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By Tunji Ajayi The Legacy PDP in Edo State on Friday described the arrest of Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Johnson Alalibo, purportedly ordered by Governor Godwin Obaseki as the height of 'executive rascality' and 'political frustration.'  The main body of PDP in Edo State said such action does not represent the ideals of the Party and that the governor must understand that we are in a democracy and not in a military dictatorship.  In a statement signed by the interim Secretary of the body, Dele Elempe, he said, "Obaseki is acting as if he is ruling under a junta and so he is above the law. He must be reminded that we are in a democracy and the sacrosanctity of the law and due processes cannot be discounted.  "Ideally, if there is anything against the REC, it should be been officially communicated through the Chairman of the Commission for investigation rather than this Gestapo, jackboot and boot-charge abduction style of arrest. This is not o...

By Amb Tony Okonigene  There Edo State Residence Electoral Commissioner,  Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, has declared that the Governor Godwin Obaseki's faction of the Edo State PDP did not conduct any congress or primary.  Responding to a petition written against him to the police by the State PDP chairman,  Hon. Tony Aizegbemi, the REC said that all due processes were followed in the correspondences between INEC and the Edo State PDP secretariat during the  congresses and primaries of the party. He told the police that the commission in exercising its powers under the Electoral Act,  duly monitored the congresses and primaries of the Legacy PDP inline with the provisions of the PDP constitution and Electoral Act (As Amended). The REC also tendered all the necessary documents relating to the conduct of the  congresses and primaries of the Edo PDP. He reinstated in his statement that the Godwin Obaseki's faction did not conduct any congress or primary a...

  The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja today being 27th day of July, 2022 nullified Section 21 of the Edo State Local Government Electoral Law and the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission Establishment (Re-Enactment) Law 2017 (as amended) in 2022. In the determination of the case of IRENE ENIKE SYLVESTER & 3 ORS v. INEC & 6 ORS - Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/423/2022 filed by aggrieved members of the PDP in Edo State,  Hon. Justice Taiwo Taiwo dismissed all the grounds of objection to the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court and proceeded to determine the substantive suit. The Learned Judge applied the doctrine of covering the field and the inconsistency rule and held that Section 32(1) and 104 of the Electoral Act, 2022 have already provided for the period of publication of names and particulars of candidates in respect of Local Government election and Section 21 of the Edo State Government Law cannot provide to the contrary. The Learned Judge also held that the provi...

INTRODUCTION  I watched and listened very carefully to my good friend, Chief Festus Okoye, INEC's cerebral Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, on his recent Channels television interview. I completely disagree with his take and analysis of the place and space of the Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC ) in the organogram and scheme of things concerning the electoral process in Nigeria. His analysis, which literally dismissed the RECs with a wave of the hand in a most cavalier manner, if swallowed hook, line and sinker, has the dangerous effect of not only completely defanging RECs and rendering their electoral efforts at the grassroots state levels completely useless, but also of creating avoidable turmoil and schism within INEC itself, as one homogeneous and independent family unit. It can also have the unintended consequence of self-immolation which can self-destruct. It amounts,in my humble view, to saying that the RECs who are  constitutionally created acro...

By Amb. Tony Okonigene The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja 25 July 2022 shifted the responsibility of determining authentic ad-hoc delegates of the Edo PDP to the Supreme Court. In it's ruling today on the Federal High Court Abuja, judgment the recognized the adhoc delegates produced by the Legacy PDP, the Appeal Court ruled the issue of delegates of a party is a domestic affair of the party. The Appeal Court unlike the Federal High Court did not make a definite pronouncement as to who are the authentic delegates of the Edo PDP thereby leaving the responsibility for the Supreme Court to determine. It will be recalled that the Appeal Court had earlier fixed judgement for the case on Friday 22nd July 2022 before shiftng it to Monday 25th July 2022 by 11am. The Court later shifted to 3pm giving room for speculations that the judges were under external pressure. However, some legal minds reacting to the judgement said that the judgement was delivered out of time as the allowed 60 days...

Coalition of Registered Political parties (CRPP) Edo State. On Friday 22 July 2022 Presented Award of Excellence to Hon. Monday Osaigbovo . Commissioner for local government Affairs. This award is to you in recognition of your immense contribution to the social-Economic and political Developments of Edo State. You are a great philanthropist per excellent. Congratulations Sir. Truly you deserve it. Wish you more win ahead.

Congratulations to the incoming Senator of Edo North Senatorial District, Hon, Barr, Paschal Ugbome, Ominimi 1 as he received award for Recognition of contribution to the Sociopolitical development of Edo State, by Coalition of Registered Political parties, (CRPP) today in Benin City, Edo State. Truly you deserve it as a true Democrat that worthy to be emulate. Wish you best of luck ahead in your political aspirations. Comr Ozi mah Joseph Odemokpa.