Author: Opalim Lifted

Dare Bejide, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the Ekiti governorship election, has alleged vote buying and assault at his polling unit. Bejide spoke while addressing police officers at Ward 2, Ilawe-Ekiti, in Ekiti west LGA of the state. The police team was on patrol as the vote progressed across the state. The ADC chieftain said he had repeatedly alerted security operatives to the alleged distribution of money to voters before the situation escalated. “I have been calling the police for the past two hours,” he said. “There was a crisis here. I alerted the police officer…

Voter accreditation was delayed in parts of Ekiti as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) encountered difficulties while capturing the biometrics of several elderly persons. Residents of Ekiti in south-west Nigeria are currently voting to elect a governor. At Polling Unit 007 in Ado ‘J’ Okesa, a 90-year-old woman was unable to complete biometric verification because the machine failed to capture her facial image and fingerprints. Similar difficulties were reported in other polling units, where the BVAS repeatedly failed to recognise elderly voters, leading to delays and queues. At Ugele/Arokun Ward 006 in Ikere LGA, BVAS-related difficulties slowed voting, with…

Wole Oluyede, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ekiti governorship election, has alleged voter suppression and harassment of party supporters by security operatives. Oluyede spoke on Saturday after arriving at Polling Unit 6 in Ugele/Aroku Ward 3 of Ikere LGA. The chieftain later cast his ballot at the polling unit at about 9:31am. He expressed concerns over the pace of voting at the polling unit and questioned the conduct of the electoral process. “People have been here for about one and a half hours, and only five people have voted in my polling unit,” he said. “That’s…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the closing time for voting in the Rivers South-East Senatorial District by-election by one hour following disruptions caused by heavy rainfall across parts of the district. INEC announced on Saturday that polling, originally scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m., would now close at 3:30 p.m. to enable eligible voters affected by the weather to exercise their franchise. In a message to members of the INEC Press Corps, the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said the extension was approved by the Chairman of the Commission after reports indicated that…

Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha scored twice as Brazil comfortably overcame Haiti – who became the first team to be eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti’s side responded to criticisms of their performance in their opening-game draw with Morocco with a impressive display, albeit against lesser opposition in Philadelphia, to go top of Group C. Cunha, who replaced Brentford striker Igor Thiago in the starting line-up, scored a fortuitous opener in the 23rd minute when Haiti defender Hannes Delcroix kicked the ball off him and it spun into the net. However, the forward was the first to react…

Scotland conceded after just 70 seconds to fall to a World Cup defeat against a classy Morocco, but their hopes of a historic knockout place remain in their own hands with one group game to go. Head coach Steve Clarke had asked for the “footballing Gods to be smiling down on us” – with the knowledge one point would all-but confirm their progression out of Group C – but the Scots made the worst possible start. Sloppy defending allowed Ismael Saibari to rocket Morocco – ranked the sixth best team in the world – into a sensational lead inside the…

The United States, US advanced to the World Cup knockout stage with a dominant performance against Australia on Friday, an early own goal and an Alex Freeman header giving the co-hosts a comfortable 2-0 win despite missing talisman Christian Pulisic. Just as they had in their 4-1 victory over Paraguay, the US forced an own goal to open the scoring, with Cameron Burgess the unfortunate defender. Freeman nodded in the simplest of headers just before the break, the goal initially ruled out for offside but given on review, prompting the US bench to flood the pitch in celebration. “It was…

A kidnap victim, Aisha, has narrated how bandits in Zamfara State compelled her to bury her three children after they died while in captivity. Aisha, who was abducted alongside her children while travelling through the state, said she was the only member of her family of four to survive the six-month ordeal. Bandit attacks, kidnappings, and other violent crimes continue to plague communities across Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto states, with residents frequently subjected to killings, displacement, and illegal levies imposed by armed groups. Speaking in an interview with DW Hausa, Aisha recounted how gunmen intercepted the vehicle she and other…

The Federal Government has told Nigerians that the current administration never promised instant miracles to solve the nation’s challenges but rather a structural and deliberate path to sustainable development. Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated this while representing President Bola Tinubu at the official inauguration of a newly constructed seven-kilometre access road and bridge bypassing the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Speaking at the event, Akpabio noted that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration is focused on implementing strategic policies that will deliver long-term progress rather than temporary fixes. He emphasised that the government…

The Federal Government has urged Nigerian journalists to reduce the visibility of terrorist and criminal activities on newspaper front pages, calling for reporting that strengthens national stability. The appeal was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during a two-day national security summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in collaboration with the Department of State Services. The summit, themed ‘Media and Security Agencies as Partners in Nation Building’, brought together media leaders, security chiefs and policy stakeholders to discuss the role of communication in addressing insecurity. Idris said the government…