A former Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State said the federal government still pays subsidy on petroleum products.

Yuguda stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu, in his inaugural speech, announced that “The fuel subsidy is gone.”

The President added that the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment was no longer justifiable.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in one of its reports last month also advised Nigeria to completely phase out costly fuel and electricity subsidies as part of measures to address its economic challenges.

Speaking on the issue of subsidy, ”If the IMF says we are paying subsidy then we are. But the subsidy that was removed was the one that was going into private pockets and I decoupled that subsidy that ordinarily shouldn’t have been paid.”

”If it should have been paid it should be paid into the treasury of the country and today that revenue increase that we see is reflected in the removal of the monies that were going into the pockets of private individuals is what is going into the treasury of the country.”

”You have that subsidy being paid on petrol products that are pumped through pipelines and in many instances they are pumped through imaginary pipelines, where the pipelines don’t exist, sow e all pay subsidy but that what was the President removed, that is why most states are getting twice or thrice of their allocation.”

On the economic hardship in the country, the former governor said the average Nigerian will not understand the challenges the president has to face in resolving the economic situation.

Yuguda noted that the members of the president’s cabinet need to help in sensitising the masses on how the government policies will change the nation.

He said, ”I will expect the cabinet of Mr Predisnet to go down the strata of our society and explain to the people that this is the situation that we have found ourselves in.”

”If we hadn’t had our Central Bank messing us up and the economy that has been mismanaged in the past, it wouldn’t be the way it is today.”

A former deputy governor, Financial Systems Stability at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has described has grand corruption the 30 trillion ways and means borrowings by the federal government from the apex bank.

Recall that former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had borrowed N22.7 trillion in ways and means from the Central Bank which was subsequently followed by another N7 trillion borrowing by the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The development has sparked concerns among citizens as they railed against the violation of extant laws guiding borrowings from the apex bank and the sheer lack of accountability on what the massive loans were used for.

Speaking on the matter and state of the nation in general, Moghalu noted that Nigeria’s economy in the last decade has been dogged by mismanagement and widespread corruption.

Moghalu said this while delivering his keynote address at the annual LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards 2023, holding in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Moghalu said: “We should not be surprised that there is hunger and anger in the land because the past 10 years have been marked by many economic mismanagement, blotted ways and means of the CBN, blotted budget which has paved way for unprecedented corruption.”

He also bemoaned the lack of progressive and people oriented fiscal policies, noting the failings of the government on the fiscal side of the economic spectrum over the years is why the CBN has been overwhelmed.

Moghalu added that with Nigeria will not just step out of the current economic crisis regardless of short term measures as it will last at least three to five years

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi said he was not desperate to be the President of Nigeria.

Obi spoke while reacting to his award as the Leadership Politician of the Year 2023 at the newspaper’s Annual Conference and Awards event in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to Obi, it was a shame for Ukraine, a war-torn country, to donate grains to Nigeria when Niger State alone can feed the whole of Africa.

He said, “Let me thank the LEADERSHIP Newspaper for this event and the award. We’ve all heard from the keynote speaker.

“For me, this award, I am grateful to the almighty God. If I have the opportunity, I will give my all to the country.

“I am not desperate to be president, I am desperate to make Nigeria work,” Obi stated, while adding that young Nigerians should be productively engaged in order to eliminate poverty and crime.

“We have no reasons to be poor. Poverty should never be part of our lives especially in the North,” Obi said.

He added that with over 7,442,00 square meters of land, Nigeria can feed Africa.

Obi said, “Ukraine has no reason to give us grain. Niger State can feed Nigeria, Africa with over 73, 000 square meters of land.

“The two biggest states in the North-East, Borno with over 70,000 square metres of land and Taraba, are four times the size of Belgium that is exporting food.

“There is so much we can do in the country if we have the right leadership. The more you remove people out of poverty, the more you have less criminals,” Obi said.

Economic and financial experts have advised Nigerians on some viable investment options to consider following the Federal Government (FG) clampdown on Binance, a major cryptocurrency trading company.

The experts identified the different investment options in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday.

A former banker, Mr Yomi Babalola, said the investment opportunities or options available to Nigerians depend on the risk level and capacity of individuals.

