Meta Set To Develop Twitter-like App

 

Tech giant, Meta, has kickstarted plans to give Twitter a run for its money.

The parent company of several social media platforms announced that an app that will have similar features to the microblogging site is in the works. 

In a statement shared with Reuters, a Meta spokesperson said, “We’re exploring a standalone decentralised social network for sharing text updates.

“We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”

The said application would mirror the framework that powers Mastodon, a Twitter-like service which was launched in 2016.

The move comes amid Meta’s efforts to retain users in its social networks, especially with an ageing user base and the rise of stiff competition like TikTok.

Forbes reported in February 2022, that Facebook, one of Meta’s platforms, lost approximately 500,000 daily users in the last three months of 2021.

If successful, the app by Meta will pose competition for Twitter which was recently acquired by Elon Musk.

Musk, who bought the plaform for about $43 billion dollars last year, resorted to cutting the cost of running the company by massive layoffs. His stance against censorship among other things has upset many and consequently led to advertisers pulling out their funds from the company.

INEC Chairman Threatens To Sue PDP For Defamation

 Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has advised officials of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to desist from maligning his character in the media or risk being sued for libel.

Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi who was reacting to calls by the PDP on Prof. Yakubu to step down for his handling of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, said the PDP should go to court and present the bagful of evidence it claims to have rather than subjecting the process to a media trial.

He said; “The latest call by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, just like it did previously for the resignation of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC is misplaced.
Interestingly, the PDP did not provide any convincing evidence to back up all the spurious allegations it listed as Prof. Yakubu’s ‘infractions’.

“To be sure, the PDP failed to provide any evidence to substantiate the allegations of Yakubu’s ‘brazen violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines, and criminal manipulation and alteration of election results’.


“The PDP also did not give the evidence to prove its claims that Prof. Yakubu ‘sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from polling units.’

“Besides, the ‘several evidences’ that the PDP claimed ‘abound in the six geo-political zones of the country where winning figures scored by the PDP were switched in favour of the APC’ were also not laid bare.

“To be sure, the Commission does not rig elections. Rather, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS has, since its introduction, among other innovations, ensured the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only properly registered voters are allowed to vote on Election Day.

“It is common knowledge that the PDP has rejected the outcome of the presidential election and has vowed to challenge it in court.

“The path of honour for the party, therefore, is to pursue its case in court, armed with all the evidences at its disposal and wait for the court’s decision.


“But going about canvassing the same issues the party intends to plead in court on the pages of newspapers and calling for the resignation of the INEC Chairman is like putting the cart before the horse.

“More importantly, the PDP is hereby reminded that making libelous allegations against the person of the INEC Chairman is actionable. The party should henceforth desist from the practice”.

Kemi Olunloyo To Tonto Dikeh: You Are A Despicable Liar & Emotional Child Abuser

 You are a despicable liar and emotional child abuser” - Kemi Olunloyo howls at Tonto Dikeh as she releases real photos of Churchill’s daughter and father.

Nigerian investigative Journalist, Kemi Olunloyo has once again called out Actress Tonto Dikeh over her fake and controversial claims against her ex-husband, Olakunle Oladunni Churchill. 

Following a post Tonto dikeh made claiming her ex husband is dead beat and doesn’t take care of his first daughter simply known as Bimbo, Kemi released photos and videos of his child with a disclaimer that the photo the actress had posted is fake and misrepresentation of another child. 

Kemi Olunloyo who called Tonto a despicable liar and serial emotional child abuser, wrote;

“Miss Tonto Dikeh after Pinocchio, has always been the Deputy Governor of lies misrepresenting people, things and events. When someone cannot move on and is obsessed with ruining her ex husband’s name posting the photo of some strange woman who people might attack now for misrepresenting another child. The lovely Miss Bimbo Churchill is Dr Olakunle Churchill’s oldest child and only daughter. The preteen is aware of this picture being depicted as her, an abandoned unkempt girl.”

She confirmed that the child and her mother live comfortably in the US and she comes to Nigeria to spend time with her baby brother King Churchill and step mom Rosy Meurer. 

The journalist also released a photo of Churchill’s father, Late Primate (ArchBishop) Gabriel OLADUNNI who was said to be wealthy and reputable yet Tonto claimed he was a gardener who worked for former President, Olusegun Obasanjo. 

“ Tonto is always misrepresenting people when she’s disgruntled. She is only trying to ruin him because he is doing well and she needs to stop misleading the public” she wrote.

