The High Council of State of Libya has approved a constitutional modification on Thursday meant to serve as a foundation for elections, but analysts believe the amendments fall short of resolving the conflicts that have prevented a long-delayed national vote.
A special UN representative for Libya took action earlier this week to seize control of a delayed political process in order to facilitate elections, which are thought to be the key to ending years of bloodshed.
Libya has been locked in a political stalemate since late 2021 when a scheduled election was cancelled because of disputes over the rules and the eastern-based parliament, the House of Representatives, withdrawing support from the UN-brokered interim government.
The interim government was a step to unite Libya’s two competing administrations – the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli and the House of Representatives based in the eastern city of Tobruk. But the interim government has since split, complicating the political process in the north African country.
Peace-making efforts since then have focused on getting the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, an advisory body comprising of ex-GNA members based in the capital of Tripoli, to agree on a constitutional basis for elections and voting rules.
Big political changes
Thursday’s vote approved a constitutional amendment that was issued last month by the House of Representatives and was presented as a step towards holding elections.
Foreign powers have long indicated that big political changes need the approval of both the House of Representatives and the High Council of State under a 2015 agreement that was intended to establish a short transitional period that would ultimately resolve the conflict.
On Monday, UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily cited that 2015 agreement to say he was setting up a steering committee of major Libyan figures to adopt a time-bound road map to elections.
“The political process remains protracted and falls short of the aspirations of Libyans, who seek to elect their leaders and reinvigorate their political institutions,” said Bathily last week.
“In short, Libyans are impatient,” he stressed, noting that they are widely questioning the will and desire of political actors to hold inclusive and transparent elections in 2023, as planned.
In remarks that appeared aimed at both the House of Representatives, which was elected in 2014, and the High Council of State, which emerged from a chamber elected in 2012, he said that “most institutions lost their legitimacy years ago”.
Speaking before it was approved, Bathily also described the amendment as “controversial within the Libyan political class and general citizenry”, noting it did not address contentious issues such as candidate eligibility or create a clear timeline for elections.
Skeptical of political leaders
Many Libyans have grown sceptical that their political leaders are negotiating in good faith, saying their true goal is to delay any election that could cost them positions of power and privilege.
Emadeddin Badi, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said that “the latest ‘sessions’ held to pass a 13th amendment to the constitutional basis was a badly orchestrated attempt by Aguila [Libya’s Parliamentary Speaker] and Mishri [head of Libya’s High Council of State] to retain relevance, remain custodians of the political process and pretend they are making progress towards elections.”
He clarified that in practice the amendment will not affect things in Libya.
“Even the UN has finally grown exasperated with the HoR and HSC [House of Representatives and High Council of State] conspiring to jointly indefinitely delay elections to retain their hold on power,” said Badi.
“This was made clear by Bathily lately, including in his address to the Security Council announcing an initiative that will bypass these illegitimate bodies,” he added.
Tim Eaton of Chatham House, a London-based think-tank, said the amendment seemed aimed at making it harder to sideline the two chambers.
“There is a ‘breakthrough’ every time it looks like the House of Representatives and High State Council are going to lose control of the process,” he said.
The latest amendment appeared to create new labyrinthine processes that would only trigger subsequent processes later on, he added, calling it “process for process’s sake”.
Before Christianity and Islam spread, a lot of the Arabian peninsula, which is northeast of Africa and is on the Arabian Plate and has countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was home to Jews. Judaism spread to Africa through trade. African Jews, also called the Beta Israel community, believe they are descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. There are many interesting and little-known facts about them. Here are five interesting facts about this interesting group:
African Jews have a long and complex history.
Some historians think that the Beta Israel community is made up of the descendants of ancient Israelite tribes who moved to Ethiopia, while others believe they may have become Jewish in the Middle Ages. What is certain is that the Beta Israel have lived in Ethiopia for many centuries and have kept their own culture and religion even though they have been persecuted and treated badly for many years.
African Jews have their own unique traditions and practices.
Even though they believe and act in many of the same ways as other Jewish groups around the world, the Beta Israel have made their own traditions over the centuries. For example, they use a version of the Jewish calendar that is different from what Jews use, and they have their own language for worship called Ge’ez. They also have a long history of folk music, dance, and stories. These things are important parts of their culture.
African Jews faced significant persecution and discrimination.
Even though the Beta Israel have lived in Ethiopia for a long time, the Christian and Muslim groups that make up most of the country have often ignored and mistreated them. In the 1970s and 1980s, they were treated very badly by Mengistu Haile Mariam’s communist government. Many of them were moved to cities against their will and were not allowed to go to school or get a job.
African Jews have experienced a mass migration to Israel.
In the 1980s and 1990s, tens of thousands of Beta Israel moved to Israel. Under the Law of Return, they were given citizenship. But moving to Israel and becoming part of Israeli society was not always easy, and many African Jews had a hard time getting used to life in a new place.
African Jews are making important contributions to Israeli society.
With many of its members holding significant positions in politics, business, and the arts, the Beta Israel community in Israel is now well-established and flourishing. The history and customs of African Jews have recently attracted increased interest, and groups like the Association for the Research of Ethiopian Jewry and the Center for Jewish Ethiopian Heritage are seeking to protect and advance this unique cultural heritage.
At a Black History Month event on Monday, a former Atlanta fire chief made the assertion that it was God’s will that Africans be brought to America as slaves. According to NBC News, Kelvin J. Cochran has already caused controversy with his opinions.
The concerned event was held and broadcast on YouTube by the Georgia Department of Labor. Moreover, Cochran, a Black man, mentioned in his address how his views on religion are consistent with those of the country’s founders. America “has been a part of God’s divine plan from the beginning of time,” the former fire chief claims at the outset of his address. Later, he mentions slavery and proposes reading “his narrative.”
“Slavery in America did not catch God by surprise,” Cochran, a former fire chief at the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, said. “In his sovereignty, God … allowed Africans to be brought to America as slaves. Africa was on the eve of social, spiritual and economic catastrophe and famine — still going on today. So, He brought 6 million Africans to America through the Middle Passage as slaves.”
Cochran also likened the slavery that happened in Israel to African slavery. “Just as it was God’s divine plan to enslave the nation of Israel,” God, in his sovereignty, allowed “Africans to be brought to America in bondage.” Cochran made mention of a book of Genesis verse where God informed Abraham that his descendants were going to endure enslavement and abuse for 400 years. He also claimed that though slave masters refrained from teaching about slavery and Christianity, enslaved people amassed outside churches to secretly listen to worship sermons, NBS News reported.
Elsewhere in his speech, Cochran paid tribute to the likes of Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, saying that he could “stand up here and tell my story” and “celebrate African American history month” because of those civil rights icons.
“Here’s the bottom line — we all came here on different boats, but now we’re in the same boat,” he said. “And if we can only quieten our souls long enough, to look at the sovereignty of God in our history, his goodness and his mercies, we would all cry out together, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’”
“I thank God for America, and I thank God for American history,” he added. Cochran has in the past raised eyebrows for his homophobic sentiments. In 2013, he shared among his subordinates a copy of a Bible study book that he had published. Titled “Who Told You That You Were Naked?”, the book is said to have homophobic comments that claim gay people as well as individuals who have premarital sex are “naked”, wicked, and ungodly sinners, NBC News reported. He also labeled homosexuality a “sexual perversion” and likened it to bestiality.
Cochran was suspended without pay in 2014 for not seeking approval or issuing an official notice before the book was published. His suspension came after an assistant fire chief expressed reservations about the book. In the wake of his suspension, Cochran initiated a campaign alleging he was terminated because of his religious beliefs. He was later relieved of his duties in January 2015.
But in 2018, Cochran was paid $1.2 million by Atlanta to settle a lawsuit he filed against the city and ex-Mayor Kasim Reed over his termination. The former fire chief was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom – a conservative Christian legal advocacy group. Cochran is now a senior fellow and vice president of the organization.
The knew formula one racing was strictly segregated, but that did not stop Willy T. Ribbs from nursing his dream to race on that track one day. Though he did not have the opportunity to fulfill this goal, he broke the color barrier for other African Americans like Lewis Hamilton, to have an easy sail on the formula one racing turf. Willy T. Ribbs however became the first African American to drive a formula 1 car in 1986. For him, it was a one-off test drive behind the wheel of a Brabham, but it had a lifelong rippling effect on the motorsport.
According to the Guardian, Willy ruffled a lot of feathers with his decision to be in a sport dominated by the white majority. He battled racism and made enemies even within his own circle when he became the first African American to race in the Indianapolis 500. Though given a car with mechanical and communication challenges, he was bent on making history in the Indianapolis 500 race.
Since he was born in the 1950s, Willy demonstrated immense love for racing. Picking inspiration from his father who was an amateur sports car racer, he started riding the family’s two-door car down the roads of California Mountain when he was 12 years old.
Being self-aware of the racial climate in the United States during the 1970s, he relocated to Europe when he completed high school in 1975. He set his dream in motion by competing in the Formula Ford Series. His exceptional skill behind the wheel earned him the nickname “Star of Tomorrow” in Europe. He later won the Dunlop Championship by outclassing the country’s most promising young drivers. However, despite these achievements, he yearned for an opportunity to return home and compete on the big stage.
In 1978, he launched a comeback in North America’s Long Beach Grand Prix for his 12th professional race, where he finished 10th. He was given a shot at the NASCAR Winston Cup by the Charlotte Motor Speedway President and race promoter, Humpy Wheeler, as a part of a bigger strategy to attract black spectators. Sadly, Willy lost this opportunity because track officials thought he lacked stock car experience. He was replaced by Dale Earnhardt, who filled his slot after other brushes on the track involving high-speed chases and missing multiple racing practices.
Willy, however, did not give up. He entered the Formula Atlantic Series and won the pole in the Long Beach Formula Atlantic Race in 1982, and brightened his accomplishments by winning five races in 1983 during several competitions at the SCCA Trans-AM Series.
His biggest test, however, was the Indianapolis in 1985. While testing his car, Willy surprisingly came short on speed, which compelled him to withdraw from the race. He had challenges subsequently catching up with the speed of his competitors, and later had to look elsewhere. In 1986, he opted to drive with a privately sponsored team on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit, joining as the only black driver on the circuit. He staged a comeback when Bill Cosby funded a car that he used to qualify in 1991 in the Indianapolis 500. Though he wasn’t able to compete in 1992, he made his debut in the 1993 race.
Willy retired from motorsport in 1999 and set up a racing company in his name to commemorate his 20th anniversary of breaking the color barrier in the Indianapolis 500 in 2011.
Ghanaian actress, Nana Ama McBrown, showed young children love by giving them shoes that belonged to her now four-year-old daughter, Maxin Mawushi Mensah.
In a video seen by the media, the United Showbiz host on UTV shared a package full of baby shoes with the children, who could not contain their joy.
In addition to the shoes, the actress also donated a full pack of baby diapers to some of the children.
Nana Ama has been open with her struggles with child birth before welcoming her daughter who recently turned four.
According to the actress she suffered from the pressures of society and had done everything medically possible to help her give birth.
John Dramani Mahama has been under fire from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), claiming that he is unfit to lead Ghana once more.
The NPP charged that the former President wrecked the economy during his administration.
On March 2, 2023, Mr. Mahama announced his candidacy for president at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, in the Volta Region, and attacked the Akufo-Addo-led administration for its poor handling of the economy.
The situation the former President said has led to the majority of Ghanaians fleeing the country in search of greener pastures.
“With the limited fiscal space, we are likely to inherit because of the mismanagement of the economy under NPP. There are many who say that my words, just before leaving office in 2016, that posterity will be my judge, have proven prophetic in the face of the disastrous performance of the NPP government and their harrowing dismantling of our country’s prospects. This government has been clueless and, in many ways, callous. We are saddled with debt, and we have been downgraded by every rating agency and inflation has gone off the roof, sending people into abject poverty,” Mr. Mahama indicated.
He added, “it should worry us deeply that the average young Ghanaian would grasp any opportunity to flee the despondent climate under which they live in favour of even the most menial jobs in other countries. We have always had our people going in search of greener pastures abroad, but the current mass exodus of active workers and professionals is profoundly worrying”.
Responding to this on Eyewitness News, the Communications Director of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah said the former President cannot reverse the situation if given a second chance to rule the country.
He rubbished the former President’s claims saying, “people will always sojourn out of this country, when people go, they will come back. If he’s making that as a basis to show that he has the capacity to reverse it, nothing in his records shows that he can. There’s no proof to substantiate what he’s saying”.
“The statistics show that he has no capacity that he claims he has to make this economy work. He never grew the economy 1 inch when he had the chance to be President. He cannot talk about the economy, he cannot talk about people leaving this country. Now he wants to come again, we have to let him know that we kicked him out, and he’s no longer eligible by his performance”.
The NPP’s Communications Director said the former President has never managed an economy in a difficult time, hence his assertion.
“He [Mahama] has never managed an economy in a difficult time before, he has not managed an economy in COVID-19 before. What was the situation under his government?” he asked.
Apopular afrobeat superstar and Mavin music act, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, better known as Ayra Starr, has addressed rumors that she is dating a coworker named Rema.
