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Overview of Key Issues in the Pre-Election Period for the June 18, 2022 Ekiti State Governorship Election (Pre-Election Press Statement)
The first of two off cycle governorship elections for 2022 will be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State, on June 18, 2022. The election is the seventh in the state since the return of the current democratic dispensation in 1999. Following a 2010 Court of Appeal verdict, which removed then Governor Segun Oni, and declared Dr. Kayode Fayemi the rightful winner of the 2007 governorship election, Ekiti became one of several states holding off cycle governorship elections. The June 18, 2022 Ekiti State gubernatorial election is the very first to be conducted under the amended Electoral Act, 2022.As voters in Ekiti State head to the polls for tomorrow’s governorship election, the contest is apparently shaping up to be a three horse race involving the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which has clearly emerged as a third force in the election. CDD observes that there are 16 political parties fielding candidates for the election. Only two candidates and seven deputy governorship candidates are women, just as the age range of the candidates indicate low participation of the youth.
The CDD EAC will be closely observing the electoral process with the objective of collecting data to support evidence-based analysis of key aspects of the Ekiti State governorship election. The CDD EAC will also host a fake news hub for the purpose of tracking and countering fake news and misinformation as it affects the election.
Pre-Election Observations
Based on the observation of the CDD EAC in the pre-election period, the following are the key trends, which have underlined the process.
CDD notes that the June 18, 2022 Ekiti State Governorship election is significant because it will serve as the first dress rehearsal as the INEC prepares for the 2023 general elections. The election will also be the first to be conducted under the Electoral Act, 2022, and the new INEC guidelines and regulations for conduct of elections. CDD EAC further notes that although INEC has made commitments to conduct a credible election in Ekiti State, its success in this regard would depend on its neutrality, professionalism and the level of its understanding and commitment to the new legal framework. The credibility of the process would also depend on how well INEC uses some of its new powers as derived from the extant electoral law, especially the power conferred on the Commission to delay the release of election results, if the Commission needs to take a second look.
The CDD EAC is concerned about violence, money politics and violations of incumbency powers and the possible effects of these on the credibility of the election. CDD EAC notes that Ekiti State, has recorded several incidents of violence during previous elections. In the build up to the 2022 governorship election, pockets of election-related violence have been recorded in places like Ado Ekiti, Efon Alaiye, Oye, Ido/Osi and Oye Ekiti. Other observable issues, which would shape the credibility of the election include; how well INEC is able to effectively deploy technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), impartial security provisioning, the quality of results management, curtailing the role of money, incumbency and god fatherism in the election. Also critical is the need for stakeholders in the election to proactively track, and counter fake news and misinformation. Already, the pre-election period has witnessed the spread of fake news capable of undermining voter confidence and participation in the process. An example is the fake news which trended recently on a purported Appeal Court decision nullifying the primaries of one of the major political parties and, by extension, its candidate.
In terms of some of the election risk factor, CDD notes that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) has crippled the local economy especially in university towns in Ekiti State. This has created a threat in terms of the availability of idle youth being recruited for activities, which could undermine the credibility of the election. By grounding the local economy, the strike has also created the wrong incentives as voters are more likely to see the election as an opportunity for economic survival, thereby exacerbating the risk of vote buying. This becomes even more relevant when it is considered that Ekiti State introduced the issue of “stomach infrastructure” into the Nigerian political lexicon. CDD has also observed that based on history of past violence in elections in the state, the following Local Government Areas, constitute potential flash points in the election; Ado Ekiti, Efon Alaiye, Ido/Osi, and Oye.
Signed:
Professor Adele Jinadu
Chair, CDD EAC
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FACT CHECK: Kogi Local Government Workers are on Percentage Payment
On October 6, 2023, Leke Abejide, the gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kogi state, who doubles as the member representing the Yagba federal constituency in the House of Representatives, was the guest on Channels TV’s Politics Today. While answering questions on his candidacy, he made a claim on salary payment for Kogi Local Government workers.
Abejide said, “I want to be governor to correct so many things. One, to ensure full autonomy for Local Government whereby all our Local Government workers will be getting their salaries in full.” Seun Okinbaloye then asked; “Is that not happening right now?” He replied, “It is not happening right now. The situation is that they are on percentage payment right now. You don’t even know. No staff of Local Government can say this is what they are receiving. Because this month, you can get 15% and next month, you can get 20%.”
