Recruitment of 40,000 community police starts soon - IGP

IGP, Adamu

The Inspector- General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has said his administration has commenced the process of implementing the Community Policing initiative.

He noted that 40,000 Community Policing Officers would be engaged in the interim to serve as special constables.

Adamu said this at the monthly conference with senior police officers in Abuja on Tuesday.

Adamu stated, “The CPOs will be recruited from within the communities where the prospective applicants reside and an average of 50 CPOs are to be engaged in each of the 774 Local Government Areas.

“In addition, 1,300 CPOs will be drawn from professional bodies like the academics, road transport unions, artisans and traders’ associations, religious bodies, women unions, and youth organisations, among others, in order to ensure diverse representation . ”

The IG emphasized that the CPOs would be deployed to complement the police in law enforcement functions within their localities by performing low -risk and non-sensitive duties.

"Accredited 424, Valid 424, Rejected 12", APC agent says as party closes case with just three witnesses

Dapo Abiodun 

The All Progressives Congress has closed its defence against Hon. Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied People's Movement at the Ogun election petition tribunal after calling just three witnesses

The APC,through its lead counsel, Paul Ananaba SAN, said that it would no longer call any witness; saying it had closed its case.

Ananaba had on July 18 told the tribunal that there would be 'fireworks' on Tuesday when the third respondent would start calling its witnesses. 

But at the resumed hearing of the tribunal on Tuesday, the APC was able to call only three witnesses, among whom was one Tunde Banjo, who was the agent of the APC in Ward 8, Ikenne Local Government.

While confronted with Exhibit P5, the pink copy of Form EC8A for AUD School Ilisan, Banjo read out that the result has 424 Accredited voters, 12 Rejected ballots and 424 Valid votes, fuelling speculations that there was overvoting at the polling unit. 

But the witness said the exhibit was not the one given to him on the day of the election, that it was similar to it. 

It was the same scenario as Akinlade's counsel, Isiaka Olagunju, cross-examined the other two witnesses, who affirmed that there were no cancellations or alterations on the pink copies of result sheets as seen on the top copy provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Meanwhile, the Ogun governorship election petition tribunal has adjourned till August 19 for the petitioners as well the respondents to submit their final written addresses.

As the APC closed its case, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Yusuf Halilu, asked all counsels to look at whatever they want to file, to abridge time and agree on when to come for the adoption of their final addresses.

In a unanimous decision, all the counsels prayed the tribunal to adjourn till August 19 for the adoption of their final addresses. 

Speaking, Justice Halilu appreciated the outer and inner bar for their cooperation with the bench; which he said had given the Ogun tribunal 'safe arrival'.

"The most senior lawyers and the junior ones in this tribunal have all shown high level of professionalism. I can't thank you enough. You are responsible for this safe arrival of the tribunal. It is not easy to open a petition and close it without having very unhealthy situations.

"Whilst you have the responsibilities to represent your clients very well, you did same within the confines of professionalism. I make bold to say that it couldn't have been a better tribunal than this." Halilu said. 

The tribunal Chairman also lauded journalists covering the tribunal for doing their jobs according to the ethics of the their profession.

He said, "the pressmen have been doing very well. It has been a balanced reportage; exactly what transpired at this tribunal have been exactly what we read in the newspapers. We cannot thank you enough. You have been extremely professional in your reportage. Continue to carry yourselves in that light and I am sure the sky is your limit."

Tension among Osoba, Abiodun APC loyalists as Amosun's ex-Commissioner becomes Minister

There is palpable tension and anger among members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State as President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the former Commissioner for Works in Ogun, Arch. Olalekan Adegbite as the minister from the state. 

The APC members, who were loyalists of former Governor Segun Osoba and the incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun, were not pleased with the decision of the President to appoint Adegbite, a political ally of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun as the minister from Ogun.  

Expressing their anger on different social media platforms, the APC members berated Buhari for not consulting the caretaker committee of the party, leaders of the party in Ogun as well as the Gov. Dapo Abiodun before appointing Adegbite. 

Recall that the National Working Committee had, before the governorship election, suspended Amosun for alleged antiparty activities.

The entire executive of the party were also dissolved by the NWC for the same reason, fuelling speculations that Amosun loyalists had lost out from the APC.

However, Adegbite's name on the ministerial list has sent shivers down the spines of Osoba and Abiodun loyalists as it is an attestation that Buhari had consulted Amosun for a nominee from Ogun.

It is also a pointer to the fact that Buhari knows who his loyalists are in Ogun as he must have ignored both Osoba and Abiodun before appointing Adegbite. 