In order to dispel rumors that they are dating, the Sability singer referred to Rema as her brother in Christ.
She responded to the rumors in an interview with Kenya’s Kiss FM that was broadcast on Thursday, stressing that she had never heard such.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard that before,” she said, when being questioned about the alleged relationship.
Ayra Starr added, “That’s my brother in Christ o.”
The management of Sunon-Asogli Power Limited has been ordered by the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union to immediately reinstate the over 70 employees fired for joining the union.
According to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) , it will embark on a large demonstration if management does not heed to their request.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra on Thursday, March 2, General Secretary of the Union Abdul Moomin Gbana said a petition has been sent to the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to intervene.
“We are actually going to declare the full force of the labour movement because you touch one, you touch all. An injury to one is injury to all. This is about Ghanaian workers [and] the violation of fundamental rights of Ghanaian workers in Sunon-Asogli is violation of Ghanaian workers everywhere.
“It’s not going to be a fight for the Mine Workers Union. It is going to be a fight of the entire labour movement.”
Mr Gbana further stated that the NLC has ruled that the dismissed workers are on the right path in unionising just like workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta River Authority (VRA).
“We do not see why all the private power producers within the Kpone enclave are part of unions. We do not see why Sunon-Asogli should be the exception.”
The parties have been invited to a meeting by the Commission on Wednesday, March 8.
Minister of National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, has been fined by the Right to Information Commissionto pay # Ghc50,000 within 14 days.
This is stated in a ruling made by the Commission in response to a case that Mr. Oliver Barker-Vormawor, convener of Repair the Country, submitted before the Commission.
He is additionally directed to release the following pieces of information to Mr. Barker-Vormawor;
“The Report of the investigation committee set up by the Ministry of National Security to investigate a report of arrest of Mr. Caleb Kudah of Citi FM on May 11, 2021, which was referred to in the Statement by the National Security of 20th May, 2021.
The Standard Operating Procedures of the National Security which was referred to in the Statement by the National Security on 20th May, 2021.
The specific aspects of the Standard Operating Procedures of the National Security which were found to have been contravened by Lt. Colonel Frank Agyeman as indicated in the Statement by the National Security of 20th May 2021.
The specific aspects of the Standard Operating Procedures or any other protocols of the Ministry of National Security which require that persons effecting arrest of Ghanaian citizens in Ghana should be masked.
Information indicating which ethics and professional standards guiding the operational duties of the Ministry of National Security require that persons effecting arrests of Ghana citizens should be masked.”
The Commission however says the following should not be released:
“The CCTV recordings of the interrogation of Caleb Kudah of Citi FM pursuant to his arrest on 114 May, 2021.
The CCTV recordings of Mr. Caleb Kudah of Citi FM’s movements in the complex of the National Security prior to his arrest on 114 May, 2021.
The names and ranks of the three Police Officers mentioned in the Statement by the National Security of 20th May 2021.
The names, designations and roles of the individuals who effected the arrest of Mrs. Zoe Abu-Baidoo at the premises of the Citi FM.”
These orders were issued after the Commission found that the actions of the National Security Ministry and the Minister “militates against the right of access to information enshrined under Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution…”.
The Fix the Country convener in 2022 wrote to the Ministry requesting the above specified information following widespread news regarding the alleged assault on Caleb Kudah and Zoe Abu Baidoo.
The Ministry did not respond to the application and a review application causing the youth activist to seek the intervention of the commission.
The Commission as part of its probe wrote to the Ministry of National Security asking that it responds to the petition. The Ministry has still not responded. The Commission therefore determined the matter on its own.
The police has apprehended 16 suspected ritualists in the Ona-Ara local government area’s Orita Aperin neighborhood with nine fresh, dry human skulls and other vital body parts in their possession.
Also, eleven other suspects including kidnappers, armed robbers and cultists have been nabbed.
Parading the suspects before the newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams through the Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso disclosed that the suspects were arrested at different locations in the state.
He said the suspected ritualists specialized in selling of human skulls and other vital body organs to the prospective buyers within and outside the side
The suspects, (name withheld) according to the police report were picked up from their hideout after a tip off at Orita Aperin area in Ibadan metropolis.
The report read, ‘on 22ND February, 2023, a discreet intelligence gathering carried out by a team of Policemen attached to the Command Monitoring Unit, Oyo State uncovered the criminal activities of some notorious hoodlums who specialize in selling Human Skulls and other vital Human Organs for RITUAL purposes in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Sequel to this discovery, the operatives of Monitoring Unit cracked down on the RITUALIST in their hideout at ORITA APERIN area, Ibadan and in the process, eleven members of the criminal gang were arrested.
Nine ‘9’ dry Human skulls, one fresh Human Skull, some quantity of Fresh Human Intestine and other vital Human Organs were recovered from the suspects.
Upon interrogations, the suspects confessed to the crime and explained that dry Human Skulls were harvested from corpses at burial grounds while the fresh Human Head and Fresh body organs were harvested from persons after being illegally killed by their kingpin who is now at large.
Investigation is now in progress to arrest the fleeing suspect. Further developments will be communicated later.
In a related development, the Oyo Police Command have arrested a kidnap kingpin after a botched attempt to abduct two Chinese Nationals enroute their Mining Sitew along Olaiya Village, road, Iganna.
It was gathered that the Anti-Kidnapping Squad pursued and engaged the criminal gang in a gun duel which resulted to the neutralization of the ring leader, “Yellow” (who was adorned in Camouflage fits at the time of his death) and the subsequent apprehension of two other male suspects.
Also, the police is said to on the trail of the killers of a female adult when suspected armed robbers invaded Oluwole area in Iseyin, Oyo state.
While the manhunt is on for the killers, the Police have confirmed recovery of AK-49 riffke.
According to the report, “On the 24/02/2023 at about 0130hrs, Operatives of the Command and attached to Iseyin Divisional Headquarters swiftly reacted to distress call implying that rampaging hoodlums had invaded a house around Oluwole Iseyin axis, thereby attacking and inflicting gunshot injuries on some of the residents with one a female Adult who lost her life in the Process.
The officers engaged the hoodlums and fled into a nearby bush. The officers valiantly continued the pursuit and in the process recovered a Prohibited Ak-49 Riffle with Breach Number 1968309037, (2) Two Magazine trays with (51) Live ammunition and Two (2) Empty Shells during the pursuit.
The Deceased has since been deposited for post-mortem while an active search is in progress for the apprehension of the members of the criminal ring.
The Labour Party’s third-place finisher, Peter Obi, in the recently held presidential election, has declared victory and said he will take the matter to court.
Peter Obi made this statement on Thursday, 2nd March 2023, during the post-election press conference in Abuja based on the aftermath of the presidential election’s outcome on 25th February 2023.
First, he apologized to Nigerians for lives lost during the just concluded presidential election and added that the election conducted did not meet the minimum standard of a fair, fair, and credible election. As a result of this, he is filing a suit.
Obi added,” election conducted did not meet the minimum standard of a free, fair, credible election, we won the election, and we will prove it.”
Recall that the newly Nigeria president-elect, Ahmed Bola Ahmed of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Rabiu Kwankwaso candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) were his major opponents in the just concluded presidential election.
Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes, followed by Atiku, who got 6,984,520 votes; Obi polled 6,101,533 votes, and Kwankwaso with 1,496,687 votes, according to election results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).gized to Nigerians for lives lost on the election day.”
The President-Elect, Bola Tinubu, has set up committees to meet his co-contestants who are aggrieved at the Presidential results to start what is referred to as the “healing process”.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and a member of the committees disclosed this in a statement released on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde
The statement explained that a Committee of Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon reach out to the co-contestants of the President-elect in a bid to assuage their loss in the just-concluded poll.
He stressed that every aggrieved person would be met for reconciliation.
“The President-elect has set up committees to meet with the gentlemen who contested in the election for us to start the healing process. I belong to one of the committees. We are going to meet them and appeal to them so that we can work together,” the governor stated.
Meanwhile, the major contenders of the 2023 presidential elections, like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have rejected the outcome of the poll, saying the electoral umpire failed to play by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 on electronic transmission of results.
The oppositions have also threatened to head to court to challenge the poll’s outcome.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC won with a margin of over 1.8 million votes ahead of Atiku Abubakar, who got 6,984,520 votes, and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi, who polled 6,101,533 and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso who secured 1,496,687 votes.
In his acceptance speech on Wednesday, the former Lagos State governor extended olive branches to his co-contestants, saying;
“Whether you are Batified or Atikulated, Obidients, Kwankwasiyya, or have any other political affiliation, you voted and struggled for a better Nigeria, a more hopeful nation. I thank you for participating and dedicating to our democracy, Tinubu said.
“I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together.”read moreTribune
The statement explained that a Committee of Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon reach out to the co-contestants of the President-elect in a bid to assuage their loss in the just-concluded poll.
He stressed that every aggrieved person would be met for reconciliation.
“The President-elect has set up committees to meet with the gentlemen who contested in the election for us to start the healing process. I belong to one of the committees. We are going to meet them and appeal to them so that we can work together,” the governor stated.
Meanwhile, the major contenders of the 2023 presidential elections, like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have rejected the outcome of the poll, saying the electoral umpire failed to play by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 on electronic transmission of results.
The oppositions have also threatened to head to court to challenge the poll’s outcome.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC won with a margin of over 1.8 million votes ahead of Atiku Abubakar, who got 6,984,520 votes, and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi, who polled 6,101,533 and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso who secured 1,496,687 votes.
In his acceptance speech on Wednesday, the former Lagos State governor extended olive branches to his co-contestants, saying;
“I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together.”
“Whether you are Batified or Atikulated, Obidients, Kwankwasiyya, or have any other political affiliation, you voted and struggled for a better Nigeria, a more hopeful nation. I thank you for participating and dedicating to our democracy, Tinubu said.
The Kano Police command has confirmed the arrest of Sani Madakin Gini, who was elected under the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, for unlawful possession of firearms.
The arrest was confirmed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of theKanoCommand, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, who stated that the lawmaker is under investigation.
The Kano State Police, through the PPRO, said, “We can confirm that Honourable Sani Madakin Gini has been arrested for unlawful possession of firearms.” “He is currently in our custody and undergoing investigation.”
He added that the police would not relent to ensure that the law is upheld and that everyone, irrespective of their status or position, is held accountable for their actions.
Although some citizens have expressed shock over the incident, others have called on the authorities to ensure justice is served and that anyone found guilty is brought to book.
Recall that Nigerian Tribune reported that a Kano Magistrate Court on Wednesday ordered the House of Representatives Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, to be remanded at Goron-Dutse correctional centre pending his bail application.
Nigeria’s Labour Party has condemned the country’s presidential elections on Wednesday, stating they had not been “transparent, free and fair”.
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, a vice-presidential candidate for the Labour Party, described incidents of violence and intimidation of voters during a briefing on Wednesday. He claimed that the election was conducted “in clear violation of agreed and promised INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) rules and guidelines.”
“It is our position that the purported results did not meet the minimum criteria of a transparent, free and fair election. In addition to the most condemnable attacks, violence, voter intimidation and suppression, the election was conducted in clear violation of agreed and promised INEC ( Independent National Electoral Commission) rules and guidelines.”Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed explained.
The tightly contested election has redrawn Nigeria’s electoral geography and produced results that are significantly different from those of past polls, with this being the first time that a president takes office with less than 50% of the vote and where four candidates won over a million votes, say analysts.
Labour Party leader Peter Obi intends to contest the elections results.
“Please be assured of our determination to fight the injustice that have been perpetrated on Nigerians through all legal and peaceful means. While painful, we implore you all to please remain peaceful and calm as our fight and determination for a new Nigeria is just beginning.” added Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Civil Society Organisations and members of the Labour Party held a demonstration condemning the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
They held up placards reading “Cancel the 2023 General Elections Now” and “Save Our Democracy.”
The parties now have three weeks to appeal results, but an election can be invalidated only if it’s proven the national electoral body largely didn’t follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result.
A groom, Adewale Yusuf, recently shocked many Nigerians by announcing on his wedding invitation card that there would be no reception following the ceremony. He has since revealed to SaharaReporters that it only took him two calls to persuade his parents and other family members to agree with his plan.
He admitted that at first it was difficult to convince his wife, Blessing, to agree with the idea, but he eventually succeeded after a few discussions.
This weekend, the newlyweds became a sensation on social media with many Nigerians praising and criticizing their decision to forgo hosting a reception for their guests.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on Tuesday, Yusuf, said that the decision was one of the biggest he ever took in his life.
He said, “When I first informed my parents of the idea not to have a reception after my wedding ceremony, they dropped the call on me.
“Eventually, it took me about two more calls to be able to convince them to support my idea.
“The truth is that I’m a man of my words. I’m a different person, I am not a loud type.
“Many people around me did not like the idea initially but I made sure to let them see reasons with me.
“At the end of the day, everyone appreciated my idea.”
But despite not staging a reception at their wedding, Yusuf told SaharaReporters that many of their guests didn’t return home without having something to eat.
He added, “We shared food for the few friends we invited. I made sure my friends that came from Ibadan went back that day.
