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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) has removed and withdrawn the certificate of return of a new lawmaker representing Okitipupa Constituency-2 at the Ondo state House of Assembly, Hon Sina Akinwunmi.

The certificate of return has however been issued to the authentic winner of the APC assembly primary election, Hon James Ololade-Gbegudu as the lawmaker representing the constituency in line with the judgement of an Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure which on May 15, 2019 declared Gbegudu as the winner of the party’s primary conducted on October 5, last year.

Presenting the certificate of return to Gbegudu at the Commission’s headquarters, Alagbaka- Akure on mknday, the INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmod said a letter had been issued to Akinwumi to vacate the seat with immediate effect while his a certificate of return earlier issued to him had since been withdrawn.

Professor Mahmod represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo state, Dr Akeju disclosed that the Speaker and the Clerk of the state House of Assembly had been ordered through a letter to comply with the judgement and swear-in Gbegudu as a member of the Assembly.

Commenting on the development, Gbegudu expressed delight that truth had prevailed after several months of injustice to his ambition to represent his people at Okitipupa Constituency-2 and promised to serve his constituents diligently.

Ololade-Gbegudu had approached the court through his counsel, Mr Femi Emodamori, to seek an order to compel the party and INEC to recognize him as the authentic APC candidate for the constituency and not the lawmaker-elect, Mr Sina Akinwunmi, having won the party’s primary conducted on October 5, last year.

Delivering the judgement that lasted more than two hours on May 15, 2019, Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe held that from all evidence laid before the court by officials of the APC, documentary evidence including the primary election result sheet adduced by Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Femi Emodamori, showed that Ololade-Gbegudu actually won the APC assembly ticket.

The Court also dismissed objection of the defendants that Gbegudu’s case was filed out of time and status barred, noting that the suit was brought on December 22nd, 2018 and was still within 14days allowed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The Court agreed with Gbegudu’s lead Counsel, Femi Emodamore, that “the Claimant (Gbegudu) further avers that the total number of accredited voters at the said direct primary election as recorded by the representatives of the 1st Defendant (APC) were 7,000 while the total valid votes were 6,500, out of which he (Gbegudu) scored 4,000 votes to emerge winner of the primary; the 4th Defendant (Akinwunmi) scored zero (0) as attested to by the APC Ondo State Legislative Primaries Election Committee and the original Summary Result Sheet for State House of Assembly duly signed by Abuh Andrew Abuh and Ahmed Musa Momoh as the Chairman and Secretary of the committee.”

….Amaechi, Other Appointed SA

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As part of the efforts being made to reposition his cabinet  for optimum  performance aimed at ensuring that the administration delivers on its mandate to the people, the Governor  of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has rejigged his cabinet.
The Governor made the announcement at the end of the State Executive Council meeting,  held on Monday, inside the Exco Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Akure.
Three commissioners were relieved of their duties.
They are:
1. Prince Solagbade Amodeni of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
2. It. Hon. Taofiq Abdusalam of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructures.
3. Alhaji Ismaila Olurimisi of the Ministry of Culture.

The Governor thanks the three of them for service to the good people of Ondo State and wish them well in their future endeavours.
They are directed to handover all the government’ property in their possession to the Permanent Secretaries of their respective ministries.
The Governor has therefore nominated the following for the position of commissioners:
1. Mrs Yetunde Adeyanju
2. Mrs Titilayo Adeyemi
3. Mr Temitayo Oluwatuyi
4. Hon. Fatai Olotu
5. Akindotun Olubunmi Owanikin Esq

The names of the nominees will be forwarded to the state House of Assembly for confirmation.

Similarly, Governor Akeredolu has appointed two new Special Advisers.  They are:
1. Hon Babatunde Kolawole 2. Hon Oyebo Aladetan

Governor Akeredolu wishes the new appointees well in their new offices.
He vows that the people will continue to be at the centre of the policies of his administration, while he continues to deliver the dividends of good governance to the people  of the state.

Segun Ajiboye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

Our attention has been drawn to a recent media chat aired on Ondo State Radio-Vision Corporation on Sunday 9th June, 2019 wherein the ‘Indian Hemp’ consuming governor of Ondo State once again laboriously employed innuendoes, lies and outright blackmail to  further hoodwink the people and cover up his satanic policy of incremental fees in all tertiary institutions in the state and outright cancellation of free basic education policy in existence prior to his administration.

