Politics
Akpabio refutes claims jailed prof worked for him

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has debunked reports that Professor Peter Ogban, who was jailed for election fraud, worked for him.
The INEC in Akwa Ibom State twisted the context of the judgment and maliciously claimed that the election was rigged in his favour, the Minister said in a release signed by Chief Press Secretary, Anietie Ekong.
A High Court in Akwa State on Thursday sentenced Peter Ogban, a professor of Soil Science with the University of Calabar, who served as a returning officer in the 2019 general elections in Akwa Ibom North-West District, to three years imprisonment and asked him to pay N100, 000 fine for manipulating the election results of Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas of the State.
Senator Akpabio argued that the claim by the PDP that the electoral officer was convicted for allegedly rigging an election in his favour and the All Progressives Congress was spurious, unfounded and malicious.
He maintained, “Contrarily, Senator Akpabio was a victim of the fraudulent manipulation of the election of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District held on 23rd February 2019. He is vindicated that the perpetrators of the electoral fraud are being brought to justice. At last, the chickens are coming home to roost.
“It could be recalled that Senator Godswill Akpabio had approached the National Assembly Election Tribunal to challenge the outcome of February 23, 2019, Senatorial District elections, which held in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District. Amongst those who were sued was the Returning Officer of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, Professor Ogban who alongside the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mike Igini, hijacked the Election Results from the Senatorial District Collation Headquarters, Ikot Ekpene to another Senatorial District at the INEC office in Uyo, where the collated votes of Senator Godswill Akpabio were maliciously and arbitrarily cancelled by the Resident Electoral Commissioner- Mike Igini and Prof Ogban.”
The Minister noted that in the election his votes totalling about 61,329 scored in his home Local Government Area – Essien Udim Local Government, having been collated, were not announced by Prof. Ogban in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act. “Rather, Prof Ogban who served as the Senatorial District Returning Officer joined the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to Uyo, where the votes of Senator Akpabio were cancelled in various polling units and collation centres of various Local Government Areas constituting Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District including 61,329 votes of his home local Government,” he explained.
Senator Akpabio expressed surprise that it was only the Returning Officer that was charged while the REC was still parading himself in freedom. “In a considered judgment of the Court of Appeal, the justices allowed the appeal by Senator Godswill Akpabio and ordered a Rerun election, while the Certificate of Return of the PDP candidate was withdrawn and nullified. The court condemned the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission and that of Prof. Ogban for which Prof. Ogban was charged, found guilty and sentenced to three years imprisonment and a fine of N100,000. The sentence has vindicated Senator Akpabio and the APC that the election was massively rigged,” he added.
He also noted that Prof. Ogban in a bid to manipulate the election and rig Senator Akpabio out hijacked the electoral results of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District from Ikot Ekpene, the Senatorial District headquarters to Uyo, where it was announced after cancellations of lawfully collated votes and against the dictates of the Electoral Act. Senator mentioned that the collated votes from Abak, Etim Ekpo and Ini Local Government Areas were cancelled by Professor Ogban, the Retuning Officer when it got to Ikot Ekpene, the Senatorial District headquarters.
Senator Akpabio pointed out that in Obot Akara, the Local Government Area of his opponent, where a clear case of over-voting was recorded and the votes annulled by the Local Government Returning Officer, Professor Ogban strangely validated the votes in the INEC office in Uyo to give an advantage to his opponent
“For the avoidance of doubt Prof Ogban never announced Senator Akpabio as the winner of any election. Instead, he cancelled his lawful votes and announced Senator Akpabio’s opponent was the winner of the manipulated election. It is the height of mischief for anyone to say that a man who arbitrarily cancelled lawfully collated votes of the APC and announced the PDP winner of the election was working for Sen. Akpabio.
“It is obvious that some persons are being haunted by the ghost of the last election which they massively manipulated to reach a predetermined conclusion, a position which was confirmed by the Court of Appeal in Calabar. In due time, we believe all the conspirators will be brought to justice as Prof. Ogban, either through the judiciary or divine. However, Senator Akpabio had since moved on to face his present national assignment. He should not be distracted by baseless and unfounded reports by the PDP hatchet men and mischief-makers,” the Minister concluded.
Politics
Lagos Majority Leader Alleges Plans To Manipulate Primary Election Results
The majority leader of the Lagos House of Assembly, Noheem Adams, on Friday raised alarm over alleged plans by some people to manipulate the result of the primary election that produced him as a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adams reportedly won the primary election of the party to produce a candidate for the House of Assembly in Eti-Osa Constituency 1 on Wednesday after polling 7,638 against his opponent’s 1225 votes.
Speaking to thousands of APC supporters during a Victory March, Adams said accused a top monarch (name withheld) in Eti-Osa of being behind the plan to doctor the result in favour of Saheed Adesegun Bankole, who was defeated in the election.
“I want you all very much for the love and passion you have for me and APC. Today is what we call victory walk. We started from VGC with over 4000 APC members. Even inside the rain you stood your ground and you are here to protect your mandate.