Abejide added that the percentage payment has been in existence for a long time now. He said, “I think this started from the time of Wada when it was about 4 months to leave office and up till now, workers are not getting their full salaries.”
Claim: Kogi State Local Government workers are on percentage salary payment
Verification:
Kogi State has 21 Local Government Areas spread across the three senatorial districts. The CDD War Room found that in May 2023, the Kogi State NLC Chairman, Gabriel Amari, urged the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello, to address issues relating to the payment of percentage salaries to local government workers and primary school teachers in the state.
We found that in May 2023, Dino Melaye, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), assured public servants in the State that he would end the traumatising percentage salary payment system. He made the statement during his visits to the Traditional Rulers and Council of Chiefs of Mopa-Amuro, Yagba-East and Yagba-West Local Government Areas of the State in their respective headquarters.
We also found a statement that dates back to March 13, 2022, credited to Dayo Onibiyo, PDP’s Director for Media and Communications. He said, “We are worried at these so embarrassingly low and inhuman payments, which are amounting to nothing but added debts to the state profile…..” He expressed worry at the percentage payment of salaries at both the Local Government and State levels.
The CDD War Room found that the percentage payment of salaries dates back to 2015 when Idris Wada was the governor of Kogi state. We found a news report that as at March 2016, Wada was owing core state workers three months salaries, while local government workers and primary school teachers were being owed over 20 months’ salaries.
We reached out to our fixer and some Local Government workers in the state who confirmed that they do not get paid their full salaries due to the percentage payment.
Verdict: TRUE
The CDD War Room can confirm that Local Government workers in Kogi State are being paid percentage salaries. We found that the payment of percentage salaries dates back to 2015 when Idris Wada, the former governor was still in power. The percentage payment has since then been paid to the Local Government workers.
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FACT CHECK: Imo state houses the largest gas reserves in West Africa?
Jerry Chukwuekwe, the chief technical adviser to Hope Uzodinma, the incumbent governor of Imo state, claimed in a recent interview that the state hosts the largest gas reserves in West Africa. He made this known while speaking on the governor’s bid for re-election in the upcoming gubernatorial election scheduled for November 11, 2023.
While discussing the candidacy of Uzodinma on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the scorecard of his administration as the governor of the state, Chukwueke said, “By the way, Imo state has the largest gas reserves in West Africa in Assa, and that’s coming to play for Imo economic opportunity.”
Claim: Imo state has the largest gas reserves in West Africa.
Verification
In August 2023, a report by Statista indicated that Nigeria boasts the largest natural gas reserves in Africa, estimated at about 200 trillion cubic feet, which accounts for about three percent of the global reserves. This was also stated in a report by The Punch, wherein the federal government disclosed that the country holds 33% of Africa’s gas reserves.
Similarly, Gbenga Komolafe, the chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), reportedly revealed that the country’s gas reserves ranked first in Africa with a life index of 94 years.
In April 2021, the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, disclosed during a national gas expansion programme in Owerri that Imo state houses a substantial quantity of gas, amounting to over 200 trillion cubic feet with an additional potential of 600 TCF.
Also in December 2021, Sylva, while addressing the 23rd World Petroleum Congress in Houston, Texas, U.S., stated that the country’s gas reserves stood at 206 trillion cubic feet. He reiterated at the event that the Nigerian government was committed to growing the reserves to 600 trillion cubic feet.
Verdict: TRUE
The CDD War Room found multiple credible media reports affirming Nigeria’s status as having the largest gas reserves in Africa. According to the former minister of state for petroleum resources, Timipre Sylva, Imo State houses a substantial quantity of the country’s gas with over 200 trillion cubic feet.
Featured image: Arise News
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Fact Check: Did House of Reps distribute shoe kits to youths in Borno State?
On September 11, 2023, a verified X (formerly Twitter) user claimed that “Borno State youths jubilate as House of Representatives member empowers them with shoe shining kits, bags of oranges, and others”.
