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Group urges INEC to probe syndicate selling pre-filled election result sheets

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC says its senior officials deployed to Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria are currently investigating the reported incident of results sheets filled in some polling units before commencement of voting exercise in Saturday’s off-cycle Governorship polls. AIT IMAGES 4 2 Some polling units result sheets filled before commencement of voting in Kogi State This follows an alarm raised by an election observer group, Yiaga Africa in respect of Polling Unit 004, Eni Ward in Ogori-Mangogo Local Government Area of the State.
• INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and one of the controversial Kogi election result sheets
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The group disclosed that the illegal documents were openly traded at the recently concluded Kogi State governorship election especially in Okene, Adavi and Okehi local government areas among others.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja Thursday on the alleged arbitrariness of Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the group’s President, Chief Christopher Ukwenya also called on the Federal Government to call outgoing Governor Bello to order on the political upheavals that the governor has lately created in the state.

“We call upon the INEC chairman to investigate and expose the new innovation in INEC Headquarters where candidates or their proxies can freely purchase original election result sheets through national commissioners for use on election day.

“If this is not done and very urgently too, Nigerians may lose more confidence in INEC whose image is already battered at the moment. “INEC Headquarters should distance itself from the distribution of pre-filled election results by investigating electoral officers and other INEC staff engaged in the evil practice. For example, BVAS machines were bypassed in Okene, Adavi and Okehi local government areas during the November 11, 2023 gubernatorial election in Kogi State.”

Chief Ukwenya said the Nov. 2023 governorship election was flawed and left much to be desired as the outgoing governor used the polls to sow seeds of discord between the people of Igala, Okun and Egbira who have lived together for a long time.

He described Governor Bello as a “disaster on Constitutional Democracy,” claiming that the governor allegedly portrayed “chauvinistic tendencies and ethnic bigotry,” in the handling of state affairs.

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The forum called on President Bola Tinubu, relevant government agencies, Nigerians and the entire world to pay close attention to the ugly political developments in Kogi State with a view to curtailing the excesses of Gov. Bello in the state.”

The Advocate reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had said that its senior officials deployed to Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria investigated the reported incident of results sheets filled in some polling units before commencement of voting exercise in the off-cycle Governorship polls in Kogi state.

INEC’s promise to investigate the electoral fraud  followed the alarm raised by an election observer group, Yiaga Africa in respect of Polling Unit 004, Eni Ward in Ogori-Mangogo Local Government Area of the State, where pre-filled governorship election result sheets emerged at some polling units shortly before the November 11, 2023 governorship election.

But the INEC officials and returning officers drawn from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, in Enugu State, went ahead to accept the contention result sheets which they relied upon to award victory to the All Progressive Congress, APC candidate.

The electoral fraud is currently being contested by the Social Democratic Party, SDP and its governorship candidate, Alhaji Murtala Ajaka at the State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting at Abuja.

AIT IMAGES 4 2
• Some polling units result sheets filled before commencement of voting in Kogi State

 

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Enugu Lawyer rejects paternity claim after DNA Test results

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A legal practitioner, Barrister Chinedu Ifeanyi Iloeje, has publicly declared that a man previously believed to be his son is not biologically related to him, following the outcome of a DNA test.

In a public notice published in a newspaper, Iloeje stated that he was allegedly misled by the man’s mother into believing that the individual, identified as Chinedu Francis Iloeje, was his biological son.

According to the notice, DNA testing conducted on the matter established “beyond any doubt” that the man is not his son.

The lawyer further clarified that he never legally adopted the individual, despite the latter bearing the name Chinedu Francis Iloeje.

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Barrister Iloeje explained that the man’s original name is Chinedu Francis Onwualu and stressed that he has no legal or biological relationship with him.

The notice also informed members of the public, the Greater Iloeje Family, the Umuodu Village Union, Uwani Amokwe Town Union, St. Theresa’s Catholic Church Amokwe, Udi Local Government Council, and other stakeholders of his declaration.