See the full list of ministerial nominees before the National Assembly:

Abia

1. Dr. Ikechukwu Ogar

Adamawa

2. MUHAMMADU Musa Bello


Akwa Ibom

3. Goodwill Akpabio

Anambra

4. Chris Ngige

5. Sharon O. Ikpeazu

BAUCHI

6. Adamu Adamu

7.Ambasador Mariam Katagum

Bayelsa

8. Timipre Silva

BENUE

9. George Akume

BORNO

10. Mustapha Baba Shehuri

CROSS RIVER STATE.

11. Goddy JD Agba

DELTA

12. Festus Keyamo

EBONYI

13. Ogbonnaya Onu

EDO

14. Dr. Osagie Ehanire

15. Clement Agba

EKITI

16. Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo

ENUGU

17. Geoffrey Onyeama

GOMBE

18.Dr Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantani

IMO

19. Emeka Nwajuba

JIGAWA

20. Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu

KADUNA

21. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed

22. Dr. Muhammed Mahmood

KANO

23. Sabo Nanono

24. Major General Bashir Magashi retd

KATSINA

25. Sen. Hadi Sirika

KEBBI

26. Abubakar Malami

KOGI

27. Ramatu Tijjani

KWARA

28. Lai Mohammed

29. Gbemisola Saraki

LAGOS

30. Babatunde Raji Fashola

31. Sen. Olorunnibe Mamora

NASSARAWA

32. Muhammed H. Abdullahi

NIGER

33. Zubairu Dada

OGUN

34. Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite

ONDO

35. Tayo Alashoadura

OSUN

36. Rauf Aregbesola

OYO

37. Sunday Dare

PLATEAU

38. Pauline Talen

RIVERS

39. Rotimi Amaechi

40. SOKOTO

Muhammad Maigari Dangyadi

TARABA

41. Engr. Saleh Mamman

YOBE

42. Abubakar D. Aliyu

ZAMFARA

43. Umar Farouk.

MAUSTECH: Mapoly students threaten to descend on Abeokuta Club if...

Students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic have threatened to descend full Aluta forces on members of the popular Abeokuta Club if they refused to stop making 'inciting' comments over Gov. Dapo Abiodun's plans to restore the 40-year-old polytechnic to status quo by reversing its upgrade to Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology, as done by his predecessor.

Abeokuta Club, in a statement, had berated Abiodun for his plan to reverse the law that created MAUSTECH and thereby accused him of working against the interest of Egba, which they said did not have a state-owned university.

But the students in a statement accused members of the club of politicising the issues surrounding MAUSTECH and MAPOLY. 

According to them, it will be fallacious to say Egba had not enjoyed equity and fairness in the distribution of the dividends of democracy in Ogun State.

The Students Union Government of MAPOLY warned members of the club to desist from playing politics with their future or face being descended on. 

"We want to state in clear terms that if the members of Abeokuta Club or any other groups refuse to stop playing politics with our school, academics and life as a whole, we won't hesitate to descend all forces of Aluta on them." they said. 

Read the full text below:

MAPOLY STUDENTS STAND AGAINST POLITICISATION OF MAPOLY, MAUSTECH EXISTENCE 

The attention of the Students' Union of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic has been drawn to a media statement credited to a group of intellectual individuals under the aegis of Abeokuta Club led by Engr. Tokunbo on the planned action by Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to retain and restore Moshood Abiola Polytechnic to its status quo with full academic activities. 

We wish to express our displeasure toward the position of members and leadership of Abeokuta Club , which we strongly believe consists of intellectual individuals, as we consider it as an attempt to politicise the good intention of the state government.

The group, through its statement, lamented that the Egba region has not enjoined equity and fairness in the distribution of dividends of democracy among the three senatorial district of the state. This is nothing but absolute fallacy as the region enjoined a larger percentage of infrastructure development under the immediate past administration which is visible to all and sundry. It is therefore an act of selfishness by this group to claim not to have been treated fair by an administration that is less than three months old.

It should be on record that the committee set up by Governor Abiodun to review the working modalities of the two new institutions requested submission by members of the public which the Students Union of MAPOLY was represented by the President, Comrade Samson Omoniyi and the General Secretary, Comrade Kausarat Olajide, at the sitting held at Mitros Hall, Ibara, Abeokuta.

The plan by the Governor to restore and retain MAPOLY is the best decision and the greatest height of fairness by the Governor who has proven to be just in its approach to issues that affects the generality of the state. We believe that democracy can only be strengthened when all stakeholders are not religious, ethnic and regional bias in their analysis of issues of national development as sentiments will only weaken our democracy.

It should be recalled that the politicisation motives behind the creation and conversion of OgunPoly, MAPOLY and MAUSTECH contributed to the brouhaha that rock the process which adversely affects academic activities of the 40 years old institution and the economic fortune of the region.

