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Re-run Poll: PDP Wins In Taraba, Mark In Benue

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APC In Kaduna, Plateau

By Our Correspondents
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was on Sunday declared winner of all the three legislative seats where a re-run pool was on Saturday conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Just as veteran Senator David Mark also of the PDP, emerged victorious in the Benue South senatorial district re-run.
This is even as the All Progressives Congress(APC) won seats contested for in Kaduna and plateau State, and taken over, thereby consolidating its dominance in those two states, which it had earlier controlled the executive arm.
Announcing the outcome of the re-run on Sunday, in Jalingo, Resident Electoral Commissioner for Taraba, Hon. Habu Zarma Hinna, said the candidate of the PDP Hon. Dan-Asabe Hosea, emerged victorious, after scoring a total of 37,645 votes to clinch the Sardauna/Kurmi/Gashaka Federal constituency, while his challenger, Ibrahim Elsudi of APC who polled 37,609 votes.
Similarly, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Abel Peter Diah of the PDP won Mbamga State Constituency with 7,825 as against Emmanuel Bongo who polled 5,642, while in Ardo-Kola state constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Dame also of the PDP was declared winner with 12,138 votes to defeat Sanusi Wale of the APC secured 11,047 votes.
In Benue, the story wasn’t different as the now opposion PDP’s candidate in the only contested senatorial seat, David Mark, won a record 8th return to the Senate.
Mark, a former President of the Nigerian Senate, (2007-2015), was declared winner amid protests by his challenger, who demanded that the election, held Saturday, be declared inconclusive.
The former Senate President defeated his sole challenger, Daniel Onjeh, a 41-year old former students’ leader, who contested on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Senatorial Returning Officer, Prof Ishaq Eneji, on Sunday, at 5.51am, announced Mark as scoring 84,192 votes, leaving a margin of 12,571 between him and Mr. Onjeh, who scored 71,621 votes.
“Having satisfied the requirement of the law, David Bonaventure is hereby declared the winner, Eneji announced.
While 522, 713 were registered for the election, only 165, 093 were accredited, indicating voters apathy across the senatorial zone.
According to the results declared by Eneji, out of the nine local government areas of the district, Mark secured victory in five local government areas: Ado, Agatu, Apa, Otukpo and Okpokwu, while
Onjeh won in four, namely Ogbadigbo, his hometown, Ohimini, Obi and Oju LGAs.
At a world news press conference at Oturkpo, senator Mark who dedicated his victory to the people of Benue south assured of quality representation in the senate and call on all stakeholders to come on board in the task of developing Idoma nation as there is no winner or loser and commended the media for ensuring balanced reportage of events during campaigns.
Reacting to the victory, Director of Media, Mark Campaign Organisation, Dr. Adakole Elijah thanked Senator Mark for extending his hands of fellowship to Comrade Onjeh and his supporters to join the team for move Idoma land to the next level; saying the interest of Benue south remain paramount at the moment.
Efforts to get reaction from comrade Daniel Onjeh or his party, the All Progressive Congress in the state proved abortive as the state chairman Abba Yaro could not be reached at the time of the report.
Sources indicate that Onjeh still holds that the election was inconclusive, given that the margin between him and senator Mark was inconsequential when compared with the votes of over twenty five thousand that was still outstanding.
In Plateau, our correspondent reports that, PDP, supporters in the state are angry with the party leaders for the inability of the party to maintain its lead in the state house of assembly as results of the two by elections conducted in the state have indicated.
Istifanus Mwansat, Pankshin South and a one time speaker of the assembly; who was earlier returned as elected now has his victory quashed as the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate Gideon Dashe, his major challenger has now been pronounced victorious in last Saturday rerun election in the constituency.
The Returning Officer for Pankshin South, Dr Chris Vande of University of Jos who declared the result at Longkat in Chip Electoral Ward.
Said, “Pharm Gideon Dashe of APC, having scored the highest number of votes, and having satisfied the electoral law, is hereby return elected,’’ .
Also, attempt by Diket Plang to wrestle power from the only female lawmaker for Pankshin North, Alice Dimlong was unsuccessful as she was again, returned even after the by-elections ordered by the appeal tribunal.
Dimlong had polled 17, 320 votes to defeat her PDP opponent, Diket Plang, who got 16, 817 votes.
The Returning Officer for Pankshin North constituency, Dr Jeff Godwin of the University of Jos, who announced the result at the council chamber, declared Dimlong as the winner of the by-election.
“I, Dr Jeff Godwin, the returning officer, declare that Mrs Alice Dimlong of the APC, having scored the highest number of votes and having satisfied the electoral law, is hereby return elected, ’’ he declared.
State chairman Raymond Dabo had hinted in an interview added that anything more than this numbers from any of the unit, will not be acceptable to the PDP.
As a result, he urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to insist on the use of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the by-elections by for the Pankshin North and Pankshin South State constituencies.
However, divergent views have continue to trail the outcome of the polls; which would have seen the PDP maintaining it’s lead in the 24-member assembly, which had a 13-11 member in favour of the PDP at inception.
Meanwhile, the by election for Langtang South has been suspended till further notice, after a court has forced it to include the PDP candidate who was excluded by the state INEC.
The candidate, Vincent Venmark, who, the tribunal had banned from contesting, saw his party filling a case at the Federal High Court, Jos, challenging the jurisdiction of the commission to exclude its candidate from the election.
The resident electoral officer of INEC in Plateau State, Godwin Kwanga, announced the suspension of the election on Thursday, saying a date would be fixed later for the election.
He said “As a law abiding organisation, and given the short time available to the commission, the chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, has directed the commission in Plateau State to suspend the conduct of the re-run election as ordered by the court, pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
The Plateau State Election Petition Tribunal had on December 5, 2015 dissolved the election of Mr. Venmark, a member of Plateau State House of Assembly, on the grounds that he is an ex-convict.
While ordering for fresh election, the tribunal banned Mr. Venmark from contesting election for five years.
But through to the party’s threat, Dabo, described the by-election as a “sham’’ and “unacceptable to PDP. ’’
“The results of the entire by-election held in Pankshin was not acceptable to us in PDP especially that of Pyabor polling unit in Chip electoral ward of Pankshin South Constituency. “Could you emerging that we the party officials including the candidate were allow access to the polling unit while voting was taking place?; this is strange, ’’ he lamented.
According to him, “this kind of action is not healthy for democracy but very very dangerous. ’’ The party, he stressed, would soon convene a meeting to take a decision on what to do to challenge the result of Pankshin South.
In Kaduna, the APC stole the show in Lere West Constituency bye-election for the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
APC’s candidate Idris Gatari, got over 6,000 more votes than his PDP counterpart who polled 10,772 votes.
With his 17,672 votes, he defeated PDP’s Dr. Mato Dogara to give APC 28 seats to PDP’s 6 seats in the Kaduna State House of Assembly