“One thing people should know is that there is nothing they want that they can’t do as long as it makes them happy and fulfilled.
“Having a loud reception after the wedding ceremony was unnecessary as far as I was concerned.”
Spanish MPs have voted to provide paid medical leave to women suffering from severe period pain and to allow anyone 16 and over to change the gender on their ID card with a simple procedure.
This makes them the first European country to advance such legislation.
While similar laws in other countries have prompted disagreement over the difficulties of the problem, lawmakers also approved a law allowing anybody 16 and over to change the gender on their ID card. Spain is now one of the few countries that permits people to change their gender on their national identity card with just a simple declaration according to a bill that was approved with 191 votes in favor, 60 votes against, and 91 abstentions.
Denmark was the first nation in Europe to establish such a right in 2014. Adults in Spain had to present a doctor’s note attesting to their gender dysphoria and documentation of two years of hormone therapy in order to request the change up until this point. Minors required judicial approval.
The new law drops all such requirements, with those aged 14 and 15 allowed to apply if their parents or legal guardians agree. Those aged 12 and 13 will also require a judge’s permission to make the move.
The menstrual leave law, which passed by 185 votes in favour to 154 against, is aimed at breaking a taboo on the subject, the government has said.
Menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries across the globe, among them Japan, Indonesia and Zambia. “It is a historic day for feminist progress,” Equality Minister Irene Montero tweeted ahead of the vote.
The legislation entitles workers experiencing period pain to as much time off as they need, with the state social security system – not employers – picking up the tab for the sick leave. As with paid leave for other health reasons, a doctor must approve the temporary medical incapacity.
The length of sick leave that doctors will be able to grant to women suffering from painful periods has not been specified in the law. About a third of women who menstruate suffer from severe pain, according to the Spanish Gynaecology and Obstetrics Society.
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The measure has created divisions among both politicians and unions, with the UGT, one of Spain’s largest trade unions, warning it could stigmatise women in the workplace and favour the recruitment of men.
The main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP) also warned the law risks “stigmatising” women and could have “negative consequences in the labour market” for them. “Menstrual leave” is one of the key measures in the broader legislation, which also provides for increased access to abortion in public hospitals. Less than 15% of abortions performed in the country take place in such institutions, mainly because of conscientious objections by doctors.
The new law also allows minors to have abortions without parental permission at 16 and 17 years of age, reversing a requirement introduced by a previous conservative government in 2015.
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Spain, a European leader in women’s rights, decriminalised abortion in 1985, and in 2010, it passed a law that allows women to opt freely for abortion during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy in most cases.
Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu, is a Nigeria politician and a former governor of Lagos who is married to the pastor of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Senator, Oluremi Tinubu.
They got married in the year 1987 and have 6 children.
According to sources, Asiwaju had three children with different women before he got married to Oluremi.
His first three children are Jide Tinubu, Seyi Tinubu, and Shade Tinubu, while his kids with Remi are Zainab Abisola Tinubu, Habibat Tinubu, and Olayinka Tinubu.
According to information gathered by the local media, Bola Tinubu sadly, sadly lost his first child Mr Jide Tinubu in 2017. Therefore, he has 5 children as of May 2022 who are still alive.
Here are the names and details of his children:
OlaJide Tinubu (late)
Folashade Tinubu-Ojo
Seyi Tinubu
Zainab Abisola Tinubu
Habibat Tinubu
Olayinka Tinubu
Olajide Tinubu
Jide Tinubu is the first child and first son of Bola Tinubu whom he had with his alleged first wife. Jide was born on October 12, 1974 (some reports state his year of birth as 1980) and graduated from the University of Liverpool, England where he studied law. Before his death, he practised as a lawyer in Mobil and also spent the majority of his lifetime in London. There he lived with his wife and three sons.
Sadly, he died of cardiac arrest on October 31, 2017, at the age of 43. After his death, Tinubu his dad described him as a “highly intelligent person with a vibrant personality and a zest for life”.
Tinubu’s first son, Jide Tinubu (Late)
Folashade Tinubu-Ojo
Folashade Tinubu, is the second child and first daughter of Bola Tinubu. She graduated from Middlesex University in London with a degree in business administration. Folashade has served as the Iyaloja General of Lagos State since 2013. She has authority over all traders in the markets of Lagos, including the ability to collect taxes from them. Oyetunde Ojo, a former member of the House of Representatives, is currently married to Folashade Tinubu Ojo. The pair has two children together as of May 2022 who were both born through surrogacy.
Iyaloja Folashade Tinubu-Ojo
Seyi Tinubu
Seyi Tinubu is the third child and second son of Bola Tinubu. He was born on October 13, 1985, and is 36 years old as of May 2022. Seyi Tinubu’s mother is allegedly Prophetess Bunmi Oshonike. According to reports, Tinubu had an affair with Bunmi leading to Seyi’s birth.
Seyi Tinubu graduated from the University Of Buckingham where he bagged a degree in Law. Aside from being a lawyer, Seyi is an entrepreneur and also philanthropist. He is the CEO of Loatsad Promomedia LTD, an advertising agency. Seyi is also the founder of the Noella Foundation. His foundation is a non-profit organization that creates job opportunities for Nigerians.
In August 2016, Seyi Tinubu married Nigerian-Lebanese entrepreneur Layal Holm. They had a colourful wedding ceremony at Lake Como, Italy. As of May 2022, Seyi Tinubu and his wife Holm have 2 lovely children.
Meanwhile, Seyi Tinubu allegedly has another child with Freda Francis, a Nigerian socialite and businesswoman who is also known to be an ex-girlfriend of music artist Iyanya. In 2021, there were rumours that Seyi Tinubu had gotten Freda pregnant for the second time. There was also news that his wife Layal Holm left him because of this. However, the Loatsad CEO debunked the rumour.
Seyi Tinubu and wife, Layal Holm
Zainab Abisola Tinubu
Zainab Tinubu is Tinubu’s fourth child. However, she is the first child of Tinubu with his wife Oluremi Tinubu because the first three children were from Asiwaju’s past relationships. Information about Zainab is currently scarce because her parents like to keep her off the media.
Habibat Tinubu
Habitat Tinubu is Tinubu’s fifth child and last daughter. She is Tinubu’s second child from Senator Oluremi. The only information about Habibat that is public is that she is a graduate of music. She graduated from Berklee College of Music, Boston on May 11, 2013.
Olayinka Tinubu
Olayinka Tinubu is Tinubu’s last child and third child from Pastor Oluremi. However, there is no information about Olayinka that is available online apart from his name.
Social media is still buzzing with messages from many indicating that they do not accept Bola Tinubuas President despite The Independent National Electoral commission (INEC)’s announcement on March 1, 2023.
Several Nigerians have expressed disappointment in the verdict as they are convinced the commission was not transparent with the process.
Below are the tweets shared:
Bolanle Olukanni tells CNN that the Nigerian presidential election was not conducted fairly and INEC is misleading the public. #Obiiscoming
If we Nigerians allow INEC & APC to impose a president on us, then no Nigerian has the right to challenge SOUTH AFRICA,GHANA or any other country for xenophobia. And no Nigerian has right to question any Nigerian Media for not speaking up. We must take back our Country.! #protestpic.twitter.com/2EXwiTrYwT
Nigerian celebrities have reacted on their individual social media profiles after Bola Tinubu was named Nigeria’s president-elect.
Bola Tinubu was named victor of the 2023 general election by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on March 1st.
In order to win, Tinubu defeated his top rivals, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar.
A section of Nigerians are sad and disappointed in the verdict given by the INEC authorities.
A reason some celebrities have since taken to social media to share their thoughts on the development.
A new president will succeed Muhammadu Buhari as the head of state of Nigeria, by May 25, ushering in a new guard at the White House and, inevitably, a new First Lady.
Although being Muslim, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect, is married to a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of Nigeria’s largest congregations (RCCG).
The incoming First Lady is in the person of Oluremi Tinubu, popularly referred to by a contraction of her name, Remi.
She has undoubtedly been part of the husband’s political journey from Senator through to governor – all in Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos – to becoming leader of a mega party that displaced a ruling party of 16 years.
When her husband’s electoral victory was confirmed on March 1 after the February 25 vote, Remi’s profile shot from a Senator of a Constituency in Lagos (a post she has held since 2011) to the First Lady of Nigeria.
Below are some quick facts about Oluremi Tinubu:
a. Oluremi Tinubu was born on September 21, 1960, to an Itsekiri mother and Yoruba father. She was the youngest of 12 children and was raised in Ogun State.
b. She received a B.Sc. in Education from the University of Ife, and a National Certificate of Education in Botany and Zoology from the Adeyemi College of Education.
c. She entered active politics four years after her last role as First Lady i.e. in 2011 when she was elected Senator for Lagos Central.
d. Prior to that, she served as First Lady of Lagos State (1999 – 2007) when her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was elected governor at the return of civilian rule.
e. She was known in her time as Lagos First Lady to engage in youth empowerment and advocacy through her New Era Foundation, dedicated to establishing centres for “all round development of young ones and promote public awareness on environmental health and community service.”
f. She has also written a number of publications; including an auto-biography- The Journey of Grace – My FaithWalk.
g. Remi is a senior pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
h. She has four children with the president-elect – Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, Oluwaseyi Tinubu, Abibat Tinubu, and the late Jide Tinubu.
i. She i also known to have executed a lot of philanthropic acts to alleviate the plight of indigent persons as well as better the lives of girls and women in her constituency.
j. She holds the third highest national honour the Order of the Niger (OON). With her husband known as Asiwaju of Lagos, she is also referred to culturally as Yèyé Asiwaju (initial of a traditional title given to women.)
Tinubu beats two main contenders
Tinubu was in the race along with the main opposition People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
In terms of the hard figures, APC polled 8,805,655 valid votes as against the PDP’s 6,984,520 and LP’s 6,098,588.
The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) got 1,496,687 valid votes whiles the fourteen other aspirants together got the remaining 666,298.
Nigeria’s peculiar means of determining president means that the winner must get at least 25% of votes in two thirds of the 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
Tinubu had at least 25% of votes in 29 states, Atiku had 25% of votes in 21 states, Obi had 25% of votes in 16 states whiles Rabiu Kwankwaso of NNPP passed the threshold in only one state.
Tinubu has since been handed his certificate of return at the Abuja International Conference Center where INEC had used as the collation center for the presidential elections.
A fire event that took place on Wednesday in Kurni Market in Kano State, Northwest Nigeria, has resulted in the destruction of numerous shops.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Saminu Abdullahi, the Kano State Fire Service’s public relations officer, verified this.
According to Abdullahi, the fire service received an emergency call at about 5:23 am from one Aliyu Alkasim who drew their attention to the outbreak.
He said no life was lost in the incident and that firefighters were deployed to the market immediately but added that the cause of the incident was still being investigated.
He said, “Today, Wednesday March 1, 2023, our control room received an emergency call at about 05:23 am from one Aliyu Alkasim. He reported an outbreak of fire at Kurmi Market, Kano Municipal Area.
“We turned out our men from various fire stations within the metropolitan area. On their arrival at the scene of the incident at about 05:27 am, the area affected by the fire was about 160 X 100 feet.”
“With good effort of their men, the service was able to successfully save several shops within the market area and no injury was recorded and no life was lost.”
“The general public should always switch off all electrical appliances and disconnect from the source when not in use and avoid careless use of naked fire throughout the market premises,” he added.
On Wednesday, All Progressive Congress (APC) members and die-hard xx of the newly elected president of the Country, Senator Ahmed Tinubu, trooped out to Osogbo, Osun state capital and in Iragbiji, his country home, to rejoice with him on his victory at the poll.
The president-elect lovers who trooped out in scores in Osogbo around 11.00 a.m of the day marched round some major streets like Oriolowo, Old- garage, and Olaiya junction of the town with wild jubilation to associate with his victory; they described as long-expected one.
Speaking with journalists, one of the triumphant, who identified herself as Adewumi Adesoji, told our reporter that, Tinubu is a tested and trusted politician who could whether all political hurdles and murders when the matter goes crucial in the political realm.
She described him as a man of people and a humanitarian politician that listens and provides for whoever is need.
Adewumi, however charged people in the state, irrespective of different political affiliations, to rally round and join hands with him to make the country more virile.
Several ladies in Kogi Central have flocked to the streets to protest what they characterized as “injustice” following the conclusion of the senatorial election in the constituency.
The women in a white ritual rally encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan as the senator-elect in video recordings that the media was able to get.
The media learned the white ritual is done at sacred times to invoke the ancestral spirits of war against those who cheat or cause pain to the land.
Recall the Natasha had rejected the declaration of Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as winner of the February 25 election for Kogi Central Senatorial District following the irregularities that marred the process.
Sadiku-Ohere beat Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to emerge winner of the keenly contested election.
Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, the INEC Returning Officer for Kogi Central Senatorial District, announced the result on Tuesday in Okene.
President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his administration shall bring smiles to the faces of all Nigerians, irrespective of their political affiliations. He gave the pledge on Wednesday morning in his acceptance speech, delivered at the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council secretariat in Abuja.
