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I Have Never Been Questioned, Arrested, or Detained in any Country in the World – Peter Obi

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Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has denied that he was arrested by British Immigration, explaining that he was only stopped for a routine immigration check.

“I was stopped for a routine immigration check and all these lasted for a maximum of 20 minutes. I was treated with all due respect. I was never arrested nor detained,” he said in a television interview on Monday night.

He also commented on whether he had a criminal record in the UK. “I lived in the UK in the 90s from 1993 to 2005. From that time till now is 30 years and I have never been questioned, arrested, or detained in any country in the world.

“I have never been arrested or questioned in any manner. I have never committed any offense. So, what happened was a routine immigration check and that happened not more than 20 minutes and I was given all due respect by the authorities.”

Obi responded to comments attributed to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accusing of him treason, describing it as rascality and a waste of public resources.

He described as the height of rascality the activities of hirelings on him, his Vice Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmad, and the party all intended to derail them from pursuing justice.

He said, together with his presidential running mate, they remain unwavering and committed to pursuing their petition at the election tribunal to its logical conclusion.

On the allegation of treason leveled against him by the minister, Obi said, “That is the height of rascality. It was even announced in Washington. I committed a treasonable offense and I’m in Onitsha, and my minister went to announce it in Washington. This is the waste in governance we are talking about and people don’t want to understand.

“The amount it cost Nigeria for him to go and announce that in Washington can build a block of six classrooms in a primary school. I’m sure if you go to his village there are so many places where children don’t even have desks or classrooms to go to school.

“Instead of using that money for this purpose, he went to Washington to announce treason against someone in Onitsha. He doesn’t need to do that. From there he went to London, announcing the same thing when I’m in Nigeria. He should have come to see me or invited me and tell me my offense,”

Responding to the crisis in the Labour Party, the Presidential standard bearer said that there were no issues in the party and that the reported crisis is just the “rascality” by paid agents bent on derailing the party to pursue justice.

“In the Labour Party, we have no issue. Bar Julius Abure is our chairman and those things you’re seeing are just the handiwork of paid agents who are trying to create confusion,”

On the report showing a picture of him visiting the President-elect, the former Anambra state Governor said he never visited the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, as speculated on social media.

He explained that the rumours and accompanying photoshopped pictures being shared on social media platforms are part of moves by the opposition to derail his objective.

“I never visited him (Tinubu). I didn’t. These are some of the things I have been telling you. They have turned the whole thing upside down and into a joke. So, what they (the opposition) do now is think about what they are going to do to cause issues and what they are going to do to label him (Obi) this or that.

“If it is not labeling him (Obi) tribal bigot, or religious bigot when he is not speaking, they will find his family and check whether he has a lovechild and all sorts of things, including misrepresented identity among others, I didn’t visit anybody,” the former governor stressed.

He maintained that despite all these he was committed to the course of justice and was ready to pursue the case before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to a logical conclusion.

The LP flag bearer also clarified that he doesn’t hold United Kingdom citizenship explaining that even though he stayed in the country for some period, he returned his “unlimited residency permit” to the authorities when he was about to leave the country.

Speaking on the leaked video where it was reported that he told a presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Worldwide (Winners Chapel) David Oyedepo during a telephone discussion that the election has become a religious war, Obi said, “Whatever anybody wants to make of it is fine with me, but all I can tell you is that I am not a religious or a tribal bigot”

He said that he couldn’t have been a religious or tribal bigot and kept the closest person he had when he was Governor, ADC, a Muslim from Kano, ditto his Police Commissioner. He also repeated the confession of the Muslim community in Anambra state who confirmed during last week’s Sallah festivities that he helped them to rebuild their damaged Mosque and remained the only non-Muslim governor who sent Muslims to hajj.

Obi said that while he is not desperate to be President of Nigeria he is indeed desperate to see a better Nigeria that citizens will be proud of.

On his mood ahead of the May 29 inauguration, the former Anambra state Governor said nothing changes in his mood as he and his supporters remain steadfast and focused on expectations of justice.

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International

Liberian Presidential Election: George Weah Concedes, Congratulates Opponent Boakai

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Liberian President George Weah has called his challenger in the presidential race, Joseph Boakai, to congratulate him on his victory.

In an address to the nation he said “the Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice”.

The opposition candidate holds an unassailable lead of 28,000 votes with nearly all ballots counted.

A former world footballer of the year, President Weah has been in power since 2018. He will step down in January.
He came into the job on a wave of enthusiasm, especially from younger voters, having won that election – also against Mr Boakai – by a large margin.

But a perception that he had failed to tackle corruption, rising prices and continued economic difficulties tarnished his image.

Mr Weah was magnanimous in defeat, beginning his five-minute address by saying he had “the utmost respect for the democratic process that has defined our nation”, adding that he had spoken to Mr Boakai who he called the “president-elect”.