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DSS Moves Against Agbo, over Alleged impersonation as Benue PDP Guber candidate

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The operatives of the Department of State Security Services, DSS has laid a manhunt on embattled former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Benue State, over Alleged impersonation.

A highly placed Security source on Thursday, confirmed to our correspondent that the service is currently looking for Dr. Emmanuel Agbo for impersonating himself as the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Benue state.

The source said that Dr. Agbo, must be interrogated to enable the service have an idea were his candidature was decided as well as venue it took place.

He further added that from preliminary findings Agbo, is playing a role of a ” useful idiot ” been sponsored by political bigwigs in the state that must be unravel by the service.

He queried that all the primary election that took place across the 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory was monitored by the DSS and reports were filed including that of Benue State which officially in the PDP, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN emerged.

Already, a political pressure group has petitioed, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo who they Alleged he is now parading a “fake” Certificate of Return as the party’s candidate is just an “impostor” who didn’t participate in the party’s primaries in May, 2026.

“The Certificate of Return which the disbanded Turaki-led Interim National Executive Council presented to Dr. Agbo yesterday is fake and will not be recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the uploading of party candidates on their portal” the group noted.

The group however challenged Agbo to present evidence that he partook in the said primaries, and also make available proofs that representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, officials of the party from Abuja as well as representatives of Nigeria’s security agencies were present in his own selection process if there is any.

The group stated further that there are proofs that Dr. Emmanuel Agbo is being sponsored by some “disgruntled” elements to ruin the chances of the People’s Democratic Party in the forthcoming governorship election in Benue state.

The statement reads in parts:”Emmanuel Agbo has been warned to desist from this act of impersonation before it’s too late, and if he fails to stop this act, we shall drag him before a competent court to face criminal charges.