He also called on his opponents to collaborate with him to build a betterNigeria.
“THE ERA OF RENEWED HOPE“
By The President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
My fellow Nigerians,
I am profoundly humbled that you have elected me to serve as the 16th president of our beloved republic. This is a shining moment in the life of any man and affirmation of our democratic existence. From my heart, I say thank you.
Whether you are Batified, Atikulated, Obidient, Kwankwasiyya, or have any other political affiliation, you voted for a better, more hopeful nation and I thank you for your participation and dedication to our democracy.
You decided to place your trust in the democratic vision of a Nigeria founded on shared prosperity and one nurtured by the ideals of unity, justice, peace and tolerance. Renewed hope has dawned in Nigeria.
We commend INEC for running a free and fair election. The lapses that did occur were relatively few in number and were immaterial to the final outcome. With each cycle of elections, we steadily perfect this process so vital to our democratic life.
Today, Nigeria stands tall as the giant of Africa. It shines even brighter as the continent’s biggest democracy.
I thank all who supported my campaign. From President Buhari who adeptly led my campaign as its chairman, to my Vice Presidential Candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
To the progressive governors of our party and this nation, to the party leadership, to our loyal party members. I owe you a debt of gratitude. To the entire campaign organization, I thank you sincerely.
I thank my loving wife and dear family whose support was ceaseless and inspiring. Without you, this victory would not be possible.
I am grateful to Almighty God. By His mercy, I was born a son of Nigeria and through His sublime purpose I find myself the victor of this election. May He grant me the wisdom and courage to lead the nation to the greatness He alone has destined for it.
Finally, I thank the Nigerian people for their abiding belief in our democracy. I shall be a fair leader to all Nigerians. I will be in tune with your aspirations, charge up your energies and harness your talents to deliver a nation that we can be proud of.
To my fellow candidates, former VP Atiku, former governor Kwankwaso, former governor Obi and all others, I extend the hand of friendship. This was a competitive, high-spirited campaign.
You have my utmost respect.
During the election, you may have been my opponent but you were never my enemy. In my heart, you are my brothers.
Still, I know some candidates will be hard put to accept the election results. It is your right to seek legal recourse. What is neither right nor defensible is for anybody to resort to violence. Any challenge to the electoral outcome should be made in a court of law, and not in the streets.
I also ask my supporters to let peace reign and tensions fade. We ran a principled, peaceful and progressive campaign. The aftermath of our campaign must be as benign.
Yes, there are divisions amongst us that should not exist. Many people are uncertain, angry and hurt; I reach out to every one of you. Let the better aspects of our humanity step forward at this fateful moment. Let us begin to heal and bring calm to our nation.
Now, to you, the young people of this country, I hear you loud and clear. I understand your pains, your yearnings for good governance, a functional economy and a safe nation that protects you and your future.
I am aware that for many of you Nigeria has become a place of abiding challenges limiting your ability to see a bright future for yourselves.
Remodeling our precious national home requires the harmonious efforts of all of us, especially the youth. Working together, we shall move this nation as never before.
My running mate, Vice President-elect Shettima, and I understand the challenges ahead. More importantly, we also understand and deeply value the talent and innate goodness of you, the Nigerian people. We pledge to listen and to do the difficult things, the big deeds, that put us on the path of irreversible progress. Hold us firmly to account, but please give us a chance first.
Together, we shall build a brighter and more productive society for today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Today, you have given me the greatest honor you can bestow on one man.
In return, I will give you my utmost as your next president and commander-in-chief. Peace, unity and prosperity shall be the cornerstones of the society we intend to build. When you gaze upon what we shall accomplish in the coming years, you shall speak with pride at being a Nigerian.
I thank you all.
God bless you all. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s flag-bearer candidate, has broken silence after the declaration of presidential result by the INEC.
He said he will address Nigerians promptly after the results of the 2023 presidential elections.
This, he disclosed on his verified Twitter account.
Our Vice presidential candidate Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is addressing an international press conference at the Labour Party Headquarters in Abuja. I intend to address Nigerians and the international community shortly. -PO pic.twitter.com/Q3hEXvFdZs
Social media fans know that TikTok is the place to go for handy, albeit often unusual, life hacks.
And now the platform is helping users to spice up their sex lives with with advice posts gaining millions of viewers. The hashtag #seksadvice, for example, (used to avoid videos being taken down due to the platform’s dislike of the word), has as many as 33.7million at this moment.
There are hundreds of tips to be found aimed at improving your time in the bedroom, from spicing up foreplay to achieving ‘coregasm’.
Scroll back up to restore default view.
Lovehoney sex therapist Dr Janet Brito has shared which of these hacks actually work.
For example, sex advice TikToker Nurse Ria previously posted that pressing down on a woman’s stomach during sex can stimulate the G-spot, getting more than 40 million views at the time.
Commenting on this, Brito says, “The stomach sex hack may work for some, but the most important thing is to experiment, as some folks may experience more sensation around other areas of the pelvis. Trying new moves to create pleasurable sensations is always a good idea, with consent of course.”
The sex pillow hack, meanwhile, where a pillow is placed under the woman’s pelvis to increase pleasure, has had more than 20 million views on TikTok.
“The sex pillow hack allows for an interior pelvic tilt, or for the pelvis to angle upwards, making penetrative sex more comfortable, easier to experiment with various angles, and allowing for deeper penetration,” says Brito.
In the masturbation technique on the social network platform, which has had more than 13 million views, the user explains that self-gratification should be done by following a similar technique to gently rubbing the yolk of an egg in circular motions. It explains that similar to a yolk breaking, you may have pushed too hard and should apply this gentle technique for masturbation.
The four minute foreplay hack suggests setting a timer and taking turns with your partner. (Getty Images)
Brito says, “This masturbation technique is a helpful suggestion for both internal and external stimulation. Most importantly, it is best to obtain consent first and ask the receiver how they want to be stimulated.”
The four-minute foreplay tip suggests setting a four-minute timer where you take turns and have four minutes each to spice up foreplay.
“Four minute foreplay works with consent and for those couples who are comfortable with adventure,” explains Brito. “Novelty helps to spice things up in the bedroom and rediscover each other.”
A coregasm is the possibility of experiencing an orgasm while exercising your abs, and the hack has gone viral on TikTok with more than 16.4 million views for the hashtag.
“Coregasms work for non-sexual orgasms due to an individual’s anatomy and physiology, headspace at the time of the exercise, and repetitive motion of exercise,” says Brito, again offering a professional take. “They are not necessarily linked to erotic content, but more associated to repetitive body movements.”
Tantric sex is said to encourage partners to explore their deepest sensations. (Getty Images)
The hashtag #tantric has 28 million views on TikTok. In one video the user explains that tantric sex is a form of sexual meditation in which partners are encouraged to enjoy their deepest sensations during sex.
Brito comments, “Tantric sex may help folk who are anxious about sexual performance to move away from thinking about sex to being in their bodies. By being curious about one’s body’s sensations, and practicing a non-judgmental stance, tantric sex helps folk to reframe sex from a performative activity to a pleasure-based one.”
While it can be fun to watch videos of the latest sex hack online, speak to a professional before trying anything you’re unsure about.
TikTok is excellent at introducing us to time-saving hacks. We’ve learnt about everything from the best way to hang your washing out, to how to properly clean plastic containers, and several spicy sex hacks too.
Now the social media platform is hailing a Scandinavian sleep hack as “life-changing” for couples, as it suggests that people who sleep with their partners should swap out a regular duvet cover in favour of two single-sized duvets instead.
The hack has gone viral after it was shared by Cecilia Blomdahl, a Swedish woman who lives on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
In a video which has had 1.1 million views and over 81,000 likes, Blomdahl explains that she and her partner share a bed but sleep with separate duvets.
“Every time I do my bed, I get so many comments about it,” Blomdahl says in the video. “My name is Cecilia and I live on Svalbard, an island close to the North Pole, but I am originally from Sweden. I think the way we do our beds is pretty common in Europe, but it’s completely different to America.”
She explains that they have “two duvets here” and that she could “never live with one”.
TikTok users in the comments were quick to praise the idea, with one person writing: “Honestly the first time I experienced two duvets was in Iceland and it was LIFE-CHANGING.”
Another added: “Two duvets save relationships,” while a third person said: “You’re the reason my boyfriend and I now sleep with separate covers. I don’t know why I never thought of it before!”
According to Martin Seeley, sleep expert and CEO of mattressnextday, Blomdahl’s tip allows for a “much better night’s sleep” for both you and your partner as he says the most common reason that people who share a bed together lose sleep is because of disturbances like sounds or movements.
“By having two separate duvets, you are bypassing many of the disturbances which are common with sharing a duvet, such as one person hogging the duvet, unintentionally taking most of the duvet onto one side or movement during the night,” Seeley tells Yahoo Life UK.
Sleeping with separate duvets could be the sleep hack that give’s you a better night’s rest. (Getty Images)
“You can also adjust your duvet to your natural sleeping position, wrapping it around your legs or wrapping it around your body for more warmth.”
He adds that another benefit is that having two separate duvets allows for each person to choose the weight and type of duvet that best suits them, which is especially helpful is one partner runs hotter or colder than the other.
Seeley says that there shouldn’t be any stigma attached to not sharing a duvet either as all it means is that you are “ both very much aware that you want to have a good night’s sleep, and the best way to achieve this is by having separate duvets”.
He continues: “You can always snuggle and cuddle using one duvet, and then bring the second onto the bed when it’s time to sleep.”
Seeley says having separate duvets can bring mental and physical health benefits too. “You will both feel better mentally and physically,” he explains. “Which is always beneficial when it comes to sustaining a good and happy relationship.”
Source: Yahoo
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
A woman, who describes herself as a “real life Sleeping Beauty”, is living with a rare disorder which sees her nap for up to 22 hours a day.
Joanna Cox, 38, from Castleford, west Yorkshire has idiopathic hypersomnia, or excessive daytime sleepiness, which is a condition that causes people to fall asleep repeatedly during the day.
She was diagnosed with the condition, which once saw her sleep for four days without waking, after years of excessive snoozing and struggling to stay awake during the day.
The rare disorder leaves sufferers with extreme daytime sleepiness, struggling to be roused and feeling “unrested” and “mentally foggy”.
For Cox, living with the condition means she “never feels rested” and she will often sleep between 18 and 22 hours every day.
Before her diagnosis, Cox found herself falling asleep in unusual places, including in a club during a night out and behind the wheel of a car.
The mum-of-two survives on protein shakes and ready meals because they’re “quick” to consume before she falls asleep again.
Cox has also been hospitalised with low blood sugar after spending four days asleep without waking up to eat any food.
Cox pictured undergoing her first overnight sleep study in June 2021. (Joanna Cox/SWNS)
While she isn’t sure what has caused the condition she was diagnosed with in October 2021, Cox says she is desperate to find a way to manage her symptoms as it is “ruining my life”.
“I’m like a real life Sleeping Beauty,” she says about her disorder. “I can’t be woken up once I’m asleep.
“I can’t work, I can’t drive, and I can never make any plans because I don’t know if I’ll be awake.
“I wake up not knowing what day it is or how long I’ve been asleep for,” she continues.
“It’s such an isolating condition to live with.”
Cox first began experiencing symptoms in 2017 when she noticed herself feeling extremely tired during the day.
She ran her own cleaning company and struggled to get through the day without needing to rest and nap.
Eventually Cox started falling asleep while out in the car so had to give up driving.
Over the next few years, she went back and forth to the GP try and get to bottom of her fatigue.
“It started out of nowhere – nothing triggered it, I just felt really tired,” she explains.
“At first, they thought it was depression, and I was referred to a mental health specialist.
“But that was ruled out because I didn’t have any other signs apart from tiredness.
“I met with an ear, nose, and throat specialist in case an issue with snoring was affecting my sleep.”
Cox has tried various treatments but none have helped relieve her symptoms. (Joanna Cox/SWNS)
Following a series of tests to rule out an infection, multiple sclerosis and even cancer, the cause of Cox’s excessive napping remained unknown.
“No one could diagnose me and all the while I was getting worse,” she says.
“In the end, at around 2019, I had to quit my job.”
After speaking with several different psychologists, Cox was eventually referred to a sleep clinic at Pontefract Hospital, Yorkshire in October 2021.
She was monitored overnight and officially diagnosed with the rare sleep disorder, idiopathic hypersomnia.
Despite her diagnosis, the condition has continued to worsen and now Cox struggles to stay awake for longer than a few hours a day.
She says she tends to feel most alert during the early hours, so is often out walking her dogs – two cockapoos, Autumn, and Bobby, at around 2am.
As well as struggling to stay awake, Cox says she suffers “vivid hallucinations”, including having a recurring vision of “hundreds of spiders crawling” all over her bed.
While she currently lives alone, she is regularly visited by her two daughters Caitlin, 20, a student nurse, and Isabelle, 18, a waitress.
The pair come over to check on their mum and walk the dogs if she hasn’t woken up to take them outside, but the condition has taken a toll on the family.
“It’s been really tough on my daughters,” Cox continues.