Recall that in the said media chat, the governor amongst many other lies claimed that students in Ondo State agreed to the incremental fees. No truth could be farther than this. At no time did the students, their various unions or student leaders and stakeholders agreed to this anti education policy.

Is it not laughable that the governor questioned the solidarity given to the oppressed students by her umbrella body-NANS? If NANS don’t intervene in issues affecting students, who will?

The governor’s assertion that our President, Comr. Danielson Bamidele Akpan who led other executive members to the state for the intervention are not schooling in the state further put to question his claims of participating in students movement in his school days. Even market women knows that NANS is the mother body of all students association and has no limitations.

As a former President of Nigeria Bar Association, Akeredolu ought to know that organizations, especially a pro student mass movement like ours derives her support from students and parents whose economy his government has ruined without adding value to their source of income as a people.

READ: Akeredolu’s Love For Blood: It’s A Full Blown Tyranny by Wándé T. Àjàyí

We wish to place on record that what the governor did was to cleverly, though by half, deceive Ondo students into accepting school fees increment for only one academic session pledging a reversal and also conversion of some of the institutions into a degree awarding schools.
None of the agreements were kept by Mr. Akeredolu.

We are shocked by the disparaging comments passed on the NANS leadership by promoter-general of Indian hemp comsumption- Mr Akeredolu. Now we understand why he constantly hallucinates(excessive intake of cannabis and palm wine).

However, we wish to aver that owing to his deficient administrative acumen, he lacked the gumption, temperament and intellect to understand that Ondo students are united in their onerous mission of seeking the reversal of all unjustified policy somersault exhibited in the education sector by the Aketi government. We shall in no small proportion lead against his government a massive protest to his office.

A true comrade, as vaingloriously claimed by Akeredolu would have hearken to the voice of reasoning and the pleas by both parents and students of Ondo state against his government’s misadvised school fee increment and outright abolition of free education at both primary and secondary level.
Resorting therefore, to dividing the students to sustain this  wickedness is enough a reason to justify that Akeredolu had at no time in his university days participated in any popular struggle. Our findings revealed that he was a core reactionary who misinformed OAU Ile-Ife authorities to decimate student’s strength in agitating for their fundamental rights.

Let Akeredolu and his acolytes know that our stand and demands remains the same.

I. Reversal of all increment.

II. Retention of the Free Education Policy being implemented since 1999 until his assumption of office.

III. Upgrading of the School of Nursing to a degree awarding institution or outright merging with the University of Medical Sciences (established by Mr Akeredolu’s predecessor).

Similarly, we condemn Governor Akeredolu’s use of force on peaceful protesters. He should employ dialogue during interface. Confronting citizens with brute and force should not be elevated in Ondo State. The state cannot be a terror on her citizens. We condemn in clear terms violence unleashed on protesters against the government. People must be meaningfully engaged and access any serious government with people oriented policies.
Henceforth, we shall resist the use of brute in confronting peaceful protesters. We sympathize with Ondo citizens who are victims of government oppression especially those members of Ilaje Advancement Forum who were brutalized today for challenging the diversion of the OSOPADEC fund allegedly diverted by the Governor. We urge Ondo citizens to redirect Governor Akeredolu to the path of development. Ondo does not deserve what happening in their governance in their entire history.

This time too shall pass!

Finally, we’ve commissioned our lawyers to institute a case against Akeredolu on those malicious and libelous expressions against us during his media chat.

Signed:

Comr. Adeyemi Azeez
NANS P.R.O

If you refuse to speak out when great evil is being perpetrated, one day, it will knock on your doors and no one will be left there to help you.

Since Governor Rotimi Akeredolu SAN became governor of Ondo State, he’s found a new hobby in ordering policemen, who have provided themselves as willing tools, to shoot at any group of persons who are dissatisfied with his style of governance and took the bull by the horn to protest.

The list is growing and Akeredolu is becoming a tyrant who enjoys watching his people run in fear of being shot. He’s turning this into a sort of a sport.

The first reported case was that of April 2018 protest by students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko over the callous increment of over 300% in their tuition fees. The protest, largely peaceful, became a reminisce of the military days of clampdown of dissenting voices with policemen shooting live bullets into the crowd of students. Like a war zone, everything became “scatter-scatter”. A 400 level student was shot in the leg, just below his knee. Save for his brave colleagues, he would have died. Many more incurred various degree of injuries and valuable items lost. A peaceful walk to express disappointment became a war.