Also, In a viral post shared on Instagram, Kemi labeled Tonto Dikeh, a drug addict who could have killed her houseboy in Ghana after getting hold of her ex husband’s unloaded gun and shooting at him, thankfully, it had no bullet. 

In the police report that was obtained the actress was almost prosecuted but Olakunle Churchill dropped all charges to save her.

INEC Uploaded Jigawa Results On IREV Portal As Imo Results – PDP

 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has revealed that results from Jigawa State were imported into Imo State and transmitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to iREV Portal on Sunday, February 26, 2026.

The party alleged that INEC in Imo swapped the imported results with the authentic results from the three other local government areas, particularly, Aboh Mbaise, Oguta and Ehime Mbano, where the PDP won by over 80 percent of the total votes cast.

It made this known in a statement signed by the state publicity secretary, Hon Collins Opurozor, which was made available to LEADERSHIP.

The release reads,” Producing fake results for places where elections weren’t held was the first stage. Elections in the Okigwe LGA’s Ihube, Agbobu, Umuowaibu, Aku, Umulolo, Ogii, and Amuro Wards did not take place. However, Senator Uzodinma’s representatives received the election materials for the areas from Imo State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Prof Sylvia Agu.

“Results were ultimately written in favour of APC. These faked results were accepted and announced by the state’s INEC, which is very corrupt and tainted and is led by Prof Agu. In the history of Nigerian elections, INEC has never treated us so poorly!

“The worst occurred in three additional local government areas, specifically Aboh Mbaise, Oguta, and Ehime Mbano, where PDP won by more than 80 percent of the total votes cast. Jigawa State results were brought into Imo State, where this morally bankrupt INEC replaced them with the real results from the polling places spread across these three LGAs. On Sunday, February 26th, 2026, the Jigawa findings were subsequently sent to iREV Portal.”

It alleged that by the time it got dark on Sunday, February 26, the following voting units in Aboh Mbaise LGA had been replaced with results from Jigawa State: Community School Okwu Na Akuwa, Community School Ndigbo, Community School Egbelu, Umumbie Hall, Umunobi Umuoshi Village Hall, Umuorobara Hall, Egbelu Ndiegbo Hall, Umuaghara Hall, Umueke Hall.


“In Ehime Mbano LGA, Isi Orie Primary School, Umuopara-Ama Hall, Umuezeala Offor Hall, Obom Umuako Square, Secondary School Umuezeala-Ama, Ukwuegbu Umuaro Hall, Ukwuobu Umuezeala Ogwara C/SUmuagba/Umuoba Hall, Community School Umuezeala-Ama, Umuduru Aro Square 1, Umuduru Aro Square 11, and Isi-Afor Primary School were polling units where Jigawa results were also uploaded and transmitted.

“This same fraud happened in Oguta LGA. For Orsu and Oru East, and most parts of Orlu LGA where elections never held at all, results from Jigawa State were similarly uploaded onto the INEC Server, while their authentic result sheets delivered to Imo APC by INEC for the second phase of the fraud. In Njaba LGA, the INEC Electoral Officer who refused to yield to threats by agents of the APC to do this same thing was abducted and almost assassinated. Till date, the elections in Njaba remain inconclusive.

“In Ehime Mbano LGA, Isi Orie Primary School, Umuopara-Ama Hall, Umuezeala Offor Hall, Obom Umuako Square, Secondary School Umuezeala-Ama, Ukwuegbu Umuaro Hall, Ukwuobu Umuezeala Ogwara C/SUmuagba/Umuoba Hall, Community School Umuezeala-Ama, Umuduru Aro Square 1, Umuduru Aro Square 11, and Isi-Afor Primary School were polling units where Jigawa results were also uploaded and transmitted.

“By the late hours of Wednesday, the writing and rewriting of the results from Imo polling units had been concluded by agents of the APC, and INEC accepted them. That was when INEC in Imo began to cover its tracks, unaware that the internet footprints and many other damning proofs of the criminal subversion of the will of Imo people and bizarre importation of alien results into Imo were firmly already at our disposal. And by Thursday, March 2nd, INEC began to pull down the Jigawa State results earlier uploaded on the iREV as Imo results. In some instances, results written right in Douglas House were uploaded as replacements for the previous ones from Jigawa. In other instances, no results were uploaded at all.

