Follow the link to read the stories on YNaija:

The Late 5: Tribunal declares PDP’s Adeleke winner of Osun governorship election; Kogi govt to immortalise Pius Adesanmi | Other stories

Read » The YNaija Cover – the 22nd of March on YNaija

Here are the stories that drove conversation today:

Tribunal declares PDP’s Adeleke winner of Osun governorship election

The Election Petitions Tribunal set up for the 2018 governorship election in Osun State has declared Ademola Adeleke winner of the election. The tribunal said Mr Adeleke won the election at the first ballot on September 22 and the rerun that INEC devised to reach a final conclusion a week later was illegal.

Buhari inaugurates panel for state legislature, judiciary autonomy

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday inaugurated a presidential implementation committee on autonomy of state legislature and judiciary. The panel implementation is in line with fourth alteration to the 1999 Constitution.

The 16-man panel is chaired by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, while the presidential adviser on National Assembly (Senate), Ita Enang, would serve as secretary.

Bauch finance commissioner resigns

The Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development,  Alhaji Garba Akuyam, has resigned. Akuyam, seen to be one of the strong pillars of the cabinet of Gov. Mohammed Abubakar, took a lot of people by surprise when he announced his ‘voluntary resignation’ at a press conference in Bauchi on Friday.

Kogi govt to immortalise Pius Adesanmi

The Kogi State government says it will immortalise the late Nigerian-born Canadian professor, Pius Adesanmi, by making all his books available in its school libraries. The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Rosemary Osikoya, disclosed this during a ceremony organised in honour of the deceased in Abuja.

She said his death came at a time when the state ministry was reaching out to Kogi scholars like Mr Adesanmi, who could help put the educational standard of the state on a high pedestal.

Bauchi guber poll: Court to deliver judgement March 25

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed March 25 to deliver judgment on a suit seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from resuming collation or announcing result of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date after counsel in the matter adopted their written addresses on Thursday.

Read » The Late 5: Tribunal declares PDP’s Adeleke winner of Osun governorship election; Kogi govt to immortalise Pius Adesanmi | Other stories on YNaija

Every day on the Nigerian Internet, there are people who keep our eyes glued to our phone screens as we read their rants, opinions, perspectives on political and social issues, etc. Sometimes, they are just downright ridiculous. We make it our job to take down the names of these noisemakers.

Here are the ones we saw today:

there are too many Nigerians in the world for me not to find a husband

— Chizi Duru (@ChiziDuru) March 21, 2019

You are such a patriarchy princess, dear.

Some of us are single but nobody will believe we are really single.

— MR AHMED (@MrAhmeed_) March 22, 2019

What’s my business, singleton.

Gosh! So some people actually believe that when the prosecution “closed its case” on #Onnoghen, it means the case is over and Joe Abah should apologise to him? Gosh. I hereby close my case and apologise for having an opinion!

— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) March 22, 2019

Drinks with the boys or dinner with the girls won’t be a bad idea. Don’t lead a boring life

— Dr. Dípò | The Career (@OgbeniDipo) March 22, 2019

And then some fornication!

Truth is, I will not have time for those of you here who are NOT willing to put in the work, to sacrifice, to volunteer & start from the roots, in your immediate communities, to address some fundamental issues. ACTIVE CITIZENRY should be our default status. WE MUST WALK OUR TALK

— Juliet ‘Kego | #PiusAdesanmiRIP (@julietkego) March 22, 2019

The Super Eagles needs a new goalkeeper, Uzoho is the worst of all eagles goalkeepers we have had since I was born. He is not even worth the 3rd choice in my opinion. #NGASEY

— ifevic (@ifevictor) March 22, 2019

Read » Today’s Noisemakers: Juliet Kego, Dr Joe Abah, OgbeniDipo, others on YNaija

Here are top stories that drove conversation this week:

Tribunal declares PDP’s Adeleke winner of Osun governorship election

The Election Petitions Tribunal set up for the 2018 governorship election in Osun on Friday declared Ademola Adeleke winner of the election. The tribunal said Mr Adeleke won the election at the first ballot on September 22 and the rerun that INEC devised to reach a final conclusion a week later was illegal.

1,119 suspects arrested over electoral offenses – Police

Police and military authorities on Thursday, confirmed that 1,119 persons were arrested in connection with electoral offences during the February 23 and March 9 elections across the country. Police Spokesperson, Frank Mba, an assistant commissioner of police, made this known in Abuja at a joint news briefing by spokespersons of the police and the military at Defence Headquarters. 

Deji Adeyanju releases audio of Charly Boy’s collusion with Buhari campaign

Activist Deji Adeyanju on Thursday morning released an audio clip which he said exposes the disgraceful collusion between Charly Boy and the Nigerian government, the same authority he blames for his ongoing ordeal as a murder suspect. In the clip, Charly Boy can be heard suggesting that he received financial support from Keyamo while Adeyanju was in custody, but swiftly added that there was no sinister background to the gift. 

Nigeria more divided than Civil War – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday lamented the current state of disunity in Nigeria, stressing that Nigeria was not as divided as it is today, during  the civil war 
 
Obasanjo spoke  at a one-day “2019 annual retreat/conference and general meeting of members” of Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria, ACAEBIN, in Abeokuta.

PDP, Atiku in post-election trauma, depression – APC

The All Progressives Congress, APC on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its  presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, describing their claim of having won last month’s presidential poll as the hallucinatory outcome of a post-election depression. 

The APC’s claim was backed by the Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation, which also charged the PDP of being steeped in post-election trauma.

