The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have maintained an early lead in strongholds following the collation of some results from the Edo State governorship election.

According to the results from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Viewing Portal (iRev), the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Olumide Akpata, is no longer in the race to become the governor of Edo State.

The Labour Party governorship candidate also lost his polling unit to his PDP counterpart, Asue Iguodala.

The results released by INEC declared that Ighodalo polled 41 votes while Akpata trailed with 32 votes at his own Polling Unit 11, Ward 6, Oredo Local Government Area (LGA).

According to results released on the official website of INEC, over 89.93 per cent have been uploaded, covering 3,895 results out of 4,519 polling units.

From the results, the APC is currently leading in Edo, its stronghold in Edo North while the PDP is ahead in Edo South.

In Etsako West local government Area, Igbira Camp Booth, APC had 90 votes, LP 13 and PDP 85 while in Owan West, Ifidon by Bright in Sobe, APC, 90, LP 13 and PDP75. For Uhunmwonde Uvbenisi-Uvbenisi primary school, APC scored 83, LP 06 and PDP 47.

In Egor local government area, Paramount Nursery and Primary School Uselu II – IV, APC had 17, PDP 22.

In Oredo local government area, New Benin, Unit 27, New Benin III/Payne primary school, APC scored 36 votes, LP 5 and PDP 56.

In Ikpoba-Okha Ward 7 Unit 17, which is the voting place of the Deputy Governorship candidate of the PDP, Osarodion Ogie Esq. PDP scored 216 while the APC scored 29.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has not received governorship election results from any of the 18 local government areas (LGAs) in Edo State.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha, in an interview on Saturday, explained that the results of the election are still at the ward level and would travel to the local government level before being sent to the state collation centre.

“I cannot categorically tell you when we will announce the results in the state. As they come, we will announce,” Onuoha stated.

“For now, no results yet” from any of the local government, he said.

The REC warned social media users announcing the “results” of the poll, saying that is the position of the commission.

“I want to correct one thing: those who are publishing results, it is not their duty to announce results.

“INEC has not announced results. I am not even the returning officer for the state. The returning officer will announce the results. But I am surprised with what I see on social media. That is not the correct position of the commission.

“Nobody has the capacity to do that. The law is clear on who can announce the results. So, they should desist,” he said.

Meanwhile, the electoral umpire has uploaded over 90% of polling unit result sheets of Saturday’s governorship election on the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Out of the 4519 polling units, the electoral umpire has uploaded the result sheets of 3995 polling units on the portal as of 07:40 pm on Saturday.

On Saturday, September 21, 2024, the people of Edo State in South-South Nigeria voted to elect a new governor to succeed the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, whose constitutional eight-year double terms will end on November 12, 2024.

Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo.

According to INEC, there are 2,629,025 total number of registered voters and 4,519 polling units in Edo State. Out of this figure, 2,249,780 (85.57%) have Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and will decide Obaseki’s successor.

Though 17 candidates are jostling for the office, analysts have described the forthcoming poll as a three-horse race involving Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).

In terms of party strongholds, the APC has current senators in Edo North (Adams Oshiomhole) and Edo Central (Okpebholo) while the Labour Party’s senator Neda Imasuen is from Edo South where Akpata hails from.

The Presidency has refuted a report by Bloomberg claiming that Nigeria had delayed coupon payments on its savings bonds, affirming that all financial obligations are being met on schedule.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a post on his verified X handle, described the report as incorrect.

According to Onanuga, Finance Minister Wale Edun confirmed that Nigeria has sufficient liquidity to meet all its obligations and does not owe anyone at the moment.

He said Edun had affirmed that the country has enough funds to meet its financial commitments, with no outstanding payments.

According to him, Edun’s position was corroborated by Patience Oniha, Director General of the Debt Management Office (DMO).

Oniha said the Central Bank of Nigeria had processed all due payments as of September 19, with the payment due September 20 also being processed.

“Bloomberg is not correct with this report. Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, says that Nigeria does not owe anyone at the moment,” Onanuga said.

“We have enough liquidity to meet all our obligations. We do not have any outstanding payments.

“Director General of the Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha, also confirms that, as of September 19, the Central Bank of Nigeria has processed all due payments. The payment due today, September 20, is also being processed for payment.”

Specifically, Bloomberg’s report alleged that Nigerian authorities had failed to make timely coupon payments on two savings bonds, citing “system and processing issues” as the cause for the delay.

Bloomberg’s article claimed this was the second such delay in two months, involving coupon payments on two- and three-year debt sold in June, totaling ₦4.2 billion ($2.56 million).

President Bola Tinubu has declared to the National Assembly that he has no intention of exploiting his position for personal gain.

Tinubu says his administration is focused on delivering tangible results and making a positive difference in the nation’s infrastructure, food and energy security, education and long-term economic stability.

At a meeting with the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, the President emphasized that he is not in office for personal gain but to serve the country.

”I didn’t come to look for money and exploit the situation; I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me, ” the President, who was a former senator, told the meeting after a session of banters and handshakes with former parliamentary colleagues.

The meeting was attended by 16 former presiding officers, including former senate presidents, former speakers of the House of Representatives, former deputy senate presidents, and former deputy speakers of the House of Representatives.

The President acknowledged the support and encouragement from the Forum members, irrespective of party affiliations, and implored them to continue fostering unity and camaraderie to achieve national development goals.

Reflecting on the complex nature of legislative activities, constitutional reviews, and nation-building processes, the President expressed confidence that Nigeria can progress through collaboration and inclusiveness.

”Regardless of party differences of the past and difficulty of the present, you still believe in me and what we all plan for this country.