It is so saddening that a group that has failed to lend a voice when the creation and conversion of these institutions was in mess now clamour for the retaining of MAUSTECH at the expense of 40 years old MAPOLY. It will amount to foolishness to kill a 40years old king because a prince is born.

Our position as students of the prestigious institution, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, is that MAPOLY MUST STAY with full academic activities.

We have suffered enough from the brouhaha that emanate from the creation and conversion process, we cannot afford to experience such again.

Hence, we want to state in clear terms that if the members of Abeokuta Club or any other groups refuse to stop playing politics with our school, academics and life as a whole, we won't hesitate to descend all forces of ALUTA on them.

Our heritage, MAPOLY must be sustained, strengthened and transformed to maintain its quality standards in the committee  of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. 

We want to commend Governor Abiodun for his swift response to every issue that affects MAPOLY and the education system in general as we look forward to his intervention on the bad state of road that links the school gate from Iyana-Oloke junction. 

With Prince Dapo Abiodun... A new MAPOLY is possible!

God bless MAPOLY !

God bless Ogun state!

Aluta Continua!

Ogun Tribunal: INEC disowns pink copies of result sheets as alterations appear on its originals

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday disowned pink copies of Forms EC8A tendered as exhibits by Hon. Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied People's Movement (APM) after the commission agreed to have altered and cancelled figures on the certified true copies of the originals. 

Counsel to Akinlade, Isiaka Olagunju, while cross-examining Gov. Dapo Abiodun's witnesses pointed out that there were alterations and cancellations of figures on the original copies of the result sheets, which he noted did not occur on the pink copies earlier issued to the petitioners by INEC. 

The alterations, it was observed, brought about discrepancies in the pink copies and the original copies of the March 9 governorship election results in Ogun State. 

Abiodun's witnesses had during cross-examinations by the petitioner said the pink copies were not the ones they signed, but similar to the ones given to them on the day of the election; this they said, despite identifying their signatures on the exhibits.

When asked where their pink copies were, the witnesses said they did not bring them to court; saying they had given same to their party. 

However, while cross-examining the witnesses, counsel to INEC, O. A. Obilade said the pink copies did not have INEC stamp embossed on them, putting it to the witnesses that they could not be relied on. 

Obilade stressed further that the alterations and cancellations were as a result of errors noted and  corrected at the collation centres as countersigned by INEC officials. Counsels to the All Progressives Congress (APC) also agreed with INEC.

A mild drama ensued when APC counsel, Dr Paul Ananaba SAN,  failed in an attempt to discredit an INEC pink copy of Form EC8A for PU 03 of Ward 03 in Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government, as he and  one Abiodun's witness, Jelili Ajayi,  gave conflicting figures. 

Ananaba during cross-examination,  asked Ajayi to calculate the parties' scores on the Form EC8A and put it to him that it was 288, but the witness said he arrived at 247 after using a calculator.

Efforts by Anababa to repair the damages met brick walls as the witness stood on the 247 he earlier mentioned till the counsel ran out of time. 

Meanwhile, Abiodun, through his counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan SAN, said he had closed his case against the petitioner on Thursday.

Osipitan said the second respondent will no longer call witnesses.

This reporter observed that Abiodun had presented more than 30 witnesses since he opened his case on July 10.

The Justice Yusuf Halilu-led tribunal had adjourned till Tuesday July 23 when APC will open its case as the third respondent agreed to forfeit July 19, 20 and 22 out of the 10 days it has to call witnesses.

Suspended Ogun LG/LCDA chairmen, councillors threaten court actions against Dapo Abiodun

The 57 suspended Local Government and Local Council Development Area Chairmen, their Councillors and their appointees in Ogun State have threatened to drag Gov. Dapo Abiodun to court if he fails to lift what they termed "illegal suspension" placed on them. 

The LG/LCDA political functionaries, in a statement signed by their counsel, M. O. Ubani, asked Abiodun to also pay all their entitlements and damages of N500m for violating their rights as elected political office holders. 

The full statement:

PRESS BRIEFING ON THE ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL SUSPENSION OF THE 20 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND 37 LOCAL COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT AREA CHAIRMEN, COUNCILORS & OTHER POLITICAL FUNCTIONARIES IN OGUN STATE

BACKGROUND

➢ The Local Government Chairmen, Chairmen of the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and the Councilors were all duly elected on the 8th day of October, 2016 during the Local Government (LG) and Local Council Development Area (LCDA) elections that was held throughout Ogun State.

➢ The said elections were conducted by Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), and Certificates of return were thereafter given to the said LG/LCDA Chairmen and Councilors.

