interested in the equipment being purchased and delivered on time,” he said.

The contract for the first 12 Mi-35Ms came before the US put a new sanctions law into place. That law, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), places sanctions on the Russian defence industry, as well as customers of Russian defence firms. While the US has offered some countries waivers to enable them to procure Russian military equipment, Abuja is leery of getting ensnared in the sanctions regime.

Earlier this week, an aide to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told reporters in Abuja that President Buhari would raise the issue of the attack helicopters with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, this week. The aide, Malam Garba Shehu, noted that new weapons would strengthen Nigeria’s counterinsurgency capabilities against Boko Haram.

The Mi-35 contract was announced as Russia welcomed dozens of African heads of state to the southern Russian city of Sochi amid a push by Moscow for clout on the continent. Russia is heavily promoting its military hardware at the summit. Ahead of the summit, Russian defence Minister Sergei Shoigu noted that over the past three years, the volume of exports of Russian weapons abroad has grown by about 11% per year. Russia has been trying to grow its exports to countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

#twitter #defensenigeria

Buhari And Akufo-Addo Meet In Aso Rock


The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo, met on Sunday in Aso Rock.

Buhari Sallau, Personal Assistant to the Nigerian president on Broadcast Media, made this known.

The PUNCH gathered that Akufo-Addo earlier addressed his countrymen in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday.

“President @MBuhari receives in audience Ghanian President H.E. @NAkufoAddo in State House on 20th Sep 2020,” the presidential aide tweeted attaching images of both presidents.


Details of the meeting are unknown as of the time of filing this report.

However, many shops belonging to Nigerian traders were recently shut in Ghana following a $1m levy imposed on them by the government of the West African country.

Nigeria and Ghana had also in the last few months engaged in a diplomatic row, following a number of issues, including the seizure and demolition of a building in the Nigerian Embassy in Accra.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had last month met with the Speaker of Ghana’s parliament on the fate of Nigerians while on what he called “legislative diplomacy” trip to the country.

Also, issues arising from the $1m levy imposed by the Ghanian authorities on traders from Nigeria was part of the agenda when Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo held a meeting with representatives of the Nigerian community in the West African country on September 15.

The Nigerian government, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on August 28, listed several atrocities committed by the Ghanaian authorities, warning that the government would no longer tolerate such aggression.

Mohammed talked about the seizure of the “Nigerian Mission’s property located at No. 10, Barnes Road, Accra, which has been used as diplomatic premises by the Nigerian Government for almost 50 years; the demolition of the Nigerian Mission’s property located at No. 19/21 Julius Nyerere Street, East Ridge, Accra, which constitutes another serious breach of the Vienna Convention.”

The Nigerian government also said “shops belonging to Nigerians; over 300 Nigerian shops were locked for four months in Kumasi in 2018; over 600 Nigerian shops were locked in 2019 and currently, over 250 Nigerians’ shops have been locked”.

Another major area of friction is the residency permit requirement, for which “Ghana Immigration Service has placed huge fees far higher than the fees charged by the Nigerian Immigration Service.”

In an expected game of trading blame, the Ghanaian government on August 30, 2020, responded to the allegations, while accusing the Nigerian government of being the aggressor.

In a statement, the Ghanaian Minister of Information, Oppong Nkrumah, a member of the parliament, stated that Nigeria first took a step of shutting its borders against other West African countries.

#punchng

Is Ikot-Ekpene Nigeria's Most Underrated City?

Nobody ever talks about Ikot-Ekpene, the lovely, quaint Nigerian city in Akwa Ibom state.

No more silence.

Fellow Nigerians, Welcome to Ikot-Ekpene.

#nairaland