Boko Haram attacks Adamawa community

Resident of Michika, a commercial town in Adamawa, told the New Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that they started hearing gunfire and explosions around 7pm along Michika-Lassa road, but after a fierce gunbattle with the military, they were chased out. Confirming the incident, the Adamawa Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, said the military was on top of the situation.

10 feared dead in fresh herdsmen attack in Benue

At least 10 persons were feared dead in a fresh attack on Tse Ioreleegeb, Babai council ward of Guma local government area of Benue by suspected herdsmen. Confirming the development, the Guma local government council chairman, Mr. Anthony Shawon disclosed that the attackers came in from neigbouring Nasarawa. 

I’ll reclaim my mandate, Atiku vows

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has vowed to reclaim his stolen mandate. The PDP Presidential candidate, who spoke in Abuja during a visit to the leaders of the Southern and Middle Belt regions on Wednesday, said the struggle to reclaim the mandate would be achievable with support of the elders.

Nigeria to prosecute parents who refuse to enroll their children in school

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, says Nigeria will soon effect policy to prosecute parents who refused to enrol their children of school age in schools across the country. Adamu made this known in Abuja on Monday while addressing journalists during the 9th edition of the weekend ministerial briefing. He said parents who sabotage the efforts of the government at reducing the number of out of school children would soon be criminalised and would be made to face the wrath

My asset declaration forms were tampered with – Onnoghen tells CCT

Suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen on Monday told the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja that his asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, were tampered with.

Onnoghen insisted at his resumed trial that the Form 001 he filled in 2014 and 2015, were no longer the way he submitted them, to the CCB, querying why the hitherto bound documents appeared “in loose form” before the tribunal, alleging that it was tampered with, with some of the pages missing.Federal High Court.

Read » Deji Adeyanju releases audio of Charly Boy’s collusion with Buhari campaign, Boko Haram attacks Adamawa community and other stories that made the headlines this week on YNaija

Therapy helps. But when it comes to emotions, therapy is about management more than anything else. And what you want is a shift in consciousness.

I like those who request that you go to spirit. Spiritual thinkers and teachers across traditions teach you that beyond management, what you need is a reset.

Therapy helps with your mind, with learning to ensure this challenge is coped with, and doesn’t affect your normal functioning as a human being. But going to spirit leads you beyond the mental formations of your mind. It goes to your essential being, that which is complete and whole already, and reconnects with that as the source of your certainties, as the source of your beliefs, and thus as the source of your thoughts and then emotions.

The key to this is what Eckhart Tolle calls ‘intense present moment awareness’. Buddhist teaching takes that and breaks it down, at its essence, into three things – looking deeply and listening deeply beyond what first appears to you, into what truly is (“Are you sure without that person your life will end – or is that something your mind is tricking you into believing because you just don’t want to lose this person?”) and mindful living.

Meditation is an entry point into spirit.

Prayer, in its original form, the essential kind of meditation is another.

Staying very close to nature, close to the essence of things before the debris and accouterments of modern living.

Accepting every moment just as it is, without labeling and judging is another.

All of these lead you to go back to your spirit – the essence of who you are even if everything is gone: beauty, recognition, hands, legs, national identity.

If you can find a pathway to that place, and stay there every single day (which is the journey I have begun to take with more steadiness), you will find that security comes very easily to you. Because in that space, in that state of essential being, nothing is missing, nothing is lacking and you already have everything you need to enjoy every moment of your life.

To receive The Daily Vulnerable in your inbox every day, subscribe at www.mytdv.com

Read » How does one deal with insecurity? | The Daily Vulnerable on YNaija

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent governor of Plateau, Simon Bako Lalong as the winner of the state governorship election.

According to the result announced early Sunday at the commission’s headquarters in Jos by Richard Kimbir, the state’s returning officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Benue State University of Agriculture, Makurdi, the APC  candidate won the election with a margin of 48,769 votes.

Governor Lalong who was first elected in April 2015 secured a second term by polling 595,582 votes out of the total 1,176142 votes cast to defeat his closest challengers Jeremiah Useni of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Jonathan Temlong of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) who scored 546,813 votes and 4,670 votes respectively.

The commission had earlier declared the March 9 governorship election in the state inconclusive as the margin of victory was less than the cancelled votes, leading it to conduct supplementary elections on Saturday in 40 polling units across nine local government areas of the state.

Read » Just In: Plateau Governor, Simon Lalong defeats PDP’s Useni to secure second term mandate on YNaija

Here are the biggest stories you may have missed in entertainment during the week and others that unraveled while you slept – and are still buzzing today.

Lionsgate releases latest trailer for ‘John Wick 3’

We are already less than two months away from the release of John Wick 3: Parabellum, and each new glimpse at the culmination (and possible conclusion) of Keanu Reeves’ spectacularly violent adventure makes it look better than the last.  

Feast on your eyes on the latest visuals that shows Reeves on a bike killing bad guys, mid-chase, with guns and then a sword.  

Cardi B and J.Lo to star in stripper revenge film Hustlers

Hustlers, a stripper revenge film about a group of strippers banding together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients, couldn’t have found a better cast. Grammy award rapper Cardi B will be making her feature film debut in a picture that also recruits Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Mercedes Ruehl. Inject this movie into our veins right now, we pray.

Inspired by a 2016 New York Magazine article, the movie will be written and directed by Lorene Scafaria.

