Kwara State’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has released an over 2000-member strong multi-stakeholders’ campaign council list, which it says comprises party chieftains and sympathisers drawn from every demography in the state.

Fidel Info reports that the party made this declaration in a statement issued , stressing that the composition of the list attracts every segment of the state, including persons and groups not in any way affiliated to the party.

The party added that the re-election bid of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is a project of all the people of Kwara State who have enjoyed a positive paradigm shift over the last three years and want him to remain in the saddle for the next four years.

The party further expressed confidence in the successful re-election of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the election of all APC’s Candidates, charging all members of the campaign council to be great ambassadors of Kwarans and to work hard in mobilising every resident of the state.

More nominations, according to the party, will be made to support the existing campaign structures across the state, adding that everyone is important in the scheme of things.

“As the ambassadors and representatives of the people of Kwara State, especially members of our party, the council members have, like many others who may not be on the list, distinguished themselves through years of committed and faithful service to the party, and thus possess the quality and dedication required for success at the polls later this year.

” The party therefore wishes to congratulate the appointees while assuring party chieftains not specifically mentioned on the list of continuous inclusion in the campaign and party’s activities through various means that will equally be recognised,” the statement said.

The Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has nullified the victory of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fidel Info reports that the long-drawn legal battle was finally put to rest on Friday as the tribunal gave its judgement on the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.

The tribunal established cases of overvoting and rigging in the election that saw Adeleke declared as winner.

Meanwhile, leaders of the PDP have come under fire for deploying the instrument of rigging and electoral malpractice during the election.

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was particularly condemned for the roles he reportedly played in prosecuting the heavily influenced election.

It would be recalled that Saraki was in Osun State in the period of the election acting as the godfather of Adeleke. Osun shares close boundaries with Kwara State where Saraki hails from and he has been a friend of the Adeleke family.

In a comment by a socio-political group identified as Kwara Development Advancement Initiative (KADI), the Chairman Lukman AbdulKadir said Saraki has been put to shame with the landmark judgement of the tribunal, adding his rigging tactics have been exposed.

“Bukola Saraki, the grandmaster of electoral malpractice and rigging, has once again been put to shame with the nullification of the victory of Ademola Adeleke in Osun State. This is a warning for him that he would also be disgraced in Kwara State if rigging is what he depends on as our system has now advanced. There is no way the will of the people can be subverted or truncated through the back door.

“Saraki never won any election in Kwara State credibly. All the elections they won have been dogged by malpractice, violence and rigging. We recall vividly how he manipulated votes from backwater communities of Kwara State in Asa, Moro, among others, pre-2019. He couldn’t do that in 2019 because the Otoge revolution flooded his dynasty. We also recall how they heavily manipulated Local Government elections through their stooges especially Ajidagba of KWASIEC.

“If rigging is what Saraki is banking on to win the 2023 election in Kwara State, he has failed just like Osun has shown. His rigging tactics failed there and the will of the people has been restored. We are aware of how Kwara PDP members were deployed to Osun as INEC ad-hoc staff and observers to influence the election. The tribunal has vindicated us after establishing cases of overvoting. Kwarans are politically aware and conscious. They will monitor and guard their votes.

“We also call on the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities during the election and not allow crooked politicians to impugn the credibility of the forthcoming polls. We are aware that is their plans. Our democracy must be protected at all costs in the country and Kwara State, specifically,” he told our medium.

The Abia State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Prof Uche Ikonne, is dead.

Fidel Info reports that this was announced in a statement by his son, Dr Chikezie Uche-Ikonne, on Wednesday.

The statement read, “I regret to announce the death of my dear father, Prof Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, who died at the National Hospital Abuja today January 2023
25, by 4 am after a brief illness.