”I thank you very much; no one will do it better than us. I have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness and financial structure.

”Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?”

“We neglected our communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even to give them a good standard of living.

”We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.

”We can complain from now till eternity that the school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience,” he said.

The President outlined his administration’s focus on addressing these challenges, including improving infrastructure, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources and providing energy security.

”We have come a long way, and I promise we must do our best,” he said.

He urged the former presiding officers to continue sharing their wealth of experience in nation-building and governance, noting that they were uniquely positioned to provide “clear interpretations of where we are” to Nigerians.

Senator Nnamani, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, expressed full support for President Tinubu’s administration and its efforts to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.

He noted that the meeting was the president’s first official engagement with the group since his assumption of office. Nnamani congratulated the President.

”Mr President, history has never been the burden of one man alone, but some are called to meet a special share of its challenges.

”Though not of your creation, it has fallen onto you to end the pervasive insecurity across the nation, the economic downturn that has resulted in hunger and anger, infrastructural decay due to years of neglect and myriads of other national challenges.

”As difficult as these problems are, we believe that with your experience, you can face the difficulties and surmount them.

The Lagos State government is collaborating with the Lagos Urban Development Initiative (LUDI) and other stakeholders will observe the annual ‘Car Free Day’ in Lagos, on Sunday, September 22, 2024.

This initiative encourages road users and motorists to set aside their cars for a day and embrace active and inclusive means of transport, such as cycling and walking, known as Non-Motorised Transport (NMT).

The State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said in a statement that the primary aim of the initiative is to raise awareness about the benefits of non-motorised transport beyond reducing environmental pollution and addressing the detrimental effects of insufficient physical activity on health.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, accounting for 6% of global deaths. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours are essential steps in promoting public health, as people of all ages and abilities can benefit from a more active lifestyle.

This event also provides an opportunity for cities and governments to advance public transport systems, offering viable and reliable alternatives to private cars in urban areas. Moreover, it emphasises the importance of non-motorized transport by prioritising walking, cycling, and inclusive mobility.

The commissioner further explained that the event, involving the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation in collaboration with other Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Lagos Urban Development Initiative, aims at educating the public on the significance of environmental health and its direct impact on the well-being of the people.

Hundreds of participants are expected to gather at Ahmadu Bello Way venue for a day filled with fun and exciting activities such as cycling, cycling training, cycling competitions, skating, stretches, music, and dance.

Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, says that the humanitarian impact of the flood disasters in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States in the North East region of Nigeria would need about $200 million to address.

Addressing the special session of the ongoing 12th Annual Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) of the African Union (AU) in Midrand, South Africa, Kalu said that over one million persons were displaced in one of the State by the natural disaster with tens of thousands of families without shelter, food, water and access to healthcare.

He said that flooding is one of the negative impacts of climate change in Africa which must be checked.

Kalu who is leading the Nigerian delegation to the conference told other African leaders that the tragedy has greatly affected the economy and the infrastructures of the states and the country at large.

He therefore called on the African Union and other international organizations to assist Nigeria in solving the humanitarian crisis even as the Parliament at his instance observed one minute silence in honour of those who died in the flood disaster.

He said: “It is obvious that across the length and breadth of our continent, the losses suffered from climate change is unquantifiable but the loss of lives is the one that is hard to bear. Whether it is in Nigeria, Mali and so on, you see our brothers and sisters weeping for the dead lost through the consequences of climate change.

“Currently Nigeria is going through one of the worst times in our history. For these ones we have lost through the consequences of climate change, I will like to request humbly that as leaders of this continent that we observe one minute silence for the dead.

“This presentation highlights what we are passing through in real terms on climate change. We are experiencing the impact of climate change all across the world and Africa is not left out. Nigeria recently witnessed climate change induced flooding that affected Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. This humanitarian crisis has dealt a heavy blow on our infrastructure and our economy.

“From August to September, these torrential rainfalls and subsequent bridge of major dams caused severe flooding causing a widespread destruction in communities facing social and economic challenges.

“Mr. President, Hon. colleagues, this particular flood has displaced over one million people in one state, and tens of thousands of families without shelter, food, water, ccess to healthcare.

“One of the consequences of climate change is job losses, in addition to the agricultural losses, this has crippled local businesses within these areas. There’s also infrastructure destruction, key roads, bridges broken down. Impact on education is huge because most of the centers are being used as IDP centres to house displaced people.

“The estimated cost of the humanitarian response for this flood impact is about $200 million, needed to be able to bring the place back to shape.

“How is the AU working to ensure a coordinated response to climate change induced crisis such as the recent flooding in Nigerian states

“Mr President, are there specific interventions frameworks in place on mobilizing resources for member states facing climate related disasters like Nigeria.

“This is me calling for help, giving visibility for what is happening in Nigeria. There’s a disaster area at the moment and we need all hands, AU, international organizations to come on board and help Nigeria.”

In a related development, Kalu while reacting to a presentation on the factors militating against the achievements of goals of Africa Free Trade Agreement (AfFTA) called for the removal of various bottlenecks.

“There are challenges confronting the achievement of the goals of these particular Africa Free Trade Agreement. One of which I have observed is the overlapping regional economic council membership. If we don’t remove the bottlenecks it will impede the success of which we intend to achieve. Trade adjustment cost has been also observed as one of the bottlenecks which is the transition to a single African market that requires significant adjustments in national economies. It’s a major challenge.

“It’s a bottleneck that we need to clear. How about capacity for domestication? Members may struggle to domesticate like you’ve rightly pointed out these protocols into national laws and policies in a timely manner”, he said.