NEWS
2023: Crisis rocks Labour Party in Lagos as Salvador rejects outcome of guber primary
By Paul Eso
Crisis has hit the Labour Party, LP, in Lagos, following the rejection of the outcome of substitution primary election for the 2023 governorship election held on Wednesday, by Moshood Salvador.
Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour was declared winner of the exercise. He scored 111 votes to Salvador’s 102 votes.
Returning officer for the election, the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Bashir Apampa, said 216 delegates were registered for the exercise while three votes were declared voided.
The substitution primaries held despite protests by the party’s INEC-recognised guber, Ifagbemi Awamaridi, that he has not withdrawn his candidature.
Rhodes-Vivour defected to Labour Party last month after losing at the PDP primaries.
However, Salvador has rejected the outcome of the exercise in its totality, saying it was marred with irregularities.
Salvador, a former PDP chairman in the state, also defected to Labour Party last month.
READ ALSO: 2023: No factions in Labour Party in Lagos – Salako, state chair
“I reject the result in totality. I decided to be gentle, to be quiet and study what was going on,” he said.
He claimed that one of the delegates voted three times, stressing that the next step is “left to the party if they really want to win in the election.”
He also said that he won’t disclose his personal step in the matter.
Rhodes-Vivour will be contending with the incumbent Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Dr. Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor of the Peoples Democractic Party, PDP, in 2023 poll in the state.
Speaking to journalists after he was announced the winner, Rhodes-Vivour said that the election was credible and transparent.
He also said that he would reach out to Mr Awamaridi, the party’s candidate recognized by the electoral body.
“He is somebody that we are going to reach out to and make sure that he is going to be part of the campaign and everything that we are ongoing because he is a strong party man. And we are going to ensure that he is carried along.
“This is a substitution exercise, INEC is here and I’m sure by the time they publish their final list, you will see a reflection of this process that has happened.”
A tragic building collapse in Rivers State has left a middle-aged contractor, identified as Udeme, feared dead after a two-storey structure under construction caved in at the Egbelu Mgbaraja area of Ogbogoro Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
This incident comes just one week after a three-storey building collapsed at the Iriebe axis of the same local government, though that incident fortunately recorded no casualties.
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The latest collapse occurred on Monday, November 4, 2024, around 2 p.m., with construction workers on site when the structure gave way.
According to eyewitness Mr. Jonathan Obey, the building’s second floor suddenly buckled, trapping Udeme beneath the rubble, while another worker managed to escape with serious injuries.
Obey, who attempted to rescue the trapped contractor, suspected negligence, saying, “We couldn’t reach him despite our efforts. An inspection revealed substandard materials had been used, with the foundation only three feet deep for a two-storey building, which is insufficient. The rebar was of poor quality, and essential supports, such as a center beam, were absent.”
The Rivers State Government has since sealed off the property and declared the developer, Vincent Nwoye, wanted for questioning.
Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, visited the site and expressed his dismay, attributing the collapse to gross negligence.
“This tragedy was preventable,” Bipi stated. “The developer failed to obtain an approved building plan and used inferior materials. The government will ensure accountability and take severe action.”
Bipi extended his condolences to the victim’s family and the Ogbogoro Community, affirming that the government will facilitate the family’s recovery of their loved one’s remains. “We sympathize with the bereaved family and the entire community,” he added.
The Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Samuel Anya, also condemned the developer’s actions, highlighting the dangers posed when profit is prioritized over safety. “This loss is a direct consequence of unethical practices,” he said.
The government has committed to a thorough investigation and tighter regulatory enforcement to prevent further tragedies in Rivers State.
The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon Justice Oyewole Adeyeye has passed on.
The news of his passing was leaked by a reliable source under the condition of anonymity.
The sad incident, according to the source, happened in Ado Ekiti in the early hours of Tuesday.
His death is being traced to a sickness which came upon him following the injury he sustained when a section of the Ekiti State High Court Complex, Ado Ekiti wall collapsed in July 12, 2023.
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The late Justice Adeyeye was at the office when the building collapse happened and sustained injuries.
While the state and his family were yet to issue statements on his demise, the Ekiti State Chapter of the Association of International Female Lawyers (FIDA) has sent condolences to the family.
The condolences message read: “With deep sorrow in our hearts and in total submission to the will of God, FIDA Ekiti consoles with the family of the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon Justice Oyewole Adeyeye on his call to glory.
“May He find rest with his maker.
“I pray that God grants the family, the Judiciary and the people of Ekiti State, the grace to bear this irreparable loss.
Adieu great one.”
Justice Adeyeye was born 1960 in Araromi Ugbesi in Ekiti East Local Government of Ekiti State and was called to bar in 1986.
He started his career as a State Counsel in the civil service of the then Ondo State before joining the Ekiti State Judiciary Service Commission shortly after the state was created in 1996.
He was promoted to the position of a judge in the state’s high court in 2002 and has served at different occasions in the election petition tribunal.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed all charges against 76 individuals accused of participating in the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
The ruling came after the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, moved to discontinue the case under orders from President Bola Tinubu.
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Justice Obiora Egwuatu, presiding over the matter, struck out the charges after hearing a motion from the AGF’s representative, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mohammed Abubakar.
Citing Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, the AGF formally took over the case from the Inspector General of Police, then requested to drop all charges against the defendants, many of whom are minors.
The judge granted the AGF’s application without objection from defense counsel, ordering the immediate release of the accused, who were not present in court.
This decision follows a directive issued on Monday by President Tinubu, instructing the AGF to withdraw charges against the protesters.
More to follow……….
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