➢ The elected Chairmen were thereafter all duly sworn into office on the 10th day of October, 2016 by the former Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun FCA, CON for a three year term. The said three years will expire on the 10th day of October, 2019.

➢ To our greatest shock and disappointment, the tenure of the LG & LCDA political functionaries was suspended by the 8th House of Assembly, Ogun State under the leadership of RT. Hon. Suraj Adekunbi by a Resolution of the Assembly on the 31st day of May, 2019. The said Assembly only had 1 week more in office as at the date of suspending the LG & LCDA political functionaries.

➢ RT. Hon. Suraj Adekunbi and his Assembly men had prior to the suspension of the political functionaries on grounds of Gross Misconduct and Misappropriation of Public Funds carried out two oversight functions in 2017 and 2018. Please NOTE that all the LG & LCDA were cleared by the 8th Assembly.

➢ Please NOTE ALSO that at no point in time was any Chairman or any of the political functionaries invited to face any disciplinary committee of the State House of Assembly or the Full members of the House of Assembly before the Resolution of Suspension was passed.

➢ As at date, no formal document stating the basis for the weighty allegations of Gross Misconduct and Misappropriation of Public Funds has been given to the Chairmen or any of the political functionaries. We are convinced that this is so because the State Government under the leadership of H.E Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun mfr, the former Speaker of the 8th House of Assembly RT. Hon. Suraj Adekunmbi and the current Speaker RT. Hon. Taiwo Adekunle Oluomo know that such allegations cannot stand the test of time against the political functionaries.

➢ ALSO the purported suspension of the LG & LCDA political functionaries via the Resolution of the 8th House of Assembly was only reported on social media, print media and radio. Can a man be charged for allegations/offences that have not been properly brought to his notice? NO and this is grave abuse of power. We should also bring to the notice of the good people of Ogun State that we had advised our clients: the Chairmen and other political functionaries to return to office after noting that no proper document was served on them stating that they had been suspended, we were disappointed to note and be informed that their offices had been put under lock and key on the directive of the State Government. Some of the offices were in fact taken over by political thugs loyal to the Government of H.E Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun.

➢ Nigerians particularly the good people of Ogun State should note that the suspension of all the political functionaries was preceded by the freezing of all LG & LCDA Bank accounts by a memo dated 30th May, 2019, originating from the office of the Permanent Secretary for local Government Commission acting on the directive of the Ogun State Governor, His Excellency, Prince (Dr) Dapo Abiodun MFR, all LG and LCDA accounts were frozen. The accounts as at date are currently been operated at the LG & LCDA by designated career officers on the directive of the governor without following due diligence and process. What do we mean by not following due diligence and process? The Chairmen are supposed to sign off on SCHEDULES (confirmation documents) before cheques of LG/LCDA can be presented and honored by the Banks. Effective 31st of May, 2019 none of the Chairmen have signed any schedules and yet withdrawals have been made from the LG & LCDA accounts. This is clear fraud.

➢ The good people of Ogun State both indigenes and residents also need to know that the Governor of the State, H.E Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun has continually allowed the illegal suspension to continue to see the light of the day. He has clearly encouraged this by not expressly disassociating himself from the actions of the 8th House of Assembly but has rather kept mum till date. The Governor’s style is to micromanage the LG & LCDAs from his office and this he has been doing since been sworn in, documents available to us can confirm this.

➢ The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the Right to Fair hearing for every Nigerian, the Ogun State LG & LCDA Chairmen and all the political functionaries have been denied this right and no law abiding State Governor or Assembly should encourage such against any of her indigenes or residents not to talk of their other elected public office holders who enjoy the mandates of the good people of Ogun State. Or is H.E Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun, Rt. Hon. Suraj Adekunmbi Ishola and RT. Hon. Taiwo Olakunle Oluomo saying these people were not elected? Why would they not be heard before suspending them by a Resolution of the Assembly? Why would the Assembly call them for a meeting after passing a suspension resolution? Our clients were so matured to have honored your delayed invitation on 7th of June, 2019 and despite that they have been left unattended to. Why???, You came up with claims that you had 113 petitions against the LG & LCDA political functionaries and after several weeks no one has been informed about the details of the petitions. Definitely these are all just been put together so as to witch hunt the political office holders who didn’t support the ambition of H.E Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun at the last gubernatorial election.

➢ We are aware that the affected political functionaries have tried to resolve this impasse via political means so as not to blow up the polity in Ogun State, they have met with national leaders and elder state men and despite this, the Governor has decided to support acts which are unconstitutional. We are confident that our clients will have their day in the law court.

