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BREAKING: CSOs write off Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa polls *Say Nigeria fully back to dark days

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“The disturbing reports of high levels of results falsification and other forms of electoral irregularities in the governorship elections in the three States raise serious questions about the credibility of elections and the future of democracy in Nigeria,” were the words with which last Saturday’s elections were dismissed as a non-event by some critical observers.

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room), one of the prime election observers in the country, while roundly condemning the outcome of the election, said in a statement, on Monday that it observed clear cases of falsification of result sheets and other electoral irregularities in the election, which took place in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states.

The group in giving a comprehensive report on the situation, said: “Nigerians had expected that the lessons learnt from the 2023 General elections by stakeholders, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would have been taken to improve the conduct of these elections.

“Unfortunately, this seems not to be the case, as these elections have proved to be another huge disappointment. The governorship elections conducted in these States represent a major setback for Nigeria’s electoral democracy.”

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The body, while speaking on other processes, observed lapses in the actual operations of the election, saying: “Situation Room observers reported that voting commenced late in polling units visited Imo State only 29 per cent of the polling units had commenced voting by the official time of 8:30 am.

“According to reports of Situation Room observers, election officials did not turn up in several polling units in Ideato North and Ideato South LGAs and a few polling units in Orlu, Orsu, Okigwe and Oru East LGAs. The failure of INEC to turn up disenfranchised voters in the affected areas.

“The situation was relatively different in Bayelsa and Kogi States, where 66 per cent and 86 per cent of the polling units observed commenced voting by the official time of 8:30 am. Voting in Bayelsa State was, however, affected by the incidents of the capsized boat in Southern Ijaw LGA and the abduction of INEC’s Supervisory Presiding Officer assigned to Registration Area 06 (Ossioma) in Sagbama LGA.”

“The BVAS functioned optimally in most polling units where it was used for accreditation in these States. However, Situation Room is concerned by reports of over-voting in the three States and INEC’s failure to apply the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 in addressing the menace last Saturday.

“Also, the inability of INEC to synchronise the record of accreditation by the BVAS with the Result Viewing Portal (IReV Portal) in real time despite improved access to internet broadband in Nigeria is questionable. By permitting the bypass of the BVAS, INEC has effectively rolled back the gains of electoral reform recorded in recent times.

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“The Situation Room received reports of falsification and mutilation of polling unit-level results in the three States. INEC had acknowledged incidents of pre-filled result sheets before the commencement of polls affecting 5 LGAs in Kogi State -Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Mangongo, Okehi and Okene. Regrettably, INEC has gone ahead to collate results from these LGAs without conducting any thorough investigation and making its findings public. This is condemnable.

“With respect to Imo State, the Situation Room is surprised to see INEC transmit results for polling units where the election was not held in the earlier mentioned LGAs. In Bayelsa, politicians attempted to exploit INEC’s weaknesses to tamper with results, especially in Brass, Sagbama, Southern Ijaw and Nembe LGAs.

“These incidents question INEC’s integrity and the willingness and ability of the Commission to conduct credible elections. To ascertain the depth of the damage, Situation Room is calling on the Commission to release data of accredited voters as recorded on the BVAS and total votes cast on a local government basis in these States.”

The group also spoke on voter turnout during the exercise, stating: “Situation Room finds it hard to ascertain the most probable turnout of voters in these elections as a result of the reported irregularities, especially in Imo and Kogi States. Situation Room’s network of partners reported incidents of violence in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi States.

“In Bayelsa State, an observer of the Situation Room was chased out of the Ward Collation Centre in Ogbia township by personnel of the Nigerian Army, while an observer working with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) was attacked and her phone confiscated by a party agent in polling unit 003, Ogboloma Town Square, Ward 11, Kolokuma LGA without any intervention from the security agents present at the polling unit.

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“Situation Room partners also reported 19 incidents of violence by noon on election day in the three States. These incidents of violence were recorded in Anyigba, Dekina LGA of Kogi State, Sagbama and Brass of Bayelsa State and Ikeduru LGA of Imo State.

“It will seem that security agents deployed for election duty, rather than help in securing the process and ensuring its integrity, they opted to collude with politicians and even in some cases, protected the politicians, enabling them to indulge in vote buying and other conducts that compromised the elections in these three states.

“The commercialization of Nigeria’s elections appears to have reached unprecedented heights. Political parties and their agents operated openly and with impunity, distributing money in the purchase of votes without any effort from the security agents to contain it. Sums paid at polling units ranged from N1,000 to 30,000, along with cooked and uncooked food items. There has to be an effective mechanism to halt politicians weaponizing poverty to win elections in Nigeria.

“These elections represent a major setback in Nigeria’s democratic development. Situation Room calls on INEC to fully review the elections in Kogi and Imo States to identify the incidents of malpractice that took place and reflect the genuine vote of the people. Situation Room is reiterating its earlier call for an independent audit of election administration in Nigeria and compliance with electoral law by INEC. Without this, we are worried that not much improvement can be achieved.”

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How Nigerians lost N4.8 trillion on Ponzi since 2016 – Alaje

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As panic erupts across Nigeria following the sudden crash of CBEX, a digital investment platform that promised to double investors’ funds within a month, Chief Economist at SPM Professionals, Paul Alaje has emphasised the need for investment education, highlighting that Nigerians have lost an estimated ₦4.8 trillion to pyramid scams since the collapse of MMM in 2016.

