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Elections in Lagos were free, fair, credible — Commissioner
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso has said the polls conducted in Lagos in the recently concluded general elections were free and fair.
According to him, the elections were free, fair and credible — going by the facts and figures associated with them.
“Those alleging violence and intimidation are those who perpetrated such anomalies,” he said.
Omotoso who was to answering questions during a TVC programme, “Politics Standpoint,” said the unique selling point of Lagos lies in its entrenched values of peaceful co-existence, religious and ethnic tolerance.
The Commissioner assessed the two elections in Lagos State, thanking the electorate for re-electing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat for another four years term in an election which he referred to as “the best we have had in our recent history.”
The Commissioner observed that the figures given by local and international observers during the elections showed that the elections in Lagos were free, fair and credible.
According to him, “The isolated cases of alleged voter intimidation and suppression that happened in less than one per cent of the over 13, 325 polling units in the State were ‘insignificant,’ even if true, to have any impact on the credibility of the elections.
“Besides, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has been declared winner of the gubernatorial election by INEC, ran a campaign devoid of divisive sentiments but based more on his record of competence and performance, which are evident in the many schools, hospitals and roads already built, businesses promoted and achievements in the transportation section, especially the recent completion of the Blue Rail Line project,” Omotoso said.
Berating opposition parties for running their campaigns based on primordial sentiments of religion and ethnicity, the Commissioner said the trend polarised the State.
He, however, commended residents for their patriotism, which was displayed during and after the elections.
While reminding residents to uphold what Governor Sanwo-Olu said in his acceptance speech, Omotoso maintained that “the core values of Lagos State is entrenched in its resilience to always embrace peaceful tolerance, mutual respect and love for ourselves, which saw us through the turbulent times of COVID-19 pandemic.”
On what the future holds for Lagos in the Sanwo-Olu administration, Omotoso said, “The State is set to ensure the completion of bigger developmental projects that will show that the State Government remains accountable to the residents.”
The work plan of the Government includes the completion of a 500-bed hospital in Ketu-Ejirin to cater to the mental health of residents, a new General Hospital in Ojo, a 10 hectares Film City, the building of eight Stadia to further promote sports and the construction of a Research Centre for vaccine production is also on the way, while not forgetting the Fourth Mainland Bridge project among others.
A rowdy session marred the resumption of the Senate to plenary on Tuesday as senators fought over the seats.
The plenary had started around 11 am and immediately after the procession, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, read out announcements, specifically the names of the lawmakers who had celebrated their birthdays while the Senate was on break.
It was while the announcement was ongoing that Senator Sahabi Yau (APC, Zamfara North) started to raise his voice at the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) while he in return pointed his finger at Yau as if giving him a stern warning.
Immediately, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) joined his colleague Yau in shouting at Bamidele and the chairman, of Senate Services, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) who was in charge of the seating arrangements.
The fight was triggered by the seating arrangement in the newly renovated hallow chamber.
Some ranking Senators were said to have been angry at the seats allocated to them in the front row on the last right side of the aisle.
The Senate President eventually told them to approach the chair one after the other but Yau didn’t oblige him.
The rowdy session lasted for about 20 minutes as senators bickered.
After the Senate President read his welcome-back speech, the Senate leader, moved that the Senate resolved into a closed-door session.
The Senate after that, at about 12: 05 pm resolved into an executive session.
The Senate had on March 20, adjourned plenary till April 16, but postponed resumption twice to allow for the completion of the chamber which had been under renovation since 2022.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has passed a vote of ‘no confidence’ on the Federal Government, saying that the minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has failed Nigerians.
Falana was reacting to Adelabu’s appearance before the Senate on Monday to defend the increase in the electricity tariff and what Nigerians would pay.
He also stated that the move was a policy imposed on the Nigerian government by the International Monetary Funds and the World Bank.
Speaking on the Channels TV show on Monday night, Falana said, “The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu has failed to address the question of the illegality of the tariffs.
“Section 116 of the Electricity Act 2023 provides that before an increase can be approved and announced, there has to be a public hearing conducted based on the request of the DISCOS to have an increase in the electricity tariffs. That was not done.
“Secondly, neither the minister nor the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has explained why the impunity that characterized the increase can be allowed.”
Falana also expressed worry over what he described as impunity on the part of the federal government and electricity regulatory commission.
Falana alleged that the Nigerian government is heeding an instruction given to her by the Bretton Wood institutions.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria accused Western countries led by the United States of America of double standards.
According to him, they subsidize agriculture, energy, and fuel and offer grants and loans to indigent students while they advise the Nigerian government against doing the same for its citizens.
Following the outrage that greeted the announcement of the tariff increase, Adelabu explained that the action would not affect everyone using electricity as only Band A customers who get about 20 hours of electricity are affected by the hike.
Falana, however, insisted that neither the minister nor the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, had justified the tariff increase.
The senior lawyer said that Nigerian law gives no room for discrimination against customers by grading them in different bands.
He insisted that the government cannot ask Nigerians to pay differently for the same product even when what has been consistently served to them is darkness.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday pledged to launch a ground attack on Rafah “with or without” a deal with Hamas.
Speaking in a meeting with families of hostages, Netanyahu said that Israel had begun the evacuation of Palestinian civilians from Rafah, according to his office.
“We will enter Rafah and eliminate Hamas battalions there, with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory,” he said.
Israel considers Rafah as Hamas’s last major stronghold in the Palestinian enclave.
Rafah is Gaza’s southernmost city, where about 1.2 million Palestinians have been seeking shelter.
The remarks were made as Israeli and Hamas negotiators were in Egyptian-brokered talks on a deal for a ceasefire for the nearly seven-month-long Gaza conflict that will secure the release of hostages.
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