Since then, the list of tyrannical disperse of peaceful protests has grown into tens with the latest ones being a resurgent higher institutions protest against unholy increments of their tuition fees and that of today, OSOPADEC Students protesting against the obvious misdeed in the commission since the advent of this regime.

As much as I am gutted that someone who has spent a large part of his life studying the laws of this country is the brain behind this callous and wicked orders is worrisome and preposterous. The thought of a senior advocate comfortably ordering policemen to shoot into a crowd of protesting harmless students and youths is the height of the decay in our morals and values as a society.

Dissenting voices and protests is one of the ethos of democratic rule. If all governors aim to gag dissenting voices as Governor Akeredolu is doing, then we would not have democracy. Had it not been for the feebleness of our minds, Akeredolu, who cut his political teeth with the military while others were going everything humanly possible to get the country back to democracy is saddled with the responsibility of governing a state under a civil rule. It’s obvious he still believe in the military style of governance of see no evil, say no evil. Pathetic.

The witless shooting of OSOPADEC students and youths under the aegis of Ilaje Advancement Forum is an invite to anarchy. We all know how volatile the Niger Delta axis of this country is. Every leader should be wise enough to manage these situations before it snowball into a struggle that will be blown out of hand. Why is the governor not ready to entertain talks from Ilaje and Ese Odo on the continued abuse of power and authority by the sitting OSOPADEC Chairman despite the magnitude of petitions written against the man. Could it be true the Governor and his family are benefiting from the misdeeds and thereby aim to quench everything that can turn attention to it? One thing I know is that one day, Akeredolu will exit the Alagbaka Government House as the landlord and someone else will take over, what will be said of him afterwards will be left in the hands of posterity.

Wándé T. Àjàyí is a freelance writer. 

Vehicular movement on the Ife-Ibadan Expressway was noticeably light on Friday and Saturday, a development attributed to the incessant attacks by armed bandits on commuters and motorists on the highway.

Going from Osogbo to Ikire on Friday, our correspondent observed fewer vehicles on the ever-busy road which connects the South-West region to other parts of the country.

From Gbongan Junction to the boundary of Osun and Oyo states, there were four police checkpoints manned by heavily armed riot police.

Before last Wednesday’s attack, which claimed the life of an employee of the Atakumosa West Local Government Area, Adenipekun Samson, who was shot in the neck by some gunmen suspected to be Fulani bandits, there had been an increase in the cases of kidnapping and armed robbery on the road.

The deceased, who was confirmed dead in a hospital as a result of the gunshot, was said to be travelling in an unregistered Toyota Corolla car driven by one Ismaila Olayiwola, going towards Ibadan, Oyo State, when the incident happened.

Two commercial drivers, who spoke to our correspondent on the issue at Naira and Kobo Junction, Ikire, attributed the light vehicular movement on the road to the frequent robbery attacks.

One of the drivers, identified simply as Adenekan, said the reduction in the volume of traffic was as a result of the increase in the attack on travellers by bandits.

He said, “The number of vehicles coming from Osogbo and Ife towards Ibadan has reduced. The attacks by bandits cause this. We can only hope that the perpetrators will be arrested to restore people’s confidence. Despite today being weekend, people are not travelling through this route. People are afraid to use this road.”

A passenger waiting for vehicle going to Ibadan in the Ogo Oluwa area of Osogbo, Kunle Adeoye, appealed that the bad portions of the road should be immediately repaired to ensure free flow of traffic.

He said some of the bandits could take advantage of the bad portions of the road before Wasinmi town to launch attack on commuters.

Copyright PUNCH.

The Ondo State Youth Network is the apex and most prolific youth group of Ondo State extraction who are established businessmen, student leaders and professionals in their chosen field of career. The membership base of the body is spread across the 18 Local Government Areas and the three senatorial districts of the State whose major vision is to ensure a prosperous Ondo State with the youths as active players in the progressive project.

In strict compliance with the above stated vision, the leadership of the body, on behalf its members, wish to take the following positions in commiseration of this unprecedented official Democracy Day:

1. SECURITY

The body has observed with utmost distaste, the unholy alliance among our traditional rulers, political leaders and the herders community in the State which has given some of these herdsmen a free hand to predominantly carry out their evil act (the kidnapping business).

