The die is cast as political heavyweights enter the ring to do battle in the Ondo State governorship election.

Residents of the state will file out in their numbers on Saturday, November 16th as they elect their leader for the next four years.

Ahead of the exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it cleared 18 candidates for the poll.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is vying for his first election after he replaced the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who died last year. His major opponent is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Agboola Ajayi who was also deputised Akeredolu.

INEC Assures Readiness

The INEC collation centre for the Edo State governorship election. Photo by Channels TV’s Sodiq Adelakun

While election logistics has been an issue in past elections in the oil-producing state, the INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu assured that the commission has made arrangements for a smooth poll.

“Over the last four days,” Yakubu said during the signing of a peace accord for the poll. “I have engaged with our own officials, security agencies, and transport service providers here in Ondo State to assess our readiness and perfect our arrangements for the movement of over 17,000 ad hoc and regular officials as well as large quantities of materials to 4,154 voting and collation locations (3,933 polling units, 203 Ward and 18 LGA collation centres).”

INEC said it will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation at the polling units and upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

Police Tighten Security

Security personnel have been deployed for the exercise.

Days after this, INEC began the distribution of materials for the election and also said it was working with security agencies to ensure a free and fair exercise.

“In preparation for the elections, the IGP has deployed DIG Sylvester Abiodun Alabi as the coordinating DIG for the Elections, tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Police security strategies to maintain law and order throughout the electoral period, while AIG Bennett Igweh, mni, and CP Tunji Disu are deployed as AIG and CP Elections respectively,” the Force spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said.

“As part of the security framework, there will be a restriction of all vehicular movements on roads, waterways, and other means of transportation from 6 am to 6 pm on Election Day, with the exception of those on essential services, such as ambulances, media officials, fire services, and other accredited media.”

Tinubu Sues For Peace

On the eve of the election, President Bola Tinubu called for peace and commended INEC for its readiness for the election.

“As Ondo State prepares for its off-cycle governorship election, President Bola Tinubu urges all political stakeholders and the electorate to uphold peace and decorum and fulfil their civic responsibilities without fear before or after the elections,” presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a Friday statement.

“President Tinubu anticipates a democratic process in the state that will genuinely reflect the people’s will and power to freely choose their leaders.”

Paul Pogba’s Juventus career is over after the Serie A club announced on Friday that the France midfielder’s contract had been terminated even though his doping ban was cut to 18 months on appeal.

Pogba will be able to return to competitive football in March after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) chopped last month an initial four-year suspension handed down by the Italian anti-doping authority NADO.

But Juventus have decided to cut ties with the 31-year-old, whose return to Turin from Manchester United in 2022 was ruined by a string of problems on and off the pitch.

In a statement, Juve said that they and Pogba “have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of 30 November, 2024”.

His contract had been due to expire in 2026.

“You gave me a lot, more than what I could ever say, and I’ll always keep with me the love you showed me,” said Pogba to Juve fans on social media.

“You’ll always be in my heart. Good luck.”

Pogba had said in October that he was “willing to give up money to be able to play again with Juve”, an appeal which fell on deaf ears at the “Old Lady” of Italian football.

Juve’s announcement is no surprise as both coach Thiago Motta and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli have both repeatedly referred to Pogba in the past tense, saying that “he was a great player”.

Pogba, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, started just one match after rejoining Juve — with whom he won four Serie A titles between 2012 and 2016 — in the summer of 2022.

He last played for Juve at Empoli in September last year, not long before he was provisionally suspended for testing positive for testosterone.

That test came following Juve’s opening Serie A fixture of last season the previous month, a 3-0 win at Udinese in which he didn’t even play.

He was then banned for four years by NADO in February, a sanction which put his career at risk before CAS reduced his punishment.

CAS accepted Pogba’s argument that the failed test “was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida”.

However, CAS did not completely exonerate Pogba as he “was not without fault” and as a professional football player, “he should have paid a greater care in the circumstances”.

During the 2022-23 season, Pogba made just 10 appearances for Juve, mainly due to a knee injury that also ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar where France lost out to Argentina in the final in December 2022.

He was also the victim of a case of organised extortion, for which six men, including his brother Mathias, have been ordered to stand trial.

In Pogba’s absence Juve switched manager from Massimiliano Allegri to Motta and brought in a host of new players as part of a rebuild.

Juve, who finished third last term without Pogba, splashed out over 120 million euros on midfielders Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram in a busy summer on the transfer market.

They currently sit sixth in Serie A but are only two points behind league leaders Napoli and face AC Milan at the San Siro after the international break.

AFP

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

In a shocking revelation, authorities in Katsina State have arrested a young man named Falalu, who confessed to orchestrating the abduction of his own mother.

The incident has left the community in disbelief, raising concerns over the lengths to which individuals might go for financial gain.

In a video released by authorities, Falalu openly admitted his involvement. “I arranged for the abduction of my mother,” he stated without remorse. “We worked on it together with one Nakande and another accomplice. We were three in total.” His casual confession and tone sent a wave of outrage and sorrow throughout Katsina, as he described how he meticulously planned his mother’s ordeal.

According to local sources, Falalu was motivated by financial issues. By working with Nakande, a known figure in the region, and another unnamed associate, they devised a scheme to demand ransom from their own family members. While such incidents have tragically become common across some parts of Nigeria, family involvement has added a new dimension of horror to this case.

The Katsina State Police have since taken Falalu and his accomplices into custody, assuring the public that justice will be served.