“When it first happened in 2017, they were both living at home, and everything changed overnight.
“I couldn’t drive them to school because I was falling asleep at the wheel, so we had to arrange it through the school.
“Isabelle has seen me at my worst and basically had to step up and be mum – waking me up as best she can to make me eat or help me to the loo.
“I’ve had carers in the past, but no one really knows how to look after me because it’s such an unusual condition.
“I can wash and feed myself but it’s just getting me to wake up which is impossible.
“Someone made me a cup of tea once, but I was half asleep when I tried to drink it and ended up scolding myself.
“Now I just try and deal with it by myself which can be difficult, but I don’t know what else to do.”
Living with the condition has impacted other areas of her life and Cox says at the moment she is having to avoid making plans and instead focus on keeping life simple.
“Before I was diagnosed, I fell asleep in a booth in a club on a night out,” she explains.
“The bouncer thought I was just drunk and kicked me out – it was so embarrassing and upsetting.
“I had no idea what was wrong with me.”
Cox once slept for four days without waking up. (Lee McLean/SWNS)
Cox also avoids dating, believing she would be unable to maintain a relationship due to the disorder.
“I’ve been single for seven years now,” she says.
“I don’t entertain the thought of having a partner ever again.
“I can’t imagine being with anyone with this condition.”
Though she has tried lots of different therapies and medications, Cox hasn’t found anything that relieves her symptoms.
She is hoping to find an expert who can help her live a more normal life.
“It’s really upsetting when people just say I’m “lazy” or need to set more alarms,” she says.
“One day recently, I was awake for 12 hours and that was the longest I’ve been awake in nearly six years.
“The shortest is usually just a few minutes, enough time to wake-up, have a drink and then fall back to sleep again.
“I’m really hoping that sharing my story will help me reach others with the condition, and hopefully, find a doctor who can provide the medical help I need.”
Source: Yahoo
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Reading to your children can be a great way of nurturing your child’s imagination, building their confidenceand improving their vocabulary. More than that, it’s an activity that you can enjoy together, creating happy memories for you both. So how can you make sure that your child gets the most out of story time?
Start early You don’t even have to wait until your baby is born! Babies still in the womb can hear sounds from 18 weeks, and if you read to your bump, they will recognise your voice and find it comforting once they’re out in the world. At the age of about three months, babies start enjoying the experience of board books and cloth books. Some of these are designed to be a multisensory experience – as well as looking at the pictures, your baby can press buttons to hear squeaks or animal noises, or feel the different textures in the cloth.
Make reading a story part of the bedtime routine It’s a lovely way to finish the day together, and something children can look forward to. For older children who are going to school and leading busy lives, a bedtime story can be an opportunity to wind down and relax. Mum Jess Day says that reading books before naptime or bedtime meant that for her children, reading “was always associated with cuddles, warmth and togetherness. The children grasped that bringing a book and asking to be read to was a surefire way to get a cuddle and a parent’s full attention.”
Have a comfortable space in which to enjoy reading together “Make it cosy, somewhere they want to retreat and curl up in,” says Liz Thomas, mum of three and founder of the charity It Tastes Like Love. “It doesn’t have to be fancy, but we have a little reading nook with cushions, blankets, cuddly toys and a small shelf of ‘this week’s books’, which are rotated. If I’ve got the energy, then hot chocolate too.”
Use the book to start a conversation Stories can be a great way of introducing children to what can sometimes feel like a bewildering and complex world. One way of doing that is through Save the Children’s Wonderbooks series. Through stories based on the lives of real children the charity works with around the world – from Mexico to Syria, India and the Pacific Islands – Wonderbooks introduces young readers to themes such as the effects of poverty and climate breakdown, the global displacement crisis, as well as cultural diversity. By signing up to a monthly donation, you’ll get a new Wonderbook, Grown-Up’s Guide and a fun facts postcard each month.
Don’t just focus on the words … Ask your child about what’s going on in the pictures. Is something happening that isn’t in the story? Has the illustrator put in any little jokes, or running motifs? Then once your child is old enough (say from about the age of seven or eight), you can look at art books together and make up the story behind the painting.
Bring the story to life by using your face, your body and your voice You can use facial expressions to show surprise or anticipation, or use your arms to indicate size. Vary your reading tone from quiet to loud – or experiment with voices. Mum Rebecca Kiernan likes to adopt different accents for various characters: “Pigeons are scouse. Dogs are Brummies, for instance,” she says.
By introducing your children to libraries and bookshops, they can choose what they want to read. Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
Let your child choose the books, and don’t worry too much about what they want to read … If they prefer nonfiction to fiction, then go with it. For younger children (those under the age of five, roughly speaking), poems, counting songs and nursery rhymes can be a lot of fun, especially if they have repeated lines that the child can memorise and say along with you. Some children love graphic novels. It’s all about nurturing a love of reading, so let them choose what they enjoy, not what you’d like to read.
Don’t worry if they become obsessed with a single book Some children choose the same book 10 days in a row, and that’s fine. Novelist Catherine Cooper says that when her son was little, he’d want the same story about a giant every night and would always warn her: “Don’t laugh when his trousers fall down.” The memory stayed with her, she says, and she even put it in one of her books.
Introduce your child to the pleasure of bookshops and libraries Jaime Cox says that her three children always loved weekly visits to the library, and being able to choose their own books for her to read to them. “It really helps to get them invested in reading for life,” she says. Many libraries have regular story times, so a library outing can be a great way to combine the fun of choosing a new book with the quiet time of sitting and listening to a story. Similarly, bookshop visits can be wonderful in terms of inspiring kids to branch out more in what they’re reading, thanks to colourful and enticing displays of the newest titles, and well-recommended picks from staff.
Don’t feel restricted by the story in front of you You can invent a subplot, or add the child as a character to the story, asking them what they would have done in the same situation. You can even include real-life friends and relatives too. One mum, Catrin Davies, remembers turning her own daughter into a character, Firefighter Kirsten. A child who had wronged her at nursery would get stuck up a pipe while the other firefighters had cake. Or you can ask what they think happened after the story ended – and create an afterlife for the characters.
Source: Yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State has rejected the results of the just concluded presidential election, citing the disenfranchisement of over 400,000 persons in the state.
The party also called on the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force in the state to immediately arrest suspected hoodlums who attack polling units in the state during the just conducted presidential election in the state.
Recalled that the collation officer for the presidential election in the state, Prof Kabiru Bala, had early on Tuesday morning, announced the candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, as the winner of the state with total votes of 288,679 ahead of the APC who scored 285,444 votes.
The chairman of the party in the state, Bello Aliyu Gonronyo, while addressing newsmen at the Press Centre, Sokoto on Tuesday, condemned in totality the security arrangements put in place during the election.
Speaking on the position of the party concerning the recently released election results, the chairman said the party in the state is in support of the decision taken by its leaders at the national level about the ongoing collation of results.
He said the party rejects the results of the presidential election as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission in the state for the disenfranchisement of over 300,000 persons in the state.
“The just conducted presidential and parliamentary elections was a clear example of how some people do not wish the state good.
“The fallout of such unprovoked violence and disruption of electoral process by well-armed sponsored thugs had led to cancellation of over 300 polling units across Sokoto State resulting in the disenfranchisement of over 400,000 eligible voters from participating genuinely in the election.
“However, we wish to reiterate that our administration has an obligation to protect lives and property of its people including the voting populace from undue harassment from any quarters”
The chairman however called on law enforcement agencies in the state to live up to their constitutional mandate of guaranteeing peace and order in both the re-run and governorship elections in a few days to come.
He further advised INEC to urgently fine-tune the re-run election in all the affected polling units so as not to disenfranchise anybody.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained its control of the Senate with 51 seats, according to the results of the parliamentary elections so far reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Of the 89 seats that have been formally declared, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has gained 28, the Labour Party has won six, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have each gained two.
One senator has been elected so far from each of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Young Progressive Party (YPP).
It is anticipated that the dominant party in the 10th Senate will continue to hold sway with 51 senators. With three members for each state and one for the FCT, the Red Chamber has 109 seats. A party with a simple majority elects the President of the Senate and the Deputy Senate President to serve as the chamber’s presiding officers.
The results of last Saturday’s parliamentary elections have continued to surprise and outrage voters as more in-office officials lost in the election.
The governors of Abia, Kebbi, Darius Ishaku, Benue, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu, Plateau, Simon Lalong, and Cross River failed in their bids to represent their senatorial districts in the legislature. The sole winners were Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi and Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal disputed the results of the Sokoto South senatorial race, but they were declared inconclusive due to anomalies like overvoting.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party have been urged by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to exclude it from their conflict with the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).
The electoral commission has been accused by the two parties of being unfair since its agents left the collation center as the presidential results were being announced.
The leaders of the two parties, including Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, demanded that Mahmoud Yakubu, the head of INEC, step down and that the results collation be suspended.
But the ADC, in a statement signed by its Board of Trustees Chairperson, Patricia Akwashiki, said the party has never been part of the fight.
It also asked the two parties to delist its name from those partaking in the fight against INEC.
“They demanded that the INEC Chairman step down from his position and that fresh elections should be conducted,” she said.
According to Mrs Akwashiki, the former ADC party chairman doesn’t have the right to decide the future of the party since he is no longer its leader.
“This is not the position of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Ralph Nwosu who is the immediate past Chairman of the ADC does not speak for the ADC and cannot speak for the ADC.
“We cannot be a party to any action that will undermine the integrity of INEC or lead to a breakdown of law and order. When the final results are announced by INEC, we will have an informed reaction. The ADC will not be a party to any attempt to truncate the ongoing electoral process. All parties to this process must remain law abiding and remember that the Electoral Act clearly spells out guidelines for redress,” she added.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state has praised Nigerians for continuing to carry out their duties to strengthen the nation’s democracy despite the terrible difficulties they face.
Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, the party’s chairman, also thanked the party’s leaders, supporters, and members for their dedication, patience, devotion, vigilance, and sacrifice in the days leading up to the election as well as during and after it.
While congratulating the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his well-deserved victory at the just concluded presidential election, Ojelabi assured Nigerians that the President-elect will fulfil the social contract by delivering in totality on his manifesto of renewed hope to usher in an era of peace, security, prosperity, nationwide growth and our restoration to a place of pride in the comity of nations.
The statement reads, “chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his well-deserved victory in the recently held presidential elections.
He acknowledged the wide support for Asiwaju across the board despite the keen nature of the contest.
He expressed his appreciation to all the leaders, members, and sympathizers of APC for their diligence, perseverance, commitment, vigilance, and sacrifice in the days preceding the election, during and thereafter.
Despite the excruciating challenges of recent times, he appreciated all Nigerians who performed their responsibilities to further entrench our democracy.
The electoral body, INEC, the security agencies, and other stakeholders will go down in history as midwives to a free, fair, transparent, and historic election in Nigeria.
The role of the opposition parties, who made a keen contest of the election by providing options for the electorates, was significant of tremendous growth in our nascent democracy.
He assured that the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will fulfil his part of the social contract with all Nigerians by delivering in totality on his manifesto of renewed hope to usher in an era of peace, security, prosperity, nationwide growth, and our restoration to a place of pride in the comity of nations.
Nigerians have chosen a prepared president whose selling point remains his antecedent, pedigree, and unwavering commitment to progressive governance.”
All Nigerians have recieved a promise from president-elect, President-elect Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that regardless of their party affiliations, citizens would smile under his leadership.
In his acceptance speech, delivered at the office of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday morning, he made the commitment.
Along with Vice-President-elect Senator Kashim Shettima, Tinubu is scheduled to pick up his Certificate of Return today from the Independent National Electoral Commission Collation Centre within the International Convention Centre.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of INEC and Chief Return Officer for the presidential election, announced Tinubu as the winner early on Wednesday morning after he had met all legal requirements.
The President elect in a prepared speech titled, ” The Era of Renewed Hope,” commended the “INEC for running a free and fair election. “
Acknowledging irregularities in the process, the President elect assured Nigerians that the electoral process would witness appreciable improvement with time.
“We commend INEC for running a free and fair election. The lapses that did occur were relatively few in number and were immaterial to the final outcome. With each cycle of elections, we steadily perfect this process so vital to our democratic life.
“Today, Nigeria stands tall as the giant of Africa. It shines even brighter as the continent’s biggest democracy.”
Commending other presidential candidates for believing in democracy, Tinubu who maintained that he would be willing to run an inclusive government however cautioned aggrieved candidates and their supporters to abandon the streets and seek legal recourse in the Court of law.
“I am grateful to Almighty God. By His mercy, I was born a son of Nigeria and through His sublime purpose I find myself the victor of this election. May He grant me the wisdom and courage to lead the nation to the greatness He alone has destined for it.
“Finally, I thank the Nigerian people for their abiding belief in our democracy. I shall be a fair leader to all Nigerians. I will be in tune with your aspirations, charge up your energies and harness your talents to deliver a nation that we can be proud of.
“To my fellow candidates, former VP Atiku, former governor Kwankwaso, former governor Obi and all others, I extend the hand of friendship. This was a competitive, high-spirited campaign.
“You have my utmost respect.