➢ The good people of Ogun State also need to know that in the last 33months of being Local Government and Local Council Development Area chairmen these set of Chairmen had no official cars and they had to run the business of the LG/LCDAs with their personal cars and were also responsible for the fueling of the cars from their salaries.

➢ They were not paid their furniture allowances, whereas other political functionaries at the state level have since been paid including the past state Assembly men and only got the sum of N500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) as security votes for 10 months out of 33 months they have spent in office. Despite all the hardships and ignorance why would anyone imagine that the appropriate thing to do was to suspend the mandates freely given by the people of Ogun State.

➢ Their salaries and other allowances have been suspended since the resolution from the House of Assembly.

OUR TAKE

The decision to freeze the LG/LCDA bank account and their suspension before the expiration of their tenure, based on purported petitions which they were not given opportunity to respond to is a gross violation of their Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right to fair hearing, and hence cannot stand.  

Even if fair hearing was given to them before the decision to suspend them was reached, no law gives power to either to the State Governor or State House of Assembly to suspend, terminate or abridge the tenure of duly elected Council Executives, having been duly elected by their Constituents and Certificated by Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission. Any such act amount to reckless abuse of Executive/Legislative power which must be checked in order to protect our nascent democracy. 

In the recent case of Ekiti State v…….. where similar action was taken, the Supreme Court held that any law which empowers a Governor to dissolve Local Government Councils whose tenure was yet to expire violates Section 7(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from which the State House of Assembly derives the power to enact the Local Government law, hence any such action is unconstitutional and must not be condoned.

Furthermore, the issue of State Governors taking over the Constitutional responsibilities of Local Governments and denying them adequate funding to enable them operate effectively at the grass root level is an ugly development that has recently prompted the Nigerian Financial intelligence Unit (NFIU) to issue new regulations with respect to State/Local Government joint account. These regulations are aimed at protecting the Local Government fund and avoiding incidences like the ones suffered by the Ogun State LG Chairmen in the past 33 months as stated above.

On the backdrop of the foregoing, and in the spirit of amicable and peaceful resolution of this matter, we had written to the Executive Governor of Ogun State, which letter was copied to the Vice President. We also wrote to the Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, demanding the following:

1. That the unconstitutional and unlawful suspension of The Chairmen be reversed with immediate effect, to enable them complete their tenure which is to expire on the 10th day of October, 2019.

2. That all their entitlements for the past 33 months which they have been denied as stated above be computed and paid to them with effect from the 10th day of October, 2016 when they were duly sworn into office as LG and LCDA Chairmen till the 10th day of October, 2019 when they are expected to leave office.

3. The Sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five hundred Million Naira) as damages for the infringement on their fundamental right as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and the hardship they have suffered as a result of willful deprivation of their entitlements as Council Executives.

We also drew the attention of the Director, Nigerian Financial intelligence Unit (NFIU), to this development. Having received no response from neither the Executive Governor nor the Speaker, our next line of action will be to seek legal redress in a competent Court of Law.

Signed:

M. O. UBANI ESQ.

Adigbe-Obada road, a death trap

Commuters using Adigbe-Obada road are worried that the remaining portion of the road might collapsed sooner than expected.

This road is the only alternative linking Abeokuta to Sango or Lagos, aside the Lafenwa-Brewery-Olomore axis.

As at today, heavy-duty lorries still ply this death trap; sparking fears that it may go down soon.

The Ogun State Government said it would close down the road for major reconstruction; but that is yet to commence as at the time of filing this report.

Drivers and okada riders are urged to be careful while using this road as no two vehicles can pass side-by-side on the remaining narrow portion of the road.

More drama in court as Dapo Abiodun witnesses appear before Ogun tribunal

There was a mild drama at the ongoing Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Thursday, as Governor Dapo Abiodun’s witnesses called by his lead Counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, disowned election results in form EC8A bearing their signatures.

Abiodun, the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate and second respondent in the Petition number EPT/OG/GOV/01/19, opened his defence on Wednesday. The petitioner; Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) closed his case earlier on Tuesday.

But at the resumed hearing of the Petition on Thursday, one of the witnesses, Ajao Olatunde who had   adopted his statement on oath as evidence in chief during proceeding, later told the Tribunal when cross-examined by Akinlade’s Counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), that he couldn’t remember what his party scored at his polling unit.

And upon being shown the pink copy of form EC8A used in his polling unit which had already been admitted as exhibit, Olatunde told the Tribunal Panel that he could not read the figures on the result sheet.

“I can’t confirm it. I know our party won the election, I can’t confirm the score on the form (EC8A,) I can’t recollect what my party scored,” the 52-year-old witness said.

