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Tears of Joy, Atiku Abubakar at the PDP Presidential Campaign in Ado Ekiti
Against all odds, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters in Ekiti State trooped in droves to The Pavilion, the venue of their campaign rally today, Tuesday 17th of January, 2023. Demonstrating the resilience and determination for which Ekiti indigenes are renowned, many people walked from their villages to the venue despite threats and transportation bans.
Several speakers, including the Acting Chairman of PDP, Ekiti State, Makanju Ogundile and the Ekiti youth leader, Prince Muhammad Kadade Suleiman, confirmed that Ekiti is primarily a PDP state and urged the youth to get their PVCs to vote out their oppressors. Lamenting that the road linking Akure to Ikere, which should ordinarily take only 35 mins instead of one and a half hours, has been sorely neglected, they reiterated assurances that such torment will become a thing of the past once HE Atiku Abubakar is elected. The Ekiti Woman Leader, Hon Sade Akinrinmola added that women will not be left behind and will form 40% of the new government if the candidate is elected.
The Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Hon Tambuwal, during the rally, stated that Ekiti people are educationally endowed, know their rights and are exercising their rights by turning out in large numbers even in the face of frustrating attempts to thwart their efforts. He assured them that the Copyrights Commission will be strengthened to protect the intellectual work and prowess of the Ekiti people. In addition, ‘the incoming Government is already in possession of a manual outlining the steps which will need to be taken to repair the extractive industry in Ekiti state,’ he said.
Also speaking at the rally, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom state, HE, Emmanuel Udom, promised that the incoming government will rebuild the road between Akure and Ado Ekiti and will turn the existing runway in Akure into an airport. His Excellency, Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State and Vice-Presidential candidate urged the people to bring back the government that cares for them and that will eradicate the insecurity, disunity, unemployment and general hunger that people are currently facing. ‘Go and campaign without fear and on the day of election, defend your votes,’ he said.
Rounding up the event, the Presidential candidate, HE Atiku Abubakar expressed his gratitude to the Ekiti supporters. He said he was moved to tears of joy at the amazing dedication and commitment demonstrated by the Ekiti people. Thanking them for their tremendous support, he confirmed his commitment to create jobs for the youth and provide infrastructure within the state.
A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to overhaul elections in the U.S., siding with a group of Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the effort as unconstitutional.
The Republican president’s March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof of citizenship for everyone registering to vote for federal elections, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the new ballot deadline.
The attorneys general said the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.” The White House defended the order as “standing up for free, fair and honest elections” and called proof of citizenship a “commonsense” requirement.
Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts said in Friday’s order that the states had a likelihood of success as to their legal challenges.
“The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote.
Casper also noted that, when it comes to citizenship, “there is no dispute (nor could there be) that U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal elections and the federal voter registration forms require attestation of citizenship.”
Casper cited arguments made by the states that the requirements would “burden the States with significant efforts and substantial costs” to update procedures.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched a blistering attack on the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones smuggled into the country to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists — a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.
The operation raised the potential for all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.
Iran quickly retaliated, sending a swarm of drones at Israel as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of “severe punishment.” Iran had been censured by the U.N.’s atomic watchdog a day earlier for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive American administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear program.
But a confluence of developments triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the election of President Donald Trump created the conditions that allowed Israel to finally follow through on its threats.
Israel had told the Trump administration that the large-scale attacks were coming, officials in the U.S. and Israel said on condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions.
On Wednesday, the U.S. pulled some American diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offered voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East. On Friday, the U.S. began shifting military resources, including ships, in the region as Israel prepared for more retaliation, two U.S. officials said.
Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate deescalation from both sides. Iran asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Israel’s military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defenses and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It was not possible to independently confirm the officials’ claims.
Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Israel also said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran.
Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Natanz facility was “significantly damaged” and that the operation was “still in the beginning.”
Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Iran confirmed all three deaths, significant blows its governing theocracy that will complicate efforts to retaliate. Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed.
The U.S. military is set to temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles while additional National Guard troops arrive in the city, a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Monday. The deployment comes as the city enters its fourth day of protests over President Donald Trump‘s immigration enforcement policies.
The Trump administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, some of which have swept up individuals with proper documentation.
Trump announced on Saturday evening that he had authorized the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after reported violence against law enforcement, specifically, ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city.
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