While we respect and encourage the peace and unity stance of the Nigeria constitution, we won’t wave aside the dangerous rise in the insecurity of the state caused by the activities of kidnappers and “palace invaders” who are predominantly Fulani herdsmen.

In our belief that curbing this menace should be a joint role of political leaders, traditional rulers, Youth and interest groups, and all security quarters, we are forced to swallow the bitter reality of joint efforts of the political class, traditional institutions and security operatives to frustrate our struggle to ensure a secured Ondo State . This is evident in the role of the security operatives in the cancellation of a peaceful rally to call the attention of our government to the state of insecurity in our communities by several Yoruba groups.

On this note, we call on the government of Ondo State to wake up to its major constitutional duty of ensuring the safety of security of lives and properties of the citizens by organizing a robust all encompassing security summit in the State where stakeholders will progressively agree on a way forward to the issue of insecurity daring us in the face.

In the same vein, the State government should be brave enough to see the advantages in supporting the introduction of state police in the country which is well above its solvable disadvantages.

2.  EDUCATION SECTOR

It is crucial that the people who will take over the leadership of the State in the future are not priced out of obtaining education, at all levels. On this, we will appreciate the State Governor on his efforts in ensuring an infrastructural upgrades in our primary schools across the state and ensuring the free shuttle initiative of the past administration is not thrown in the bin. However, we would love to join our voice with those of other stakeholders in the state to plead with Mr. Governor to prevail on the management of Adekunle Ajasin University and Ondo State University of Science and Technology to ensure a reasonable reduction in the fees payable in these institutions.

We have observed with keen interest the parochial tendencies of the management on this issue of tuition fees. We therefore urge the state Governor to make sure the tuition fees is reviewed in these institutions to ensure that our brothers and sisters on these campuses are not forced out of school. Education should must be affordable and all inclusive.

We also urge the state government to increase the percentage budgeted for education and also see to it that the budget is fully implemented.

3. YOUTHS INCLUSION IN GOVERNANCE

It will not be out of place if we posit that the apparent dominance of the Ogun/Lagos State axis in the south western region of the country in recent years is one of the produce harvested from our reluctance to expose the youths to governance.

In the last 8 years, we have always gotten second class ministerial positions and all of these ministers are always beyond 60 years of age. In the last 8 years, the average age of our senators hasn’t gone below the 60 years average.

Recently, while other states are celebrating the emergence of young House of assembly speakers, we have successfully reinstated obsolescence and mediocrity in our dilapidated house of assembly complex. However, we wish Mr. Rt. Hon. Speaker a productive and successful tenure.

The Lagos and Ogun states have always had their way in snatching anything zoned to the south western region because they have in abundance, young and experienced hands at their disposal, a path our neighbors in Ekiti are now taking- building the youths.

We therefore plead with the state government to open rooms for another qualified youths to gain political and administrative experience in a bid to solve the political marginalization headache.

4. THE ECONOMY.

The road revolution of the state government has shown that the Governor is strictly adhering with its administrative road maps. Construction of roads help link markets and consequently ensure the economic prosperity of the state. This is evident in the unprecedented huge increase in the IGR of the state recently.

Furthermore, the efforts of the state government to ensure youths are integrated into the entrepreneurship and Agriculture scheme. However, we won’t hesitate to demand for transparency in the employment and empowerment processes as most of these processes are obviously restricted to the wards of the political and influential class, ignoring capability and readiness hence the failure of most of these processes. One of the beautiful ideas killed by this evil policy of restriction is the “Youths on the ridges” program.

We therefore urge the state government to ensure these programs are thrown open and made accessible.

Senator Ahmed Lawan has won the election of the Senate President of the 9th Senate after polling 79 votes ahead of Senator Ali Ndume 28 votes.

More details later

There is currently an uproar at the Senate following a decision to adopt the secret ballot system for the election of presiding officers.

The uproar started after the Clerk of the Senate, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, announced that the Senate will use the 2015 standing order.

The 2015 order favours secret ballot.

However, an Abuja High Court on Monday issued a judgement that the election should be by open ballot in tandem with provisions of the 2011 standing order.

The uproar lasted for close to 10 minutes with senators supporting either the open or secret ballot system.