Babalola, however, stated that the High-Interest Savings Account (HISA), a form of short-term investment option, was very important as it could serve as a reserve for liquidity purposes.

“What it means is that you want to have a certain form of investment that can be easily liquidated to cash, especially in case of emergencies.

“To use a high-interest savings account, you can make use of Fintech Savings Apps such as Piggyvest, and Cowrywise,” he said.

He also identified real estate as another investment option that could be considered.

“Land always appreciates – this is something realtors do talk about regularly and they are not lying.

“Real estate is a very profitable and solid form of investment you can delve into because as long as humans exist, there will always be a need for land banking.

“But I must be honest with you, unlike HISA and stocks, real estate is really capital intensive,” he said.

The ex-banker also mentioned personal business as another form of investment.

According to him, this is one option not many people look at when they want to invest their money.

“But I can tell you that it’s a great option to have in your asset portfolio, especially if you know what you’re doing.

“One of the benefits of investing in your business is that it gives you the option of good and steady cash flow.

“Having an investment that yields consistent cash flow is a great asset to have.

“This is because, depending on the business, it can begin to yield returns almost immediately you begin and it also has huge growth potential,” Babalola said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ibadan Shareholders Association, Mr Eric Akinduro, commended government’s efforts at stabilising the economy by clamping down on institutions supposedly hindering the economy from developing.

“To me, it is a welcome development as we have a lot of loopholes eating deep into our economy.

“However, inconsistency in policies is a major hindrance to the progress of this country,” he said.

Akinduro stated that the money market seemed better now, particularly the bond and treasury bonds, as they now pay higher interest than before.

“So, these can be considered.

“Nevertheless, we still have some potential in the capital market for companies that have good fundamentals – this can also be considered,” he said.

A financial expert, Mr Tunji Adepeju, who said the present hardship was not peculiar to Nigeria, urged Nigerians to start farming in bags and plastic containers to boost food production.

He encouraged families to embrace backyard farming of vegetables, tubers, and fruits, especially since 51 per cent of monthly income goes into feeding according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

“Some people are already taking advantage of backyard farming and if everybody does, we will force down prices of food items made to keep increasing by some people because of greed and corruption,” Adepeju said.

The Comptroller General of Customs and Excise, Adewale Adeniyi, has said President Bola Tinubu gave orders for seized food items to be sold to vulnerable Nigerians to address hunger across the country.

Adeniyi disclosed this on Tuesday on the floor of the House of Representatives during the sectoral debate series, which also had in attendance the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari.

According to Mr Adeniyi, President Bola Tinubu gave the directive that food items produced in Nigeria and seized at the Nigerian land borders, be sold directly to vulnerable Nigerians to ease the challenge of hunger in the country.

He said, “Mr President has directed that we sell directly to needy Nigerians food items produced locally but which were seized. This is one of the ways to address hunger and food scarcity we are facing. We have started this in Lagos.

“Also, the President has also directed that imported food items seized by the Nigeria Customs Service should be sold back to the local markets for resale to Nigerians,” he said

The Bank of Ghana has imposed a one month suspension on the foreign exchange trading licences of the Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana Limited (GTB) and FBNBank Ghana Limited (FBN), due to malpractices including fraudulent documentation.

In a statement announcing the suspension, Bank of Ghana said: “Bank of Ghana has suspended the Foreign Exchange Trading Licences of Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana Limited (GTB) and FBNBank Ghana Limited (FBN), effective 18th March 2024, for a period of one (1) month, in accordance with section 11 (2) of the Foreign Exchange Act 2006, (Act 723).

“This is as a result of various breaches of the foreign exchange market regulations, including fraudulent documentation in their foreign exchange operations which have come to the attention of Bank of Ghana.

“The licence will be restored at the end of the one-month suspension period once the Bank of Ghana is satisfied that they have put in place effective controls to ensure strict adherence to the foreign exchange market regulations.

“By this statement, we caution foreign exchange market players to adhere strictly to the applicable forex market regulations and guidelines.”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has emphasised the need for the Nigerian government to prioritise the full implementation of its cash transfer program to aid vulnerable households.

This step is crucial before the government takes on the task of revaluating the costly fuel and electricity subsidies.

