Politics
Obasanjo At Polls, Declines Comment
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo last Saturday refused to comment on the conduct of the Governorship and House of Assembly polls in Ogun State.
Obasanjo arrived the Ward 11, unit 22 of the Olusomi compound polling centre at Totoro-Solori area of Abeokuta at about 9.56 a.m for voting.
The former president, who voted at about 10.08 a.m., refused to speak to newsmen.
After voting, he simply walked past the waiting newsmen and got into his vehicle waving and signaling that he had no comments.
Earlier, Gov. Ibikunle Amosun and a former governor of the state, Chief Segun Osoba, however, expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the polls in the state.
Amosun, who voted at ward 6, unit 8 of Ita-gbangba poling centre at Itoko area of Abeokuta noted a significant improvement in INEC’s performance compared to the previous exercise.
The governor told newsmen after he had voted that he had received encouraging news of peaceful conduct of the polls across the state.
“There has been a lot of improvement in the conduct of the polls today than the presidential polls.
“The voting process has been peaceful and has taken a shorter period today than the previous exercise which took about 45 minutes.
“We pray that this situation will continue till the end of voting and counting period, and till the announcement of the winner by INEC.
Amosun who observed that “there are rooms for improvement”, called for reduction in the number of participating political parties.
He noted that more than 70 political parties participated in the polls across the nation explaining that “the situation is stressful and cumbersome for INEC and the electorate.”
According to him, the situation is expensive in terms of funding and stressful to organise in terms of logistics
He added that the development required more efforts on the part of the electorate who needed to check carefully through a long list of political parties on a long ballot paper to identify their preferred party.
Amosun therefore called for a maximum of six political parties in subsequent polls.
“You discover that in the advanced countries, results are announced within five hours after polls.
“The reason is because they have very few political parties to cater for and this often quickens the entire voting and counting process process.
“I hereby call for a maximum of six political parties in subsequent polls because the country is divided into six-geopolitical zones.
“It is a good thing that I am going to the senate because this will give me an opportunity to continue to push for this position,” he said.
Osoba who voted at Ward 14, unit 15 of the Omololu polling centre at Ibara Housing Estate area of Abeokuta, commended the peaceful and orderly conduct of the polls.
The former governor expressed concern over the state Commissioner of Police, Hammed Ilyasu, and called for his transfer during the presidential polls, said the situation had since changed.
“As for the commissioner of police, we have settled. The security situation is very good and heavy presence of security agencies and patrol officers on the roads are evidence of well organised and well planned security arrangement.
“The situation has encouraged the electorate in turning out in large number and I am sure the polls will go on well across the state.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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