“For Mbaitoli LGA, there were no elections in about eighty-eight (88) polling units, while two (2) polling units in Owerri West and three (3) polling units in Owerri Municipal had no elections. This means that for Owerri senatorial district, elections were never held at polling units with total number of collected PVCs placed at about forty-one thousand, three hundred and thirty-nine (41, 339). Yet, INEC went ahead to violate the clear provisions of the Electoral Act by declaring someone Senator-Elect even when the margin of lead between the so-called winner and the second person was less than thirteen thousand (13,000) votes. This is outrageous!”

2023 Election: The Legal Issues In Tinubu’s Victory.

 Senator Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress has been declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election, but with his failure to win 25 per cent of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory, many fear this could provide sufficient grounds for his opponents to challenge his victory, Alex Emunah writes

In spite of legitimate concerns raised about the alleged irregularities in the 2023 presidential poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Wednesday declared Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the February 25 election.

Tinubu secured a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6,984,520 votes, while Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party scored 6,101,533 votes.

A few hours later, the former Lagos State governor was presented with a certificate of return alongside his running mate Kashim Shettima, making them the President-elect and Vice President-elect respectively. 

While Tinubu and Atiku won 12 states each, Obi won 11 states and the FCT, while Kwankwaso defeated the three only in Kano State. Of the three leading presidential candidates, only Obi won the FCT, which is a very strong constitutional requirement to become the President of Nigeria.

Though Tinubu met the threshold by scoring at least 25 per cent of valid votes in at least 24 states of the federation, the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stated categorically that a candidate must win 25 per cent in at least 24 states and the FCT. This has led to different interpretations.

In 1979, Shehu Shagari faced a similar scenario when he scored 25 per cent in 12 of the 19 states of the federation at the time. With the 1979 Constitution requiring him to score at least 25 per cent in two-thirds of the states, a crisis ensued over what should be considered as two-thirds of 19 states, whether it was 12 or 13.

The Supreme Court concluded that it would be “12 two-thirds’’, meaning 25 per cent in 12 states and 25 per cent of two-thirds of a 13th state.  Shagari automatically met the requirement but the opposition cried foul.

Now that the result of FCT has been announced, APC had just 19.8 per cent and PDP 16.1 per cent, compared to Labour Party’s 61 per cent.

Before Tinubu emerged the winner of the election, many Nigerians particularly supporters and members of the APC were already apprehensive, wondering if INEC was going to call for a run-off since the two leading candidates did not win the FCT or approach the court for interpretation before declaring a winner.

They also wondered if INEC would declare the election as inconclusive and organise a second election within seven days as also provided for under Section 134 (3), which states: “In a default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section there shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidates shall be (a) the candidate who scored the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and (b) one among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States, so however that where there are more than one candidate with majority of votes in the highest number of states, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election.”

Unfortunately, at the end of the collation of the result, the electoral umpire declared Tinubu the winner and decided that the opponents should go to court for interpretation

 What Does the Constitution Say Exactly?

Section 134 (2) states: “A candidate for an election to the office of president shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election: (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the FCT.

 “(3) In a default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section their shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidates shall be (a) the candidate who scored the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and (b) one among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States, so however that where there are more than one candidate with majority of votes in the highest number of States, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election.”

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) was the first to point out this tricky constitutional provision in a letter he wrote to the INEC early in January 2023. Although commending INEC for a “great job to ensure free, fair, verifiable, credible and transparent elections,” Agbakoba said the clarification was needed.

 “I am a little worried. I reviewed Section 134 carefully, specifically, subsections 134 (1) (b) and (2) (b), and wondered if “two-thirds of all the States in the federation and the FCT” means either of the following:  “a) that a presidential candidate must score not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation which means 24 states, the 24 states will include the FCT as a “state”.

The former NBA boss added that there are three major questions arising from his interpretation. He said: “(1) Is the requirement that a presidential candidate must score not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation; does this mean that the FCT is incorporated in the 24 states?

 “Can a candidate that scored not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in 36 states of the federation but fails to score one-quarter of the votes cast at the election at the FCT, be duly elected as President of Nigeria?[/i]p

“To be honest, I am not quite sure of the right answers to my questions. I just thought to bring this to your attention as something you might wish to clarify to the public.”

Another senior lawyer, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), said for any candidate to be constitutionally declared a winner of a presidential election in Nigeria, he or she must win in FCT.

