News
Guber Polls: APC Wins In 14 States, PDP In Five
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Governor of Ogun, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, winner of the Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Duro Oni, who is the state returning officer for the election, made the declaration yesterday in Abeokuta.
Amosun, who contested the election on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), beat Mr Gboyega Isiaka of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the second position.
According to the returning officer, Amosun won in 11 out of the 20 local government areas in the state.
He said that the governor polled a total of 306,988 votes of the total 578, 378 votes cast in the election in which 16 political parties contested., Isiaku scored 201,440 while the SDP candidate got 25,825.
Oni explained that 599, 486 voters were accredited out of the total 1,759,754 registered voters in the state, adding that 22, 948 votes were voided out of the total 578,378 votes cast.
The returning officer said that elections were cancelled for various reasons in nine polling centres at Odeda, Sagamu and Ogun, all waterside local governments areas of the state.
Oni, however, said that the 2,343 votes from the centres where the elections were cancelled did not affect the result of the election.
In Gombe, Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State was re-elected as governor of the state.
Dankwanbo of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 285,369 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 205,132 votes.
Announcing the result in Gombe yesterday, the Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Saminu Ibrahim, said that the governor won the polls in 10 local government areas out of the 11 in the state.
He said that the APC candidate won in one local government area, adding that African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Alhaji Jafar Abubakar, came third with 848 votes.
The returning officer consequently declared Dankwambo, with the highest votes cast, winner of the election.
He said out of the 1.1 million registered voters in the state, 535,508 were accredited while 506,768 votes were cast during the polls.
In Adamawa, half way into the collation of the Governorship election results, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has conceded defeat.
Ribadu in a statement issued by his spokesman, Malam AbdulAziz Ahmad, said he had accepted the outcome of the election in good faith.
“I came into this race with lofty dreams and clear vision for our dear state, but the voice of the majority has not given me this chance. I take this in good faith.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the winner and pray that at the end of it all our dear state will witness the needed progress and development it so much desires”, Ribadu said.
Ribadu lauded the support he got from President Goodluck Jonathan, party leaders and the people of Adamawa in general.
Ribadu concession statement was made shortly after the announcement of the result of 12 out of the 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The collation of the results for the remaining nine Local government areas continue.
In Kaduna, Malam Nasir El-Rufai of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has won the governorship election.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, defeated 14 other candidates, including Governor Mukhtar Yero who contested on the platform of the PDP.
The Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Jafar Kaura, said El-Rufai emerged victorious with 1, 117, 635 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yero of the PDP, who secured 485, 833 votes.
Kura said a total of 1, 710, 935 people were accredited for the election of which 1, 660, 109 voted.
According to him, 27, 116 votes were rejected while 65, 386 votes from 112 pulling units in 16 local government areas were cancelled due to various electoral offences.
The state has a total of 3, 357, 469 registered voters.
In reaction, Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State yesterday congratulated Malam Nasiru El-Rufai for winning the April 11 governorship election in the state.
Yero, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Candidate, called El-Rufai on phone at about 3:00p.m to concede defeat and congratulate the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for winning the election.
Mr Samuel Aruwan, Media Officer of the state APC Campaign Council, who stated this in Kaduna, said El-Rufai thanked the governor for his magnanimity in defeat.
“He congratulated El-Rufai and wish him success, he prayed for peace and development of Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.
“El-Rufai in his response thanked Yero and wished him all the best and hope to see him soon,” Aruwan said.
The collation of the results was still going on with just one local government out of the 23 remaining as at 4:50 p.m.
In Katsina, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Masari, has won the governorship election in Katsina State under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Returning Officer, Prof. Lawal Bilbis, said on Sunday that Masari polled 943,085 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Musa Nashuni, who scored 476,768 votes in the Saturday’s elections.
Bilbis said that PDM candidate, Sen. Yakubu Lado, got 50,361 votes, while Alhaji Umar Abdullahi of APGA secured 42,302 votes.
According to the retuning officer, seven political parties took part in the election.
“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest the number of votes, Aminu Bello Masari of APC is declared the winner and returned elected,’’ Bilbis said.
He said that the election was free, fair and conducted in accordance with the law.
Also in Bauchi, the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Bauchi State, Barr.Mohammed Abubakar, had been declared winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Announcing the result of the election yesterday in Bauchi, the Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Faruk, said Abubakar polled 654,934 votes, to defeat nine other contestants.
His closest opponent, Mr Mohammed Jatau of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), secured 282,650 votes.
Declaring Abubakar as the winner, Prof. Faruk said that the APC candidate had satisfied Section 179(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, having garnered highest number of total votes cast, and also secured the minimum number of votes required in each of the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
With official announcement of the result, the state now has Barr. Mohammed Abubakar as the governor-elect, with Engr. Nuhu Gidado , as his deputy.
In Oyo, the incumbent Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, made history by becoming the first governor of the state to win a second term in office.