The X user provided an array of pictures of young men wearing similar polo shirts and shoe-shining kits, with claims that a Nigerian lawmaker had recently given the kits to young people in Borno State. As of the time of compiling this report, the post had been viewed over 500 thousand times, reposted over 1,958 times, and had 4,875 likes and 626 Quotes. Other accounts on the microblogging app also shared the tweet.
Verification
A Google Reverse Image search established that the images have been in existence since 2018.
Premium Times reported that a former commissioner for Education, Usman Jaha, in Borno State, not a House of Representative member as recently claimed, was criticised for distributing shoe-shining kits to youths in Gwoza as an empowerment programme in the state.
According to the report, the former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, who is presently the Nigerian vice president, had queried the commissioner for Higher Education and aspirant for the House of Representatives in 2019 elections, Usman Jaha (Babawo), for distributing shoe polish and other items to youth in Gwoza as part of his welfare programme.
Shettima, who was upset by the donation, chided the official for embarrassing not only himself but the administration.
“The governor reminded the commissioner that his own Ministry has so far facilitated the approval of foreign university scholarships to more than 300 Borno youth, among them almost 100 ladies studying medicine abroad, as part of the governor’s standard’ in human resource development’’.
The guardian also reported on May 18, 2018 that “Borno State commissioner for Higher Education and aspirant for the House of Representatives, Usman Jaha (Babawo), queried for embarrassing government with shoe polish donation.”
Verdict: MISLEADING
The claim that a member of the House of Representatives recently shared shoe-shining kits to the youths in Borno State is Misleading. The images date back to 2018 when Usman Jaha distributed the empowerment materials to youths in the State. He made the distributions as the Borno State commissioner of Education, while he was aspiring for a seat in the House of Representatives. As of 2018, the donor of the shoe kits was an aspirant and not yet a lawmaker.
Featured image: Channels Television
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FACT CHECK: Did Hope Uzodinma promise 4,000 people jobs and relocation to Europe, Canada?
During the week, an X user (formerly Twitter) posted a video of Imo state governor Hope Uzodinma. The post claimed that the governor had promised to relocate 4,000 people to Europe and Canada through job creation.
He wrote, “A governor is promising 4000 youths japa. A state governor o. No! This is the height. I’m done here!”
The post has had over 500,000 interactions as of the time this report was made.
Verification
In the video, Uzodinma was seen addressing a crowd of excited individuals promising them jobs in oversea countries.
CDD War Room traced the viral video to a campaign event which took place on Thursday, September 28, 2023, in Imo state, Nigeria.
The campaign event was one of the governor’s campaign tour ahead of the November 11, governorship election to begin a new administration in the state. During the event, Uzodinma was quoted saying, “Let me tell you something. I have gone further to negotiate with the European Union companies and the Canadian companies.
“They are sending us areas of visible skills which our youth will also learn.
“By December this year, 4,000 Imo youths will be employed in Europe.
“Once that letter comes, the governor will pay for your air ticket.”
Verdict
CDD War Room can confirm that the video is true and portrays recent events, which took place in Imo state Nigeria.
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FACT CHECK: Did Supreme Court Confirm Lamidi Apapa as LP National Chairman?
On September 25, 2023, an X (formerly Twitter) user tweeted a picture of Lamidi Apapa, the factional chairman of the Labour Party and a “Salient Times” newspaper front page. The tweet reads “BREAKING: Supreme Court confirms Lamidi Apapa as LP National Chairman.”
As of the time of this report, the tweet has garnered over 400k views.
A longer version of the tweet was posted by “Salienttimesonline.com.ng” on their website.
Claim: Supreme Court confirms Lamidi Apapa as LP national chairman
Verification:
The Labour Party started a legal tussle when Lamidi Apapa declared himself as the ‘original’ chairman of the party as against INEC-recognised Julius Abure faction. In the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised and published the candidates list submitted by the Abure-led party structure.
On April 5, 2023, Apapa who used to be the vice-chairman (south) of LP, was declared the acting chairman by an FCT high court following an ex parte application for interim injunction restraining and suspending Abure, and three officials of the party. The Judge declared that the exparte application has merit. In addition to the court order, Apapa alleged that the party leadership held an emergency meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and they affirmed his leadership of the party.
