Ploy To Falsify Voters’ Registers: Oshiomhole raises alarm

BENIN CITY - Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday raised the alarm over an attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party to connive with the Independent National Electoral Commission to falsify the voters’ register in the state.

The governor who addressed over 5,000 protesters at the INEC office in Benin City advised President Goodluck Jonathan to stop the move and not allow himself to be used to create a potentially volatile situation.

“This morning we have started the business of ensuring that never again will Chief Tony Anenih continue to perpetrate election fraud in Edo. We want the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the Director of the State Security Service, all forces of Development and those who believe in Democracy to be put on notice of the plans of the PDP in the state” he noted.

According to him, President Jonathan benefited from the votes of Edo State, therefore he should not allow things to fall apart, because people like Chief Anenih do not have the interest of the country at heart.
“We in Edo State cannot run away from our land, but we have the responsibility to stop them.

The PDP candidate, Charles Airhievbere should be ready for one man, one vote. He must understand that votes and not bullets determine the winner in a democracy,” he added.

The governor disclosed, “I have written a letter to Prof. Jega who I believe is a gentleman and determined to conduct a fair and free election to inform and remind him that some INEC staff are working with Anenih to ensure that Jega does not conduct a free and fair election.

“I wrote to Prof. Jega that PDP wants to doctor the voters register by taking the names of voters away from the register and putting them somewhere else so that when they go to vote, their names will not be found in the register and this will cause confusion,” the governor noted.

Comrade Oshiomhole alleged that the ICT department of INEC in Benin City conspired with the ICT department in Abuja to falsify the voters register during the updating of the register to accommodate people who are 18 years old.

“Why will INEC deploy 472 Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines to the state when they will not need more than 18 registration points at the local government headquarters.

They want to aid and abet the PDP by changing Local governments to wards which is a departure to what obtains in the past. We do not believe they need to do it in the 192 wards , then why do they need 472 DDC machines,” he noted.

The Governor said that even if INEC were to do voters’ registration update in the 192 wards in the state, it won’t need more than 192 DDC machines instead of the 472 DDC machines it is deploying in the state.

The governor said, they plan to take the remaining 280 DDC machines to their godfathers at Uromi and other secret places where they intend to carry out illegal registration of voters, adding that, “we will not go to court, we will fight them eyeball to eyeball.”

While commending the vigilance of the youths who caught a man with a DDC machine, Comrade Oshiomhole said the suspect has confessed that he was directed by the PDP to take the machine to a secret location and that they are already doing registration of voters in Uromi.

Gunmen sack police station, steal arms, attack banks

*We repelled them – Police
By Albert Akpor and Simon Ebegbulem, Benin City
For some residents, Edo State, at the weekend, became a theatre of war. Some gunmen struck at a police station. There were conflicting accounts on the gunmen’s encounter with the police. While one account had it that the  policemen, unable to withstand the gunmen’s  firepower, took to their heels, the police said they repelled the attack.
The gunmen were said to have entered the armoury, took arms and attacked two generation banks. However, the robbery bid was reportedly foiled by members of a vigilance group who mobilised to stop the gunmen.
Scene of terror was Igarra in Akoko EdoLocal Government Area of Edo State. The incident happened on  Friday night.
An account claimed the policemen at the station fled on sighting the gunmen numbering over ten with AK 47 rifles and dynamites, making it possible for the gunmen to gain entry into their armory and allegedly went away with three guns.
The gunmen,after attacking the police station, according to the account, stormed the two generation banks but met resistance from members of the vigilance group and youths in the area who mobilized  to stop them from robbing the banks.
One of the gunmen was said to have sustained gun shot wounds from the securitymen attached to the bank.
Two members ofthe vigilance group,  identified as Kehinde Julius and Eshovo Ukonga,also reportedly  sustained gunshot wounds during the battle with the gunmen.
An eye witness narrated: “The gunmen came, threw dynamites at the police station and took  guns from the armoury. Some of themproceeded to the banks while others stood  along the road and wereshooting sporadically, but they could not gain access into the bankand one of them was shot.
“The otherssnatched a jeep with which they escaped and  later dropped off  thedriver along the way. But the one with gunshot wounds and another member of the gang escaped into the cave in the Igarra hills. Their blood stains were used to trail them into the cave and, in the process,  they shot two of our boys (vigilance group). But they are still believed to be hiding in the cave while others have escaped”.
Another account said the armed gang, on arriving the area,  divided themselves into two groups. While one group allegedly invaded the police station, the other went to one of the banks frantically trying to gain access into the banking hall. But a combined team of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) from Ibilo and Auchi rose  to the challenge and engaged the gunmen  in a shoot out. While the fierce exchange of fire was on, the gunmen  were said to have been forced to abandon their plan to rob the banks and took to their heels.
Police sources said the operation may not be unconnected with the movement of huge sums of money from Benin and Auchi branch of  one of the banks  into the Igarra branch on Friday evening, adding that some staff of the bank must have knowledge of the robbery.
Edo State police commissioner, Olayinka Balogun, confirmed the gunmen attack but said the attackers did not gain entry into the armoury. “Yes they invaded the police station but they met resistance. Their plan was to attack the two banks located opposite each other, but they were also resisted there.
“We recovered three AK 47 rifles, a locally made explosive and two vehicles; aToyota Sienna and Camry. We suspect that two of them are hiding inthe cave. We saw their blood stained clothes, we are sure they arestill hiding in the cave. We are firing teargas into the cave tosmoke them out”, he said.