“Political competition must now give way to political conciliation and inclusive governance.
“During the election, you may have been my opponent but you were never my enemy. In my heart, you are my brothers.
“Still, I know some candidates will be hard put to accept the election results. It is your right to seek legal recourse. What is neither right nor defensible is for anybody to resort to violence. Any challenge to the electoral outcome should be made in a court of law, and not in the streets.
“I also ask my supporters to let peace reign and tensions fade. We ran a principled, peaceful and progressive campaign. The aftermath of our campaign must be as benign.
“Yes, there are divisions amongst us that should not exist. Many people are uncertain, angry and hurt; I reach out to every one of you. Let the better aspects of our humanity step forward at this fateful moment. Let us begin to heal and bring calm to our nation.”
Head of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, has named Bola Tinubu the winner of the 2023 presidential election, March 1, 2023.
The national leader of the APC, Tinubu, won in 12 of the 36 states that make up the country. But in Lagos State, which he had ruled for eight years between 1999 and 2007, Obi crushed him.
In addition to this, the PDP’s Atiku won the election in Katsina. The second term of President Muhammadu Buhari, the head of his party, expires on May 29 this year, and he is from Katsina.
The states that the Jagaban Borgu prevailed in are Niger, Benue, Kogi, Zamfara, Jigawa, Oyo, Rivers, Ogun, Ondo, Kwara, Ekiti, and Borno.
“It’s my turn actually!” An ecstatic Bola Tinubu roared an hour after he was declared on Wednesday morning.
“I am profoundly humbled to serve as the 16th President of our beloved country. This is a shining moment in the life of any man and an affirmation of our democratic existence,”
“I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together,” he said.
As they say, the road to success is often winding and challenging. This claim is made in reference to Tinubu’s climb to the presidency, which he has called his “long-life aspiration.”
The former governor of Lagos State faced fierce resistance from over 23 other candidates vying for the nomination and had to weather all storms to originally hold onto the party ticket in June 2022.
His political allies from the south-west region, such as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayem of Ekiti State, Ajayi Borofice, Deputy Senate Leader Ibikunle Amosun, and former House Speaker Demiji Bankole, were featured in this.
Under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) banner, Tinubu was first and foremost elected to the Senate in 1992 to represent Lagos West. He also participated in the NADECO-based activists who advocated for the restoration of democracy.
In the first post-transition election for governor of Lagos State in 1999, Tinubu of the Alliance for Democracy defeated Dapo Sarumi of the Peoples Democratic Party and Architect Nosirudeen Kekere-Ekun of the All Peoples Party. In 2003, he won reelection, and he served until his resignation in 2007. One of Nigeria’s most powerful politicians, Tinubu continues to play a major role in politics in Lagos and other states, particularly in the South West.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has congratulated President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC family nationwide on the victory at the polls.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, the governor, through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Rafiu Ajakaye, called the victory of Asiwaju Tinubu “truly deserving and a reassuring message that Nigerians ultimately value great antecedents, clear vision, national unity and security, and development over other partisan consideration.”
He added: “This is a victory for national unity, as had been preached by the progressive governors and other statesmen across the country. It is a vote of confidence in the capacity of the President-elect to build on the great strides of President Muhammadu Buhari, especially in the area of infrastructure, address some key national questions in line with global best practices, and build a stronger and more competitive economy.”
“I have no doubt that Asiwaju, a great team player, will hit the ground running, helped by his experience, rich network, great understanding of all the burning issues and assistance from an array of patriots, including the resourceful Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, who would prioritize national security and development over every other thing.”
“I congratulate our party leader President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for his leadership and courage, which have seen our party to this electoral victory. I join our party leadership to thank the people of Nigeria, especially my good people of Kwara State, for the confidence they have again reposed in the APC to continue to lead Nigeria on the path of sustainable growth. We do not take it for granted.
“This, indeed, is the time for everyone, irrespective of partisan affiliations, to join hands with the president-elect to build a stronger nation.”
Deputy Senate President and Delta State APC Governorship Candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege, and the state APC Campaign Council, have congratulated, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his victory at the 2023 presidential election.
“The country holds you to higher standards than most, and we are confident that you will take the nation to heights previously unknown,” Mr Omo-Agege said.
In a statement of congratulations that he signed, Mr. Omo-Agege stated that Mr. Tinubu’s victory is evidence of renewed optimism for a better, forward-thinking Nigeria, in which we can better determine our future as a nation.
The Campaign Council referred to Mr. Tinubu as a genuine renaissance president and pro-democracy champion who was undoubtedly destined for leadership in its own statement. According to the council, Nigerians closely watched the President-career Elect’s as a leader of NADECO, the National Democratic Coalition, a senator, a governor, and ultimately as the National Leader of the Progressives under the APC.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima
“The country holds you to higher standards than most, and we are confident that you will take the nation to heights previously unknown.”
Mr Omo-Agege assured the president-elect of his readiness to work with him to maintain and consolidate the overall development of Delta State and the country at large.
He specifically congratulated Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, for his tenacity, commitment and perseverance; and for creating a new thinking among Nigerians especially the youths. He assured Mr. Obi and his teeming supporters, ‘the Obedients’, in Delta State, that when elected, he will uphold the shared values of responsible governance, transparency and accountability, and ensure people feel the impact of governance.
His words: “On behalf of myself and the good people of Delta State, I congratulate Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I send you the warmest wishes as you exercise your new mandate. I pray God’s blessing upon you, your government, and the people of our dear country.
“I can attest to the fact that you truly have had a front-row seat in the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria. It is evident that in you, we have a fearless, tested, experienced, urbane, business-like, well-rounded, and visionary president-elect…you represent the best bet for the continued prosperity of the country.
“There is no doubt that your victory is a testament to renewed hope; the certainty of victory over poverty and the conviction that our country carries within its bosom the potential of the world’s next economic power. Renewed Hope for a Better Nigeria will drive forward-looking thinking and show that we can begin to define our destiny as a people.
“Be assured of my constant readiness to work with you to maintain and consolidate the overall development of Delta State and our dear country.
Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi [PHOTO: TW @PeterObi]
“Let me also congratulate my dear friend and brother, Mr. Peter Obi. We are so very proud of you! Through this election, you have solidified your reputation as an ethical personality. Your tenacity, commitment and perseverance have created new thinking among Nigerians, especially the youth.
“However, the most significant issue I have taken from your participation in the 2023 election is your concern about responsible governance through transparency and accountability. I assure you and your teeming supporters, especially in Delta State that when elected, I will uphold those beliefs and ensure that our people feel the impact of government. I wish you even more success in the future.
“I also commend all the staff of INEC and all the security agencies for their services. However, more needs to be done, especially regarding the early arrival of materials to the polling units and more security for voters and staff of INEC.
“Finally, I congratulate all Nigerians on a successful presidential election. I urge all registered voters to once again turn out en masse for the March 11, Governorship and House of Assembly Elections to vote for all APC candidates. We must free and save our dear State in the interest of generations yet unborn.
Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, made the declaration in the early hours of today.
Social media has been awash with mixed reactions from several Nigerians as they expressed their feelings on his emergence.
Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, expressed delight at his emergence, describing it as “resounding, historic and well-deserved.”
“Congrats to President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) for a resounding, historic & well-deserved victory after a hard-fought fight. We give the Lord praise and thanksgiving for what He has done. He is mighty in battle and faithful to His own. To Him alone be the glory.”
After receiving more than 25% of the vote in 12 states, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress Party has obtained the simple majority needed to be proclaimed the winner of the presidential elections.
With 8,805,428 votes, the former governor of Lagos and APC national leader won the majority of the vote. Atiku and Obi came in second and third with 6,984,290 votes and 6,093,962 votes, respectively.
Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s (NNPP) fourth-place finisher in the presidential election, received 1,496,671 votes.
The winner must receive the most votes overall and at least 25% of the votes cast in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as required by the constitution (Abuja)
According to the results, Peter Obi of the Labour Party is in second place with 24% of the votes, followed by former vice president Abubakar with 2%.
Tinubu won the elections in Rivers, Borno, Jigawa, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, and Ogun states.
Atiku won in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Taraba states. He also won in Osun, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa states.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria, announced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Mahmood Yakubu’s announcement of March 1, 2023 signified the former governor of Lagos State’s realization of a lifelong desire to lead from Abuja.
Nonetheless, Tinubu is a contentious figure in Nigerian politics, in part because of his management style, his claim to political and commercial ownership of Lagos, as well as allegations of drug trafficking and corruption.
Here are 10 top facts about the man known as the landlord of Lagos:
1. His full name is Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu. He holds the titles of the Asiwaju of Lagos and the Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom.
2. His known date of birth is 29th March 1952, which makes him 70 years, a figure that has widely been disputed.
3. Even though he has become more famed for his influence in Lagos (Nigeria’s commercial hub) and his time as its governor, his birthplace is Osun State, southwest of Nigeria. He is a Yoruba by ethnicity
4. Tinubu had his education in Nigeria’s Ibadan before he continued to college in Chicago and onwards to the Chicago State University for his undergraduate studies. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1979.
5. He worked for a number of accounting firms in the States before he moved to Nigeria in 1983. Bola Tinubu joined Mobil Oil Nigeria, and soon after, he was appointed as the company’s executive.
6. He joined politics in 1992 with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on whose ticket he became Lagos West Senator.
7. Tinubu joined pro-democracy groups after the ‘electoral coup’ of 1993 (when the military annuled the election of Moshood Abiola) and fled to exile in 1994 fearing the then Sani Abacha regime.
8. He came back to Nigeria in 1998 after the death of Sani Abacha. In January 1999, he vied for the position of Governor of Lagos State on the AD ticket. He was elected governor of the state.
He left the Lagos State government house in 2007 but has since influenced who becomes Lagos governor. The last three governors after he left have all admitted publicly to being his prodigies.
Tinubu’s infleunce has also extended across the southwest region and his political alliances have also seen him make very loyal friends in the Muslim dominated north.
9. He became national leader of the ruling APC after its formation in 2014 before the party won elections in 2015 with outgoing Muhammadu Buhari as its flagbearer. He run on a Muslim-Muslim ticket, i.e. he picked a Muslim as his vice (Kashim Shettima from Borno State) contrary to the religious balancing of tickets by the major parties.
10. He is married to Oluremi Tinubu, a Reverend Minister and has four children – Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, Oluwaseyi Tinubu, Abibat Tinubu, and the late Jide Tinubu.
Tinubu beats two main contenders
Tinubu was in the race along with the main opposition People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
In terms of the hard figures, APC polled 8,805,655 valid votes as against the PDP’s 6,984,520 and LP’s 6,098,588.
The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) got 1,496,687 valid votes whiles the fourteen other aspirants together got the remaining 666,298.
Nigeria’s peculiar means of determining president means that the winner must get at least 25% of votes in two thirds of the 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
Tinubu had at least 25% of votes in 29 states, Atiku had 25% of votes in 21 states, Obi had 25% of votes in 16 states whiles Rabiu Kwankwaso of NNPP passed the threshold in only one state.
Tinubu is expected to be handed his certificate later today at the Abuja International Conference Center where INEC had used as the collation center for the presidential elections.
After being named the winner of the Wednesday morning election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bola Tinubu exclaimed, “You voted for a better Nigeria.”
Former Lagos State Governor also thanked all those who participated in the February 25 election with particular mention of ‘Articulated’, ‘Obidients’, ‘Batified’ and ‘Kwankwasiyya’ supporters for their patriotism.
I am profoundly humbled that you have elected me to serve as the 16th president of Nigeria. This is a shiny moment of any man and affirmation of our democratic existence. From my heart, I truly say thank you.
Doing cultural greetings will not be able to capture his gratitude. He says he wishes everyone well. Whether you are a position holder or not.
Ibrahim Masari from Katsina is a trustworthy person. A leader, dependable and honest human being.
Whether you are Batified or articulated, Obedient, or Kwanhasia, you voted for a better Nigeria. You decided to place your trust in the democratic vision of a Nigeria funded on a shared basis. Renewed hope has dawned and landed in Nigeria.
I represent and I promise, and with your support, I know that promise will be fulfilled.
I commend INEC for running a credible election, no matter what anyone says.
The lapses that were reported were relatively few in number and irrelevant. With each cycle of elections, we steadily perfect the process of our democratic existence. We should be proud of this.
Don’t jolt that because you did not win the election. Be helpful to our integrity, Character and reputation We have created the biggest democracy as Nigerians.
I thank President for supporting my campaign. He is indeed a true Patriot. I must thank his wife and his entire family for being committed, patriotic, loyal and firm.
I also thank my running mate and vice President-elect- Senator Kashim Shettima, who is also a former governor, who is also from Borno and a strong pillar of support. I remember Faleke, an elder and committed and dependable.
To the progressive Governors of the party and the party leadership and loyal members, you have the opportunity to betray your party, in spite of the cashless policy, some of you still owe party agents. But despite this, you delivered victory to your Party. There is no way I can ever intentionally let you down. I owe you a debt of gratitude to the entire women’s campaign organisations who polled the highest number of voters.