“Thank you very much for voting for me. I won the election throughout our wards and the INEC officials, DSS and police personnel were there and even the agents of our opponent were there as well.
“Let me put it on record that his agents and the police signed that the election was free and fair and they took all the results to the local government collation centre.
“When they got there, they presented all the results to the DSS, INEC officials and also to the returning officer and he collected everything and announced that Adams was the winner of the election.
“We believe in this party. The only crime I have committed was during the impeachment of the Speaker; that I did not follow them and did not stand against the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” he alleged.
He said being a politician, he understood “loyalty and how to always be loyal. That is the only crime I committed and today, I’m calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to caution the Oba.
“The Oba is the reason why we lost the presidential election in 2023 in the constituency and he is the reason why we lost the House of Representatives seat. He lost in his own kingdom and the results are there at the INEC for all to see.
“I’m calling on the Inspector General of Police that if anything happens to me, he should hold the Oba responsible. And in 2027, if we lose the presidential election in the local government, the President should hold him responsible. We have assured the President that we are going to vote for him and he will win.”
He urged his loyalists and supporters to remain calm as he trusts the party enough to resolve the issue.
President of the Lekki Residents and Stakeholders Association, Sulyman Bello, also thanked the supporters for having faith in Adams.
“On behalf of all of all the estates from 1004 and across the entire Lekki peninsula, we thank all the APC members for standing by our friend, brother, father Hon. Noheem Adams.
“If all the estates in Eti -Osa Osa, call on him at the same time, he will respond. We also thank God that he got over 7,000 votes and his opponent a little above 1,000 votes. The winning margin is above 90%.
“We thank all those of you that voted and also thank President Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership. We extend our gratitude to the APC leaders in Lagos state. If it is not Noheem, it is not Noheem,” he said.
Politics
Governor Dauda Lawal Emerges APC Consensus Governorship Candidate for Zamfara 2027 Election
Governor Dauda Lawal Ph.d has officially emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in Zamfara State, following a consensus arrangement adopted by the party for its primaries.The governor secured the ticket after party members and supporters gathered across various wards to endorse him as the APC’s flagbearer for the forthcoming election. The consensus model, which allowed party stakeholders to unite behind a single candidate, was embraced as a strategy to avoid a contentious primary and strengthen internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 polls.Speaking with journalists shortly after the exercise, Governor Lawal expressed profound gratitude to party members for the confidence reposed in him. He reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Zamfara, pledging to consolidate ongoing developmental projects aimed at improving the lives of residents across the state.“I am deeply honored by the trust and support of our party faithful,” Lawal said. “We will not relent in our efforts to deliver meaningful development, enhance security, and create opportunities for all citizens of Zamfara State.”His emergence underscores the party’s push to build continuity and strong leadership in the northwest region.Political analysts note that the adoption of consensus candidate signals the APC’s preference for unity and reduced internal friction as the party prepares for the next electoral cycle.
Politics
Adewale Wins APC Lagos Assembly Ticket For Ifako-Ijaiye
Lagos lawmaker, Adewale Temitope Adedeji, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the party’s candidacy in Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 1 ahead of the 2027 general election.Adewale, a current member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, scored 19,111 to defeat his closest rival, Obawole Quadri lawal, who polled 295 votes.Three other aspirants in the election that was monitored by the state electoral officers, the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies, Afolabi Ajiboye, Akinyemi Temitope, and Adewale Lateef, scored 165, 73 and 33 votes respectively.The primary election was conducted peacefully on Wednesday across seven political wards in the constituency.A youth leader and participant in the exercise, Demola Olajide, said the peaceful exercise was the result of the maturity of the aspirants and the members’ respect for party supremacy.In a ‘thank you’ message to his constituents on Thursday, Adewale described his victory at the primary election as democracy in action.He noted that the beauty of the exercise was that he had despite having other aspirants, the election was peaceful.”What makes this moment special wasn’t just the win. It was the voices that were heard, the choices people made freely, and the peaceful process that let a community decide its own path forward.”That’s the heart of democracy: every vote counts, every opinion matters, and power flows from the people up.”May this new chapter bring the progress and unity we have promised to fight for. The real work starts now and our leaders are watching with hope.”Let’s be further determined to increase our support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and other candidates of the party in the 2027 election,” he urged.
-
NEWS2 days ago𝐅𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐗 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 2025
-
Entertainment1 day agoWhat Gen Z Wants From Entertainment Today
-
Entertainment1 day agoSportyTV Joins DStv and GOtv Line-Up Across Africa
-
Cover1 day agoHow Primate Ayodele Foretold Deadly Attack On Niger Republic Airport In Prophecy Book
-
NEWS1 day agoGovernor Dauda Lawal Approves Payment of Allowance to NYSC Members Serving in Zamfara
-
Opinion1 day agoInnovation without accountability is just experimentation – Emelia Sunday-Edet
-
Aviation1 day agoFrom Doha to the World: Qatar Airways Takes Off to Over 160 Global Destinations This Summer
-
Business and Brand1 day agoMAGGI Strengthens Stakeholder Understanding of Food Quality and Safety Through Immersive Value Chain Engagements