“That he is being sponsored to ruin the chances of the party is no longer a secret but, we will make sure that we stop him and his co-travellers who are hell bent on destroying the party”

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EUYI Alleges Secret Recruitment, Job Racketeering in JAMB Ahead of Oloyede’s Exit

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The Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) has raised concerns over an alleged recruitment exercise conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), claiming that more than 100 employment letters were issued in June 2026, barely six weeks before the expiration of the tenure of JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, and Secretary, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, the group described the alleged recruitment exercise as secretive and called on relevant government agencies to investigate the matter.

According to EUYI, the recruitment process was allegedly carried out without public advertisement and may have violated established procedures governing employment into federal public institutions.

The organisation argued that the timing of the recruitment raises questions, particularly following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Professor Segun Aina as the incoming Registrar of JAMB, effective July 30, 2026.

“There is no apparent urgency that would justify a major recruitment exercise by an administration that has only a few weeks remaining in office,” the statement said.

EUYI further alleged that previous recruitment exercises conducted during Professor Oloyede’s tenure had attracted public controversy and scrutiny from the National Assembly, although the JAMB management had maintained that it obtained the necessary approvals from the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

The group contended that if the latest allegations are confirmed, the exercise could amount to violations of constitutional and statutory provisions governing public sector recruitment. It cited Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and relevant provisions of the Federal Character Commission Establishment Act, which emphasize equitable representation, transparency, and compliance with federal character principles in public service appointments.

The advocacy group also called on the Federal Character Commission to clarify whether it approved the alleged recruitment exercise and, if so, whether all legal requirements were met before employment letters were issued.

In addition, EUYI urged anti-corruption agencies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to investigate possible cases of nepotism, abuse of office, or other irregularities should evidence emerge to support such claims.

The organization stated that illegal recruitment practices and job racketeering have contributed significantly to the frustrations of millions of unemployed Nigerians, arguing that employment opportunities in public institutions should be transparent, merit-based, and accessible to all qualified citizens.

EUYI gave JAMB a three-day ultimatum to respond to the allegations and provide clarification regarding the reported recruitment exercise.

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THE GENETICS OF BETRAYAL: WHY ALIA WAS BORN TO FIGHT AKUME

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By Aondoakaa Tersugh Daniel | 22/06/2026

The moment Chief Hyacinth Iormen Alia took his oath of office, he turned his guns on Senator George Akume without any visible provocation, and the confusion that followed has lingered ever since. Akume himself could not hide his bewilderment. He has been quoted saying that people should pray for Father, because the man fighting him is not the Father he used to know. Yet a closer look into Alia’s family history reveals that this hostility is not new at all. It is simply genetics finding its way back to the surface.

Decades ago, when Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka championed the United Middle Belt Congress and became the face of that movement, Thomas Kastina Alia rose as his fiercest opponent within Benue. The elder Alia went as far as planting the headquarters of Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC, the opposition party of that era, right inside Aliade, the very heartland of Tarka’s Masev support base. The rivalry between the two men was bitter and beyond repair.

As though that chapter of hostility was not enough, another figure emerged to continue the assignment. While Tarka served as a Minister, Godwin Dabo raised allegations of corruption against him, a move that eventually forced Tarka to resign from his position. That blow is widely remembered as one of the most damaging episodes of Tarka’s political career.

This raises a question the Kunav elite of today owe the younger generation an answer to. What truly happened between the Kunav and Jemgbagh people that birthed this chain of political vendetta? Thomas Alia, a Kunav son, frustrated Tarka of Jemgbagh first. Then it was as if a baton had been quietly passed to Godwin Dabo to finish the job. Both men were not only of Kunav extraction but shared the same Kyan constituency, a detail too specific to ignore.

It becomes difficult to understand why Akume, who descends directly from Tarka’s lineage, did not study this history closely enough to avoid walking into the same trap that Alia represents. There is an old saying that a blind man does not allow his roasted groundnuts to burn twice. If the first batch is ruined, he learns to manage the fire better on the second attempt, ensuring it comes out either half done or perfectly roasted. Akume has now looked history squarely in the face and still ended up handing power to the son of Tarka’s oldest political enemy.

So when people call this current war between Akume and Alia madness, they are not entirely wrong, but it is madness with deep roots. It is nothing more than a genetic expression of rivalry that has existed for generations, simply resurfacing in a new political season. Akume owes the memory of Tarka a final reckoning. The score can only be balanced if Akume does to Hyacinth Iormen Alia exactly what Godwin Dabo once did to Tarka.

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