On May 26, 2023, an Edo State High Court quashed the suspension of Julius Abure by some executive members of his Ward 3 in Esan North East local government area. The action was filed by Abure and some other executives of the ward against the suspension. The Judge ruled that the party ward executive in Ward 3 lacks the power under the LP constitution, particularly Articles 17 & 19 and the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), to remove the National chairman of the party.
The CDD War Room found an Appeal Court judgement dated August 24, 2023 that ruled that Abure should stop parading himself as the chairman of the Labour Party. The Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, affirmed Lamidi Apapa as the substantive National chairman of LP.
In what seems to be a contradictory ruling, another Appeal Court verdict affirmed Julius Abure as the National chairman of the Labour Party. In a unanimous decision by the three-man justices of the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Julius Abure was affirmed as the National chairman of the Labour Party.
The decision was corroborated by a statement made by Obiora Ifoh, the party’s National publicity secretary. However, counsel to Apapa, Monday Mawah, revealed that the Appeal Court judgement granted in Edo did not affirm Abure as the party’s chairman; it only ruled that his suspension by his ward executives remains illegal. Hence, the Labour Party reported Mawah to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for engaging in unprofessional conduct against their party.
The CDD War Room can confirm that on September 28, 2023, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment in favour of Julius Abure’s LP faction regarding the Imo state guber election slated for November 11. The court dismissed the appeal by Basil Maduka against the Labour Party over the rightful candidate of the party in the election on the grounds of locus standi.
Two other respondents in the case were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the candidate of the Lamidi Apapa faction Joseph Ukaegbu, alias Ikenga, whose request to seek a consequential order was also rejected by the Supreme Court.
The Labour Party spokesperson and National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ofoh, while reacting to the judgement, released a press statement. In the statement, he said, “With this judgement by the highest court in Nigeria, the Lamidi Apapa’s plot to hijack the affairs of the Labour Party, including the powers to nominate candidates, has finally come to an end. We can confirm that the Supreme Court judgement delivered by panel of five justices led by Iyang Okoro did not confirm Lamidi Apapa as the National chairman of the Labour Party.
Verdict: FALSE
Supreme Court did not confirm Lamidi Apapa as the Labour Party National chairman. The ruling of the Supreme Court upheld the Julius Abure faction’s gubernatorial candidate in Imo state as the representative of the Labour party. There was also no mention of Lamidi Apapa as the National chairman in the apex court verdict.
Featured Image: Sahara Reporters
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FACT CHECK: Did the United States Warn its Citizens Against Travelling to Nigeria?
On September 23, 2023, Dele Momodu, a publisher and politician, posted on his Instagram that the United States of America had warned its citizens from travelling to Nigeria. According to the claim, the reason for the warning is due to various security concerns.
A similar version of the story was posted by Sahara Reporters on their X (formerly called Twitter) page.
However, a number of commenters disputed the veracity of the travel advisory, claiming that no such advisory was issued. A look at the comment section of the handles of those who posted information about the travel advisory shows that some X users do not believe the validity of the information.
A user tweeted, “This is FAKE. Investors are HEAD OVER HEELS to invest in Nigeria..”
Claim: The United States has warned its citizens from travelling to Nigeria due to multiple security concerns
Verification
On September 20, 2023, the United States Department of State— Bureau of Consular Affairs released a “Nigeria Travel Advisory” warning its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria. According to the advisory, the reasons include crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed gangs.
We found that in the travel advisory, 18 out of 36 states in Nigeria were reported to have recorded violent crimes. The report says these 18 states belong to “Level 4” and should not be travelled to by Americans.
The states are: Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern part of Adamawa (due to terrorism and kidnapping); Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara (due to kidnapping).
Others include: Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers with the exception of Port Harcourt (due to crime, kidnapping, and armed gangs).
It would be recalled that in October 2022, the United States Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria updated their 2021 travel advisory. They ordered the departure of Americans and their families from Nigeria, particularly from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The reason given was the heightened risk of terrorist attacks in the Nigerian capital.
Furthermore, the CDD War Room found that in March 2021, the US Department of State issued a similar warning for its citizens to avoid travelling to Nigeria due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.
