News
Presidential Election Results Falsified -Atiku’s Witnesses
Nine witnesses called, yesterday, by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar insisted that results of the elections were falsified to favour the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari.
The witnesses, who said they served as local government and state collation agents of the PDP, made sundry allegations of result manipulation, voters’ intimidation and harassment, mutilation and tearing of result sheets, and cancellation of election where the petitioners won.
At cross-examination, majority of the witnesses were however unable to substantiate the allegations as contained in their written statements, which they adopted as their evidence in chief before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
Nicholas Msheliza, who said he acted as PDP’s state collation agent for Borno State claimed that virtually all the result sheets from the various local governments in the state were mutilated.
Msheliza also claimed that accreditation of voters did not take place in over 200 polling units out of the 3,933 statutory polling units in the state.
Also alleging over-voting in the state, Msheliza said the 911, 786 declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “was well over the accredited voters across the state”.
But, under cross-examination, lawyer to INEC, Yunus Usman (SAN), the witness said he did not have the true figures of votes actually scored by the parties.
When asked by lawyer to APC, Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), if he visited all the polling units in the state during the election, Msheliza said, “I could not have visited the polling units because of the peculiar security challenges in Borno State.”
The lawyer drew Msheliza’s attention to part of his statement, where he said he “observed in the course of transmitting the results from local government result sheets to the state result sheets wrong figures were being entered by INEC officials.”
Akintola then asked the witness to reconcile his claim that the results were already collated before he got to the collation centre with his assertion, in his written statement, that he observed when the figures were being tendered; Msheilla said: “They were merely announcing the results to the hearing of people present.”
John Makama, who served as the PDP collation agent for Sanga Local Government in Kaduna, claimed that results were wrongly cancelled by INEC officials in some polling units won by his party, with the intention of reducing the votes of the petitioners.
When asked by Usman to produce the actual scores of his party, which he claimed were cancelled, the witness said he did not have them.
Makama said the result sheets containing the actual scores were submitted to his party, but that they were not attached to his statement that was tendered before the tribunal.
When asked by Buhari’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali (SAN) whether he would be surprised to know that cancellation of results is not one of the grounds of the petitioners’ case in respect of his local government, the witness kept mute.
On how he knew that the allegedly cancelled results belonged to his party, the witness said it was generally known that the PDP was popular in most part of his local government, where the results were cancelled and that the APC was only popular in three wards
Bukar Petrola, said he served as PDP’s collation agent in Dambowa Local Government of Borno State.
Petrola claimed that the APC took advantage of the series of bomb explosions carried out by Boko Haram a day before and on the morning of the election to manipulate the election results.
When asked how he knew all that happened in all the 10 wards and 100 polling units in his local government, the witness said the whole election was conducted in the LG Secretariat, because of the problem of Boko Haram.
Under cross-examination by Ali, Petrola said all the ward collation centres were also located within the LG headquarters, which made it easy for him to move around all the voting points and know witness what was happening.
When questioned further, the witness said although devoted after being accredited with card reader, the electoral process was disrupted later when explosions occurred.
He said everyone ran away when bombs exploded, “and the 2nd and 3rd defendants took advantage of the situation, with the alleged collaboration of members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
When asked how he was able to monitor what happened during the election, even when he claimed the explosions chased everyone away, the witness said he hid and watched from a distance.
Yau Yusuf said he was PDP’s collation agent in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
He said although he was fully accredited and voted, voters were intimidated and harassed.
On why he was able to vote if his claim of intimidation and harassment of voters were that pronounced, the witness said: “the intimidation did not stop me from voting, but it altered the result after the voting process.
“The original result was torn by agents of APC in the office of INEC right at the presence of INEC officials,” he added.
When asked where he kept the torn results, he said they should either be with INEC or the police, who collected the torn results and promised to investigate.
On whether the person, who tore the results has been prosecuted and convicted, the witness said no, “because he is still moving around town.”
When asked why he excluded the information about torn result sheet from the written statement, Yusuf said he did not because the statement was a summary of what happened and that he was at the tribunal to elaborate.
The witness, who claimed to have visited most of the polling units in his local government, said under cross examination, that “there are 116 polling units in my local government. I visited minimum of three in each of the 10 wards in the local government.”