According to the IMF, the established social safety net programme, designed to disburse cash transfers to the poor and vulnerable, needs to be operational to its fullest capacity. This approach ensures that the economically vulnerable segments of the population remain shielded as the government contemplates adjustments to the existing fuel and electricity subsidy framework.

This recommendation emerged in the backdrop of concerns raised by the IMF over the fiscal burdens emanating from the current practice of subsidising fuel and electricity in a statement following a recent visit by an IMF team led by Axel Schimmelpfennig, the IMF mission chief for Nigeria.

According to the statement, the continuation of capping fuel pump prices and electricity tariffs below their recovery costs could lead Nigeria to incur fiscal costs of up to 3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024.

This visit, part of the 2024 Article IV Consultations, saw the team engage in discussions with key Nigerian officials in Lagos and Abuja from February 12 to February 23, 2024.

The statement read partly:

• “Recent improvements in revenue collection and oil production are encouraging. Nigeria’s low revenue mobilization constrains the government’s ability to respond to shocks and to promote long-term development.
• “Non-oil revenue collection improved by 0.8% of GDP in 2023, helped by naira depreciation. Oil production reached 1.65 million barrels per day in January as the result of enhanced security. The capping of fuel pump prices and electricity tariffs below cost recovery could have a fiscal cost of up to 3% of GDP in 2024.
• “The recently approved targeted social safety net program that will provide cash transfers to vulnerable households needs to be fully implemented before the government can address costly, implicit fuel and electricity subsidies in a manner that will ensure low-income households are protected.”

3.2% GDP growth in 2024

The IMF notes that despite Nigeria’s economy showing signs of growth in the fourth quarter of 2023, with a GDP growth of 2.8%, this growth barely keeps pace with population dynamics.

The Fund further projects an improvement in GDP growth to 3.2% in 2024, supported by increased oil production and anticipated better harvests. However, challenges such as high inflation, a weakening naira, and the need for tighter monetary policies are expected to pose significant headwinds.

On food security and social protection

During its visit, the IMF team praised the Nigerian government’s efforts in addressing food insecurity, which affects approximately 8% of the population.

The team also acknowledged the approval of a targeted social safety net programme intended to provide cash transfers to vulnerable households. This initiative, coupled with improvements in revenue collection and oil production, is seen as a positive step towards stabilising the economy.

However, the IMF emphasised the urgent need for Nigeria to address the financial implications of fuel and electricity subsidies. The Fund suggested that before tackling these costly subsidies, the recently approved social safety net program must be fully implemented to protect low-income households effectively.

On MPR

The IMF also applauded the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to tighten monetary policy further by increasing the policy rate by 400 basis points to 22.75%.

This move, aimed at containing inflation, which had hit 29.9% year-on-year in January 2024, and alleviating pressure on the naira, represents a total tightening of 1,025 basis points since May 2022.

More Insights

• The elimination of fuel subsidies and other recent policies have had a disproportionate impact on Nigeria’s poor and vulnerable, who stand to benefit greatly from a monthly cash transfer system.
• The World Bank earlier said that cash transfers can help save Nigerians from intergenerational poverty traps as inflation and low economic growth adversely affect the poor.
• President Bola Tinubu launched a social safety net programme last year that will distribute N25,000 to 15 million homes for three months in observance of the 2023 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
• The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is tasked with carrying out the $800 million World Bank loan project.
• However, the Federal Government had to suspend the cash transfer programme for further investigation and revamping following alleged misappropriations within the programme.
• Betta Edu was earlier suspended as a humanitarian affairs minister due to the misappropriation of N585 million earmarked for palliative distribution.
• Also, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, is being investigated by the EFCC. The ex-minister is being probed over an alleged laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure as a minister.
• The Federal Government recently said that it has revamped its cash transfer programme to combat fraud, with immediate implementation of direct payments.

Lawyers, including two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), have called for the reduction of the powers of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to accountability and public confidence in the nation’s judicial process.

They expressed concern that the increasing challenge of accountability, lack of transparency, and corruption among others, contribute to the dwindling public confidence in the judicial process.

These were part of the key issues that dominated discussions at a conference on accountability in the Judiciary held in Abuja on March 1.