Don Jazzy signs new artist Rema to Mavin Records

Mavin boss Don Jazzy took to social media to unveil the latest recruit, Rema, to the Mavin label.In the shared post, Don Jazzy wrote, ‘Today another Mavin is Activated. Mavin/Jonzing is excited to present the newest MAVIN. Rema is a super talented young artist I have no doubt is going to be the future of Afrobeats.” 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Today another Mavin is Activated. Mavin/Jonzing is excited to present the newest MAVIN @HeIsREMA. Rema is a super talented young artist I have no doubt is going to be the future of Afrobeats. Guys pls help me Welcome him to the family. Click on the link on my bio to hear new songs from him. #WelcomeREMA #REMAisON #REMAactivated #Jonzing

A post shared by Donjazzy (@donjazzy) on Mar 22, 2019 at 4:03am PDT

Read » Entertainment roundup: Cardi B and J.Lo to star in stripper revenge film ‘Hustlers’; Don Jazzy signs new artiste Rema to Mavin Records | Other stories on YNaija

Seyi Omooba, the actress cast to play a bisexual character in the upcoming UK production of The Colour Purple, was recently axed from the project after a 2014 homophobic Facebook post resurfaced. ”I do not believe you can be born gay. I do not believe homosexuality is right, though the law of this land has made it legal.” she said in the post. The two theatres staging the show – the Curve in Leicester and the Birmingham Hippodrome – said the actress’s comments had “caused significant and widely expressed concerns both on social media and in the wider press”. 

But now through her publicist, Omooba revealed that although she respects the decision of the producers to axe her from the production, she shouldn’t be punished for her homophobia regardless. ”I was born this way, homophobia is a natural reaction to homosexuality which is an aberration. I want to thank the casting agents, the referrals and everyone involved that led up to me being cast as Celie in The Colour Purple, Frank Collins, Susan Hawthorne, Gina Balogun, thank you. I still stand by my Facebook post from 2014. Nothing has changed.”

Read » Seyi Omooba: ”I shouldn’t be punished for my homophobia, I was born this way” on YNaija

The global art world lost one of its most important and dynamic figures on Friday, 15, March when Nigerian born curator, art critic, writer, educator and administrator breathed his last in Munich, Germany. According to his partner, Louise Neri, a director at Gagosian gallery, cause of death was cancer. He was 55.

Born and raised in Nigeria before migrating to the United States of America as a nineteen-year-old student, Enwezor was perhaps, the most unlikely figure to ascend to the zenith of contemporary art curatorship and administration.

One of the most influential figures in the world of global art, Enwezor held the record for being the only person to curate both the Venice Biennale (the first African born curator in the exhibition’s history) and the Documenta (where he was the first non-European artistic director), two of global art’s biggest and most important institutions. “Coming from Nigeria, I felt I owed no one an explanation for my existence, nor did I harbour any sign of paralyzing inferiority complex,” he once told his contemporary, art historian and academic, Chika Okeke-Agulu.

READ MORE FROM WILFRED OKICHE: King of Boys takes itself way too seriously

From 2011 to 2018 when he stepped aside citing health concerns, Enwezor was director of the Haus der Kunst, a leading art museum in Munich, Germany. At the Haus der Kunst, Enwezor hosted solo exhibitions of work by Stan Douglas, Georg Baselitz, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye among many other artists. The 2016 installation, “Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945–1965,” was an ambitious and unprecedented distillation of the story of postwar modernism around the world including about 350 pieces by over 200 artists.

Following whispers of administrative irregularities during his time at the Haus der Kunst, Enwezor defended himself vigorously thus, “I am almost perplexed. The achievements and successes of seven years are swept under the rug. I have worked with passion to raise the profile of this museum, especially internationally. We have achieved so much, not only the exhibitions, performances, concerts, discussions, not just what is visible, but also the scientific research, the scholarships we have awarded.”

Born Okwuchukwu Emmanuel Enwezor in Calabar on 23, October 1963 as the youngest son of an affluent Igbo family from Awkuzu, Anambra state, he moved around severally with his family on account of the civil war before settling in Enugu where he spent most of his formative years. He commenced tertiary education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka but transferred to the New Jersey City University where he earned a degree in political science.

After graduation, Enwezor moved to downtown Manhattan, performing poetry at clubs and attending gallery openings. All of this activity led Enwezor to a career in art criticism and a hypothesis that African art and artists were largely absent from considerations on the world stage. As a minor corrective, in 1994, Enwezor alongside Okeke-Agulu, and other scholars, Salah M. Hassan and Olu Oguibe started Nka, a magazine of contemporary African art. The name was taken from the Igbo word for art or creation and the Basaa word for discourse.

In an interview with Vitra Design Museum, Enwezor explained the choice of title as a search “for a term that projected an aesthetic horizon but would also constitute a forum of ideological resistance.” Nka became an influential voice in debates having to do with postcolonialism and art around the continent. The success of the publication led to an invitation by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York to co-curate an exhibition of African photography.

The 1996 show, “In/Sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present” (1996), was a landmark one, as it was one of the first museum exhibitions to present imagery from Africa by Africans, placing contemporary art from Africa in the historical and political context of colonial withdrawal and the emergence of independent African countries. The show featured 30 artists, among them Seydou Keïta, of Mali, and Nigeria’s Samuel Fosso and opened to glowing reviews. Artforum described it as breaking new ground while “offering practically all its subjects a U.S. debut.”

The following year, Enwezor curated the second Johannesburg Biennale, one of a string of international exhibitions he would take charge of over the rest of his career. These include but are not limited to the 2008 Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, The Rise and Fall of Apartheid for the International Center for Photography, New York, in 2012, the Triennale at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and Meeting Points 6, a multidisciplinary exhibition which unspooled in nine Middle East, North African and European cities.