He officially accepts to be the servant of the country and not the leader. To work and make Nigeria a great country. I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to team up together. It is the only nation we have and only one country that we must build together and we must work together to put broken pieces together.
We must not act like an orchestra that has no direction from a conductor. We have elected a conductor, as the President-Elect. Let’s collaborate to make a symphony of progress. We have what it takes and what is needed-knowledge, creativity, the mind, determination. We are the same country performing wonders in other countries, we can do it here. I promise I will work with you to make Nigeria a destination for returning home to contribute to the great country of Nigeria.
The Youths, I hear you loud and clear, whatever the course, we are going to chart the path together. We are going to embark on this journey together, united. No one is too small to be creative. Insha Allah.
We will work together and I will pay undivided attention to your education. We will be creative and provide credits and education loans. Four years course will be four years course and no more strike. Your universities will have the autonomy to upgrade your syllabuses. I know where it pains. And believe me, you will see the reward of your election.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for president, could easily win if the results of eight additional states’ presidential voting on Saturday match those already reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Results of the 2023 presidential election so far announced across the country put Tinubu ahead of his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), with Tinubu clinching stunning electoral victories in northern states that many would have readily given to the PDP flag bearer, Atiku, who is from the region.
In the results so far announced, Tinubu opened a significant lead over Atiku, beating the PDP candidate in North West states of Jigawa and Zamfara, while in states of the North East zone – like Atiku’s home state, Adamawa, as well as Gombe and Yobe, where Atiku won, Tinubu is coming a close second and picking up the 25 percent vote spread necessary for emerging winner of the election, including Kano where he was defeated by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
In the North Central zone, Tinubu won the presidential poll in Kwara, Kogi and Benue States, with a brighter chance in Niger State where unofficial results have already tipped him as winner.
Results from the North indicate that the region as a political bloc may likely make Tinubu from the South West geopolitical zone the next president of Nigeria, as it did in 1999 when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo enjoyed a similar privilege at the dawn of this democratic dispensation.
LEADERSHIP recalls that in 1999 when the country returned to civil rule, General Obasanjo, who had just been released from prison after being accused of involvement of a coup plot by the Sani Abacha military junta, ran for presidential race on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he beat Dr Alex Ekwueme and other party bigwigs to clinch the party’s presidential ticket with majority votes from northern delegates in the party primary.
And having no political base in his South West region, Obasanjo, who even lost his polling unit, depended largely on votes from the North to beat Olu Falae of the All Peoples Party (APP) to win the two-horse presidential race.
The 2023 presidential poll also recorded a major upset, with the Labour Party candidate, Obi, redrawing the political map to reflect a new balance of power and political rebirth across the country with the Obedient Movement.
Obi polled 582,664 votes to defeat Tinubu in Lagos, a state the APC candidate served as governor for eight years, from 1999 to 2007. Tinubu came second with 572,606 votes, while Atiku got 75,750 votes.
Elections for the office of the president, 360 House of Representatives, and 109 Senatorial seats were held in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday and Nigerians expect the declaration of results by the electoral umpire.
Though 18 candidates are in the race, pollsters and analysts had described the contest as a four-horse race between Tinubu, Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso.
While Obi and Tinubu are from the southern region of the country, Kwankwaso and Atiku are from the northern part of Nigeria.
The four heavyweights and strong contenders have large followings with the numerical potential of emerging as the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari whose two-term tenure ends on May 29, 2023.
Elections were held at most of the 176,606 polling units in Nigeria, with 87.2 million voters with Permanent Voter Cards voting for their preferred candidates.
So far, election results for 11 states have been announced by the commission as of yesterday.
For Kwara, Tinubu polled 263,572 votes, followed by who scored 136,909 votes. Obi polled 31,166 votes, while Kwankwaso got 3,141 votes.
In Osun, Atiku of PDP won with 354,366, while the APC candidate came second with 343,945. Obi of LP got 23,283, and Kwankwaso of NNPP came fourth with 713.
For Ondo, Tinubu won with a wide margin, polling 369, 924, to defeat Atiku who came second with 115,463, followed by Obi, 44,405, and Kwankwaso, 930.
Results for Gombe and Yobe states were also announced. Atiku won both states. Likewise, Obi won Enugu and Lagos states, while Tinubu won Ogun and Oyo states.
INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said the collation of presidential election results will be done at four levels — first at the 8,889 wards, then at the 774 local government areas, the State Collation Officer for Presidential Election (SCOPE) at the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory will submit the votes per candidate in Abuja.
The electoral chief said the collation centre will be open all day and all night with short breaks.
He also cautioned political parties to only draw their figures from INEC.
“I appeal to all political parties and media organisations to draw their figures only from the official results released by the commission as the only body constitutionally responsible for releasing official election figures,” Yakubu emphasised.
For results announced at the state level, Tinubu is taking the lead with 94,977 votes from the ten local government areas that INEC had already collated results in Kogi State, while Atiku is following the APC with 57,889 votes.
The ten local government areas so far collated include Idah, Bassa, Omala, Ogori-Magongo, Yagba West, Mopamuro, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Ankpa and Olamaboro.
Other LGAs are expected to be released as they arrive at the collation centre, though elections were delayed in some LGAs in Kogi state as a result of the malfunctioning of the BVAS machine and other reasons that resulted in the postponement of the election.
In Jigawa State, Tinubu polled 421,390 votes to defeat Atiku who scored 386,587, followed by Kwankwaso with 98,234 votes.
In Adamawa, Atiku polled 417,611 votes to defeat Tinubu who scored 182,881 votes.
In Akwa Ibom State, Atiku has been declared winner of the presidential poll, having won in 22, out of the 31 local government areas of the state.
Tinubu won in six LGAs, with Obi winning in three councils.
In Rivers, Tinubu is so far leading in nine, out of the 13 local government areas already declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State.
Also, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party is trailing behind Tinubu, having won two local government areas in the state.
The local government areas so far won by the APC presidential candidate include Gokana, Tai, Opobo/Nkoro, Emohua, Eleme, Omuma, Abua-Odual, Oyigbo and Asari-Toru.
On his part, the Labour Party presidential candidate won in Ahoada-West and Bunny local government areas of the state.
Obi won the presidential election in Enugu State, defeating candidates of other political parties in the 17 local government areas of the state.
The LP candidate scored 428,640, while the PDP’s Atiku came second with 15,747. Tinubu scored 4,772 while APGA scored 1548 and NNPP scored 1808.
Obi also won the presidential election held in Nasarawa State.
In the result announcement by INEC’s returning officer, Prof Ishaya Tanko, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Obi scored 191,361 against Tinubu’s 172, 922 and Atiku’S 147,093 to win the poll. Kwankwaso got a total of 12,715 votes.
In Plateau, Obi won 10 local government areas from results of 15 LGAs released by INEC
The LGAs won by Obi are Shendam where Governor Lalong comes from, Bassa, Pankshin, Jos South, Mangu, Jos East, Bokkos and Làngtang North, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi and Mikang.
Tinubu won in Kanam, Wase and Kanke LGAs, while Atiku won in Làngtang South and Mikang.
Meanwhile, results from Jos North and Quan’an Pan LGAS were expected to be announced later yesterday.
In Benue State, the collation officer for the presidential election, Prof. Farouk Kuta, declared the results of the election collated across the local government areas.
According to the results announced, Tinubu won with a total number of 310,468 votes, followed Obi who got 308,372, and Atiku who came third with a total votes of 130,081.
In Edo State, Obi was declared winner, polling a total of 331,163, Tinubu scored 144,471 to finish second. Atiku scored 89,585 votes, while Kwankwanso scored 2,743.
APC Campaign Asks Security Forces To Track Melaye, Momodu, Pastor Enenche For Inciting Violence
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has called on security agencies to restrain spokespersons of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye and Dele Momodu as well as Senior Pastor of Dunamis Church, Paul Enenche for allegedly inciting violence with their utterances in the aftermath of Saturday’s presidential poll.
It specifically accused Pastor Enenche of desecrating the sanctity of the pulpit with politics and utterances that are capable of inciting violence.
Speaking at a press conference at the APC presidential campaign head office in Abuja, special adviser on Media and Communication of the campaign council, Dele Alake, results from presidential polls so far have clearly shown the direction Nigerians have chosen to go, indicating that the deceit and propaganda of the opposition did turn out for them at the polls.
This, Alake said, has undoubtedly created unease in the opposition, and because failure was already dogging them in the face, they have resorted to cutting corners with a view to scuttling the electoral process, rather than accepting the results honourably true democrats would do.
The APC campaign team alleged that there had been many doctored results giving false victory to the Labour Party even in places where its presidential candidate performed poorly.
Asking security forces to go after Melaye, Momodu and Pastor Enenche, the APC said, “The results trickling in since the close of voting on Saturday have clearly shown the direction Nigerians have chosen to go.
“Right from the polling unit results received from across the country, the signs were clear that the deceit and propaganda of the opposition did not fetch them the expected votes. This has expectedly generated anxiety in their camps with many of their leaders making irresponsible incendiary comments.
“We note with utmost concern those inciting comments and call to violence by some spokespersons of the opposition, especially those from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“We are particularly concerned and call on the State Security Services and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately restrain persons such as Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu and a certain Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis Church from their clear call to violence.
“Melaye’s tweet threatening violence, Momodu going on the TV to announce a purported winner and Enenche’s hate speech from the pulpit violate every law of the land. They should not go scot-free.
“When failure stared them in the face, rather than accept the outcome with dignity like good democrats would, some sore losers began shopping for ways to cut corners or scuttle the process. We have seen many doctored results giving false victory to the Labour Party in places where it performed abysmally poor. The idea was to give its followers hope and prepare them for a planned street insurrection.
“The PDP has employed almost similar tactics despite secretly admitting defeat. They went about with mouthwatering offers looking for willing partners that would help them subvert the will of the people.”
Alake further noted that after failing to get their officials to doctor results, the PDP chose to make “very dangerous statements on the election,” even as he wondered why PDP agents “at the Abuja collation centre are pushing insistently for the uploading of the results on INEC portal, when section 60 of the Electoral Act is clear about who has the power to do so at the polling unit”.
He continued: “The state collation officer has no such power. The INEC chairman, who collates what has been collated from the states also has no such power. Is the PDP calling for the upload to enable it hack the system to give it a false victory?
“Unlike what the PDP spokesmen have done, we will not announce ourselves as winners despite having the figures which affirm our anticipated victory. We will abide by the laws by allowing the electoral umpire to do its job.
“A cursory look at the figures from across the states show that our candidate is well placed for victory. The results have shown that the Labour Party, as we kept saying, is no threat to our victory.
“The PDP, on the other hand, has also failed in its own permutation making its dream of victory go up in smoke. The PDP’s projection of a landslide win in the North has collapsed.”
The APC campaign council mocked PDP over what it described as “its dismal performance in Kano where the APC is emerging with over 600,000 difference ahead of the PDP.”
Noting that the monumental figure in Kano has offset the PDP in the entire North, Alake said the trend “is the same in the South where PDP’s very poor show in Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and other key states spell doom for the party.”
In South South and South East, Alake said the little gains made by the PDP in the two zones are very microscopic to compensate for the party’s huge shortfall in the South West.
APC added: “In the North Central, the APC has decimated all parties to a comfortable majority of votes in Kwara, Kogi and Niger. Our impressive show in Benue, FCT and Plateau is also pushing PDP into third position in these places.
“Taken together, we are very upbeat as the numbers do not lie. We call on the opposition to stop the macabre dance of a dying horse and embrace defeat honourably. There can still be honour in defeat.”
… Alleges Plot To Stop Presidential Poll With Court Order
The APC presidential campaign council also raised the alarm alleged stealthy attempt by the PDP and Labour Party to shop for a court order to prevent the INEC from announcing the result of last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly polls.
According to the APC campaign team, the PDP and LP are hell-bent on scuttling the country’s democratic process.
It warned the judiciary to guide and guard against being used by the politicians to scuttle democracy and throw the country into turmoil, even as it asked those hatching the plot to remember the June 12 debacle.
Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesman of the campaign team, Festus Keyamo (SAN), stated this in Abuja yesterday while briefing journalists at the press conference.
Keyamo who is also minister of State, Labour and Employment said the APC campaign council has credible information that PDP and LP have asked some lawyers to go to court and stop the 2023 presidential poll just like June 12, 1993 presidential poll was scuttled. – Festus Keyamo.
He said, “We have it on good authority that the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party have perfected plans to finally scuttle our democracy and throw the country into constitutional crises by surreptitiously obtaining exparte court orders stopping the announcement of the Presidential Election results which they fear have gone against them.
“The walk-out they staged today at the National Collation Center is just a precursor to executing the plan
“Nigerians would recall that the June 12, 1993 debacle that brought Nigeria to its knees and caused our country international isolation was precipitated by a court injunction stopping the announcement of Presidential Election results. The court order was obtained by a certain Association for Better Nigeria headed then by one Chief Authur Nzeribe.
“This is exactly what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi want to foist on this nation again because of their inordinate ambitions. This is not surprising because both candidates were nowhere to be seen when ASIWAJU was fighting for the democracy we all enjoy today.
