15032019 - INEC kicks as court stops make-up polls in Adamawa

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019—33
Why Gov Wike should be declared
winner—PDP
PEOPLES Democratic
Party, PDP, in Rivers
State has called on the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
PRIZE PRESENTATION: Editor, Saturday Vanguard, Mr. Onochie
Anibeze (left) and second prize winner of Vanguard Valentine Love Note
competition, Mr. Anyanime Udosoh, during prize presentation at Vanguard's
head office, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Kehinde Shonola.
By Onozure Dania
AMBASSADOR Preye
Ekpebide has tasked
Engr Kenneth Preyor,
member-elect, Bomadi
Federal Constituency,
Delta State, and all
recently-elected members
of the National Assembly to
see their victories at the
polls as the handiwork of
God and should carry
everyone along.
Ekpebide, who is also
Peoples Democratic Party,
INEC, to declare Governor
Nyesom Wike as duly reelected
for a second term.
The party said there was
no ambiguity from results
Ekpebide tasks Preyor, others
to see victory as God's work
PDP's Youth Leader in
Bomadi Local Government
Area of the state spoke
during PDP victory
celebration for Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator
James Manager, Nicholas
Mutu and Engr. Preyor,.
He noted that the election
was among brothers even
though from different
political platforms,
stressing that it was a game
of no victor no vanquished.
The Bomadi PDP youth
leader reiterated that what
so far released for the
March 9 governorship and
state House of Assembly
elections conducted in the
state.
State Chairman, Mr.
Felix Obuah, who
addressed newsmen at the
Activist urges DSS to seal orphanages
over allegation of children sales
By Jimitota
Onoyume
W ARRI—DIRECTOR
of Department of
State Services, DSS, in
Delta State has been urged
to seal all orphanages in
the state, pending
conclusion of investigation
against some Delta State
officials allegedly behind
illegal sales of children in
the homes to adopters.
A child rights activist, Mr.
Aghogho Ighorhiohwunu,
in a petition he wrote on the
alleged shady deals by
some officials in the Delta
State Ministry of Women
Affairs, said the DSS boss
should take the children in
the orphanages into
emergency protection
custodies.
Ighorhiohwunu said: “We
are urging DSS now to seal
off all orphanages in the
state, take all children
therein into emergency
protection as the lives of
children in orphanages are
very much in danger
during this ongoing
investigation and confiscate
all adoption forms meant for
sale under the custody of
the Delta Women
Commissioner.
“Every year, 300,000
children are taken all
around the world and sold
by human traffickers as
slaves and 17,000 of those
children are taken to the
United States.
“My allegation before
DSS is that officials of Delta
State Ministry of Women
Affairs steal children,
unlawfully detain these
children in any
orphanage of their choice
without an order of court,
release these children to
prospective adopters
without an order of court
and connive with some
judicial officers from the
Delta State judiciary to
fraudulently obtain an
adoption order to conceal
their crime in gross
violation of the Delta State
Child Rights Law 2008 and
the Child Right Act 2003.”
was paramount now is to
build bridges of love and
reconciliation that would
promote rapid
development of the
council.
Ekpebide charged
contestants from other
political parties to imbibe
the spirit of sportsmanship
by not heating up the
polity, assuring that the
victorious contestants from
Bomadi and Governor
Okowa would be
magnanimous in victory.
PDP Secretariat in Port
Harcourt, also said results
from all polling units and
constituencies where
elections were concluded
confirmed and reaffirmed
that Rivers people voted no
other party but PDP.
Obuah, at the briefing
attended by all stakeholders
of the party in the state and
all elected state Assembly
members, House of
Representatives-elect as
well as Senators-elect, said
with 26 state constituencies
already declared in favour
of PDP, there was no doubt
that Governor Wike had
been re-elected by the
people of Rivers State.
He expressed confidence
that from the results so far
declared at the polling units
across the state, the
remaining PDP candidates,
including Governor Wike,
Senator George Sekibo and
Betty Apiafi will also be
elected on the strength of
the peoples’ votes.
Giving a summary of the
results so far released by
INEC, the state PDP
Chairman said while PDP
got 26 seats in the state
House of Assembly
election, African Action
Congress, AAC, and All
Progressives Congress,
APC, got none.