Ajimobi swept over 20 out of the 33 local government areas in the state.
Accord Party’s Senator Rasheed Ladoja trailed behind while Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Labour Party stayed in the third position. Both are former governors of the state.
The final results announced by INEC, yesterday, show that Ajimobi of APC pooled 327,310, Ladoja of Accord scored 254,520, while Taiwo Otegbeye of Action Alliance (AA) garnered 1,397.
Also, Alao-Akala of LP polled 184,111, Teslim Kolawole Folarin of PDP got 79,019 while
Seyi Makinde of SDP scored 54,740.
In Enugu, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi proved political watchers right by rushing aside all challengers to win the governorship election in the state.
Ugwuanyi beat his closest rival with 482,277 while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okey Ezea, lost with 43,839 votes.
In Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) thrashed his closest rival, Umana Okon Umana of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to emerge as the new governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Results of Saturday’s governorship election show that Udom beat Umana with 99,071 votes against 89,865 as announced in Uyo, the state capital by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The results were released at the state INEC headquarters on Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, under the watchful eyes of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barr. Austin Eni Okojie and other top officials of the commission, as well as party representatives and some journalists, shows that the closest rival party, the APC, won in only one LGA, Orue-Offong Oruko.
In Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal of APC beat Abdallah Wali of PDP with 6647,609 votes to 269,074 votes to emerge winner.
In Ebonyi, Dave Umahi of the PDP beat his closest rival Edward Nkwegu of the Labour Party with 289,867 votes to 124,817 votes to win the governorship election in the state.
In Lagos, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, beat his arch-rival, Mr. Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to become the next governor of Lagos.
The APC candidate polled 811,994 votes while the PDP candidate scored 659,788 votes.
Ambode’s victory has served to douse ethnic tension in the country’s former capital, with some creative minds coming up with a photo of Igbos in the lagoon being implored by their Yoruba friends to come out and resume their business activities as the worst is over.
Tension had flared between both ethnic groups when Oba of Lagos, Alhaji Rilwan Akiolu, threatened that Igbos would drown in the lagoon if they sabotaged efforts to install Ambode.
In Taraba, Senator Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan made history by becoming the first Nigerian woman to be elected a state governor.
Al-Hassan, the first female governorship candidate from the entire northern part of the country, won Saturday’s election. She ran on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
She was elected Senator for the Taraba North constituency of Taraba State in the April 2011 elections. She ran on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) platform but later defected to APC.
INEC officially announced her winner, beating Darius Ishaku of PDP to emerge victorious.
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, applauded Dangote Oil and Gas Limited for reducing the price of Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel, from N1,650 to N1,000 per litre.
The Dangote Group recently reviewed downwards the gantry price of AGO from N1,650 to N1,000 per litre for a minimum of one million litres of the product, as well as providing a discount of N30 per litre for an offtake of five million litres and above
Tinubu described the move as an “enterprising feat” and said, “The price review represents a 60 per cent drop, which will, in no small measure, impact the prices of sundry goods and services.”
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu affirmed that Nigerians and domestic businesses are the nation’s surest transport and security to economic prosperity.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu commends Dangote Group over new gantry price of diesel.’
Tinubu also noted the Federal Government’s 20 per cent stake in Dangote Refinery, saying such partnerships between public and private entities are essential to advancing the country’s overall well-being.
Therefore, he called on Nigerians and businesses to, at this time, put the nation in priority gear while assuring them of a conducive, safe, and secure environment to thrive.
This statement comes precisely a week after Dangote met President Tinubu in Lagos, where he said Nigerians should expect a drop in inflation given the cut in diesel pump prices.
“In our refinery, we have started selling diesel at about ¦ 1,200 for ¦ 1,650 and I’m sure as we go along…this can help to bring inflation down immediately,” Dangote told journalists after he paid homage to President Bola Tinubu at the latter’s residence to mark Eid-el-Fitr.
The businessman said his petroleum refinery had been selling diesel at N1,200 per litre, compared to the previous price of N1,650–N1,700.
He expressed hopes that Nigeria’s economy will improve, as the naira has made some gains in the foreign exchange market, dropping from N1,900/$ to the current level of N1,250 – N1,300.
Dangote said this rise in value has sparked a gradual drop in the price of locally-produced goods, such as flour, as businesses are paying less for diesel. Therefore, he asserted that the reduced fuel costs would drive down inflation in the coming months.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through.
“There’s quite a lot of improvement because, if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ¦ 1,900.
“But right now, we’re back to almost ¦ 1,250, ¦ 1,300, which is a good reprieve. Quite a lot of commodities went up.
“When you go to the market, for example, something that we produce locally, like flour, people will charge you more. Why? Because they’re paying very high prices on diesel,” he explained.
He argued that the reduced diesel price would have “a lot of impact” on local businesses.
“Going forward, even though the crude prices are going up, I believe people will not get it much higher than what it is today, N1,200.
