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.

 Heads of ECOWAS member states met on Saturday to finalise and approve the design of the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project preparatory to initiating the procurement process at its next meeting.

The meeting which was held in Lagos, was chaired by Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, discussed the project which is expected to cost 15 billion dollars and deepen regional economic integration.

The project is currently at its study phase, an indication that detailed research, planning, and design are still ongoing.

Highlighting the history and progress of the Lagos-Abidjan highway development project, Umahi mentioned that the project, initiated in 2013, had received significant funding support from the African Development Bank.

He noted that the current meeting aimed to finalise and approve the design of the project, as it was nearing a crucial stage where concrete steps towards implementation could be taken.

He noted that the heads of member states of ECOWAS have met to agree on the project and that various stages of development, including design, environmental impact assessment, and funding mechanisms, had been ongoing for the past 11 years.

“The design of the project, ESIA design, conceptualisation, funding mechanisms have been on in the past 11 years.

“As of today, we are going to listen to the committee of experts in terms of the design and so we believe that we will finalise and approve the design today, and then we set the goal for procurement, probably in our next meeting,’’ he said.

On his part, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Ghana, Mr Francis Boakye, emphasised the importance of infrastructure, particularly roads, in driving socio-economic development.

He highlighted how highways could facilitate trade, tourism, and economic activities, and cited the example of the United States’ economic boom as evidence of this correlation.

Boakye emphasised the significance of the Lagos-Abidjan highway project in promoting economic integration within West Africa.

He also noted that the depth of Ghana’s involvement in the project demonstrated its commitment to regional economic integration.

Dr Amede Kouakou, Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance of Cote d’Ivoire, said he, along with the other ministers involved in the Lagos-Abidjan highway development project, were committed to making accelerated progress with the project.

He specifically spoke of his intention to take deliberate steps to ensure that the project became a reality for the citizens of Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

The Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway, scheduled to begin in 2025, is part of the greater Dakar-Lagos Corridor and one of the flagship priority development programmes of ECOWAS.

The about 1068 kilometers project will cover five ECOWAS member countries , namely – Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and Nigeria, and will traverse eight border towns (four country-pair land borders) beginning from Eric Moore and ending in Abidjan.

The project is financed by the African Development Bank. 

The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has delivered his polling unit in the ongoing governorship election for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Obaseki voted at Polling Unit 19, Ward 04, in the Oredo Local Government Area in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The result at the Unit in the Oredo Local Government Area, shows that PDP garnered 127 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC), which polled 35 votes. The Labour Party (LP) came third in the polling unit with just 11 votes.

The Governor was seen casting his vote at 10:14 am at Emokpae Primary School, Oredo LGA, Benin City, Edo State.

He said after casting his vote earlier today: “You can see despite the inclement weather people have turned out in their large numbers. You can see the enthusiasm.

“It is not mid-day yet and the ballot box in my polling unit is already full. And so clearly that tells you that people are very interested because they have been mobilised. And have been very interested in this election. This is why I am not surprised.

“For now I am glad with what I see, the process in my units has been smooth. I hope the collation process will be the same. It will be peaceful and the results will be counted and there will be no destruction.

“I am glad with the extent of military presence in the state. As you know the federal security agencies have taken over the state. I am not the Chief Security Officer of the state, the Inspector General of Police, IGP is the Chief Security Officer”

On the other hand, the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Olumide Akpata has lost his polling unit.

He polled 32 votes against PDP that got 41. At polling unit PU11, Ward 06, Oredo LGA, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo, garnered 19.

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has revealed that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in massive vote-buying during the Edo State governorship election.

In its preliminary report on the election, CDD said its observers reported widespread vote-buying by agents of the two major parties, saying the political parties paid about N5000 to N10000 in exchange for votes.

Chairman, CDD’s Election Analysis Centre (EAC), Professor Adele Jinadu, Chair, CDD-EAC revealed the development on Saturday evening at a preliminary briefing of journalists in Abuja on the conduct of the governorship election.