Again, at the National
Assembly election, while
PDP won a total of 14 seats,
AAC/APC recorded zero.
His words: “As we await
the official declaration by
INEC that our
governorship candidate,
Nyesom Wike has been
duly re-elected in line with
the peoples’ votes and
overwhelming wishes, I
urge the people of Rivers
State to remain vigilant and
continue to support our
party.
“The victories of February
23 and March 9, are
victories for all Rivers
people. By voting
massively for PDP, Rivers
people chose freedom,
performance and merit over
political gangsterism,
impudence and impunity.
“You courageously stood
your ground despite the
arrests, harassment,
violence and onslaught on
our democratic rights by the
combined gang of
renegade soldiers and F-
SARS personnel.
“I want to assure the
people of Rivers State that
PDP will not take your
support for granted.”
He urged the people of
the state to remain vigilant
and continue to support
PDP, as the official
declaration by INEC that
Wike had been re-elected
in line with the peoples’
votes, was being awaited.
APC lauds Bayelsa voters' support
By Samuel
Oyadongha
Y ENAGOA—ALL
Progressives
Congress, APC, Bayelsa
State chapter, has
thanked the people of
the state for their support
in the general election.
State Publicity
Secretary of the party,
Mr. Doifie Buokoribo, in
a statement in Yenagoa
yesterday, said: “APC
thanks the people of the
state for voting
overwhelmingly for our
party, and defending the
votes.
“What transpired in
this election shows
clearly that all along, the
people had been robbed
of the right to choose the
leaders they desire. APC
Okowa's victory not
strange—Onuesoke
By Ephraim Oseji
PEOPLES Democratic
Party, PDP, chieftain,
Chief Sunny Onuesoke,
has congratulated
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa
of Delta State on his reelection,
describing his
victory as not strange.
He said the victory of
Okowa at the polls was
not strange because his
performance index
made the electorate love
him and crave for more
of his excellence
performances in another
four years.
Addressing newsmen
during the thanksgiving
service for Okowa's
victory, Onuesoke said
Okowa merited it,
adding “if someone has
performed creditably
well, he should be given
By Gab Ejuwa
DELTA State House
of Assembly
candidate of Accord
Party in the March 9
election for Ughelli
North constituency I, Mr.
Christopher Obiuwevbi
has called on the
Chairman of
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, Professor
Mahmood Yakubu, to
cancel elections in
Evwreni wards, Orhomurhu
community unit
and three other units in
Orogun Ward 1 and 2.
Obiuwevbi also
accused a Niger Delta
Development
Commission, NDDC,
Director of hijacking
voting materials and
in Bayelsa State is
thankful that despite the
intimidation, lies and fake
news employed by
Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, the people
stood with APC.
“We would have
rejected the results in
several parts of the state
where there were glaring
cases of electoral fraud
perpetrated by PDP. But
that would serve no
useful purpose. It would
only heat up the polity.
“However, our laws are
clear on the steps to take
in seeking redress. We
will, therefore, back our
candidates who are
directly affected by the
PDP-sponsored
malfeasances in the
event of litigation at the
electoral tribunal.”
the opportunity to tidy up
things in another four
years and that is what we
saw in the victory of Okowa
in the just-concluded
Delta State governorship
election.
“I am an advocate of a
leader whose performance
index is distinctive, as
exhibited by Governor
Okowa in Delta State.
Such a leader should be
allowed to do another four
years as enshrined in the
Nigeria constitution.”
Onuesoke remained
optimistic that the
people-oriented
Governor Okowa is on
course to do better in
another four years, just
as he assured that the
governor will continually
champion courses that
advance the development
of the entire state.
Obiuwevbi calls for cancellation
of Ughelli North election
using his personal security
details to assault and
intimidate INEC ad hoc
staff deployed to Evwreni
ward.
He said: “When I heard
of what he was doing at
Evwreni ward, I went to
the Police Station to
complain and I was
directed to complain to the
Commissioner of Police on
election, Cyril Okoro, who
in turn called the Electoral
Officer, EO, and I narrated
what was happening at
Evwreni to EO.
“He told me it was the
duty of the Police to go to
Evwreni ward to stop the
said NDDC Director and
not INEC but the Police
insisted that the INEC has
the constitutional right to
cancel election and not
Police.”