Among the conferees were Jibrin Okutrpa (SAN), Adamson Adeboro (SAN), Mbasekei Martin Obono (the Coordinator of Tap Initiative), Victoria Benson, and Lillian Okenwa.

The event, with the theme: “Impact of judicial accountability on democratic Resilience and public trust in the legal system” was organised by Tap Initiative, with the support of Open Society Foundations.

In a communique made available on March 4, the conferees were of the view that the duty to restore the trust of the common man in the Judiciary rests on every member of the profession starting with the Judges and especially the heads of courts.

They urged the Judiciary to take urgent steps to improve transparency within its governance processes especially the appointment of judges.

The conference participants recommended that the office of the CJN should be unbundled especially as chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), National Judicial Institute (NJI), and Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC).

The conference equally recommended that the conversations will continue and that all Nigerians will make their voice heard and the judiciary would listen and not take the calls for accountability as a challenge to its authority but rather as an opportunity to win public trust again.

They stressed the need to strengthen the integrity requirement of the appointment of judges and make it more transparent.

The conference participants also called for the strengthening of the NJC to hold judicial officers accountable.

They added: “The code of ethics for judicial officers by the NJC needs no review but proper political will by the CJN to investigate and sanction erring judicial officers.”

The participants and discussants suggested that the conference should be made periodic to review the state of accountability in Nigeria’s judiciary.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a warning message to Nigeria and other West African nations regarding trends in borrowing practices.
Traditionally, nations often relied on loans from the Paris Club, a group of creditor countries.

However, the CBN has observed a significant shift towards borrowing from non-Paris Club members and private lenders, such as banks and investors who buy government bonds.

The West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) has warned that Nigeria is at a high risk of falling into debt distress and urged the federal government to look for ways of improving revenue generation.

Governor of the CBN, Yemi Cardoso, gave the warning in Abuja at the Joint World Bank/IMF/WAIFEM Regional Training on Medium Term Debt Management Strategy in Abuja on Monday, March 4.

Represented by Dr. Mohammed Musa Tumala, Director of the Monetary Policy Department of the CBN, Cardoso noted that while this change in who countries owe money to might seem like a minor detail, he emphasized that it is a critical development with serious implications.

He argued that the way countries manage debt owed to the Paris Club may not be as effective for these new lenders. Cardoso expressed concern that this new debt landscape could pose a threat to financial stability and economic recovery for many countries.

According to the CBN Governor, “Public debt dynamics are increasingly influenced by significant debt servicing obligations to non-Paris Club members and private lenders, including commercial banks and bond investors. This shift in the debt structure represents a critical evolution in the global financial framework, with profound ramifications for public debt management in our countries.

Cardoso stated that recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and natural disasters have put a strain on many countries’ finances, making them more likely to seek loans from diverse sources. However, these non-traditional lenders might come with stricter repayment terms and potentially higher risks compared to Paris Club loans.

“Following the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other developments such as geopolitical conflicts and natural disasters, the financial strain on our sub-region has escalated, posing a threat to their macroeconomic and financial stability and prospects for faster recovery,” he said.

Nigeria, despite being classified as having generally moderate debt risk, the CBN urged the federal government to remain cautious, particularly regarding potential liquidity risks. These risks, if not addressed effectively, could stem from weak revenue mobilization, a persistent challenge hindering debt sustainability and economic stability.

What the CBN is saying is that while Nigeria’s overall debt risk is considered moderate, the country still needs to be careful about its ability to pay back its loans (liquidity risk). This risk could become a problem if the government doesn’t collect enough revenue (money) in the future.

Dr. Baba Yusuf Musa, Director General of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) told journalists: “When you compare Nigeria with the rest of the world or peer countries, you realize that with the 37 percent debt to GDP ratio, we still have room to borrow but the issue with the Nigerian debt is you don’t use GDP to pay debts rather you use the revenue to pay for any debt”

He added: “If you look at it from the revenue side Nigeria is at a high risk of debt distress in terms of our borrowing so what we need to do now is to step up our capacity to generate revenue, the more revenue we have, the less ratio of debt to revenue we have.”