In 1998, at the age of 34, Enwezor was named artistic director of the forthcoming 11th edition of Documenta, one of the world’s best-attended art shows. He put the budget of more than $20 million into good use, inviting more than half of the 117 artists and groups from Africa, Asia and South America to share equal billing with their western colleagues in an extravaganza that sprawled across five mega sites in the German city of Kassel in 2002. In the run-up to the opening of Documenta 11, Enwezor presented conferences and seminars Lagos, Berlin, Vienna, New Delhi and St. Lucia, further expanding the horizons of traditional art world orders.

In a tribute, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, director of the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy, and curator of Documenta 13 in 2012, described Enwezor as “one of the leaders of, let’s call it, the free curatorial world—one of the people who believed in intelligence and scholarly research and passion and the power of the curatorial.”

A proponent of political theory and thought, Enwezor’s sprawling, diverse exhibition as curator of the 56^th Venice Biennale, titled All the world’s futures, was essentially a large experiment in social and political analysis. The sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs, films and installations from 136 artists drawn from 53 countries ranged from high conceptualism to regular reportage, with plenty in between. Enwezor sought to present an in-depth look at the world through a variety of exhibitions and artists drawn from diverse corners of the globe.

Enwezor is survived by his daughter, Uchenna Enwezor; an aged mother, Bernadette Enwezor; and four sisters. He was previously married to Muna el Fituri.

As an academic, from 2005 to 2009 Enwezor was Dean of Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President at San Francisco Art Institute. He also had stints as a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh; Columbia University, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and University of Umea, Sweden. In 2012, he served as the Kirk Varnedoe visiting professor at Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. He has been published widely on various art fora.

Having made his own way to the peak of one of the most exclusive professions in the world by talent, dedication and sheer perseverance, Enwezor reflected about his unlikely career in a profile in the Wall Street Journal, “There was nobody who quote-unquote opened the doors. The doors were resolutely shut. I’m as surprised as the next person about where I am.”

Read » Obituary: Okwui Enwezor, giant of contemporary art on YNaija

After days and weeks of suspense, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Sokoto gubernatorial polls, Aminu Tambuwal has been declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the results announced by the returning officer for the election Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Dutse, Professor Fatima Mukhtar, the incumbent governor polled 512,002 votes ahead of his closest rival, Ahmad Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who came close with 511,660 votes, to seal a second term win.

Tambuwal who defected to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018 to pursue his presidential ambition, polled a total of 489,558 votes in the March 9 governorship poll to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate who garnered 486,145 votes but the election was declared inconclusive because the margin of the votes won (3,413), was far lesser than the number of those cancelled in 136 polling units across 22 local government areas with 75,403 registered voters.

In the March 23 Supplementary election however, the PDP and its candidate polled 22,444 votes while the APC got 25,515 votes but the Governor secured re-election based on a simple majority of the total votes cast in the 22 local government areas of the state.

Read » Just In: 342 voters save Governor Aminu Tambuwal from re-election defeat on YNaija

Governor Muhammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost the March 23 supplementary election held in Bauchi, polling 5,117 votes compared to the 6,376 votes polled by the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Mohammed.

In spite of the margin of lead (1259 votes) for the PDP, the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Kyari Mohammed in making the announcement on Sunday, noted that he is in no position to make a return as the case involving Tafawa Balewa local government area is still in court following a March 19 Federal High Court order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from proceeding with the collation and announcement of the result of the March 9 governorship election.

According to the results announced by INEC for the March 9 governorship elections which was declared inconclusive, PDP’s Mohammed who is the immediate past Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was leading with a vote margin of 4059 having polled 469,512 votes ahead of the incumbent governor Muhammed Abubakar who garnered 465,453 votes.

Governor Abubakar subsequently got a court injunction restraining INEC from continuing with the collation and announcement of election results in the State after he criticised the commission for its decision to continue with the collation of results in spite of its earlier declaration that the exercise in the state was inconclusive.

The rerun election was held in 36 polling units covering 29 wards in the 15 affected local government areas with 22,759 registered voters.

Read » PDP’s Bala Mohammed defeats embattled Governor, Muhammed Abubakar in Bauchi supplementary election on YNaija

Governor Samuel Ortom of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has emerged winner of the Benue gubernatorial elections as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday.

According to the results announced by Prof Sabastine Maimako, Returning Officer for the election, the PDP candidate scored 434,473 votes of the total 846, 222 votes cast at the poll to defeat his closest challengers, Emmanuel Jime of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) who polled 345, 155 and 26, 786 votes respectively.

The incumbent Governor, Ortom who was leading in the March 9 governorship poll before it was declared inconclusive as the margin of lead between the top 2 candidates was below that of cancelled votes from more than ten local government areas in the state, has been engaged in a fierce battle to save his seat since he defected from his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) but has now officially won a second term in office with his victory at the supplementary election conducted on Saturday, March 23.

Total votes cast: 846, 222

Total valid votes: 830,954

Rejected votes: 15, 268

Below is the breakdown of votes garnered by other candidates:

ABP – 112

ACD – 156

ADC – 1,693

ADP – 1, 224

ANN – 477

APC – 345, 155

APDA – 730

APGA – 3, 502

CAP – 50

DA -42

GDPN -43

JMPP – 78

LP – 3,742

MPN – 204

NCP – 1,513

NPPP – 123

NRM – 567

PDP – 434, 473

PPC – 956

PPN – 1,056

PPP – 370

PRP – 26, 786

PT – 117

SDP – 5,620

UPP – 197

YPP – 424

ZLP – 128

Read » BREAKING: Governor Ortom survives fierce re-election battle; wins by margin of 89,308 votes on YNaija

Governor of Kano, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has been declared winner of the 2019 Kano governorship election polling a total of 1,033,695 votes as against 1,024,713 votes secured by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf.