`It was a siege’
Also giving his own account of the incident, the transitionchairman of Akoko Edo LGA, Anslem Agbabi, described the gunmen’soperation as a siege on Igara.
“I called the Area Command and all of us were making efforts tostop them. I was the one that told the police to go and make a roadblock so that they will not escape because our vigilance group was at alert”, he told Sunday Vanguard, last night. The council boss went on: “When they arrived at the police station, they openedfire unexpectedly.
But the policemen at the bank opened fire on the robbers. There was serious exchange of fire at this point. One of the  robbers fell down. They now ran to Ajegunle junction but, by that time, I had informed the DPO at Ibillo to mobilize his people. So when they got there, they opened fire and there was an exchange offire again because the police had blocked the road already . “Asthey were chasing them, the robbers stopped and transferred their menfrom their Toyota Camry to the jeep which they snatched.
As they were doing that, they discovered that another one died in the jeep. They passed through Lampese to Kogi. The other ones that could not enterthe vehicle ran into the cave. Igarra youths entered the bush this(yesterday) morning and saw their blood. Either two or three of the robbers should be in the cave now. We are still searching for them.The police tried in this operation even though they earlier attacked their station”.

Oshio baba

Everyone just get excited at this name Adams Oshiomhole!!

 Mammoth Crowd at the Rally Obe Primary School, Sabongida-Ora Owan West — with Grace Eric, Godfrey Owolabi David, Herroyalmajesty Barbie, Oghomwen Babywhite Joyce, Rowland Osayi-Bazuaye, Gray Johnson Ose, Comrade Jude Edosa and Blessing Akoko.

— with Grace Eric, Godfrey Owolabi David, Herroyalmajesty Barbie, Oghomwen Babywhite Joyce, Rowland Osayi-Bazuaye, Gray Johnson Ose, Comrade Jude Edosa and Blessing Akoko.

Edo Govt To Immortalise 3 Journalists

THIS IS GOODNEWS!!!

An edifice to be called, “Democracy House” will be built by the Edo  State Government and the names of the three Journalists who died in an auto crash involving the convoy of the State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, will be inscribed on it.
The three journalists are Olatunji Jacob of Independent Television (ITV), Fidelis Okhani of African Independent Television (AIT) and George Okosun also of Independent Television (ITV).
This was disclosed by the governor in Benin City during the lying-in-state of the Independent Television Cameraman, George Okosun, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, yesterday.
The two Independent Television ( ITV) Journalists who died in the auto crash were buried at the weekend amid tears.
The ITV reporter, Mr. Olatunji Jacobs was laid to rest at Oloma in Akoko Edo Local Government Area while the Cameraman, Mr. George Okosun was buried at Ivue-Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
As a mark of appreciation of his contributions to the development of Edo State and for upholding the right to know and to be informed, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said the Oloma Primary School would be rebuilt to the same standard with others in the state this year.
“To  ensure that the three children he left behind attend school to university level the sum of N5 Million will be deposited in a bank account for each of them while the sum of N5 million will be given to the widow for the upkeep of the children,” he disclosed.
According to him, Edo State Government would stand by the children and they would go to schools of their choice.
Similarly, the State Governor described the late George Okosun, as the best cameraman in the Government House Press Corps in view of his passion and sense of news coverage.
“We  are yet to understand why the driver of the tipper truck left his lane and crashed into the convoy which led to the death of the three journalists. We are waiting for the police to unravel the ugly development,” he noted.
He disclosed that towards assisting the family of Late George Okosun the sum of N10 million will be paid into  a bank  account by the state government for the education of his only son and the wife would be given N5 million while the  aged parents would get N3 million.
Mr. Fidelis Okhani the third journalist with African Independent Television  who died in the crash had earlier been laid to rest in his home town, Iviukwe, Etsako East Local Government Area.

Adams Oshiomhole Flagoff campaigns

Adams Oshiomhole Flagoff ACN Campaign Rally in Edo North 2012.

 

DMX Ends Six Year Release Exile With New Mixtape

On May 15, a little over a month before DMX delivers his seventh studio album, Undisputed, the rapper will release a 10-track EP titled The Weigh In. 

 

The Weigh In EP has features from artists such as Snoop Dogg and Tyrese and also includes an interlude featuring Lil Wayne. At press time, confirmed production on the project comes from Fredwreck Moog, Rich Kidd, and X’s longtime collaborator, Dame Grease. The EP marks one of the first projects from X since his last album, Year Of the Dog…Again, was released more than five years ago in 2006. 

 

As was reported last week, DMX’s new album, Undisputed, is set for release on June 26, while a visual for the album’s first single, “I Don’t Dance” featuring Machine Gun Kelly is reportedly dropping shortly. The next single from Undisputed is said to include an appearance from the late, great Notorious B.I.G.