He said the CDD-EAC deployed 70 trained and accredited observers, including countering disinformation monitors, who are collecting data on key aspects of the day’s voting and other key election processes.

Noting the extensive incidents of electoral offences carried out during the polln, the organisation said this might affect the overall integrity of the electoral process.

CDD said: “In Edo Central, incidents of vote buying were observed in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Ward 10, Polling Unit 014, Esan Central, Ward 5, Unit 4 at Eguare Primary School, and Esan North East, Ward 5, Uromi, involving both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“It was observed the APC and PDP offered between 5000 to ₦10,000 in exchange for votes. The same was observed in Esan West LGA, Ward 6 Central Primary School Iruekpen Ekpoma, PU: 004. Observers reported that this practice contributed to an increase in voter turnout as news of the financial incentives spread among the electorate. Ward 5, Polling unit 4- Awo primary school, account numbers of voters were collated after voting for a particular party.

“In Edo South, incidents of vote buying were also reported at Oredo Local Government Area, Ward 12, Ibiwe/Iwegie/Ugbague at Ibiwe I, Oba Market, where PDP and Labour Party (LP) officials were particularly identified as having tried to induce voters. Of note was the attempt by some agents to engage with voters who spoke in Hausa in an attempt to engage the Hausa community in the area.

It however said some suspected vote-buyers were apprehended in the Egor Local Government Area of the state, adding that fficials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) subsequently removed the three individuals—two males and one female—from the scene.

The organisation also noted that in 42 per cent of the locations where it deployed, INEC officials did not arrive on time, stressing that another major concern was possible overcrowding of polling units, with 65 per cent of our observers noting that the polling units they observed had between 501 – 1000 registered voters.

On election logistics, CDD expressed concern that in spite of a long existing agreement between INEC and the transport unions, there were reports of hitches, such as a driver in Ovia South-West Local Government area, who refused to move materials because he had not been paid.

“Such incidents raise concerns about transport arrangements between INEC and the transport unions. Perhaps as a result, 76 per cent of our observers noted that elections had not started as at 8:30am, with some even recording commencement times after 10am. We note that this might affect the enthusiasm of voters.

“Our observers noted that the morning rains initially disrupted the election, especially in Oredo Local Government Area. Voters were particularly affected because of the decision of the Nigeria Police that umbrellas would not be allowed at polling units for fear that they could be used as “weapons” in any violence. CDD-EAC notes that before the election several weather forecasts pointed to the likelihood of showers.

“In future, INEC should take such forecasts seriously and make adequate arrangements at polling stations for shelter for its officials and voters. We think that the location of polling units in proper shelters is now overdue.”

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).

Rwanda has launched Africa’s first mpox vaccination campaign, marking a crucial step in the continent’s fight against the disease.

As of Tuesday, 300 vaccine doses were administered to high-risk individuals in a border region near the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC), confirmed the start of the campaign, emphasizing the urgency of controlling the outbreak.

“This outbreak must be stopped quickly,” Kaseya stated, while also highlighting the importance of local vaccine production.

“We are working closely with manufacturers and partners to ensure these vaccines are produced in Africa,” he added.

The Rwandan Ministry of Health prioritized health workers, cross-border traders, hospitality staff, and other high-risk groups in the initial phase of the rollout.

The DRC, the epicenter of the mpox outbreak in Africa, reported 2,912 new cases and 14 deaths in the past week, raising its total to 6,105 cases and 738 deaths since January.

The DRC is set to begin its vaccination campaign in early October, with 165,000 doses already delivered and more pledged by European countries.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), called for global cooperation to contain the spread of mpox, stating on X (formerly Twitter), “International collaboration and support are needed to stop the virus.”

Other African countries, including Nigeria, have also received vaccine donations.

In August, the United States provided 10,000 mpox vaccine doses to Nigeria through USAID to support containment efforts.