Petition Seeking Visa Ban On Wike, Family Members Gets Over 200,000 Signatures

 About 239,864 Nigerians have signed an online petition asking the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and the entirety of the European and Asian continents to revoke the visa of Rivers State Governor Nyesom.

The petitioners alleged that Mr Wike sabotaged the February 25 election in the state by sponsoring violence, voter intimidation, and suppression.

The progenitor of the petition, Onyebuchi Ezeagabu, claimed that Mr Wike was “operating to destroy the electoral process” and called for the cancellation of the governor’s and his family’s visas.

Mr Ezeagabu said, “The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has been operating to destroy the electoral process in the state he governs.
“He is stirring up violence in Rivers State because he feels can travel out of the country at any time.

A signee, Amechi Victor, said, “He is against democracy in Nigeria. He just manipulated election results.”

Another person who supported the petition, Ugochi Agua-Onyekwelu, wrote, “This man has caused a lot of trouble and thuggery in the Nigerian political scene.

“He is always inciting people against the Igbos and has actually carried out the killing of thousands of Igbo men in his state at Obigbo, PH. He believes so much in violence and talks carelessly like a lout.”

But reacting, the director of publicity and communications for the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council, Ogbonnan Nwuke, dismissed the online petition.

Mr Nwuke, in an interview with newsmen, challenged the persons behind the online petition to provide proof to back up their claim.

Peter Obi Tweet Gathers 30k Likes within an Hour

 What a man? What a leader? 

The people's mandate must be recovered from the thieves. Obi is a divine project. Evil fights good but on the long run, the good must triumph. We are blessed to have you sir

Obidients Get Ready To Retire Sanwo-olu

 It's is clear that Inspite of the intimidation last Saturday, APC couldn't get up to 160,000 votes across Lagos.

Despite the suppression of voters, LP scored over 982,000 votes.
We can get more if only 3million out of 7million voters come out and vote.

This time around protecting yourselves.

The Thugs in Lagos are not up to 200,000.Add them to the less than 160,000 Lagos BATs who voted APC last Saturday.

Koko Zaria Has Made A Public Threat To My Life” – Adunni Ade Raises Alarm

 Nollywood actress, Adunni Ade has called out MC Oluomo’s aide, Koko Zaria, over an alleged threat to her life.

In an Instagram post that is currently trending, Adunni revealed she had contacted the US embassy in Nigeria, police, and other relevant authorities over the video made by Koko Zaria.

She alleged that in the video, the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Lagos, Koko Zaria threatened to deal with her over her.

She adds that this trails her comments on certain entertainers being paid money to campaign for a candidate in the 2023 elections.

Adunni, however, urged members of the general public to be aware of the situation and hold Koko Zaria responsible if anything happens to her.

Adunni wrote:

@kokozaria_americaboy has made a public threat to my life. Let it be known if anything happens to me, he should be held accountable. @usembassynigeria @nigerianpoliceforce

Isah Aliyu: Kogi Blogger Arrested On Natasha Akpoti's Reques Freed After 14 Days

 After spending 14 days in police custody, Isah Aliyu Amoto, a young blogger who was arrested for alleged criminal defamation of character against Bar Natasha H Akpoti-Uduaghan, has been freed. This news comes after several protests by the people of Kogi Central, who called on the 2023 senatorial candidate to release the boy.

According to reports, Isah Aliyu Amoto was arrested on the orders of a court for publishing an article that allegedly defamed the character of Bar Natasha H Akpoti-Uduaghan, a well-known figure in Kogi State. However, many members of the public believed that the arrest was unjust and called for the blogger's release.

The protests against the arrest gained momentum in the days leading up to the blogger's release, with many people expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation. The release of the blogger on Wednesday has been seen as a victory for the people of Kogi Central and a sign that justice has prevailed.

It is not yet clear what led to the decision to release the blogger, but many have speculated that the public pressure and protests played a significant role in his release. Some have also pointed out that the case highlights the need for stronger protections for free speech and press freedom in Nigeria.

The incident has also raised concerns about the use of criminal defamation laws to silence critical voices and the need for a more nuanced approach to balancing the right to freedom of expression with other rights such as the right to privacy and reputation.

As the dust settles on this incident, many are calling for a deeper reflection on the importance of protecting free speech and the press in Nigeria, as well as the need for a more transparent and accountable justice system.

Chimamanda Asks US To Support Election Transparency In Nigeria

 Imagine standing patiently in line, waiting to vote, and suddenly men with guns arrive on motorcycles and start shooting. Imagine men dashing into your polling unit, violently seizing ballot boxes and taking them away. Imagine other ballot boxes being destroyed. Imagine being beaten to keep you from voting for a particular candidate. Imagine a crowd of people chanting “We must vote! We must vote!” when polling workers failed to arrive as expected. Imagine the police doing very little. All these things happened during the Nigerian presidential elections on Saturday. Through it all, there was a chilling lack of transparency from the Independent National Electoral Commission, or I.N.E.C., which oversees elections.