Alaje, in an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, described CBEX as the latest in a disturbing trend of fraudulent schemes exploiting economic hardship and financial desperation.

“Since MMM in 2016, Nigerians have lost approximately 4.8trn to pyramid scam. Pyramid scam is a scheme designed to rip you off of funds. It is only a pyramid scam that promises more interest than the IMF and World Bank put together in a month and sometimes in a week.”

The CBEX platform, which reportedly offered users 100% returns on investments, began experiencing technical issues over the weekend. By Monday, users were locked out of their accounts entirely and in the absence of any official communication from the company, panic quickly escalated into chaos.

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In Ibadan, enraged investors stormed a CBEX office, carting away items such as chairs, air-conditioners, and even a solar panel. Online, heart-wrenching videos of victims, some in tears, flooded social media, with many pleading for answers and the return of their hard-earned money.

Alaje stressed the importance of due diligence before participating in any investment opportunity.

“Before you invest in any scheme, apart from the Corporate Affairs Commission certificate they would show you, ask them for a Securities and Exchange Commission license. If they don’t have that, they must have a Central Bank license. And make sure you verify,” he advised.

He warned that unrealistic promises of high returns are a red flag. He said “In this economy, when the promises are too good and excellent to be real, please have a second thought.”

Alaje also pointed out that the CBEX saga creates broader risks for legitimate investment firms. “This can cause industry risk for genuine people who are doing the right thing,” he said. “From history, I doubt everyone will get their money back, but I trust that the EFCC will do its best.”

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had earlier confirmed that CBEX is not registered with the agency. Emomotimi Agama, the SEC’s Director-General, said on Arise Xchange that any unregistered investment scheme is considered illegal under Nigerian law.

“For us at the SEC, our primary responsibility is investor protection, and investor protection stems out of registration and regulation,” he said.

“When a scheme is not registered with the SEC, it becomes illegal; and it is important that whoever is interested in investing in such a scheme must ask the question, Are you registered with the SEC?

“If that is not the case, then it is automatically stated and known that such is an illegal activity and will not be condoned even by the SEC.”

Agama added that the commission had no prior knowledge of CBEX’s operations because no formal complaints were filed before its collapse—a pattern consistent with other fraudulent platforms. “Most people try to keep it away from the regulator, only involving a close circle of friends,” he said.

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The economist however stated his belief that despite the chaos, those behind CBEX can still be traced. “I don’t think the identity of those that own CBEX can disappear anywhere. Financial transactions were involved. Which accounts were paid to.

“We have smart security agencies in charge of investigations. I know that they can do it if they want to do it. That business must have been registered with corporate affairs commission. We can do CAC search and get the names and all,” he said.

He urged victims to assist in ongoing investigations by reporting details of their transactions.

“People need to come out to report officially and also help agencies of government in this regard to mention who they paid and how the payment was made.”

Looking ahead, Alaje called on government agencies to take proactive steps in financial education.

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“You need to increase public awareness on investment risks,” he said. “You can engage and put adverts on credible organisations so that young people and old are listening across the board. Most importantly, you need to translate it into other major languages like pidgin English for people to know.”

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No more foreign students for Harvard – Trump *Withdraws $2.7 million grant

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The current faceoffs between the White House and Harvard University continued on Wednesday with the government of Donald Trump, targeting some foreign students, threatening the institution that it could lose its ability to enroll foreign students in future if it failed to comply with demands to provide information on certain visa holders.

Kristi Noem Homeland Security Secretary, upping the ante stressed also that the department had terminated two grants to the institution, totalling more than $2.7 million, as punishment for its obstinate position for insisting on its independence.

Noem in a letter updating the institution, demanded for the records by 30 April related to what she described as the illegal and violent activities of some foreign student visa holders at the university, saying: “If Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students.”

In a pushback, Harvard spokesperson, who said the university had received Noem’s letter regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas, reiterated an earlier position that the university would not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights, adding that it would continue to comply with the law.

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The Trump administration has increasingly targeted universities with threats to cut federal funding in response to pro-Palestinian campus protests against the US-backed Israeli military assault on Gaza, which followed a deadly attack in October 2023 by Palestinian Hamas militants.

President Donald Trump has characterised the campus protests as a national security concern, accusing demonstrators of antisemitism and expressing support for Hamas, a position the protesters, including several Jewish groups, have rejected, insisting their advocacy centres on Palestinian human rights and opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza, not extremism or antisemitism.

The administration is also moving to deport some foreign student protesters and has already revoked hundreds of visas nationwide.

“With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos — DHS won’t,” Noem said, accusing the university of fostering an “anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology.”

Harvard has previously stated that it works to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination on campus while upholding academic freedom and the right to protest.

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Security operatives know where to find terrorists killing Plateau people – lawmaker

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A lawmaker, Daniel Asama, says security agencies are aware of the whereabouts of the masterminds of the recent killings in Plateau, describing the attacks as genocidal.

Over 100 people have been killed in the last two weeks in Plateau, a situation, Asama said, is devastating.

“The security agencies know where these attacks have been coming from. They know the direction from which these attacks have been coming. The people in the community can show them the routes,” the lawmaker representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. 

“I am saying that the security operatives, if they talk to the people, will know where the attackers are coming from. I don’t believe exactly that they do not know where these people are coming from,” he said.

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The Labour Party (LP) chieftain said the killings have led to the displacement of communities and likened it to land grabbing.

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