In the results declared on Sunday by INEC’s Returning Officer in the state, Professor B. B Shehu, APC’s Ganduje emerged victorious in the highly controversial election with a margin of 8,982 votes as he scored 45,876 votes of the total 57,507 votes cast in Saturday’s Supplementary poll compared to the total 10,239 votes scored by his closest challenger, Abba Yusuf of the PDP.

Ganduje with an initial 987,819 votes therefore bounced back from a trail of 26,655 votes behind the PDP candidate who garnered 1,014,474 votes in the March 9 election declared inconclusive by the electoral body to win Saturday’s rerun and secure a second term mandate.

According to the results of the Supplementary election conducted in 28 local government areas with total registered voters put at 131,073 , the total valid votes stood at 56,407, rejected votes were 1,100 while a total of 2,639 votes across 4 polling units were cancelled in Gama Ward in Nasarawa local government due to incidents of over voting and violence.

Read » Ganduje secures victory in controversial Kano guber poll on YNaija

Here are the stories you should be monitoring today:

APC rejects Benue, Sokoto governorship results

Following the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaring Mr Tambuwal winner of the election after Saturday’s supplementary with a narrow margin of 342 votes, the Sokoto State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday rejected the declaration of Gov. Aminu Tambuwal as winner of the just-concluded governorship election in the state. 

The Chief Collation/Returning Officer, Fatima Mukhtar, said Mr Tambuwal of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured the highest votes of 512, 002, defeating his close rival Ahmad Aliyu of APC, who polled 511, 660 votes. 

PDP rejects Kano governorship election results

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says its candidate, Abba Yusuf, is the rightful winner of the Kano State governorship election, saying any declaration that does not reflect such cannot stand. In statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, the party referred to governorship supplementary election in Kano as a ‘’national disgrace and a mere figure allocating exercise by compromised INEC officials, who collaborated with power drunk politicians in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to award results to the APC candidate.’’ 

Useni rejects Lalong’s victory, heads for Tribunal

Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau, Jeremiah Useni, has rejected the results of the governorship polls conducted in the state on March 9 and 23, 2019 in which the candidate of the All Progressives Congress and incumbent governor of the state, Simon Lalong, emerged victorious 

The PDP candidate’s rejection of the poll results came a few hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Mr. Lalong winner of the election on Sunday.

EFCC declares ex-NIA DG, Oke, wife wanted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Sunday declared wanted, the sacked Director General (DG) of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, and his wife, Folashade. 

The EFCC had earlier filed a four-count criminal charge against the duo before the Federal High Court in Lagos. 

Tambuwal promises all-inclusive government

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has assured of running an all inclusive government that would move the Sokoto state to purposeful heights with opportunities for all. 

Tambuwal who was shortly announced winner of governorship elections after defeating his opponent, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto by a slim margin in tough contested polls made the remark when a tumultuous crowd of jubilant supporters and well wishers thronged Government House in celebration of his victory. 

Ethiopian Airlines questions Boeing’s ‘aggressive software’

An Ethiopian Airlines executive questioned whether Boeing had told pilots enough about “aggressive” software that pushes a plane’s nose down, a focus of investigation into a deadly crash in Ethiopia recently. 

Comments by the CEO and vice president of the airline Yohannes Hailemariam on Sunday will fuel a debate over the safety of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, two of which have crashed in similar circumstances in the last five months. 

Read » The Big 5: EFCC declares ex-NIA DG, Oke, wife wanted; PDP rejects Kano governorship election results | Other top stories on YNaija

The fastest rising superstar in the country is a twenty-five-year-old bubbly young lady. Her name is Teniola Apata but she goes by the name Teni the Entertainer.

Every year the music industry throws up a bunch of contenders, each one claiming to be the next big thing. Some of them disappear as suddenly as they appear, some stick around. Few ascendancies have been as rapid and joyful to watch as Teni the Entertainer’s. In Teni, the general impression is that at the moment, the country (maybe even the world) is witnessing the crowning of a major star, one who is going to be around for a long time. This kind of x-factor comes around only once in a while.

To get a feel of Teni the Entertainer’s run, one has to go back to the machines that powered the hit-making careers of Davido, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage. But while these careers were made primarily by a determined team pushing and prodding at every stop on the rollercoaster ride to fame and success, Teni The Entertainer’s feels more organic and less like teamwork.

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There is a team sure enough, but at its white-hot centre is the most powerful ingredient, the relatable star who by herself captures the imagination of millions through sheer force of personality, shrewd deployment of social media and pure hit-making ability.

The uncanny ability to break through the confines of structured management and present a personality that appears free of any interference has served superstars well from Jennifer Lawrence to Davido. And Teni is merely the latest iteration.

A Star is Born

Born 23, December 1993, Teni’s infancy was marked by tragedy when her father was killed in a robbery attack in his own bedroom. She was raised in a polygamous home by the three Apata wives who famously stayed together after their husband’s death as a single family unit, choosing to nurture the legacy he left behind.

She took to music quite early and as a pupil, sang along with her sister Niniola and played instruments to entertain politicians and government officials. After her education in the family-owned school, she moved to the United States to study pharmacy. Music was pulling her but not surprisingly, there was some friction with the family over this flirtation. She described this pull and push in an interview, “Music is the easiest thing for me to do. I don’t want to live a sad life because I want to please my parents. I don’t depend on my parents financially anymore.’’ She eventually abandoned pharmacy and graduated from the American Intercontinental University, Atlanta with a degree in Business administration, after her music career had taken off.