WAIFEM, he said, is “very much in support of what the federal government is doing because there is a window for the government to raise more revenue, all that the people need to do is to support the federal government diversify the sources of revenue and of course generate more sources of revenue, once we have this we don’t really have debt problem but rather revenue problem

Musa said: “What the Medium Term Debt Strategy (MTDS) does is that it smoothens the debt service so that going forward when borrowing, you take into consideration the redemption profile that you have and the type of loans that you have in your existing portfolio and then it will enable you also to minimize the cost and risk the future loans will add to the debt portfolio.”

“Even among thieves there’s honour,” is the sentiment that “criminals have a code of conduct among themselves.” According to grammarist.com, “some aspects of this code of conduct may be to not steal from each other, or to not testify against a fellow criminal to the police.”

Is there such a “code of conduct” among politicians? It’s doubtful, as among politicians – like among dogs – the first to die becomes the meat for the rest of the pack. If there’s really honour among politicians, heads would’ve rolled since the evening of Saturday, February 17 over the botched governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, to choose a candidate for the September 21 governorship poll.

It’s such a messy affair that President Bola Tinubu’s invited to step in. So, will Tinubu prove the doubting Thomas wrong – coupled with his preachment of equity, fairplay and rule of law – by summoning the political will and courage, cancel the charade of a primary election, and save the APC from a second defeat in four years in Edo State?

Perhaps, the President has shown some spine, as the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) has declared the primaries “inconclusive” after meeting and briefing Tinubu about the chaotic outcome of the exercise, and “the President expressed concerns at the turn of events, and directed the NWC to ensure that the exercise was concluded,” as first reported by The Nation on February 21.

Hence their tails tucked in-between their legs, the Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC, after an emergency meeting on February 20, scheduled the completion of the primaries for Thursday, February 22, going by a statement by the national publicity secretary of the APC, Mr Felix Morka, fielding questions from reporters after the NWC meeting.

Morka said: “At its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, to consider the report on the Edo State Governorship Primary Election, the National Working Committee (NWC) deliberated on the report and resolved that the Edo State Governorship Primary Election has not been completed, and has now fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024, for the completion of the Primary Election Process.”

Dr Ganduje and his team didn’t have to await Tinubu’s directive on what to do to rectify the controversial primaries. In a best case scenario, the APC leadership would’ve acted swiftly, called for calm, and given the assurance to members, particularly in Edo State, that it’d look into the primary misadventure through the primary election appeals committee instituted ahead of the exercise by the NWC.

And in a worst case scenario, the party would’ve dismissed the conflicting declarations made – with four aspirants laying claim to winning the primaries – dissolved the Governor Hope Uzodimma-led primary election committee, and fixed a new date for a re-run or fresh primary poll within days, to meet the February 24 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But what did Nigerians – particularly the shocked and distrust members of the APC in Edo State – see and hear from the leadership of the party? A congratulatory message in the night of February 17 from the national chairman, Ganduje, “to the winner of the primaries,” and solicitation for the “defeated aspirants” to “bury the hatchet” and work for party unity to win the Edo governorship.

As of Sunday, February 18, four aspirants claimed that they won the primaries – supervised by Governor Uzodimma, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu, and five other members of the APC Edo Governorship Primary Election – to choose a candidate for the September 21 election.

The primary election claimants include Hon. Dennis Idahosa, a member representing Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, who’s declared as the winner by the Uzodimma committee; and Senator Monday Okpebholo (APC, Edo Central), who’s declared the winner by the NWC-appointed state chief collation and returning officer, Dr Stanley Ugboajah.

The others are Hon. Anamero Dekeri, member representing Etsako Federal Constituency, pronounced the winner by local government returning officers; and Mr Clem Agba, former minister of state for Budget and National Planning, who claims that going by the turnout of voters, he won the majority of lawful votes of APC members, and has threatened legal action to affirm his “victory.”

Tension had enveloped the Edo political landscape when – on the eve of the primaries, two of the leading aspirants – former Secretary to the State Government and twice governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and former Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen withdrew from the race, citing the APC leadership’s zoning of the governorship to Edo Central that’s been marginalised in the governance of the state since civilian democracy returned in Nigeria in 1999.

Amid reports that the primaries didn’t hold in virtually all 192 wards of the 18 local government areas of Edo State, results started flying on social media, and coming in droves from the local government collation agents and returning officers into the designated state collation centre in Benin City, capital city of Edo State.

