Today's National Newspaper Headlines/News - 13/4/2014

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The news is all ready and its all politics!!

*APC WINS IN 13 STATES, PDP VICTORIOUS IN FOUR

Winners of Saturday’s governorship election began to emerge on Sunday afternoon with the All Progressives Congress topping the Peoples Democratic Party in the results so far released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

There were however still pockets of protests and killings in a few states even as the results were being announced and collation taking place in many other states.

The first to be officially announced victorious was Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who defeated PDP’s Ganiyu Isiaka. Amosun of the APC is therefore set for a second term in office.

The Gboyega Nasir Isiaka Campaign Organisation rejected the result of the governorship poll, saying it was “unfortunate and a travesty staged to help the APC achieve victory.”

It claimed that the outcome of the election   was clearly not a true reflection of Ogun people’s wish and said that the result would be challenged as appropriate.

In the neigbouring Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, also of the APC became the first governor of the state to clinch a second term in office.

He defeated former governors, Rashidi Ladoja of the Accord Party and Adebayo Alao-Akala of Labour Party in the race.

While the governor polled 327,310 votes; Ladoja had 254,520 and Alao-Akala ,   184,111.

APC’s candidate in Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, polled 811,994 votes to defeat PDP’s   Jimi Agbaje,who scored 659,788 votes.

Agbaje accepted defeat and congratulated Ambode but the state PDP rejected the result, citing   ‘controversial’ circumstances within which the elections were conducted in the state as reasons.

The media aide of the governor-elect, Idowu Ajanaku, told one of our correspondents   on the telephone that Agbaje called to congratulate Ambode at 6.50pm on Sunday.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); a former Speaker of the House, Aminu Masari (Katsina); and erstwhile Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir el-Rufai(Kaduna) also emerged victorious.

El-Rufai floored Governor Mukhtar Yero of the PDP.

The other APC governorship election winners are Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Ibrahim Geidam(Yobe) and Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa).

Bindow handed Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission a shocking defeat.

Ribadu conceded defeat     when     results from   most of the LGAs showed that he was trailing behind in results from the LGAs.

Ganduje, who is the current deputy governor of Kano State polled 1,546,434 votes. His PDP rival, Salihu Tokai had 509,726 votes.

The governorship candidate of the APC in Benue State, Samuel Ortom, raced to victory by polling 387,753 votes as against PDP’s   Terhemen Tarzoor, who scored 296,189 votes.

Geidam   polled   334, 847 votes to defeat   Adamu Waziri of the PDP,who had 179, 700 votes.

PDP’s candidates Udom Emmanuel,   Ibrahim Dankwambo,   Dave Umahi, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi   triumphed in   Akwa Ibom,   Gombe, Ebonyi and Enugu states respectively.

Umahi   garnered 289, 867 votes as against Labour Party’s Edward Nkwegu,who came second with 124, 817 votes.

Ugwuanyi   polled 482,227 votes to defeat Okey Ezea of the APC, who got 43,839 votes.

Results from 16 out of 18 LGAs in Cross River State   showed that the PDP candidate, Ben Ayade, was leading clearly.

From the results announced as of 11pm on Sunday, Ayade secured 283, 549 votes, while the APC candidate,   Odey Ochicha and his Labour Party counterpart, Fidelis Ugbo, polled 52, 562 and 35, 848 respectively.

Imo State Governor and APC candidate, Rochas Okorocha, was   clearly winning in 20 out of 27 LGAs in the state as of 8pm on Sunday .His PDP counterpart and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, was trailing behind.

INEC later declared the announcement of the results inconclusive.

The results of the election in Abia ended in a deadlock midway following the reversal of the cancellation of three council   results by the Returning Officer, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba.

Ozumba had announced the cancellation of results from Osisioma, Obingwa and Isialangwa North Local Government Areas on the grounds of “incontrovertible evidence of violence’’ and reports from international observers.

The returning officer reversed the decision after Governor Theodore Orji-led chieftains of the PDP consulted with the Resident Electoral Officer, Prof. Selina Oko and Ozumba.

The governor was in company with   the Minister of State for Defence, Col. Austin Akobundu(retd); the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and Chief Onyema Ugochukwu .

Ozumba said the cancellation was reversed due to fresh information concerning the conduct of the election in the three councils.

He said that polling centres with issues would be isolated and decisions taken on them later.

The pronouncement heightened tension at the centre, leading to the adjournment of further announcement of results.

The controversial result from Osisioma, which had earlier been announced, showed that PDP scored 42,442 while APGA polled 1, 017.

The PDP lost its grip also on Plateau State as its candidate, GNS Pwajok was defeated by APC’s Simon Lalong.

As of last night Lalong scored 537,050 votes while Pwajok had 501,938 votes.

Results from 16 out of 18 LGAs in Cross River State   showed that the PDP candidate, Ben Ayade, was leading comfortably.

From the results announced by INEC, on Sunday, Ayade secured 283, 549 votes, while the APC candidate,   Odey Ochicha and his Labour Party counterpart, Fidelis Ugbo, polled 52, 562 and 35, 848 respectively.

In Gombe State, Governor Ibrahim Geidam of the PDP had an easy ride as he coasted to victory by beating his APC counterpart, Inuwa Yahaya. He scored 285,369 votes while Yahaya had 205, 132 votes.

Also in Delta State, INEC adjourned further action on the results till 7am on Monday. Before then, PDP’s Ifeanyi Okowa was leading in 20 out of the 24 LGAs in the state.