Also,  Amosun Olusola who said he was an agent of APC in ward 9 unit 01 in Egbado South Local Government, told the Court he was not in agreement with the result sheet of his polling units shown him even when the document bears his acknowledged signature marked P28.

He said the figures on the result sheet bearing his signature did not represent the scores announced at the polling unit(on the election day), adding that the exhibit was prone to alteration.

Another witness, Sotayo Bisayo who was an APC agent in Ward II unit 16 of Abeokuta South was also unsure of party’s score despite identifying his signature on result sheets marked – P4 and P74 which were shown to him.

Asked by Raji if the result sheet carrying his signature was the same as one given to him on the election day, he said, “It looks like it but I am not sure if it is.”

The same experience occurred when an aged agent, Mudashiru Ogunkoya of Ward IV unit V, Remo North Local Government identified and adopted his statement on oath as evidence in chief before the tribunal but when cross-examined, Ogunkoya affirmed that he doesn’t know the meaning of what was contained in his statement on oath despite appending his signature.

When presented with copies of results sheets in his polling unit, Ogunkoya who spoke through an interpreter, said he has never seen the pink copy marked Exhibit P22, although, it bears his signature.

Witness Ogunkoya also said he doesn’t know the meaning of accreditation and won’t know anything about night accreditation.

Counsel to the APC; Abeeb Ajayi, could not cross-examine the witness but thanked him for coming.

“All I want to say is that thank you for coming,” Ajayi said.

Justice Yusuf Halidu who was the leader of the three-man panel remarked that he knew the Tribunal was in for a drama immediately the witness entered the court saying, ‘and it was a dramatic session.”

Crisis in Ado-Odo/Otta APC over appointments

Youths, who are members of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ado-Odo, Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government area of Ogun State,  have vowed to slug it out with their leaders, who they accused of putting forward names of incompetent persons for appointments into Gov. Dapo Abiodun's government. 

The youths, according to a statement signed on their behalf by Alagbe Oluwagbemiga, claimed that the party had directed their leaders to submit names of the best from each wards.

Alagbe complained that the leaders of Ado-Odo Ward 1 and 2, for reasons best known to them, chose to present names of persons with lower qualifications, while omiting PhD holders. 

His words: "How can twenty names be compiled and after we manage to garner six to our area by dividing them between Ado-odo one and two wards, our leaders placed us on the backfoot by producing a list filled with one HND holder and two supposed NCE holders.... In a Local government where other communities are showcasing their best so that they can gather all the posts to themselves while we sit down in Ado-odo and we seem contented playing second fiddle. 

"Why the party leadership decided to omit names of Doctor Osaro,a PHD holder with vast experience in teaching and administration, Mr Sunkanmi Olayode etc still baffles some of us, when the instruction from the state was clearly stated... " PRESENT THE BEST QUALIFIED PEOPLE IN YOUR AREAS OR WARDS".

Alagbe asked the accused leaders to either do the needful or step aside, adding that the community could not continue to be 'second fiddle' any more. 

"We are tired of being second best. We  won't settle for that anymore. It must be all or nothing for us in Ado-odo, if the party can't stop playing suppressive leadership, then they should step aside, at least it's not a family title," he stated. 

Read the full statement below:

APC ADO-ODO AND THE POLITICS OF SECOND FIDDLE..... 

There is only one real sin, and that is to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but the second-best but I guess that the APC leadership in Ado-odo didn't take their time to listen to Nelly's nellyvile chorus....

"What does it take to be number one?

Two is not a winner

And 3 nobody remembers (hey)

What does it take to be number one?"

This should have been in the heads of the Ado-odo APC leaders even before campaigns kicked off but alas, what we've had is a sort of inept leadership filled with showmanship and suppression. The same acts that some of us rebeled against and we became outcasts amongst relatives, friends and even our respective communities. Acts that made us loose woefully in Ado-odo despite the hardwork many of us put into the elections...  

The same Ado-odo APC where we have so many of these leaders that failed to deliver even their polling units has now turned to a party where those that lost are now segregating those that dug hard into their reserves to produce wins out of nowhere. We now have a leadership that is happy suppressing most of it's best strikers only to start playing second fiddle to other communities around us which is now becoming disastrous for us in Ado-odo.

So many have asked why we've decided to play politics outside our town despite our active roles during the campaigns and elections not knowing that many of us have been suppressed by a inept leadership that has been focused on pushing just one or two people forward while others are been suppressed despite their areas of expertise, educational qualifications etc. We now have a leadership where people with ideas are been neglected because of culinary motives. 

How can twenty names be compiled and after we manage to garner six two our area by dividing them between Ado-odo one and two wards, our leaders placed us on the backfoot by producing a list filled with one HND holder and two supposed NCE holders.... In a Local government where other communities are showcasing their best so that they can gather all the posts to themselves while we sit down in Ado-odo and we seem contented playing second fiddle. 