But midway into the televised collation of the primary results, scores of armed political thugs invaded the centre – and in the presence of security operatives, and INEC officials – disrupted the proceedings, and beat up journalists, electoral officials and destroyed laptops and television cameras.

Until that moment, it’s assumed that the primary election was one for all the aspirants. But the Uzodimma-headed committee, perhaps apprised in advance about the hoodlums’ attack, relocated to another venue, where it declared Hon. Idahosa as winner of the primaries, even as only eight of the 18 local government areas’ results had been collated.

Recall that stakeholders in Edo APC had protested Uzodimma’s appointment to head the primary election committee, alleging that he’d do a hatchet job for Senator and former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who’d openly canvassed – even in a viral video on social media on the eve of the primaries – for Idahosa’s candidacy.

So, Uzodimma, willy-nilly, proved the Edo APC stakeholders right by taking advantage of the mileu caused by the political thugs at the collation centre to announce Idahosa as “winner” of the primaries, despite Senator Okpebholo leading in the results of eight councils declared before the thugs struck.

Still, amid the uproar that greeted Uzodimma’s declaration of Idahosa as the “duly nominated candidate,” Mr Ganduje, in a rather fait accompli statement by his chief press secretary, Mr Edwin Olofu, congratulated the “winner,” and called on the “defeated aspirants” to support him for the unity of the APC.

“I want to congratulate the winner of the Edo State governorship election, I want to equally commend and appreciate Governor Hope Uzodimma’s election committee for their hard work and the transparent manner in which the primary election was conducted,” Ganduje said.

“At this point, I want to call on all the aspirants to bury the hatchet and work for the interest of the party so that our party will emerge victorious (on September 21),” Ganduje added.

Was Ganduje’s congratulatory message to Hon. Idahosa hasty, as alleged by aggrieved  supporters of the “defeated aspirants,” or played into a script written by Comrade Oshiomhole to smoothen the primary path for his “anointed candidate,” Idahosa?

As seen in a trending video 24 hours to the election, as first reported by THISDAY, Oshiomhole claimed that President Tinubu had adopted Idahosa as the APC governorship candidate, a claim debunked by the deputy chairman of the Edo State APC gubernatorial primaries committee and Cross River Governor Otu.

Sen. Otu “categorically dismissed the rumour that President Tinubu has anointed a particular aspirant for the Edo APC gubernatorial primaries,” and “urged party faithful to disregard the lie and vote for their choice candidate.”

“This perhaps fuelled counter-narrative on the eve of the primaries, that the Presidency had settled for an aspirant from Edo Central, to be anointed for equity, justice and fairplay, and that Senator Monday Okpebholo is the anointed candidate,” THISDAY reports.

The same narrative of endorsement led to the withdrawal of Pastor Ize-Iyamu from the race, “with a directive to his supporters to cast their votes for Okpebholo,” and the subsequent withdrawal by former Mr Imasuen, citing the reported APC zoning of the governorship to Edo Central.

In the interim, the national publicity secretary of the APC, Mr Felix Morka, defended Uzodimma’s declaration, and dismissed the affirmation by the chief returning officer, saying the NWC had empowered Uzodimma to make the final return on the primaries.

Morka said: “We wish to state categorically that only the Governor Hope Uzodinma-led Edo State APC Governorship Primary Election Committee is duly authorized to undertake final collation and announcement of results of the Primary Election in the state. We urge all party members, officials in the state, and the general public to disregard the said announcement of results by these unauthorized persons.”

But a letter signed by the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Mohammad Argungu, appointed Ugboajah as the State Chief Returning Officer, with 18 others as Local Government Area Returning Officers for each of the 18 local government areas of Edo State.

So, who had the authority, between Uzodimma and Ugboajah, to make pronouncement on the outcome of the primaries, as the two were on legitimate duty?

Nonetheless, the Edo chapter of the APC, via its publicity secretary, Prince Igbinigie, describing the conduct of Uzodimma as “most embarrassing, unfortunate and bizarre,” faulted the governor’s “usurpation” of the duties of the local government collation agents and the returning officers for the primaries.

