Author: straightnewsng.com

President Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress, APC, has been re-elected as Nigeria’s president for another four-year term after facing down stiff competition from his closest challenger Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Buhari was declared the winner of the election in Wednesday morning, more than three days after voting closed in most of the polling centres. Abubakar, a former ally of President Buhari, led a motley pack of challengers, most of whom posed no serious obstacle to Buhari’s re-election. In the final tally announced by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Buhari, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, polled 15,191,847…

After days of tension and uncertainty, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced result of Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) senatorial district. Announcing the result on Tuesday at the commission’s office along Udo Udoma Avenue Uyo, Professor Peter Iko Ogban, the returning officer for last Saturday’s election in the area, declared the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Engr. Christopher Ekpenyong, winner. Ogban said Ekpenyong, a former deputy governor, polled118,215 votes to beat the incumbent, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress who scored 83,158 votes. Professor Ogban said total registered votes for Akwa Ibom Northwest senatorial district…

Despite challenges of violence, delays and malfunctioning of Smart Card Readers in some parts of the country, the Election Observation Mission of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, in its interim report, said that Saturday’s National Assembly and Presidential elections were generally peaceful and transparent. Head of the ECOWAS Observer Mission, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, said this on Sunday night while making a preliminary declaration on the election, pending the collation and declaration of final results by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The Mission observed that although the media played major role in informing the people it, however, reported…

As a Federal Capital Territory High Court begins trial of former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke, over economic and financial crimes bordering on conspiracy and acceptance of bribe, the agency has written the Attorney-General of the Federation to begin the process of repatriating her to face prosecution. Diezani has been residing in the United Kingdom since leaving office in 2015 and has remained quiet, despite mounting allegations of graft against her. But the EFCC has dragged her before Justice Valentine Ashi of the FCT High Court, asking the court to try her for the offences of conspiracy and illegal act…

The Federal Government has warned against ongoing plans by what it described as desperate opposition to truncate the electoral process and render the February 23 elections inconclusive, in order to trigger a constitutional crisis and push for an interim government. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued the warning in a statement issued in Oro, Kwara State, Monday. He said the PDP has started laying the groundwork for a constitutional crisis by unleashing its talking heads, including Buba Galadima, Osita Chidoka and Femi Fani-Kayode, on the public space to claim victory from Saturday’s election, even when INEC…

Anxiety continues to mount among contenders and members of the two major political parties in the country as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) since Monday has been rolling out results of last Saturday’s presidential/National Assembly elections. So far, INEC has on Monday started to release results of the presidential election in 12 states as well as Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In the results, President Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress, APC, is leading in Bauchi, Ekiti, Katsina, Kano, Osun, Gombe, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, Jigawa and Yobe States while Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won …

The acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, Monday, ordered the arrest of political thugs who attacked some police officers in Bayelsa State. Adamu, who decried the attack on a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Brass, Bayelsa State, said the party thugs must not only be immediately arrested but also face comprehensive investigation and diligent prosecution no matter their positions in society. Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mba, in a statement, said: “The IGP, who described the incident as unwarranted and unprovoked, warns that under his watch, such brazen acts of impunity will not be condoned. “In a related…

United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, has urged all the candidates who participated in last Saturday’s presidential election to honour the Abuja Peace Accord signed before the polls. Apparently responding to calls by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to declare its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, winner of the election, Symington said no one should claim victory before final announcement of results. He also commended Nigerians for turning out in millions to vote, despite incidents of violence in some places. The US envoy, who said this in a statement Monday, condoled with the…

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called for an independent inquiry into what it described as poor management of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The Situation Room, which is a coalition of over 70 CSOs working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria, described last Saturday’s election as a step back from the 2015 general election. The Situation Room in a statement signed by the Executive Director, Policy & Legal Advocacy Center, PLAC, called for actions to be taken to identify what went wrong and what could be corrected.…

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the landslide victory of the All Progressives Congress, APC, elections in Kwara State last weekend as the fall of Berlin wall of the state politics. Mohammed attributed the victory to Almighty God and the good people of Kwara State who he said truly wanted freedom from the political ruler ship of Saraki dynasty and ensured that it happened. The minister spoke Monday in Ilorin at a briefing attended by all the newly elected members of National Assembly, party leaders, supporters and sympathizers to celebrate the party’s victory. He, however,…