At the One Night Stand concert in 2017 where Teni the Entertainer, riding the wave of her breakout single, the pervert shaming Fargin, opened for Adekunle Gold, she departed the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island venue amidst a sea of pressmen and women screaming her name for a photograph, a shout out or an interview. Teni spotted a lady reporter clawing her way through the mostly male crowd, calmly slowed her march and assured the lady with the words, ‘’I got you.’’ before settling in for a brief interview.

It was a quiet moment of sisterhood, one that plays out severally in different aspects of everyday living. This girl next door mode which Teni is quick to activate both on and offline, has further endeared her to her ever-growing fanbase.

Then there are the songs.

None of this would even be possible if it weren’t for the songs. In the space of the one year- since Fargin’s 2017 release- Teni the Entertainer has been hitting several home runs. Fargin was a sleeper hit, carrying messaging that frowned on pre-marital sex and creepy male relatives. A self-confessed fan of the music of K1 De Ultimate, Teni adopts the Fuji legend’s vocal inflection, samples some lyrics from Adewale Ayuba’s Omo Cinderella and adds in some Osita Osadebe for maximum effect. It is a cornucopia that could easily fail but it works somehow, thanks to Teni’s wholesome delivery.

Directed by Adasa Cookey, the video boasts a Nollywood melodrama vibe that placed Teni the Entertainer as a lovestruck damsel holding on to her senses. She is insisting her man wait till such a time that she is ready to have sex. The video ensured Teni stayed true to her playful, lovable self even when she was placed in heavy makeup and instructed to make goo goo eyes at her love interest. She introduced her bandana, baggy shirts and trousers- an eventual trademark look- and conquered the camera with her adorable dimples, visible every time she smiled. A star had emerged.

But could she follow through in a hard charging industry notorious for chewing young talent and spitting them out almost immediately?

It wasn’t immediately obvious but Teni kept at it. For her Dr Dolor Entertainment label, the challenge was how to market a tomboyish, beret-wearing above average sized female singer who was heavily influenced by music from the past and looked like no one else that had hit the pop music scene of recent. The early experiment was Pareke, a Shizzi produced early noughties influenced, dance dependent tune that borrowed heavily from street and gyration lingo. It was an awkward mash-up that didn’t quite hit the target.

For her next video, Teni the Entertainer went to her emotional bank to pull out a tune written in memory of her late dad, Simeon Akpata, a retired army officer and educator who was assassinated in 1995 when she was a little over a year old. The glittering Askamaya, a loose remake of Sir Shina Peters’ Omoge Loke loke cemented her claim as the most exciting newcomer of 2018 and by the time she put out the rough around the edges love song, Case, she had become a legitimate superstar.

Like her most popular songs, Case tells a relatable story of longing while borrowing heavily from pop culture trends past and present, like lifting lines from hip hop classics and namedropping moneybags Dangote and Adeleke. Case remains her biggest single and the video has amassed over 5million views on YouTube. In between, she earned writing credit for Davido’s late 2017 hit Like dat.

Trying it on her own

There was really no template for promoting an artiste like Teni the Entertainer and so for most of her career, she and her team have had to make it up as they go. The industry prefers its female acts skinny, flesh-baring with sex appeal to burn. Think Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade or Teni’s elder sister, Niniola, all talented women who have had to rely on their striking looks and feminine wiles to sell records. Even big-voiced divas like Waje and Omawumi haven’t been above playing the game the way it is set up. Not Teni with her baggy pants and sexually ambiguous presentation.

Her debut single Amen landed while she was signed to Shizzi‘s Magic Fingers Records. The record went nowhere fast and she promptly left the record label, signing with Dr. Dolor Entertainment in 2017. Fargin may have been her career breakthrough but it was a product of a long process of trial and error that had her embrace social media wholeheartedly to push both her music and the brand.

A large part of Teni the Entertainer’s success can be attributed to her effective deployment of social media to aggressively promote herself. On Instagram where she routinely posts updates on her career, sprinkled with news on life milestones and gimmicky videos, she has hit over one million followers (of course she made a thank you video to celebrate this!) and on Twitter, her followers number nearly 90,000.

She has an alternate career as an internet comedian/influencer that involves making video skits with the intention of providing comic relief for her teeming followers. Not all of these videos have been hits as Teni the Entertainer has received some backlash for the content of some of these skits. On a visit to Los Angeles for instance, Teni the Entertainer made one of these clips where she made a show of searching for the homes of Chris Brown and Kanye West. She approached a white guy for directions and proceeded to call him unprintable names in her native Yoruba language. This was the latest in a long line of videos where Teni plays up stereotypes about Nigerians wanting to exploit foreigners for personal and material gain, a move that many of her fans feel crosses the line from good comedy into bigotry.

You cannot denigrate innocent bystanders for cheap laughs, whatever their colour, whether or not they know the language you’re sneakily weaponising against them. Use your gift with grace. Be better. https://t.co/BPwz7oQyty

— Molara Wood (@molarawood) March 2, 2019

This type of fish out of water material could be funny or cringe-worthy, depending on the amount of context that is available to viewers. Responding to the backlash, Teni clarified that the white guy was an old friend of hers and was definitely in on the joke. All of these social media engagement has helped bring her closer to her fans, creating an impression that she is simply a girl next door overwhelmed by the life she is living now. Highlights of her performances from Paris to Houston, Texas are posted regularly to the delight of her thirsty audience.

Making the music

The bulk of Teni’s material tends to start out as freestyle moments rather than the result of structured writing or creating sessions. This looseness, palpable in most of her material, may be responsible for giving people a sense of kinship but it has also ensured that her songs are usually not as tightly wound as they could be.