As of 2021, 14 states were considered as “Level 4” and the US advisory urged citizens not to visit them. They include: Borno, Yobe, and northern Adamawa state (due to terrorism and kidnapping); Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara (due to kidnapping); coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers with the exception of Port Harcourt (due to crime, kidnapping, and maritime crime).
Verdict: TRUE
We found that the United States Department of State issued a travel advisory to its citizens, warning them to reconsider travelling to Nigeria. The travel advisory considers Nigeria (as a whole) as a “Level 3”, which should be reconsidered, while some states are “Level 4” and should not be travelled to.
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UPDATED: Euromonitor refutes claim that it ranked Nigeria 4th largest consumer of sugary drinks globally
Euromonitor International, a global market research organisation, has refuted the claim that it ranked Nigeria as the fourth largest consumer of sugary drinks globally.
Recall that Adewunmi Emoruwa, an X user, had claimed in a tweet dated July 9, 2023, that “Nigeria is the 4th largest sugary drinks consuming country on earth”. We checked the veracity of the claim and found no recent data where Nigeria was ranked as the 4th largest consumer of sugary drinks globally.
After publishing our fact-check which returned the verdict of inaccurate, the claimant sent us a rejoinder, citing multiple news reports, published in 2017, where statistical data by Euromonitor International was quoted. We, however, found that the reports stated that Nigeria was ranked 4th globally in total volume sales of soft drinks in 2016.
We explained the reasons for our position, stressing how it was inaccurate and misleading to claim that Nigeria is ranked as the 4th largest consumer of sugary drinks, in 2023. The claimant declined to take responsibility for the lack of context and went on X (formerly Twitter) to claim that CDD War Room wrongly labelled a “fact” as false.
Following this development, CDD War Room contacted Euromonitor International, whose 2016 data the claimant had referred to in his rejoinder. After multiple interactions, Euromonitor provided insights into their latest data on the sugary drinks market index and also clarified that their data has never shown that Nigeria is ranked 4th largest consumer of sugary drinks globally.
“Our data does not show (and did not show in previous editions) that Nigeria is one of the largest consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages. For instance, Nigeria is not in the top 50 markets in terms of total volume per capita from Carbonates (i.e. Carbonated Soft Drinks), Juice, Sports Drinks or Energy Drinks. Per capita volume remains extremely low in these higher-value, generally sugar-sweetened categories,” Kendra Stoffberg, Euromonitor’s business consultant, stated in an email sent to us.
Nigeria was said to be the 13th largest soft drinks market in 2022, in terms of total volume per capita. The country’s soft drinks market was also ranked 3rd in terms of the total volume of litres consumed in 2022. “However, it is very important to note that we are capturing the retail sale of water sachets within the Bottled water category. This is then captured as Soft Drinks volume in the aggregated figure. Sachet pack of water is the single largest segment of the market in Nigeria. Economy sachet pack (locally called ‘pure water’) is a unique segment, since this functions as drinking water, but is a low-value purchase that is not a sugar-sweetened beverage,” Stoffberg explained.
Furthermore, Soft drinks were described as an aggregation of the following products: carbonated fruit/vegetable juice, bottled water, functional drinks, concentrates, ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee, and Asian speciality drinks.
Carbonates, on the other hand, were described to include sweetened, non-alcoholic drinks containing carbon dioxide. This includes all carbonated products containing fruit juice (sparkling juices) “unless they are tea-based (these are included in carbonated RTD tea) or carbonated Energy drinks, which are included in Energy Drinks.”
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FACT CHECK: How accurate are these claims about the rise in Imo state’s IGR, GDP ranking?
Ahead of the November 11 gubernatorial election in Imo state, political parties have commenced their campaigns to win the support of the electorate for their respective candidates. A recent example of such efforts to woo voters is an interview granted by George Agbakaki, the Southeast leader of the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO).
In the interview, Agbakaki made several claims regarding the state of affairs in Imo state while canvassing the re-election of the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma, who is running under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Claim I: Imo state’s IGR grew from N900 million to about N3 billion monthly.
Agbakaki said, “The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Imo state, since governor Hope Uzodinma came in, has gone up from N900 million to about N3 billion monthly.”