Mr Igbinigie alleged that “upon learning that his preferred aspirant wasn’t winning, Uzodimma singlehandedly relocated the collation centre, and then unilaterally assumed the role of the state’s returning officers without recourse to inputs from the local government collation agents as well as the chief returning officer of the exercise.”

However, Igbinigie said after normalcy was restored at the “recognised collation centre,” with the local government area returning officers and representatives from INEC, the results were declared by Dr Ugboajah, “whose responsibility it is to carry out this function.”

Reeling out the scores by 11 of the original 12 cleared aspirants for the primaries, with Sen. Okpebholo having 12,145 votes, and Hon. Idahosa getting 5,536 votes for the first and second positions, respectively, Igbinigie said: “Therefore, it is the desire of the state working committee to reiterate that Sen. Monday Okpebholo is the duly elected gubernatorial candidate of our great party for the September 2024 governorship election.”

Meanwhile, one of the leading aspirants and court-removed former Governor Oserheimen Osunbor has appealed to President Tinubu to step in and arrest the primary crises allegedly instigated to divide the APC for the PDP to retain power in September. Prof. Osunbor asked Tinubu to:

(1) Cause an investigation to be instituted into the allegation that this sham of a primary election, and the crises it has generated, have been induced by gratification given and received by the principal actors to damage APC and pave the way for the emergence of the PDP candidate in the election.

(2) Order the cancellation of the primary election, which has produced two or four candidates, as it can’t stand the test of legal scrutiny but rather will jeopardize the chances of APC, as there’s been “a brazen disregard of the Party Guidelines, Party Constitution and the Electoral Act, which may prove fatal in the event of litigation.”

(3) Order another primary election to be conducted ahead of the 24th February deadline set by INEC. Different officers should be assigned to conduct the fresh primaries.

Declaring that, “I make this appeal as the most popular aspirant with name recognition and acceptability throughout the length and breadth of Edo State,” Osunbor, at a press conference on February 18 in Ekpoma, Esan West of Edo State, said registered members of the APC across the state came out to vote for their preferred candidate, but “to their disappointment, the election did not take place anywhere that I know of across the 18 local government areas of Edo State.”

“The party officials deployed from the Abuja office of the National Organising Secretary to conduct the elections at the various wards and local government areas of Edo State were kept in hotels in Benin,” Osunbor said, adding, “There is no record or video of any of them preforming their assigned roles in the election at their respective designated points.”

“What we saw on television was not result of election but allocation of votes by some persons in Benin to each of the aspirants. In the end, two candidates have been announced as winners, Sen. Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Denis Idahosa in a primary election that was never held or was not conducted in accordance with the law and guidelines.

“This charade confirms the widespread suspicion that they are labouring to present a weak APC candidate that will be easily over-run and defeated by the presumed PDP candidate during the election. They are not working in the interest of APC but of PDP. We must avoid a repeat of the scenario which led to the defeat of APC in 2020.”

Also on February 18 in Abuja, after an emergency meeting, APC stakeholders rooting for Hon. Dekeri, called on Ganduje and President Tinubu to, “as a matter of honour, discard Governor Uzodimma’s infamous declaration of one Mr. Denis Idahosa, who didn’t win the primaries.”

Spokesman of the forum, Mr Emmanuel Godwin, said Uzodimma wasn’t the chief returning officer for the election, and accused the primary committee of “usurping the duties and responsibilities of local government returning officers in the Edo State primaries.”

Godwin said: “It is unfortunate that Hope Uzodimma, who is not the returning officer in whatever capacity, assumed the position and went ahead to announce Dennis Idahosa when the returning officers were still collating the results.

“We wish to therefore state categorically that the purported announcement is null and void and it should be disregarded in its entirety. Governor Uzodimma lacks the power to usurp duties and responsibilities of local government returning officers in the Edo State primaries.”

In the lead-up to the February 17 primary election Ganduje, and Uzodimma presented themselves as democrats, who wanted things done as laid out in the rulebook of the party. On February 15, at the national headquarters of the APC in Abuja, the former governor of Kano State, inaugurated the APC Edo Governorship Primary Election and Appeals Committees for the direct primary poll.

