Politics

Corps Members Protest As INEC, NYSC Deploy Them For Poll In Violence-prone Anambra

Published

3 years ago

October 5, 2021

NewTimes

Corps Member Jailed For Two Months For Defrauding American Woman

Despite the increasing insecurity in the South-eastern part of the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) have insisted on the use of corps members for the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.

There have been killings of citizens and burning of property in the South-East. Offices of INEC and police stations have been attacked and burnt.

The proscribed Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) has vowed that there would be no election of any form in the state.

Yet, INEC has insisted that elections will hold and the NYSC has mandated corps members in the state to register as ad hoc members of staff to be deployed during the election.

In a circular which was seen by New Times, NYSC demanded that corps members must present their INEC online registration slip as a requirement for their monthly clearance.

The statement reads in part: “Attention pls!

“Good afternoon my dear corps members. I have just been directed to notify you all that INEC online registration is now compulsory for all corps members! No evidence of INEC registration, no clearance!

“All those that have registered and submitted their acknowledgement slips are expected to come with copies of the said slip as evidence.

“Note that the portal will close tomorrow. Rush now to register before the site closes!”

Some of the corps members we spoke to felt it was against their human rights as the deployment was a threat to their lives especially against the backdrop of the recent killings in the state including that of Chike Akunyili, the widower of the late Minister of Information, Dora Akunyili by some unknown gunmen.

One of the corps members questioned why he should involve himself when civil servants in the state were refusing to do the same.

” This is the third time they are opening the portal for us to register, no one is registering, that’s why they made it compulsory”, he said.

Another corps member who is expected to complete the one-year mandatory service by the end of the month said that she had to do the registration when her local government inspector insisted that she was not going to be cleared on Monday when she went for her monthly clearance.

Last month, NYSC reportedly gave serving corps members a security tips booklet where it was said that corps members who intended to ply some of the major roads in the country should get their parents ready to pay ransom should they be kidnapped.

Text messages sent to Rotimi Oyekanmi, the spokesman of INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and authorities of NYSC in Anambra were not replied to as at the time of filing this report.

Corps Members Protest As INEC, NYSC Deploy Them For Poll In Violence-prone Anambra

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Politics

BREAKING: Fresh Tension In Rivers As Fubara Is Locked Out Of Assembly Complex

Published

4 hours ago

March 12, 2025

NewTimes

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara

Signalling worsening relations between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state lawmakers, the former was locked out on Wednesday as he arrived at the State House of Assembly Complex .

Security personnel at the complex locked the gates when the governor’s convoy arrived at the complex.

The action of the security personnel was hinged on the position that there was no official communication between the governor and the Assembly.

However, Fubara said he communicated his coming to Speaker Martins Amaewhule through a letter and tried to call him on the phone since Tuesday.

Fubara had said he would fully implement the February 28, 2025 judgment of the apex court and directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to come up with modalities for the fresh election.

The electoral commission fixed August 9, 2025, to conduct a fresh local government poll in the state.

Also, the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, in a letter dated March 7, 2025, sought a meeting with the lawmakers for March 10, 2025, to discuss the re-presentation of the 2025 budget and a peace talk.

However, the Assembly had asked the governor to channel his invitation properly.

Politics

BREAKING: PDP Wins, Clears All 30 Councils In Osun Poll

Published

3 weeks ago

February 22, 2025

NewTimes

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday emerged the winner for the election for all the chairmanship and councillorship seats in all the 30 local government areas of Osun State.

The election was held on Saturday.

The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, announced the results at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital on Saturday evening.

Politics

Bisi Akande Drags Obasanjo Into Bola Ige’s Murder

Published

1 month ago

February 1, 2025

NewTimes

By John Michael Ojo

Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State, has alleged that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was responsible for the brutal killing of erstwhile Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.

Akande stated this while appearing on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, State Affairs, where he also claimed that a friend Oluwole Rotimi, had given a hint on the impending danger if the deceased resigned from President Obasanjo’s government.

When asked to speak on the incident, the former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said: “One evening, he (Ige) called me and said he was going to resign from this government tomorrow. It was sudden, and I said, ‘Please sir, I will come back to you.’ I called Oluwole Rotimi, and said this is what your friend told me: that he was going to resign from Obasanjo’s government tomorrow.

READ ALSO: South-West Governors, Tinubu, Akande, Akinrinade, Others To Meet Over State Of The Nation

“He asked me to advise him not to resign because if he does, he is likely going to die—he said that to me on the phone. I called Uncle (Ige) and begged him not to resign.

“He said he had talked to Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu, and both of them said he should resign. But I said, ‘Don’t. You can go to Obasanjo, tell him what you are angry about, and if he doesn’t want you anymore, here is your letter.’”

Akande who also claimed that Ige, a Second Republic Governor of Oyo State had issues bordering on trust with the then President said “Since he was resigning from his government, I think he stopped trusting him.”

However, Akande who was the governor of a neighbouring state when Ige was assassinated in Oyo State on the 23rd of December 2001, failed to provide names of those he felt were directly involved in the murder case.

“I don’t know. He was killed in Oyo State while I was ruling in Osun State. The government killed him (Bola Ige). It was a state murder.

“Lam Adesina, who was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State then, went to court, and Ladoja withdrew the case from court. He might know more and be able to tell you.