When asked why he signed the result sheet if he was not happy with the results, the witness said he signed to obtain a copy of the result sheet for the purpose of the tribunal.
Jafar Abbas Ibrahim, who said he was a collation agent in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State, also claimed the election process was manipulated against his party.
On whether the alleged vote switching, which he claimed took place in his presence, Ibrahim said he witness some and some were contained in the result sheets passed to him by the party agents at the polling unit and ward levels.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers through Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a Lagos-based courier firm.
The agency said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome, Italy.
The statement partly read, “Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In another operation on Wednesday, March 18, Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the departure hall intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage uncovered 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg, and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg concealed in two large winter jackets.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg; and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan,” the statement added.
In a separate operation at a courier firm in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States.
“Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand,” he said.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the same substance.
Babafemi said the agency also recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos on Wednesday, March 18, adding that two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the Third Mainland Bridge while conveying 8,380 bottles of the syrup.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on March 16.
In the FCT, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway on March 18, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday, March 17, arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg of skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
In a similar development, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria Highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, March 17, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, March 20,” Babafemi said.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo Highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol, while in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects include Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The agency said its commands across the country also intensified War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
News
RSG Applauds FRSC, NDLEA For Enhancing Security In Rivers …As NDLEA Pushes For Drug Tests In Schools, NYSC Camps
The Rivers State Government has commended the dedication and collaboration of federal government agencies in sustaining security in the State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), CN Bature Dawa, in Port Harcourt, last week, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara appreciates the strong synergy between the agencies in promoting his administration’s vision of peace, prosperity and progress in the State.
Wokoma urged residents to remain law-abiding, noting that respect for the law is essential for good governance and sustainable development in all parts of the state.
He stated that the governor has remained committed to initiatives that promote peace and social order, stressing that the administration will continue to support programmes of federal agencies aimed at strengthening security and public safety.
“Our governor is committed to peace, progress and prosperity in Rivers State. I therefore encourage all residents, especially young people who are often targeted by those involved in drug abuse, to stay away from drugs, crime and reckless driving,” he said.
In his remarks, the State NDLEA boss, Dawa, disclosed that the agency has arrested 39 suspects in the state from December 2025 to date, including 16 new cases currently under investigation.
He explained that the NDLEA, through its Drug Demand Reduction and Drug Supply Control Units, has intensified efforts to curb the spread of illicit drugs and ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Dawa also called on parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, while urging hotel owners and managers to remain vigilant and prevent their facilities from being used for drug-related activities.
He further advocated the introduction of drug integrity tests in schools and within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as part of measures to discourage drug abuse among young people.
In a related development, Dr Wokoma received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Inyang Umoh, during a courtesy visit, and urged residents to abide by road safety laws and drive in consideration of other road users.
In his remarks, the FRSC boss expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the continuous support to the Corps.
Muslims in Rivers State have commended Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his dedication and commitment to the development of the state.
They also lauded the governor for promoting peaceful co-existence among various religious groups in the state.
Vice President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ,Alhaji Nasil Awhelegbe Uhor, gave the commendation last Friday during the Eid-el Fitri prayer to mark the end of Ramadan fasting period, at the Port Harcourt Central Mosque, Niger Street, Port Harcourt.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the prayer, Alhaji Uhor said Governor Fubara has shown exemplary leadership in the affairs of the state.
Uhor who is the leader of the South South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, called on Muslims to remain committed to the ideal of peace and fear of the Almighty Allah.
According to the Rivers State Islamic leader, the message is for Muslims to imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink into their lives and shape their ways of doing things.
He urged Muslims to imbibe the culture of love and respect for one another.
“My message is that all Muslims should imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink with them,” he advised.
Uhor stressed the need for Muslims and all Nigerians to remain patriotic, while avoiding all forms of anti-social behaviours.
He also called on the political leaders to put the country first, stressing that there is no need for Nigerians to continue to wallow in abject poverty when the country is so rich with natural resources.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Rivers State, Alhaji Ibrahim S Yalo, urged Muslims to fear God, and speak the truth always.
According to him, time has come for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of peaceful coexistence, speak the truth and be each others keeper.
“Nigerians own a duty to ensure peace, live together in fear of God and speak the truth always,” he said.
By: John Bibor
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