Specifically on the appeals committee, Ganduje, who vows to reclaim Edo State from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to expand the coast of the ruling APC in Nigeria, said: “It is a tradition for us to always constitute a body that will undertake an assignment so that at the end of it, we get good results.

“I will like to inform you that the composition of the two committees is a product of the National Working Committee (NWC) in accordance with the constitution of our party. Whatever you do, the contestants are free to appeal. That is why we have an appeals committee, which is like the Supreme Court.”

From hindsight, the Ganduje message was a double-edged sword: Members of the primary election committee should conduct a credible and transparent election acceptable to the aspirants, their supporters, and members of the APC; and whatever the outcome of the poll, the aspirants shouldn’t rock the boat, but appeal for a possible remedy.

Responding, Uzodimma thanked Ganduje and the NWC for the confidence reposed in the members, promised to discharge their assignment with utmost diligence, and stressed that, “Our prayers is that we work hard to justify this confidence reposed in us,” as “our party is a fantastic brand, very popular, and a good product.”
“It behooves on members of our committee to work in harmony with the party’s local leadership in Edo, to bring up a product that will look like our party and is easily marketable in Edo,” Uzodimma said, and urged the APC leadership to pray to God Almighty “to give us the wherewithal to carry out our assignment.”
In the end, did Ganduje and Uzodimma carry out the duty of producing a sellable, marketable and acceptable candidate in accordance with the dictates of the constitution of the APC? No, they did the opposite, in connivance with the local potentate, Comrade Oshiomhole who, from the get go, had primed Hon. Idahosa as his “anointed candidate” for the governorship.
Pre-the primary election, the APC NWC sent officials to the wards and local government areas of Edo State, to authentic the number of actual and financial members of the party – a finding that revealed that only about 42,000 members were qualified to participate in the primaries.

Surprisingly, announcing the results several hours before the completion of collation, Governor Uzodimma ascribed 40,453 votes cast by the verified 42,000 members to Hon. Idahosa alone. Other aspirants’ scores were: Anamero Dekeri, 2,030 votes; Monday Okpebholo, 100; Clem Agba, 100; Osagie Ize-Iyamu, 2; Gideon Ikhine, 700; David Imuse, 400; Charles Airhiavbere, 162; Oserheimen Osunbor, 180; Blessing Agbomhere, 50; Ernest Umakhihe, 2; and Lucky Imasuen, 2 votes.

“This is to certify that Dennis Idahosa, having scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared winner of the primary election,” Uzodimma said.

In the results declared by Ugboajah, Sen. Okpebholo received 12,145 votes; Dennis Idahosa, 5,536; Afolabi Umakhihe, 2,090; Anamero Dekeri, 1,625; Charles Arhiavbere, 919; Gideon Ikhine, 902; Oserheimen Osunbor, 688; David Imuse, 507; Lucky Imasuen, 503; and Osagie Ize-Iyamu, 383 votes. Clem Agba’s name and score weren’t included.

“This is to certify that Monday Okpebholo has scored the highest votes, and declared winner of the APC governorship primary and thereby declared the candidate of the party,” Dr Ugboajah said.

And in the results announced on Saturday night by Mr Ojo Babatunde for the local government returning officers, Hon. Dekeri got 25,384 votes, while Idahosa received 14,127 votes. No votes were recorded for Okpebholo and nine other aspirants.

If any of the three results declared by the different authorities of the APC Primary Election Committee for Edo 2024 governorship election are considered, only Dr Ugboajah’s declaration merits giving any probative value, having followed the prescribed process of collation and declaration of results.

Besides, no matter their level of popularity and reach in Edo State, no single aspirant among the 10 that made it to the fiercely-contested primary, could secure even 15,000 votes, talkless of outlandish votes in excess of 40,000 from less than 42,000 members that voted. It’s daylight robbery to claim as such!

As the National Leader of the APC – an appellation he’d styled himself for eight years under the Muhammadu Buhari administration (2015-2023) – President Tinubu should show true leadership and cancel the bogus primary election in Edo State, and call for re-run or fresh primaries before the INEC deadline of February 24. Nothing else will assuage the electoral heist perpetrated on February 17! Edo people are watching and waiting, and may not forget their deliberate disenfranchishment on September 21!

* Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria .