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LIVE UPDATES: Results Collation Ongoing, INEC Adjourns Exercise In Bayelsa

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is holding the first off-cycle elections since the 2023 general elections today as the people of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states decide on their governors for new four-year terms.

A total of 46,084 regular and ad hoc staff are deployed in the three states, according to the electoral body.

At least 126 national and international organisations are accredited with 11,000 observers deployed for the elections, while 80 media organisations applied to deploy 1,203 personnel, including journalists and technical/support staff.

All 18 political parties are contesting in Kogi, while Imo and Bayelsa have 17 and 16 candidates, respectively, with the parties deploying 137,934 agents made up of 130,093 polling and 7,841 collation agents.

To ensure a secure environment for electoral conduct, the police mobilised a total of 92,565 personnel, including 27,000 in Bayelsa, 25,565 in Imo, and 40,000 in Kogi, and several assets such as five helicopters and 15 gunboats.

The Federal Road Safety Corps also deployed 1,500 operatives and 105 vehicles.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the elections will be held in 10,470 polling units across 649 electoral wards in 56 local government areas.

9:41 pm: INEC adjourns state collation of results for the Bayelsa governorship election. The collation was moved to 10:00 am on Sunday.

9:28 pm: Activities about to begin at the collation centre in Bayelsa State

8:28 pm: INEC suspends elections in nine wards in Ogori/Magongo LGA of Kogi State, saying incidents in some other LGAs are being investigated and its decision will be announced in the next 24 hours.

7:17 pm: INEC announces the release of its Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) abducted on Friday, saying, “The officer is doing fine.”


7:12 pm: LP governorship candidate in Imo State, Athan Achonu, wants INEC to cancel polling units where violence was recorded and calls for a rerun in those areas.

Athan Achonu, the LP Governorship candidate, wants INEC to cancel polling units where violence occurred.#ImoDecides2023

3:35 pm: An INEC official uploads the results onto the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in Lokoja LGA, Kogi State.

An election official trying to upload results on the INEC Results View at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in the Lokoja local government area.#KogiDecides2023

5:35 pm: Results arrive at the Kolokuma/Opokuma Council Area in Bayelsa State from polling units for collation.

3:35 pm: An INEC official uploads the results onto the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in Lokoja LGA, Kogi State.

An election official trying to upload results on the INEC Results View at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in the Lokoja local government area.#KogiDecides2023

3:13 pm: At Polling Unit 069, Crowder 2, Open Place in Ward 01 in Lokoja LGA, voting has ended and ballots have been counted.

The results are as follows:

AA – 1
ADC – 3
APC – 38
PDP – 15
SDP – 23

Invalid Votes – 6

3:13 pm: INEC refutes allegations that shortlisted and trained INEC ad hoc staff members were dropped and replaced with unknown individuals.

2:55 pm: Voting has ended at Polling Unit 079 in Ward 01 of Lokoja LGA, Kogi State. Election officials are crossing out the unused ballot papers as stipulated in the Electoral Law.

2:45 pm: Sorting and counting concludes at Ward 9, Unit 10 of Agudama Ekpetiama Community in Bayelsa State.

Voting and collation concluded at Ward 9, Unit 10, in the Agudama Ekpetiama community in Bayelsa State.

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More tthan 20,000 people gather at the Vatican to Mourn Pope Francis

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More than 20,000 people have gathered at the Vatican as mourners file past Pope Francis’s open coffin.

Pope Francis’s body has been moved from his residence in the Vatican to lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica.

Mourners are now filing past the coffin, which will stay in front of the Papal Altar during the three days of public mourning.

The Pope died on Monday morning – his funeral will take place on Saturday, attended by leaders from around the world.

Source : BBC

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JUST IN: Filling stations shut after Dangote Refinery’s petrol price drop

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Some filling stations and petroleum products marketers, partners of Dangote Refinery’s petrol, temporarily shut down for the past five days after the latest premium motor spirit price drop by the 650,000 barrels per day refinery.

Recall that for the past five days, MRS filling stations in Abuja, along Kubwa Expressway, and others have not dispensed fuel since Dangote Refinery announced its ex-depot fuel price reduction to N835 per litre on Tuesday, 16 April, 2025.

An official of MRS filling station, who preferred anonymity because he is not authorised to speak said the filling station is grappling with the loss incurred after Dangote’s latest price adjustment.

“It is because of Dangote’s latest price drop. The filling station had old stock, which it couldn’t sell at a loss.

“This is the reason we have shut down since Tuesday. We may reopen on Tuesday,” he said.

Meanwhile, another official at the filling station said the retail outlet is billed to reopen on Tuesday, noting that it has been undergoing minor maintenance.

“We have been on maintenance for the past few days, which is the reason the station was shut. We will reopen on Tuesday,” he said.

According to him, the filling station would commence dispensing at the new price of N910 per litre from Tuesday.

Other partners of Dangote Refinery, such as AP, Ardova, and Optima, are dispensing fuel between N910 and 920 per litre in parts of Abuja as of Monday, 21st April 2025.

Reacting to the development, the National President of Petroleum Retailers Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said the latest fuel price drop affected the purchasing power of petrol retailers and marketers.

According to him, indiscriminate price adjustment, whether downward or upward, is not good for the petroleum downstream sector and the Nigerian economy.

At every point, if prices of petrol are indiscriminately changed without any clearly defined economic reason, the chances that it will impact on the buying power of retailers and marketers are there.

“It is not good for business, the economy, and Nigerians.

“Prices of petrol change for reasons that are understandable with proper information to retailers,” he said.

Recall that Gillis-Harry had earlier called for a six-month fuel price stability plan to halt fluctuations.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, had hinted that marketers having old stocks of fuel will incur billions of losses following Dangote’s latest fuel price drop.

Last week became the second time the $20 billion refinery reduced its fuel price nationwide. This indicates a combined downward ex-depot price drop of N45 per litre.

Dangote Refinery had, on 10 April, reduced its gantry price of petrol to N865 per litre.

However, the ex-depot fuel price had further dropped to N835 per litre.

This comes after the federal government’s renewed commitment to the indefinite continuation of the naira-for-crude deal with other local refiners and the drop in global crude prices to around $66 per barrel.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited recently reduced its retail price to N935 per litre for customers in Abuja in response to Dangote Refinery’s latest price cut.

This means that Nigerians currently buy petrol at between N890 and N950 per litre, depending on the location nationwide.

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NNPC’s Olufemi Soneye Emerges NIPR Spokesperson for 2025

Responding, Soneye attributed his recognition by the NIPR with its most exalted spokesperson’s award to the dedication of the entire team at the NNPC.

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Soneye (middle) receive NIPR’s prestigious award .

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mr. Olufemi Soneye, has emerged the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) spokesperson of 2025.Announcing the award, the NIPR described Soneye as a “diligent” spokesperson, characterising him as “a strategist.” Soneye’s capacity to shape public opinion, also stood him out of the crowd of spokespersons, according to the Adjudication Committee, Chairman, Dr. Shaibu Hussein.

Represented by a member of the committee chairman, Lami Tuiaka, the chairman said the moment to the conclusion of the award was rigorous and demanding. He also predicated Soneye’s victory on his communication skills, crisis management and overall impact.

“Our committee comprising communication scholars, Public Relations practitioners, and media personalities worked tirelessly to review the nomination, assess performances and deliberate on the winner.

I must report that we carefully examined each nomination, considering factors such as communication skills, crisis management and overall impact,” he said.

Presenting him the plaque at the National Spokespersons Award 2025, chairman of the event Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Power, Hon. Joshua Audu, said the institute would celebrate Soneye throughout 2025 as the current NIPR spokesperson award winner.

He said: ” On behalf of the NIPR Award Night 2025, I have the honour and privilege to present the Spokesperson of the year 2025. Please join me to celebrate our latest spokesperson that we will celebrate throughout 2025 in the person of Olufemi Soneye.”

Responding, Soneye attributed his recognition by the NIPR with its most exalted spokesperson’s award to the dedication of the entire team at the NNPC.

Amid a standing ovation, he said: “We are all happy and I am deeply honoured to receive this award tonight from NIPR. This award reflects the dedication of our entire team and we want to thank NIPR for all they have been doing.”

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