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Ondo Poll: PDP Congratulates Mimiko, Blasts CAN
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accepted defeat and congratulated the Governor-elect in the Ondo State gubernatorial election, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko.
The PDP also commended the people of Ondo State for what it termed “their emphatic rejection of tribalism and narrow political adventurism, which it stressed, were the hallmark of the campaign of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) in the just-concluded gubernatorial election.
The PDP, in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, however, hailed its candidate, Olusola Oke for his courage, determination and doggedness, adding, “though the PDP was not declared the winner of the election, the party was happy with the performance of its candidate “who obviously joined the race late.”
“How better do Nigerians say no to the drumbeats of tribalism and political narrowness than what the people of Ondo have just done with their votes? It is a quantum forward leap for those who understand the dangers of undue manipulation of national diversity for narrow political whims and a huge set back, utter rejection for the champions of ethnic politics.
The party hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the polls, the PDP, however, urged “them to learn from any observed loopholes so as to continue improving in future elections.”
President Goodluck Jonathan has also congratulated Olusegun Mimiko, the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, yesterday said, “as Governor Mimiko looks forward to the commencement of his second term in Office, the President urges him to be prepared to work even harder to justify the fresh mandate given to him by the people of Ondo state who voted for his re-election on Saturday.”
“President Jonathan assures Dr. Mimiko that the Federal Government will continue to engage constructively and positively with the Ondo State Government in collaborative efforts to achieve faster socio-economic development and better living conditions for people in the state and all other parts of Nigeria,” the statement added.
The statement said President Jonathan wishes Mr Mimiko ‘a very successful second term as Governor of Ondo State’.
Also, the Senate President, Chief David Mark, has congratulated the governor-elect of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, advising him to be magnanimous in victory.
Mark gave the advice in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Paul Mumeh, and made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
The senate president, who noted that election was a game, urged Mimiko to run an all-inclusive government.
According to Mark, the new mandate is a challenge for greater service delivery to the people, noting that he is pleased that Nigerians now appreciates democracy through free and fair election.
Also in his reaction, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal yesterday, congratulated the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko over his re-election for a second term.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam, Mr Tambuwal said the governor’s victory was a manifestation of the people’s trust in his leadership abilities.
He said Mr Mimiko should at all times bear in my mind the trust and confidence freely given to him by the populace and should make him re-dedicate himself to the service of the people of the State.
The speaker equally implored the governor to rise above partisan consideration and carry along all people in the task of building the state.
However, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State yesterday dedicated his victory in Saturday’s governorship election to the people of the state.
The governor, who spoke to newsmen at the Government House in Akure shortly after he was declared winner, expressed gratitude to the people of the state.
He pledged that he would continue to work harder in the pursuit of good governance in order to justify the confidence reposed in him.
The PDP, however, said it would set up a committee to investigate alleged cases of electoral fraud in the Ondo State governorship election.
Reacting to the return of Governor Olusegun Mimiko for another four-year term with a total vote haul of 260,199, the party said that investigation of the cases would enable the party to decide on whether to seek redress at the Election Petition Tribunal.
The PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr Ayo Fadaka, also told newsmen on phone that security was not adequate in the rural areas.
“ The security provided by the government was not adequate in the rural areas. We are compiling the list of towns and villages affected in the state,’’ he said.
Fadaka also alleged that INEC did not conduct any election in two wards in Ilaje local government areas, and that the ad hoc staff did not turn up.
“ We will definitely seek redress if there are enough reasons from our investigations,’’ he said.
The Ondo State Chairman of the ACN, Chief Olorunshola Adesoji, however, refused to comment on the outcome of the election.
He said on phone that he was unaware of the outcome of the governorship poll and was not in a position to comment.
The Returning Officer, Adebiyi Daramola, had declared Mimiko the winner of the Ondo election having polled the most number of votes.
Mr Mimiko of the Labour Party had polled a total of 260, 199 votes. The PDP placed second with 155, 512 while ACN came third with 143, 512 votes.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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