Nigerian elections have a history of being rigged, of cooked-up numbers and stolen ballot boxes. This time, though, Nigerians were asked to place their faith in a new electronic voting system that would make tampering more difficult. Technology would be the savior: In each polling unit, votes would be counted in the presence of voters and then immediately uploaded to a secure central portal. Failing to upload the results in real time was the most egregious of the many irregularities of this election because it has destroyed the cautious trust with which many approached the process.

The I.N.E.C. blames technical issues for the delay. How, Nigerians wonder, can a well-funded electoral body that had four years to prepare for an important presidential election make such a significant blunder? It is reasonable, then, that many voters have assumed purposeful intent, that election workers were instructed not to upload results so that they could later be secretly manipulated.

I know Nigeria, the country of my birth, intimately. I know the political culture, where the exchange of large amounts of money makes so many people conscience-deficient, where the mainstream media’s instinct is political deference and where the will of the people is often ignored. Nigerians, especially young Nigerians, are determined that this time, their votes will matter. A majority of Nigerians are below the age of 35. They are a bright, innovative and talented generation, a hungry generation, starved of good leadership, who do not merely sit back and complain but who act and push back and want to forge their own futures.

On Saturday, many went out to vote, enthusiastic but cautious, their phone cameras ready to record any irregularities. They waited for election workers who arrived many hours late to polling stations. They braved the harassment and beatings of men paid to create chaos. They went off and bought their own ink for finger-printing when election workers claimed to have run out of it. They provided their own light from their phones as they stood in line in the dark, and according to one recorded case, a voter brought a small generator to a polling place when the voting machine stopped working. They refused to leave even though they had to wait so long that it was almost dawn when they could finally vote. And when it began to rain, they came together and sang beautiful songs. I have never been so proud of my fellow Nigerians. Many were voting for the first time, inspired by one candidate, Peter Obi, who has brought to them that ineffable thing that we humans need to thrive: hope.

Now, as results are being counted, there is growing disillusionment. A sludge of tension is in the air. A simmering rage. Some voters say that the official numbers trickling in do not match the numbers from their polling units, that the results tell a story different from what they witnessed on Saturday. They are convinced of the complicity of those who should be caretakers of the democratic process.

Elections must always be transparent, of course, but for an abysmally low-trust society like Nigeria, a radical transparency is needed for credibility. Elections must be completely transparent and must be widely seen to be completely transparent; sadly, neither seems to apply to Nigeria’s presidential election.

African democracies are criticized, often condescendingly so, in ways that stoke resentment, not because the criticism isn’t valid, but because it isn’t fair. Africa is full of young nation-states, and democracy takes time to establish its roots, and even when it does, the fragility always remains.

I’ve always found it curious that African countries were expected to form functioning democracies right after independence, even though the colonial governments they had only just freed themselves from were dictatorships in everything but name. Nigerians want a functioning democracy, and they are starting on the path to it but might be derailed unless the international community pays attention now.

Nigeria is Africa’s tottering giant, the continent’s most populous country, the most politically and culturally dominant. To pay real attention to Nigeria is to signal that Africa matters, as the United States has always maintained. The Biden administration needs to stand behind the Nigerian people now and make a firm commitment to support election transparency. Besides — my tongue is lodged in my cheek — you don’t want a wave of Nigerian asylum seekers fleeing the unbearable discontent of living under an illegitimate government.

Sometimes democracies are threatened by foreign invasions and sometimes democracies are most at risk from internal forces. All of them need support.

Lagos Commisioner Of Police Meets Falz, Macaroni And Others

 Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the meeting which was held at the command headquarters was convened to address security concerns within the state.

The statement read;

“The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Idowu Owohunwa, today convened a meeting of political parties, traditional rulers, religious/youth/market leaders, media influencers and other opinion moulders at the POWA Hall of the Command Headquarters, Ikeja Lagos.

“The meeting which was convened to address security concerns within the state following the Presidential Election and in view of the coming Gubernatorial Election provided the opportunity for Lagosians to ventilate their concerns, point out areas of security needs and recommend strategies that would help curb any form of violence within the state.

“The Commissioner of Police reminded influential people that they have an important role in setting an example and can help ensure that peace is maintained by speaking out against any form of violence or aggression.”

Owohunwa who charged the stakeholders to eschew violence and preach peace, tolerance and rule of law to their teaming followers, added that the Command will not hesitate to protect law-abiding citizens and deal with troublemakers in accordance with the law.