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He stated that the disclaimer was made in good faith and while of sound mind, urging the public to take note of the clarification.

The publication has sparked discussions on paternity disputes and the increasing reliance on DNA testing to resolve questions of biological parentage.

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Obi donates N10 million to burnt hospital in Enugu

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Mr Peter Obi presenting a cheque of 10 Million Naira to assist in the renovation of the burnt Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital, Enugu State.
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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the forthcoming 2027 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has donated N10 million to assist in the renovation of the burnt Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital, Enugu State.

The former Anambra State governor handed over the cheque for the donation to the hospital management team when he visited the hospital yesterday.

The hospital belongs to the Reverend Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of the Catholic Church.

Mr Peter Obi inspecting the burnt hospital

Addressing the hospital management team after inspecting parts of the burnt hospital, the NDC presidential candidate commended them for their efforts in contributing to healthcare delivery services.

Telling them that even though they might feel that they were not being appreciated for what they were doing, Obi, however, described healthcare delivery services and education as among the “most critical needs of society” and urged them not to relent in what they were doing.

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Accompanied during the visit by his Chief of Staff, Commissioner for Housing, as well as Special Adviser on Media when he was Anambra State governor, Prof. Stella Okunna, Prof. Patrick Obi, and Dr. Valentine Obienyem respectively, Obi assured the hospital management team that he would continue to support them.

Part of the hospital gutted by the inferno and inspected by Obi was the Children’s Ward.

Expressing gratitude on behalf of the hospital management, the Chief Medical Director of Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor, Anambra State, Rev. Sister Dr. Maria Nkiruka Okafor, eulogised Obi for his sacrifices and selfless contributions to humanity.

Disclosing that Obi had already credited the hospital’s accountant with the N10 million donation and that he was even the person who called her to inform her that he had received the sad news of the inferno and promised to donate towards the renovation, Rev. Sister Okafor described him as a rare politician.

She prayed that God would grant him his ambition to become President of the country and enable him to achieve his desire to transform it.

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FG, Enugu State target direct China-Enugu Cargo flights by December – Keyamo

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Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo
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The Federal Government and Enugu State Government are in talks to ensure the commencement of direct cargo flight operations between Enugu and Guangzhou, China, before the end of the year.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in Lagos during the launch of the United Air’s newly acquired airplanes on Thursday.

The Minister added said the FG had affected a structural management overhaul at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, also bringing the airport under a privately run operational framework.

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“One of our prides in the South is the Enugu International Airport. The Enugu governor approached Mr. President, noting that the airport was not maximising its economic potential under standard bureaucratic structures, and requested to bring in private investors to run it. Mr. President gave the green light.

“As I speak with you, Enugu is now fully privately owned and fully supported by state government, with the clear objective of also turning it into a dedicated cargo hub for the entire Southeast.”

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To this effect, therefore, Keyamo said that a high-level bilateral trade negotiations were ongoing with a view to securing direct logistics flights between China and the Southeast by the end of 2026.

“Just two days ago, the Enugu governor and I were actively negotiating the first direct cargo flight from Guangzhou, China, straight into Enugu.

“We are targeting December for the maiden flight. This will allow our Southeast merchants and traders in China to consolidate their goods into unified cargo accounts twice a week, flying straight into Enugu for seamless delivery to hubs like Onitsha and Aba,” he concluded.

It is recalled that Governor Mbah had in July 2025 launched Enugu Air, a state-owned airline, as part of the administration’s integrated blueprint for a modern, multimodal transport ecosystem and the vision to make Enugu a major aviation and logistics hub.

Since then, Enugu Air has grown its fleet from three at inception to six planes with plans to further increase it as it prepares to commence operations to regional destinations like Accra, Libreville, Abidjan in next few months and long haul flight operations to various destinations around the world by the end of the year.

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