“It might be even a little bit lower, but that can help quite a lot because if you are transporting locally-produced goods and you were paying N1,650, now you are spending two-thirds of that amount, N1,200. It’s a lot of difference. People don’t know.
“This can help bring inflation down immediately. And I’m sure when the inflation figures are out for the next month, you’ll see that there’s quite a lot of improvement in the inflation rate, one step at a time. And I’m sure the government is working around the clock to ensure things get much better,” Dangote added.
He also urged captains of industry to partner with the government to improve the lives of citizens.
“You can’t clap with one hand,” said the businessman, adding, “So, both the entrepreneurs and the government need to clap together and make sure that it is in the best interest of everybody.”
The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interim injunction directing the maintenance of status quo ante belum following the move by the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly in Rivers State to extend the tenure of the elected local government councils’ officials.
The Amaewhule-led Assembly, which is loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had amended the Local Government Law Number 5 of 2018 and other related matters.
Amaewhule, explained that the amendments of Section 9(2), (3) and (4)of the Principal Law was to empower the House of Assembly via a resolution to extend the tenure of elected chairmen and councilors, where it is considered impracticable to hold local government elections before the expiration of their three years in office.
But the court asked all the parties to maintain the status quo ante belum pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice for the interlocutory injunction.
The court presided over by G.N. Okonkwo also ordered that the claimant/applicant would enter into an undertaking to indemnify the defendants in the sum of N5million should the substantive case turned out to be frivolous.
The court fixed April 22, 2024 to hear the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
Okonkwo also issued an order of substituted service of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction, originating summons and other subsequent processes on the defendants.
The orders were made following a suit filed by Executive Chairman, Opobo-Nkoro, Enyiada Cooky-Gam; Bonny, Anengi Claude-Wilcox; and five other elected council officials challenging the decision of the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly to extend the tenure of local government areas.
Also named as defendants in the suit are the Governor of Rivers State, the Government of Rivers State and the Attorney-General of Rivers State.
The claimants/applicants are praying the court for a declaration that under section 9(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law number 5 of 2018 the tenure of office of the chairmen and members of the 23 local government councils of Rivers State is three years
A declaration that the tenure of office of the elected chairmen and members of the local government areas would expire on the 17th of June 2024 having commenced on the 18th of June 2021 when they were sworn in.
A declaration that the defendants cannot in any manner or form extend the tenure of office of the chairmen and members of the local government areas after the expiration of their tenure.
An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from extending the tenure of office of the chairmen and members of the local government areas.
An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 28th, 29th and 30th defendants (the Governor, the Government House and the Attorney-General) from giving effects to any purported extension of the tenure of the chairmen and members of the local government areas.
They also prayed for an order of interlocutory injunction directing all the defendants to maintain the status quo by not elongating the three-year tenure of the chairmen and councilors.
The claimants further sought an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from extending the tenures of the chairmen and the councilors.
In a recent release of its Global Economic Outlook at the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., on Tuesday, the IMF provided projections for Nigeria’s economy, indicating a significant shift in inflation rates.
Division Chief of the IMF Research Department, Daniel Leigh, highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s economic reforms, including exchange rate adjustments, which have led to a surge in inflation rate to 33.2 percent in March.
Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 33.2 percent according to recent data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Also, the food inflation rate increased to over 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2024.
Leigh stated, “We see inflation declining to 23 per cent next year and then 18 percent in 2026.”
This is however different from the fund’s prediction of a new single-digit (15.5 per cent ) inflation rate for 2025 which it predicted last year.
He further elaborated on Nigeria’s economic growth, which is expected to rise from 2.9 percent last year to 3.3 percent this year, attributing this expansion to the recovery in the oil sector, improved security, and advancements in agriculture due to better weather conditions and the introduction of dry season farming.
The IMF official also noted a broad-based increase in Nigeria’s financial and IT sectors.
“Inflation has increased, reflecting the reforms, the exchange rate, and its pass-through into other goods from imports to other goods,” Leigh explained.
He added that the IMF revised its inflation projection for the current year to 26 percent but emphasised that tight monetary policies and significant interest rate increases during February and March are expected to curb inflation.
An official of the IMF Research Department, Pierre Olivier Gourinchas commented on the global economic landscape, mentioning that oil prices have risen partly due to geopolitical tensions, and services inflation remains high in many countries.
Despite Nigeria’s inflation target of six to nine percent being missed for over a decade, Gourinchas stressed that bringing inflation back to target should be the priority.
He warned of the risks posed by geo-economic fragmentation to global growth prospects and the need for careful calibration of monetary policy.
“Trade linkages are changing, and while some economies could benefit from the reconfiguration of global supply chains, the overall impact may be a loss of efficiency, reducing global economic resilience,” Gourinchas said.
He also emphasised the importance of preserving the improvements in monetary, fiscal, and financial policy frameworks, particularly for emerging market economies, to maintain a resilient global financial system and prevent a permanent resurgence in inflation.
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