Why the party leadership decided to omit names of Doctor Osaro,a PHD holder with vast experience in teaching and administration, Mr Sunkanmi Olayode etc still baffles some of us, when the instruction from the state was clearly stated... " PRESENT THE BEST QUALIFIED PEOPLE IN YOUR AREAS OR WARDS".

Even they claim that the order was misinterpreted and they thought that the list was meant for employment, how come a particular party chieftain's name end up in the list, how many years would he have worked before retiring at the age of sixty or sixty-five years. Wouldn't it have been better if we had been testing the waters with our best feet forward rather playing suppressive politics that empowers just one or two people at the detriment of other people that also fought a very hard battle with them. 

How come all these are happening in a LCDA where even the candidate that contested for the house of assmebly elections has a wardrobe filled with qualifications, how come we are now presenting NCE as our best....  

One hard truth that our leaders have failed to listen to is the fact that it wasn't leaders that won the elections for APC, it was the good people of OGUN STATE and most of the youths that won the election, so how come they're now suppressing the same youths and other people just  to aid one or two people to the top. Do they really have the best interest of Ado-odo in their heart. 

Another thing they should know is this, this honeymoon will soon be over and ADO-ODO will soon start asking questions about our stewardship, they'll surely start asking why their roads and other infrastructures could not be brought down to Ado-odo and I hope by then, we that are in APC will have answers for them. 

We are tired of being second best. We  won't settle for that anymore. It must be all or nothing for us in Ado-odo, if the party can't stop playing suppressive leadership, then they should step aside, at least it's not a family title.... Ado-odo and it's development must be paramount in all that we do as politicians or else, we will keep retrogressing.... Which God forbid, will be very worse if care isn't not taking... 

TO THE LEADERSHIP OF APC IN ADO-ODO, LET US CHANGE OUR THOUGHTS, SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE ADO-ODO..... WE NEED TO START GETTING OUR PRIORITIES RIGHTS AND PLACING THEM IN GOOD ORDER WILL AUGUR WELL FOR US.... 

e-signed 

Alagbe Oluwagbemiga

APC ADO-ODO WARD II...

Accredited voters 195, valid votes 195, rejected votes 6 - Abiodun witness testifies

One Mr Tunde Owolabi who was the agent of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 governorship election in Ogun State has testified before the election petition tribunal that the result of his polling unit has 195 as the accredited voters, 195 as the total valid votes, while the number of invalid votes was 6.

With the result, the APM counsel, Isiaka Olagunju, said it had been established that there was overvoting at Unit 07, Ward 03 of Sagamu Local Government. 

But the APC polling agent said there was no overvoting, despite his calculation that valid votes and invalid votes were 201, with six votes higher than the total number of accredited votes, which is 195.

Likewise, in unit 012, ward 02 of Abeokuta South, the pink copy of form EC8A tendered as exhibit has 341 accredited voters. But the addition of valid votes, 339 and that of rejected votes, 7 is 346.

The APC agent in the polling unit, Olayiwola Sowunmi, while he appeared before the tribunal, also testified that there was no overvoting.

Earlier, one Mrs Bukola Aroyewun, who appeared as a witness and polling agent that signed the form EC8A for Open Space, Surulere Ita Eko polling unit was later confronted with the fact that the same form was signed by one Ibrahim Tiamiyu as the agent of the APC. 

Aroyewun insisted she was the agent for the polling unit but could not explain how the name on the result sheet reads Ibrahim Tiamiyu instead of Bukola Aroyewun. 

Similarly, Mrs Funmilayo Odekeye, who was also a witness of Gov. Dapo Abiodun told the tribunal that she did not read or understand her  witness statement on oath before signing same. 

Odekeye said she could neither read nor write in English. 

The tribunal has since adjourned till tomorrow July 11 for continuation of hearing. 

We have no witness against Akinlade - INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Tuesday that it has no witness to call against Hon. Adekunle Akinlade and the Allied People's Movement (APM) in the governorship election tribunal going on in Ogun State. 

INEC was expected to open its defense on Tuesday against Akinlade who has accused it of awarding "illegal votes" to the new governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun as the first respondent in the election petition.

But the commission, through one of its counsels,  told the Justice Yusuf Halilu-led tribunal that it would not call any witness against Akinlade and the APM; creating the need for the second respondent, Dapo Abiodun, to open his defense. 

Earlier, an Administrative Secretary at the Ogun State office of INEC, James Popoola, has testified before the tribunal by adopting Certified True Copies (CTC) of result sheets (FORMS EC8A, EC8B, EC8C), voter registers among other electoral materials used in all the 20 local governments for the Ogun 2019 guber election, as tendered by Akinlade.