Verification
Hope Uzodinma was sworn in as the substantive governor of Imo state in January 2020 after the Supreme Court sacked Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and declared the APC candidate the rightful winner of the March 2019 gubernatorial election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In June 2020, Uzodinma disclosed that the state was generating an IGR of N1.2 billion monthly as he promised to take it to N5 billion monthly in the following years. He claimed to have met an internal monthly revenue of N600 million when he assumed office as governor.
An analysis published by Dataphyte in June 2023, indicates that Imo state fell short of the twenty-five percent revenue projection for the first quarter of 2023. The state generated N3.16 billion in Q1 2023, representing 3.78% of the projected IGR for the fiscal year.
Also, an appraisal report published in July 2023, which reviewed the performance of Uzodinma as governor of Imo state, indicates that the highest monthly revenue the state has generated so far under his administration was N1.73 billion in 2021.
Imo state generated an IGR of N15.57 billion in Q3 2022. Between 2020 and Q3 2022, the IGR of the state increased by 100%, according to the report. However, the larger parts of the state’s total revenue still come from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Verdict: INACCURATE
Claim II: Imo state’s GDP ranks fourth in Nigeria
Agbakaki said, “Look at the total GDP of all the 36 states of the federation, Imo state is ranking fourth, Lagos state is number one, Rivers state is number two, Akwa Ibom state is number three. Imo state, fortunately for us, is number 4, with about 7.68 trillion”
Verification
We found that the GDP of Imo state was ranked fourth in the 2022 State of States report published by BudgIT last year, with a size of N7.68 trillion. This was also stated in a report published by Dataphyte in July 2023. We found no publicly available data showing the current GDP size of states in Nigeria.
Verdict: TRUE
Claim III: Over 1,840 inmates escaped from the Owerri correctional facility in 2021
While responding to questions bordering on the issue of insecurity in Imo state, Agbakaki said, “Let us check the genesis of the insecurity you are talking about. You remember when the Owerri correctional facility was bombed in 2021, I believe sometime in February or April, which led to the movement of over 1,840 inmates, hardcore criminals, out of the prisons? This is how all these things started.”
Verification
We found multiple media reports stating that 1,844 inmates escaped from the correctional facility in Owerri, the capital of Imo, following an attack on the facility on April 5, 2021. This was reported by Premium Times, The Cable, and Channels Television, as can be seen here, here, and here.
Verdict: TRUE
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FACT CHECK: Eze of Orlu’s Palace Burnt Down Due To Support for Hope Uzodinma?
On September 12, 2023, a video with several captions was circulated across the X (formerly Twitter) social media platform. The 45 seconds long video has different captions that include:
“Palace of the Eze of Orlu was burnt by unknown people, following his open Support for Gov. Hope Uzodinma.#iPhone15Pro #AbujaTwitterCommunity #AbujaXCommunity #AbujaTradeFair #Lagos #LaResistenciaLulo #AllInLoveWithHanbin”
Another version has the caption, “ The palace of EZE OF ORLU in IMO state received baptism of fire last night. This👆is the house of that king that made a declaration with his colleagues that whoever votes against Hope in the forthcoming IMO STATE ELECTION will die.
Unknown gunmen just visited his palace.”
Across WhatsApp, another version of the story is going viral and has been forwarded several times.
Claims: The Palace of the Eze of Orlu was burnt because of his support for or against Governor Hope Uzodinma?
ALL WE KNOW
Did the Traditional Rulers Support Hope Uzodinma?
Ahead of the November 11 gubernatorial election in Imo, one of the frontline gubernatorial candidates is Hope Uzodinma. He is the incumbent governor of Imo state and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Our observer reported that the governor met with the traditional rulers in the Orlu zone. We found that Uzodinma is from the zone.
After the meeting, they jointly placed a curse on any Orlu indigene who intends not to vote for the governor. The CDD War Room found a 1-minute, 32-second video where the traditional leaders converged at the Orlu Zone Development Summit 2023. It was at the event that they placed the curses and declared their support for Hope Uzodinma of the APC.
The video retrieved from the summit was translated from Igbo to English and it revealed that the Eze, alongside other titled chiefs, was saying, “Anyone who says Uzodinma will not win will be chased away.” He was praising the governor as well and showering encomiums on him with responses from other chiefs.
