Author: Vardiafrica

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for the United States to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In a statement on Sunday, Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications, said Shettima’s trip to UNGA was at the behest of President Bola Tinubu. The 79th UNGA with the theme, ‘Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations’, will be held between September 24 and 28. “It would be recalled that President Tinubu had directed the Vice President to…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to visits by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to its state office and collation centre on Sunday. Channels Television had reported how Obaseki who stormed INEC’s collation centre unannounced around 2 AM, was walked out around 4:10 AM. Obaseki was there to protest anomalies in the collation of results of some local government areas including his Oredo. He was, however, told that his presence was not needed there. At about 3 AM, a combined team of policemen led by DIG Mba and…

Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Edo State witnessed some drama Sunday morning, after some members of the All Progressives Congress stormed the premises at about 3.30 am, demanding that state governor Godwin Obaseki should leave According to them, Obeseki had no reason to be there when results were yet to be announced. Channels Television gathered that the governor was there to make complaints on some infractions. The governor was said to have gained entrance into the premises of INEC on Aduwawa Road, Benin City under the cover of the night and headed straight upstairs, sitting close to…

The political atmosphere in Edo State became tense Sunday morning, when the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki was asked to leave the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Frank Mba. Obaseki who had stormed INEC’s collation centre unannounced around 2 AM, was walked out around 4:10 AM. Obaseki was there to protest anomalies in the collation of results of some local government areas including his Oredo. He was, however, told that his presence was not needed there. At about 3 AM, a combined team of policemen led by DIG…

Daniel Dubois, the British professional boxer, has defeated Anthony Joshua, the two-time world champion, with a fifth-round knockout to retain his IBF world heavyweight boxing title. The 27-year-old demolished his fellow Briton at a packed Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom on Saturday night. It was a nightmare outing for Joshua, 34, as Dubois floored the former heavyweight champion thrice in the first three rounds before eventually finishing him off after 59 seconds in the fifth round. Dubois inflicted a fourth professional defeat on Joshua in front of 96,000 fans — the biggest crowd ever for a boxing event at the…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded over 95% of polling unit result sheets of Saturday’s Edo State 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 4316 polling units on the portal as of 10:00 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…

Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Edo state governorship election, has won his polling unit. Ighodalo polled 200 votes at unit 11, ward 1, in Ewohimi, Esan south-east LGA, where he cast his ballot. Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), garnered 45 votes. Earlier, Olumide Akpata, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), lost his polling unit to Ighodalo. Ighodalo polled 41 votes to defeat the former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who garnered 32 votes at polling unit 11, ward 06, Oredo LGA in Benin. Ighodalo had accused police operatives of intimidating voters…

The Labour Party candidate in the Edo state governorship election, Olumide Akpata, has lost his polling unit to Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to the result announced at Polling Unit 11, Ward 06, Oredo Local Government Area,, Ighodalo polled 41 votes to defeat Akpata who polled a total of 32. Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), scored 19 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced an extension of the voting period in the ongoing Edo governorship election. In a statement on Saturday, Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s national commissioner and member of the information and voter education committee, said the process would be extended at polling units where voting did not start early. Haruna said the extension will allow voting until all eligible voters who arrived at polling units by 2:30 pm have cast their ballots. “The Commission continues to monitor the ongoing governorship election in Edo State from our situation room at the National Headquarters in Abuja,” the…

Ekperikpe Ekpo, minister of state for petroleum resources (gas), says the Nigerian and Libyan governments are in talks to develop a regional gas pipeline to strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries. In a social media post on Friday, Ekpo said he met with Khalifa AbduAlsadik, Libya’s minister of oil, on the sidelines of the 2024 Gastech exhibition and conference in Houston, USA. The minister said they discussed the possibility of “developing a regional gas pipeline from Nigeria to Libya”. “This strategic meeting aims to strengthen energy cooperation between the two nations,” the minister said. According to the post, Olalekan…