There were earlier reports on Sunday that the APC had made history by producing the first elected female governor in Nigeria in the person of Jummai Aisha Alhassan of Taraba State. But as 12 midnight her reported victory had yet to be confirmed.

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS, APC,  AND OTHERS DEMANDS CANCELLATION OF RIVER'S POLLS, WOLE SOYINKA CONDEMNS IT...

THE All Progressives Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance and the Social Democratic Party, have demanded the cancellation of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.

The parties in a joint press briefing also asked that fresh elections be conducted on a new date, maintaining that the polls were marred by violence and intimidation of voters.

The governorship candidate of APGA, Mr. Charles Harry, explained that with the killing of five members of the APC during the elections, the exercise failed to meet the minimum standard anywhere in the world.

Similarly, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described as atrocious the violence that characterised the presidential and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.

There were reports of violence ranging from setting the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission on fire, to the beheading of an unidentified civilian.

Soyinka, who rated democratic experience in Nigeria below 40 per cent, blamed the Rivers violence on political leaders and the military.

Meanwhile, a group of independent election observers has described the exercise as bloody and characterised by several irregularities.

The observers, who spoke under the auspices of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategies and Development, explained that the conduct of the polls in Rivers State was below international standard of electioneering.

There were reported events of deliberate delays and diversion of electoral materials, attacks on electoral officers, widespread arson, snatching of electoral materials, killings, voter intimidation with active connivance with security agencies.

“In many areas of the state, people who had no business at the polling units hijacked the process, chased away voters, took possession of materials and engaged in mindboggling irregularities presided over by some politicians.”

*Tambuwal , Masari, el-Rufai win

*Go to tribunal, INEC tells aggrieved politicians

*APC candidate, Bello, wins Niger gov poll

*Imo gov poll inconclusive

*Drama as INEC reverses result cancellation in Abia

*Ugwuanyi wins in Enugu, APC asks INEC to cancel poll

*Okorocha leads in 19 LGAs in Imo

*APC’s Lalong clinches Plateau gov seat

*Tambuwal , Masari, el-Rufai win

*Senate President: N’East APC backs Lawan, Goje’s ambition

*B’Haram, an embarrassment to Nigeria –Buhari

*PDP recovers in Ondo, wins 19 assembly seats

*Kwara youths protest election results, invade Oba’s palace

*One killed as youths protest result in Lagos

*Police arrest hoodlums for electoral offences in Lagos

*Gang of six robs shops in Calabar on election eve

*Lagos: Ambode defeats Agbaje, PDP rejects results

*Amosun wins Ogun gov poll, Isiaka kicks

*Naval men kill one in Ondo, recover ballot boxes

*Thugs hold INEC officials hostage, demand result sheets

THIS DAY

*Ambode, el-Rufai, Dankwambo, Udom, Ugwuanyi Win Guber Polls

*Transition C’ttee: Buhari Insists on Credible Persons as Bakare Heads Screening

*INEC to Investigate 66 Incidents of Violence in Rivers, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Others

*Luxury Surcharge: Private Jet Owners to Pay N3,200 per Kilo for Aircraft

*Abuja Residents Make Case for Kwankwaso as FCT Minister

*Oba Akiolu Organises Prayer for Peaceful Co-existence in Lagos

*EU to Support Nigeria’s Democracy, Electoral Process, Says Envoy

*Navy Foils Pirate Attack on Oil Vessel in Lagos

*Aregbesola: Guard Your Democracy Jealously for Nigeria’s Development

*Tekena Tamuno, Ex-UI VC, Dies at 83

*PDP Wins 25 Assembly Seats in Ekiti as INEC Orders Fresh Elections in Ilejemeje

*Ambode Promises to Reciprocate Confidence Reposed in Him by Electorate

*Fashola Thanks Lagosians for Keeping Faith with Model of Widespread Development

*George Blames Low Voters Turnout on Oba Akiolu’s Threat

*Elections: Mbu Sues for Peace, Pledges to Suppress Any Uprising

*Enugu APC Demands Cancellation of Governorship, Assembly Elections

*APC Wins 21 State Assembly Seats, PDP 3 in Edo

*Ondo: PDP Wins 19 Constituencies, APC 5

*Esuene, Attah Others Reject A’Ibom Governorship Result, Seek Cancellation

*At Last, Ajimobi Breaks 2nd Term Jinx in Oyo

THE NATION

*Observers: Rivers elections bloody, fraudulent

*Udom Emmanuel wins Akwa Ibom governorship poll

*Bayelsa Deputy Speaker loses seat to APC

*Irregularities recorded in Warri, says INEC

*Tinubu hails Agbaje’s ‘good spirits'

*APC’s Bagudu wins Kebbi governorship election

*Abia governorship election result stalemated

*INEC probes 66 violent incidents in 19 states

*Tambuwal extends hand of friendship to opponents

*Ambode defeats Agbaje

 April 13, 2015 by Remi Adelowo and Precious Igbonwelundu

*Ekiti LP accuses INEC, PDP of robbery

*JNI, Umar deny collecting bribe, contract from Jonathan

 April 13, 2015 by Yusuf Alli,

*Managing Editor, Northern Operation and Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

*Ex-UI VC Tamuno dies

 April 13, 2015 by Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

*‘Tariff drop not for homes’

 April 13, 2015 by John Ofikhenua, Abuja

*Dangote Cement output to rise in Cameroon