Why was the Eze’s Palace burnt?
The CDD War Room can confirm that the palace was burnt in the early hours of September 12, 2023 and the circulated videos were retrieved from the scene . However, CDD War Room could not at the time of this fact check verify how and why the palace was burnt.
Other Related Events
We also found that on May 17, 2023, the Imo State Police Command released a statement confirming the arrest of six suspected IPOB/ESN terror gang members who attacked Eze of Orlu’s palace. They were, however, neutralized, and their planned attack was foiled by security operatives.
Hence, the CDD War Room can confirm that the palace of His Royal Highness Eze Dr E. C Okeke, the Eze of Orlu in Imo state, who doubles as the chairman of the Imo State Council Of Traditional Rulers was razed. However, there is no evidence to show that the fire was caused by specific individuals or groups.
Verdict: ALL WE KNOW
We can confirm that the video attached to the claim is true and was retrieved from the Orlu Zone Development Summit 2023, where the traditional rulers declared their support for Hope Uzodinma.
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FACT SHIELD: What to Know about the November 11 Kogi Governorship Election
Gubernatorial polls were held in only 28 states of the federation during Nigeria’s last general elections. Consequently, eight states were left out from the general elections thus leading to the off-cycle elections which would subsequently be held.
Currently, preparations final are being made towards the off-cycle elections that will take place in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states on November 11, 2023.
This Explainer focuses on Kogi State and the specifics of what you need to know about the state’s upcoming elections.
Why is there an off-cycle election in kogi State?
Kogi state became part of off cycle governorship elections following the nullification of the governorship election of 2007. It is pertinent to recall that Ibrahim Idris of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner of the April 14, 2007, gubernatorial election, which he contested against Abubakar Audu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the main opponent. Audu petitioned the tribunal and the Appeal court. The election was nullified, and a fresh election was conducted.
According to the tribunal, the governorship election of April 14, and the subsequent declaration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris as the winner cannot hold because the candidate of ANPP in the state, Prince Abubakar Audu was unlawfully excluded from the list of the governorship contestants in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in spite of the earlier court injunction restraining the INEC.
However, Ibrahim Idris went on to win the election on March 29, 2008.
Who are the candidates for the 2023 guber poll?
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed 18 candidates running on the platform of 18 political parties contesting for elections in the state.
There are the three major contenders among the 18 candidates:
Dino Melaye
Daniel Dino Melaye is a former senator and a member of the 8th National Assembly, representing Kogi West senatorial district. He is the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11 election in Kogi State.
Melaye hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu local government area of Kogi State. He holds a West African Examinations Council certificate (WAEC) as well as a Bachelor’s Degree.
Usman Ahmed Ododo
Ododo is a politician, former Auditor-General of Kogi State and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11 election. He was born on February 7, 1982, in the Kogi Central senatorial district and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting (Forensics).
Muritala Yakubu Ajaka
Muritala Ajaka is contesting governorship of Kogi State under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Prior to this, he was the deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress and a gubernatorial aspirant of the party. He was disqualified after a controversial suspension by the executives of the party in his ward and could not contest the primary election in APC.
Ajaka was born in 1981 and holds a First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and a West African Examinations Council certificate (WAEC).
Is there a woman in the race?
According to the published list on INEC website, there is only one female candidate out of the 18 candidates vying for the governorship position. Suleiman Taiye Fatima of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) is the only female candidate. She holds a West African Examinations Council certificate (WAEC). Fatima hails from Okene, Kogi state and is a renowned fashion designer.
Controversies
Allegations are circulating that an undisclosed political figure is backing Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in an effort to divide votes within his constituency, potentially favoring another candidate. Concurrently, there are speculations that Abejide might explore the possibility of forming an alliance with another candidate to challenge the ruling APC candidate.
Within the All Progressives Congress (APC), notable defectors from various political backgrounds, particularly the PDP, have been joining the party’s Ododo campaign team. Some of these defectors claim they are integrating their party structures and supporters into the APC.
The decision by the APC to select a candidate from Ebiraland with just five local government areas, rather than a more populous senatorial zone, is possibly influenced by their confidence in the advantages of incumbency.