Fans got to see this process play out when for her college graduation in July last year, she put out a clip of herself singing joyfully to a folksy chorus said to have origins in her Ondo dialect. The clip quickly went viral (on Instagram, it has over 600,000 views) and months later, in time for her 25^th birthday she recorded the tune and put it out as a single. Uyo Meyo quickly became one of her biggest hits and was listed by YNaija as one of the best songs of 2018.

There is a playfulness that lingers in the Teni’s delivery and in the songs she chooses to put out even when they are dealing with serious themes. A perfectly capable singer and songwriter, her lyrics are more relatable and faddish (think nods to Adeleke and Dangote) than profound. With her vocal work, she leaves the impression that maybe she could hit the high notes if she were inclined to, but more importantly for her is the idea that music should be fun and about making people dance as opposed to showing off her vocal range.

For Davido’s hit Like dat, which she has taken credit for writing, Teni explained that the song was the product of a studio session in which she looked around and saw a bottle of alcohol lying around and decided to build the chorus around the line, Hennessy ti wo body like dat. Her incredible 2018 run ended with her winning Best New Artist at the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. She is hotly favoured to claim the highly competitive Next Rated prize when Headies season rolls around. Last month, Teni the Entertainer was featured on YouTube Music‘s Trending Artist on the Rise, becoming the first African woman to achieve this honor.

Shake it off

Teni may make the hits but her appeal seems to lie in her originality, cheerful nature and the confidence with which she carries herself. She may not look like anyone else in the music industry but millions of Nigerians find it easier identifying with her than they would a manufactured pop star with a body size that would get the Anna Wintour nod in approval.

Music journalist and podcast host Osagie Alonge found this out the hard way in a now deleted podcast episode where he made disparaging remarks about Teni’s looks and even advised her to stick to songwriting behind the scenes. Even though Teni maintained a dignified silence, the backlash was swift and furious and Alonge was forced to issue an apology. Perhaps it was he who should have stuck to his editing duties.

Niniola sprung to her defense, politely suggesting that maybe Alonge was in ‘’a bad place’’ in his life at the time. Teni the Entertainer spoke out more generally about body positivity and self-confidence in an interview with More Branches. “Whoever wants to talk should do so. I am only doing me. I learnt to define my path and focus on the journey at hand…. You can either let it affect you negatively or shake it off.’’

It is quite clear the choice she has made.

Read » Profile: The Rise and rise of Teni the Entertainer (and yes, she’s problematic too) on YNaija

Huawei fans received good news this year when Huawei decided to launch its latest HUAWEI Y7 Prime 2019 in Nigeria. A smartphone series that has been known throughout the years to be pocket-friendly, fashionable and well-suited for users and this year’s addition maintain this legacy. HUAWEI Y7 Prime 2019 features a large 6.26-inch HUAWEI Dewdrop display to maximize the display area for the tech-savvy young users and a 16MP front camera for better selfies.

HUAWEI Dewdrop Display

HUAWEI Y7 Prime 2019’s display is one of the main attractions somebody can spot once they lay eyes on this handset. It features the premium HUAWEI Dewdrop display with a 6.26-inch screen that provides a higher quality entertainment experience for users who want to get a bigger screen area for watching videos or playing games.

HUAWEI Y7 Prime 2019 has an extraordinary build quality and holding it in hand feels like having a flagship device. The look is super sleek and even though the screen measures over six inches, it is yet fairly manageable in the hand. The back of the device is ceramic and is coated with polycarbonate, which is resilient against day-to-day wear and tear. And since this device targets youth, Huawei has it in three energetic colors: Aurora Blue, Midnight Black and Coral Red – to attend to today’s millennials’ needs and demands.

16MP Selfie camera

Huawei has integrated a 16MP front camera into a small notch that is situated on the vertical axis of the device. Because people come across some difficulties whey they want to capture a selfie – the shutter button may not be reachable, for instance, or it is a hassle to tap the screen even if a selfie stick is being used – Huawei has equipped this phone with two easy ways to take selfies: Gesture Control and Smile Detection.

Gesture Control: Once enabled, users can snap a selfie by just opening or closing their palm in front of the camera.

Smile Detection: If enabled, users can trigger the camera to snap a selfie by just smiling.

Two dual cameras on the back of the device – 13MP+2MP – are positioned at the top corner of the rear on the phone. The primary 13MP camera has a wide aperture of f/1.8 with 16 virtual f-stops (supporting f/1.8-6) to provide granular controls over depth of field effects. The HUAWEI Y7 Prime 2019 AI-powered real-time scene and object recognition technology can recognize 22 different categories of objects including blue skies, people, dogs and the beach. Once an object or a scene is identified, the smartphone automatically makes adjustments to produce the best possible results.

HUAWEI Y7 Prime 2019 is a great phone to have. It comes with a big screen display and a 16MP selfie camera with innovative ways of triggering the shutter. It looks great and it is only priced at NGN59,900.

Read » If you ever wanted a stylish, budget-friendly smartphone to take better selfies; here it is on YNaija

No better time than election season to usher in a parody of actual political happenings. Mr President (The Controversial Election) directed by Toka McBaror and produced by Shirley Ann Ede is a satire that puts up a mirror to society and takes numerous shots at everyone from the political class to the regular citizens who consider themselves too powerless to assert themselves.

Set in the high octane, morally bankrupt power circles where the influential and wannabes come out to play at the expense of the citizenry, Mr President’s most impressive characteristic may be an unwillingness to take itself seriously at all. And that becomes the film’s saving grace eventually.

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McBaror is upfront about his limitations as a filmmaker and seems to understand that the story as conceived by Shirley Ann Ede isn’t the most impressive of narratives. Message movies such as Mr President have a tendency to get carried away by their good intentions. It usually isn’t long before the soapbox is mounted and the preaching kicks into overdrive.