Popoola, who appeared in court after the tribunal had threatened to send him to prison for allegedly trying to disobey an order to appear before it as a supreme witness, confirmed to the tribunal that he was the one who signed and stamped the electoral materials before they were released to the petitioners as C

Akinlade and his party, APM,  have dragged the INEC, Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the election petition tribunal, asking it to declare him winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ogun State. 

The tribunal adjourned till Wednesday, July 9, to take witnesses from Dapo Abiodun as he opens his defense.

"You're too slow", TASCE lecturer tells Gov. Dapo Abiodun

Dapo Abiodun

A lecturer at the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu Ijebu, Adebola Talabi, has accused the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun of being "too slow to attend to our cause."

Talabi, in a facebook post, said if he had the opportunity to stand before Abiodun, he would tell him there was no need to await the report of a panel before paying their salaries and arrears. 

The lecturer recalled how he and other staffers of the college had met Abiodun before the election to narrate their ordeals. 

He said what the governor has been doing since his inauguration on May 30 has been far below their expectations, urging him to prevent the college from going into extinction by fulfilling his promises. 

Read the full text below:

If I Had a Chance to Stand Before Governor Dayo Abiodun. 

As a staff of Tai Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu Ijebu,if I had the chance to meet the governor, I would tell him what we expected from him apart from setting up the visitation panel. 

I would  remind him that we are the ones that approached him before the election and laid bare our predicament of non payment of salaries and the resultant high death rates and life of penury,  poverty and sickly health conditions. 

I would remind him of his promise to make things better for the school as soon as he is sworn in. 

I would remind him that we had series of meeting with him in which he assured us, through our representatives, that he would attend to us speedily.  He showed a lot of sympathy and empathy. 

I would tell him that we embarked on work to rule when our endurance elasticity snapped, with the hope that we would soon resume when the new governor, who is sympathetic to our cause is sworn in. He is aware that we are on work to rule. 

That now that he is in office, he is too slow to attend to our cause. The immediate solution does not need the report of the panel. We need the salaries for April, the 50% of May Salary, and 100% salary of June. 

We want substantial part of the 56 months salary owed to be paid so as to motivate the dehumanised staff to work. 

We want the suspension  of our current provost since we can no longer work with him. In a crisis situation in the school in which the provost had been locked out since December 2019, it is obvious that he is no longer wanted by the  staff. For peace to reign and the academic community to come alive,  he should step aside while the visitation panel carries out its investigation. This is because the life of many people depends the provost stepping aside. There are over 300 staff, and 4000 students in contention. Can one man hold all these to ransom?  Parents have paid school fees. The duration of courses is elongated. Why can't we make a temporary arrangement so that the school can move forward. Lectures for first semester had ended.  The students would resume, have a week or two of revision, and write their exam. The second semester can start immediately after the exam This is benefitting a larger number of people. 

We in Tasce believe that there are some people in the cabinet of the new government that he should watch closely if he wants to succeed. Especially those that had worked  with the former governor Amosu. They intend to continue with the dehumanizing policy of Mr. Amosu concerning Tasce. The advice of such people should be taken with caution. 

All above does not interfere with work of the visitation panel. 

I would tell him to put his full beam of compassion on Tasce and save us from extinction.

Breaking: Oba Rasak Adewusi, Onijoun of Ijoun passes on

 The Onijoun of Ijoun, in Yewa North Local Government area of Ogun State, Oba Rasak Adewusi has joined his ancestors. African Advocate  can report authoritatively.

Adewusi, according to a reliable source, died in the United States of America where he was receiving treatment.

It was learnt that the late Monarch had been sick for a while, causing him to embark on a medical tour to the USA.

The late monarch was a three-term member of the House of Representatives, where he represented Yewa North/Imeko-Afon Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2015.

He was enthroned as the Onijoun in 2016.

Details later...

Breaking: Akinlade shocks tribunal with Ghana-must-go bags filled with evidence

Akinlade 

Hon. Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied People's Movement (APM) on Tuesday flooded the election petition tribunal sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta with Ghana-must-go bags containing electoral evidence to prove his case beyond reasonable doubts.

Akinlade shocked the tribunal with certified true copies of electoral materials from different local governments, in more than seven Ghana-must-go bags to convince the tribunal that he was the winner of the March 9 governorship election in Ogun State.

The tribunal yesterday admitted in evidence, Forms EC8A from different wards in Abeokuta North and Ado-Odo/Otta Local Governments, as counsels to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not object to the evidence.

The tribunal has adjourned till Thursday, July 4