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Edo Central celebrates Okpebholo’s victory as Governor chides opposition as bad losers
Thousands of enthusiastic people from Edo Central senatorial district and other parts of the State turned out weekend for the homecoming reception in honour of Governor Monday Okpebholo over his recent electoral victory.
The event took place at the Esan Central Local Council Secretariat and attracted many dignitaries including the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, top party members, traditional rulers, community leaders and others
Addressing the enthusiastic crowd, Governor Monday Okpebholo declared that those who conjured results and announced same on social media during the governorship election are the same people crying that the polls were rigged
According to Governor Okpebholo, it is sad that criminals are crying today that they lost the election, saying they will continue to lose, while they will keep spending their money on fruitless ventures, wasting away time, energy and resources.
Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in a statement, quoted Okpebholo to have said- “I thank Edo people for the overwhelming support given to our party during the September 21 governorship election in Edo State. I am happy for the resounding victory God gave us.
“I thank President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of our party for not playing anti-party but stood firm for justice and equity to prevail, which led to the success and victory recorded by our party.
“The people who wrote results and were announcing fake results on the internet, are the same people crying today that somebody rigged the election.
“It is sad to say that the criminals are crying today that they have lost and will continue to lose. They are spending money day and night and wasting their money and will wait in vain.
“Edo people have spoken. They have chosen the path of development, peace and unity. This is what Edo people have chosen and that is how it will remain.
“I want to thank Esan people for standing by me and ensuring a resounding victory. Thank you for the confidence reposed in me and thank you for your votes. This crowd has shown that you people voted for me.
“I will not disappoint Edo people. I will not disappoint Esan people. I will do the right thing and allow justice to prevail.
“I thank the traditional rulers in the entire Esan land, leaders of Esan land, party leaders, and all those who stood by me to become the Governor of Edo State and above all I give God the glory.”
The Onojie of Uromi, His Royal Highness, Anselm Aidenojie II, said the people of Esan land are happy that their son is the Governor of the State.
“We, the traditional rulers from Esan land went round the State to appeal for support to produce the Governor and today it is a reality. We thank the Oba of Benin Kingdom, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare ll and grateful to all for the support. We believe that the Governor will deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Edo State,” he said.
APC state chairman, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, thanked Edo people for the mandate given to Governor Okpebholo, saying he has already hit the ground running since his inauguration.
“We are happy to celebrate the victory God Almighty has given to us and we thank Edo people for the mandate as all can see that the Governor has hit the ground running. This is how it will be in the next eight years. In the last eight years, there was no governance. Governor Okpebholo has started from where Comrade Adams Oshiomhole stopped.”
Other dignitaries at the reception organized by the Esan people include Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Musa Ikhilor; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Gani Audu; members of the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA); top government officials, party faithful and others.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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