Quoting some sections of the 1999 Constitution, Ozoani argued that if a presidential candidate did not win in the FCT, he or she is not qualified to be declared winner, adding that the only available option is for INEC to conduct fresh election.

[i]“Any presidential candidate who did not win the FCT cannot legally and constitutionally be declared the winner of the presidential election. The only available path to INEC is to call for a fresh nomination. Section 133(b), last paragraph of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended attests to this,” he said.

“The only interpretation to be founded on Section 133 (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended is to the effect that for a candidate to be qualified to the office of the president, ‘he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all states in the Federation and the FCT, Abuja but where the only candidates fail to be elected by this section, then there shall be fresh nominations’.

“The interpretation of and is in the issue. We submit that the word, ‘AND’ means ‘Conj’, ‘in addition’, ‘together with’, and ‘plus’. See Webster’s Universal Dictionary and thesaurus, Bedded and Grosset, P. 31. Also, ‘AND’ means, ‘generally, a cumulative sense, requiring the fulfillment of all the conditions that it joins together and herein, it is the antithesis of ‘OR’. See Stroud’s judicial dictionary of words and phrases, Seventh edition, VOL. 1, Daniel Greenberg, London Sweet and Maxwell, 2006, P 128.”

He maintained that it is illegal and unconstitutional to declare any presidential candidate winner without him or her winning the FCT Abuja.

But another senior lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) had said that it is not mandatory for a presidential candidate to win the FCT to be declared the winner of the election.In a statement, Falana explained that the law sees the FCT as any of the 36 states in the country.

He said: “You don’t have to win the FCT; if you meet the requirement; that is two-thirds of the majority of states in the country. You don’t have to win the FCT. Section 299(1) of the Constitution provides that the provisions of the Constitution shall apply to the FCT as if it were one of the states of the federation. It means that the FCT is the 37th state. 

“So section 134 of the Constitution which provides that  ‘not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states and the FCT’ means 25 states or 24 states plus the FCT. Winning the FCT by a candidate is not compulsory.

“In Baba-Panya V. President, F. R. N. (2018) 15 NWLR (PT. 1643) 395 the Court of Appeal held inter alia: It is therefore doubtless clear that by virtue of Section 299 of the Constitution of the federation, the FCT is in law a state. 

The senior lawyer further noted: “By the combined effect of sections 134 and 299 of the Constitution, a candidate shall be deemed to have won the presidential election if he scores the majority of lawful votes cast at the election and 25 per cent of lawful votes in 37 states or 36 states plus the FCT. It is not compulsory for a presidential candidate to win the FCT,” Falana added. 

With the contradicting interpretations, many feel that the opposition political parties need to approach the courts to seek proper and definite interpretation of the controversial section.The days ahead would reveal the next step the PDP and LP would take.

I’m Falling For Tiwa Savage – Spyro Opens Up

 I’m falling for Tiwa Savage – Singer Spyro opens up

Fast-rising Nigerian singer, Spyro has revealed that he’s becoming fond of melodious singer, Tiwa Savage ever since they met.

The artiste featured her on the remix of his hit single, “Who’s Your Guy” which was released last week.

According to Spyro, he often speaks with her on phone and he is thinking of stopping because the more that happens, he falls harder for her.

The singer said the mother of one said that Tiwa Savage is an amazing soul, and he is happy about choosing her to be on the remix of his song.

He wrote; “Yo guys, TIWA is such an amazing soul. Super Glad I chose her for my remix

I actually think I need to stop talking to her on phone the more we talk the more I fall for her MY GUYEST GUY IS TIWA.”

Kaduna: Four Injured As Suspected Thugs Attack LP Campaign Convoy

 PRESS RELEASE

4 People Injured As Thugs Attacked LP Campaign Convoy In Jema'a LG

The Labour Party governorship campaign convoy of Hon. Jonathan Asake in Kaduna state was attacked by thugs today in Gidan Waya, Jema'a local government area.

Four youths were injured in the process, including two boys and two girls. No vehicle was damaged.

The incident happened when the campaign convoy was passing through Gidan Waya during Friday prayers on its way to Godogodo and other towns as the campaign team tour the Local Government. 

After the first three vehicles in the convoy made their way through the old tyres used to demarcate the road, thugs started throwing stones, big sticks and other harmful objects at the long convoy.

It took the timely intervention of the security personnel attached to the candidate to forestall a crisis.

Signed
James Swam
Media Aide to
Jonathan Asake

10/03/2023