“However, we wish to draw the attention of Nigerians, the Judiciary and the world to the provisions of section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act which prohibits the grant of injunctions to stop the holding of elections (which includes the declaration of results).
“The section states: ‘Nothing in this section shall empower the courts to stop the holding of primaries or general elections under this Act pending the determination of a suit.”
Warning against a repeat of the June 12 debacle, Keyamo said, “We therefore wish to advise anyone who wishes to aid and encourage these candidates along this infamous part to remember the June 12 debacle.
“They may also wish to learn a lesson or two from President Muhammadu Buhari who resorted to the court of law in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when the same PDP ‘defeated’ him in those presidential elections in controversial circumstances. President Buhari, as a true statesman and democrat, never resorted to underhand tactics to declare himself President.”
Flagbearer Aspirant for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming 2024 general election, John Dramani Mahama, will commence his campaign in Ho on March 2, 2023.
The erstwhile president made this known through a social media post, February 28, 2023.
He is running for the flagbearer position together with Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, a former finance minister, Kojo Bonsu, a former mayor of Kumasi, and Ernest Kobeah, a 43-year-old businessman based in the United Kingdom,
The NDC, the largest opposition party, began accepting presidential candidate nominations on February 22 and ended it on February 24.
The Cedi Auditorium at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, in the Volta Region, which is the citadel of the NDC, will host the John Mahama 2023 campaign launch with the theme “Creating the Ghana we want together.”
On the other hand the party’s presidential primaries are anticipated to take place on May 6, 2023.
The Party is expected to hold its presidential primary on Saturday, May 6, 2023, to elect a flag bearer to contest the 2024 presidential election.
According to a timetable released by the Party at its Functional and National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, submission and filing of nomination forms would take place from Monday, March 20, 2023, to Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
The vetting of the aspirants would be held from Monday, March 27, 2023 to Wednesday, March 29, 2023. After the vetting, aspirants who have issues with the vetting process would have the opportunity to appeal from March 30, 2023 to April 6, 2023 after which the election would come off on May 13.
In addition the parliamentary aspirants will pay GH¢5,000 as their nomination fee while the filing fee is pegged at GH¢40,000.
The Civic Tech Organisations said INEC cannot downplay the electronic transmission of results at this point of the process.
Two civic tech organisations, PROMAD and Policy Shapers, have asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the comprehensive report of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) across the country alongside the results of the presidential polls.
According to a joint statement signed by Daisi Omokungbe and Ebenezar Wikina, founders of the organisations, Saturday’s presidential poll showed the promise of Nigeria’s democracy becoming citizen-driven, participatory, and energetic.
However, the civic tech organisations say having keenly watched and read the reports of events in the election, it appears that INEC has not effectively lived up to its obligations and mandate to Nigerians as defined in her 2023 Electoral Guidelines and the 2022 Electoral Act.
“For instance, there are indications of contraventions observed in the processes of the poll across the country, such as late arrival and commencement of voting procedures, relocation of collation centres and failure of the IReV platform.
“According to Connected Development, which deployed 20,000 observers, “we have several reports indicating that states like Ekiti, Cross River, Imo, and Rivers State have had their Local Government Area (LGA) collation centres relocated without adequate information to stakeholders.
“In Ekiti precisely, we have it on good authority that all LGA collation centres were relocated. In most cases, accredited observers were outrightly denied access, and new locations were shrouded in secrecy”.
“INEC itself issued a statement on the challenges they were facing with the Election Results Viewing portal (IReV), a platform they promised to use to aid election transparency and integrity in line with the Electoral Act, 2022.
“According to Section 47 of the Act “(1) A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.
“(2) To vote, the presiding officer shall use a smart card reader or any other technological device that may be prescribed by the Commission, for the accreditation of voters, to verify, confirm, or authenticate the particulars of the intending voter in the manner prescribed by the Commission.
“(3) Where a smart card reader or any other technological device deployed for accreditation of voters fails to function in any unit and a fresh card reader or technological device is not deployed, the election in that unit shall be cancelled and another election shall be scheduled within 24 hours if the Commission is satisfied that the result of the election in that polling unit will substantially affect the final result of the whole election and declaration of a winner in the constituency concerned”.
“Also in Section 51.—“(2) Where the number of votes cast at an election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited voters in that polling unit, the Presiding officer shall cancel the result of the election in that polling unit.
“(3) Where the result of an election is cancelled in accordance with subsection (2), there shall be no return for the election until another poll has taken place in the affected polling unit.
“(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (2) and (3) the Commission may, if satisfied that the result of the election will not substantially be affected by voting in the area where the election is cancelled, direct that a return of the election be made,” the statement partly read.
The organisations further stated that INEC must abide by the provisions of the Electoral Act by verifying all the results submitted, mostly manually, through the use of the BVAS report.
They added that from their standpoint as civil society organisations, they are worried that the statement released by INEC over the failure of the IREV reeks of irresponsibility and is at best flimsy. Strong and sure steps must be taken to correct the impact of the identified contraventions.
To improve the transparency and integrity of the election results, the groups urged the Commission to do the following:
INEC should without delay publish all the BVAS accreditation data across all the polling units where elections were held, including the number of voters accredited by fingerprints and facial recognition.
According to YIAGA, BVAS was successfully deployed in about 90% of polling units. This confirms that BVAS data will improve the integrity of the results and help to detect differences that might exist.
INEC cannot downplay the electronic transmission of results at this point of the process. We urge the Commission to restore the IReV platform and scrutinize all the results uploaded with BVAS data before the results are accepted.
There is no way to restitute for the thousands of disenfranchised Nigerians despite having their PVCs and turning out. A public apology to these voters as well as a solid commitment to protect the integrity of the results and the process in the remaining part of this election should be given desired priority. This is not a matter of discretion but that of the law.
All of these must be done as proof of INEC’s accountability and integrity of the collation process. Recall that in October 2022, Prof Mahmood Yakubu was quoted saying, “Let me once again reassure Nigerians that there is no going back on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation. There is no going back on the transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time on Election Day.”
PROMAD and Policy Shapers urged the INEC chairman to be responsible and stand accountable for his promise to Nigerians.
They commended sister organisations, security apparatus, the media, ad hoc officials, foreign and local observers, and every Nigerian that is participating in this process to uphold the nation’s democracy and build the Nigeria collectively desired.
The Nigerian administration, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has chastised former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of orchestrating the worst election in the country’s history and declaring him the least competent to advise Buhari on how to hold a genuine poll.
The government, therefore, appealed to him not to truncate the 2023 general elections with “his inciting, self-serving and provocative letter on the elections.” The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed the government’s position in a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi.
According to the statement, the former President’s request that the incumbent President persuades the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, to halt the election result collation process and investigate the allegations levelled against INEC from various quarters was a calculated attempt to undermine the electoral process.
The minister expressed shock and disbelief that a former President could make unverified claims and amplify wild allegations about the electoral process.
”Though masquerading as an unbiased and concerned elder statesman, former President Obasanjo is in reality a known partisan who is bent on thwarting, by subterfuge, the choice of millions of Nigerian voters,” he said.
Mohammed alleged that Obasanjo, in his time, “organised perhaps the worst election since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, hence he is the least qualified to advise a President whose determined effort to leave a legacy of free, fair, credible and transparent election is well acknowledged within and outside Nigeria.”
He said, ”As the whole nation waits with bated breath for the result of last Saturday’s national elections, amid unnecessary tension created by professional complainants and political jesters, what is expected from a self-respecting elder statesman are words and actions that douse tension and serve as a soothing balm.
”Instead, former President Obasanjo used his unsolicited letter to insinuate, or perhaps wish for, an inconclusive election and a descent into anarchy; used his time to cast aspersions on electoral officials who are unable to defend themselves, while surreptitiously seeking to dress his personal choice in the garb of the people’s choice. This is duplicitous.” The minister noted that instead of calling for the cancellation of the election, those aggrieved by the election result should seek redress in the courts.
”With a deployment of over 1,265,227 electoral officials, the infusion of technology to enhance the electoral process and the logistical nightmare of sending election materials across our vast country, INEC seems to be availing itself creditably, going by the preliminary reports of the ECOWAS Electoral Observation Miss
ion and the Commonwealth Observer Group, among other groups that observed the election.
”Therefore, those arrogating to themselves the power to cancel an election and unilaterally fix a date for a new one, ostensibly to ameliorate perceived electoral infractions should please exercise restraint and allow the official electoral body to conclude its duty by announcing the results of the 2023 national elections.
”After that, anyone who is aggrieved must follow the stipulated legal process put in place to adjudicate electoral disputes, instead of threatening fire and conjuring apocalypse,” he said.
State collation officer for the presidential election (SCOPs) in Rivers State, Prof Charles Adias has posponed the collation of results for February 25, 2023 election over an alleged threat on his life by anonymous party supporters.
The official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otueke announced the adjournment on Tuesday morning while addressing journalists at the State Collation Centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Although the Commissioner of Police of the Presidential Election in Rivers, Aderemi Adeoye, appealed to the SCOPs to reveal the names of those threatening his life, Adias insisted that he won’t proceed until the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state addressed some of the issues those threatening him raised include that f faulty Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
So far, results from 21 local government areas have been collated. Results are expected from two local government areas – Obio-Akpor and Degema.
The two remaining LGAs are those of Governor Nyesom Wike and his Deputy, Ipalibo Banigo. While Wike hails from Obio-Akpor, his Deputy is from Degema LGA.
The government of Nigeria has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of attempting “to undermine the electoral process” and “incite violence” after he cast doubt over the veracity of Saturday’s election.
“Though masquerading as an unbiased and concerned elder statesman, former President Obasanjo is in reality a known partisan who is bent on thwarting, by subterfuge, the choice of millions of Nigerian voters,” Information Minister Lai Mohammed said.
“What is expected from a self-respecting elder statesman are words and actions that douse tension and serve as a soothing balm.”
In a statement released on Monday night, Mr Obasanjo said tension was building up in the country amid questions about whether the elections had been fair and transparent.
The 85-year-old asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled”.
But Mr Mohammed countered, saying that Mr Obasanjo was not “qualified” to advise Mr Buhari. The information ministry tweeted the statement:
FG To Obasanjo: Don't Truncate Electoral Process
The Federal Government has urged former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to truncate the #2023GeneralElections with his inciting, self-serving and provocative letter on the elections.#Thread ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/jFILufpsHa
“In his time, [he] organised perhaps the worst election since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999,” the information ministry statement quoted Mr Mohammed as saying.
Mr Obasanjo had warned that the country faced “looming danger” if allegations of voter fraud were not dealt with.
Mr Mohamed accused the former leader of promoting “unverified claims” and “wild allegations picked up from the street”.
He went on to praise the electoral body, saying they had managed to act “creditably”, and pointed to preliminary reports by the regional body Ecowas’ Electoral Observation Mission and the Commonwealth Observer Group.
He added that anyone could contest the conduct of the election through the courts, but urged Nigerians to wait for the electoral commission to announce the official results.
Several demonstrators On Tuesday, stormed the Presidential Collation Center at the International Conference Center in Abuja and demanded that the Independent National Election Commission transmit results electronically (INEC).
The large group of demonstrators, who identified themselves as being from several political parties, were upset that the electoral umpire had broken his commitment to employ electric transmission of results.
Speaking with newsmen during the protest which took place at Emeka Anyaoku street (about a kilometre to the coalition centre), one of the protesters, Ilemona Onoja, said their major demand is for the INEC Chairman to fulfil what he promised Nigerians several before the election, which is a transparent and open process.
According to Onoja, the process is not being followed. Instead what we are seeing is a situation where results that were written, that didn’t follow the process, are being announced as the results of the election contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act, contrary to the INEC guidelines that they issued, and contrary to the promises of the INEC chairman.
“We came out on the 25th of February to cast our votes for our preferred candidates. We were told that a process was going to be followed. This process involves accreditation, voting and our ballots will be counted. After it has been counted, it will be transmitted directly to a central server. And that on the day of the election, at the national collation centre, that central server will be displayed and we will be able to follow the results.
“Now, all we are saying is, we don’t mind if our preferred candidate loses, just give us a transparent and open process. Let us be able to see the results. INEC promised us they will follow a certain procedure, we are asking them to follow it.”
The 2023 Anambra Central Senatorial district election was held last Saturday, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proclaimed Senator Victor Umeh of the Labour Party the winner.
Senator Umeh received 103,608 votes to defeat the opposition, according to the returning officer, Professor Chuka Enuka, who announced the results in the INEC headquarters for the Anambra Central Senatorial district election in Amawbia.
According to Professor Enuka, Honourable Dozie Nwankwo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) received 69,702 votes to finish in a close second place. Sen. Uche Ekwunife of the People’s Democratic Party, on the other hand, finished third with 49,532 votes, while the candidates for the APC and the YPP, Chief Kodilichukwu Okelekwe and Dr. Chinedu.
He declared Senator Umeh the contest winner because he scored the highest number of votes cast in the election and fulfilled all the law requirements.
![Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi [PHOTO: TW @PeterObi]](https://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2023/01/FmQ-2xNWYAcea46-e1673607532446.jpg)