Mr President has some preaching up its sleeves and it certainly isn’t above laying out plenty of judgement but the bitter pill is dispensed with a spoonful of zaniness that makes it quite bearable. Having said that Mr President isn’t a good film, it is just self-aware enough to understand that a film does not have to be good to entertain its audience or serve its purpose. he purposes here being to send up society in the most disjointed way possible.

In the opening sequence, the Nigerian president, Dalhatu (played with a splash of mischief by Saeed Funky Mallam) is addressing a nation that has been battered by years of non-performance and thievery from the leadership class. Dalhatu is at the tail of his first term and about to announce his candidacy for a second term. The President’s speech is intercut with a meeting where the main opposition political party is attempting to settle on a viable candidate to go toe to toe with the incumbent at the upcoming elections. Once this business is settled, the rest of the film concerns itself with detailing the shenanigans and back dealings that are characteristic of electoral season.

Some of it makes sense, a lot of it doesn’t but Mr President marches on clumsily buoyed by cameo appearances from superstars AY and Toyin Abraham, both in roles that go nowhere fast. Shirley Ann Ede as President Dalhatu’s main rival, Senator Ruth Abhuliem has a prominent role that suffers from both underwriting and the incapacity of the actress playing the character.

Looking for bright spots? Some of the acting especially by Saeed Funky Mallam in the lead role of the clueless President Dalhatu is surprisingly decent and would definitely have been improved by more purposeful writing. Dalhatu’s character is obviously a mash-up of President Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan and Funky Mallam’s go for broke performance is in tune with the film’s madcap tone. The picture is crisp and costume colours are bold but nothing is interesting or exciting about McBaror’s direction. Matter of fact the screenplay would have been more coherent if he had managed to exert some authority on the project as opposed to the by the numbers approach that he opts for.

Speaking of, the screenplay is a cluttered mess, swinging wildly and throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the mix hoping something, anything, will stick. Very little does. While this playful element serves the film well in terms of tone, it does not excuse the lack of a coherent plot. In some ways, Mr President plays out like the original idea was lost along the way as the screenplay was workshopped to fit into someone’s idea of what the Nigerian audience is likely to respond to.

Mr President’s sound design- if it can be called that- distracts from the film instead of enhancing the experience as the extra judicious use of sound effects to force comic timing appears lifted from some amateur stage acting playbook. McBaror has a thing for aerial shots of Abuja and the capital city skyline replaces the now famous Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge for the award for establishment shot overkill.

The Nollywood paying audience may be as fickle as those from any part of the world but if producers keep churning out silliness like this in the name of giving people what they want, it may be time for audiences to start speaking out clearly with their wallets.

Read » Film review: Mr President doesn’t take itself seriously. You shouldn’t either on YNaija

In a clip that began to circulate on social media on Sunday, R&B powerhouse Waje was granting an interview wherein she lamented how her music career is taking the bulk of her funds, and also the fact that she isn’t as recognized and appreciated as she should. Her career that took flight after rendering her vocals to the PSqaure 2007 dance hall smash Do Me, has stunted in recent years.

And with the late-2018 release of her sophomore album Red Velvet, which is yet to gain traction, Waje has put the blame on lousy, hypocritical Nigerians who decry the lack of content in today’s music but do not consume or patronise artistes like her who put out the good stuff.

”They come on Twitter every time to say Nigerians artistes aren’t making good music, or putting out good content. But ask them if they have bought my Red Velvet album? Crickets!.” A distressed Waje said via a quick phone interview regarding the viral clip. ”I am tired and I’m fed up. I’m also a mother and I have responsibilities to my daughter. Maybe it’s time to do something else apart from music.”

Editor’s note: this post is clearly satire and phone interview with Waje never happened.

Read » Waje says she’s going to quit music, blames lousy, hypocritical Nigerians for not buying ‘Red Velvet’ on YNaija

With 7,500 athletes participating, the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games which took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates is the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world.

This year’s competition, the 50th in its series, played host to the best talents across the world with 60 Nigerian athletes living with intellectual disabilities competing for medals in different sports categories from swimming to football.

Committed to spotlighting the oft-overlooked significance the competition represents, and buoyed by the grace, tenacity, and determination of its participants, documentary photographer, Adedotun Soyebi captures the amazing feat of athletes at the 2019 Special Olympics and behind-the-scenes moments that define the competition founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a pioneer in the global struggle for the rights and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities.

Team Nigeria had an impressive run at the Games carting home 9 Gold, 10 Silver, and 7 Bronze. See exclusive photos from the competition for your esteemed readers.

Editor’s note: This documentary photography project is to spotlight the issue of intellectual disability, therefore publishing same on your platform draws much-needed attention to the strength and ability of people living with the condition daily. 

Follow @itspuffy on Instagram and Twitter, and visit www.adedotunsoyebi.com to see more exclusive photos. 

Read » Special Olympics 2019 through the lens of award-winning photographer, Adedotun Soyebi on YNaija

Barely two weeks after the collapse of two three-storeyed buildings in Ita Faaji and Oke Arin on Lagos Island, a two-storey building collapsed midday on the same axis at 50B, Kakawa street on Monday.

According to reports, no one was trapped in the rubbles as the building was marked for demolition and occupants had vacated, while security operatives and emergency workers have arrived at the scene to ensure others residents are safe and that the rubbles are properly disposed of.

The collapsed structure is said to have affected a bungalow with three occupants.

Read » Just In: Yet again, another building collapses in Lagos Island on YNaija