Earlier the electoral commission announced that Mr Boakai, a 78-year-old political veteran had 50.89% of the votes, while President Weah had 49.11%.

The president referred to the closeness of the race saying it “reveals a deep division within our country” and called on Liberians to “work together to find common ground… unity is paramount for mama Liberia”.

A long period of civil war in which an estimated 250,000 people died ended just 20 years ago.

When the latest set of results were announced earlier on Friday, they sparked celebrations in the capital, Monrovia.

Mr Boakai’s supporters gathered at his party’s headquarters in the city, convinced that he had won the election.

They called for President Weah to go, and chanted “we beat the Buga dancer” – referring to a song that became associated with his campaign.

The electoral commission says it has announced the results from 99.58% of the polling stations following Tuesday’s run-off election.
Image caption,
Mr Boakai’s supporters gathered at his party’s headquarters in Monrovia

The run-off between Mr Boakai and Mr Weah was triggered after neither candidate got more than 50% of the vote in last month’s first round. There were 18 other candidates.

In that vote, the president got the largest share and was just 7,000 votes ahead of Mr Boakai.

The poll was the tightest presidential contest in Liberia since the civil war.

Mr Boakai’s campaigning focused on the need to rescue the nation from what he called “mismanagement” by Mr Weah’s administration.

The president dismissed Mr Boakai’s allegations, saying he had made significant strides, including introducing free tuition for university students.

This is the fourth time a presidential election has taken place since the war ended.

Observers from the regional bloc, Ecowas, deemed the run-off largely peaceful, AFP news agency reports.

But there were isolated incidents that led to “injuries and hospitalisations” in the provinces of Lofa, Nimba, Bong and Montserrado, it quotes observers as saying.

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Politics

I Have Not Withdrawn From Guber Race – Admiral Jibrin Usman

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By Ojone Grace Odaudu

Lokoja, Kogi State, 2nd October 2023
..
Contrary to the rumours being spread on the social media that the Accord Party candidate in the forthcoming Governorship election in Kogi State, Admiral Usman Jibrin has withdrawn from the race, the former Chief of Naval Staff, popularly called Akpabana has debunked the claims.

In a statement by his media team, Jibrin described the rumour as a wicked and evil machination of frustrated political opponents who have seen the handwriting of an imminent defeat of their candidate on the wall and are bent on deceiving unsuspecting members of the voting public.

The statement which was signed by the Head of Campaign Media Team, Emmanuel Iyede advised the teeming supporters of Admiral Jibrin to disregard the campaign of calumny against the candidate and work towards his emergence as

– We, the campaign team of Admiral Usman Jibrin, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, would like to officially address the ongoing rumors circulating in various media and social platforms. These rumors suggest that Admiral Usman Jibrin has decided to step down from the governorship race in favor of Murtala Yakubu of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We want to categorically state that these rumors are entirely false and unfounded.

Admiral Usman Jibrin remains firmly committed to his candidacy and the people of Kogi State. He has not, and will not, step down from the governorship race. Our campaign has been built on the principles of transparency, honesty, and a sincere dedication to bringing positive change to the lives of the people in our state.

These baseless rumors are a clear attempt to mislead the public, sow confusion, and undermine the democratic process. We urge everyone to exercise caution and verify the information they encounter before accepting it as fact. The spreading of false information not only harms the integrity of our electoral system but also creates unnecessary anxiety among our supporters.

Our campaign is strong, united, and focused on the issues that matter most to the people of Kogi State. We believe in the power of the democratic process, and we are committed to running a fair, honest, and transparent campaign.

Admiral Usman Jibrin and the Accord Party are dedicated to providing the best possible leadership and governance for the people of Kogi State. We remain steadfast in our mission and will continue to work tirelessly to earn the trust and support of the voters.

If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact our campaign headquarters at e.iyede@jibrinusmanofficial.org. We appreciate the support and trust of the people, and together, we will bring positive change to Kogi State.

Sincerely,

Emmanuel Iyede
Head of Admiral Usman Jibrin Campaign Media
e.iyede@jibrinusmanofficial.org

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Politics

APC Loses Ground in Kogi, as Appeal Court Affirms Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan’s Election as Senator

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The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has affirmed Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)as the duly elected candidate for Kogi Central Senatorial Election earlier in February.

The court dismissed the appeal filed by Abubakar Ohere for lacking in merit while describing the submission of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel, J.J Usman, SAN as meritorious and successful.

Earlier in September, the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja had nullified the victory of Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Kogi Central Senatorial Election.

The court further declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the actual winner of the February senatorial poll.

However, Ohere had headed to the appellate court to seek redress but the court further upheld Akpoti-Uduagan as the winner of the poll.

The judgment, coming just less than two weeks before the State’s gubernatorial election, could deal a devastating blow to the aspiration of Governor Yahaya Bello to install a successor (Usman Ododo) given that he comes from the same Senatorial District as the victorious PDP candidate.

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