By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti, Gov. Biodun Oyebanji, has emerged winner with 319,224 votes.

Oyebanji defeated his closest rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Wole Oluyede, who scored 40,543 vote

Adenike Oladiji, INEC’s Chief Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, announced the result on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti.

She said Oyebanji satisfied all the requirements in the election and was declared elected.

Giving a breakdown, Oladiji said the election had 988, 251 as total number of registered voters and 384, 949 as the total number of accredited voters across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.

She gave the total number of votes cast as 382,109 while the total number of rejected votes was 6,332.

Speaking with journalists after the announcement, Sen. Cyril Fasuyi, the APC Collation Agent, urged other contenders to join the governor in building a prosperous state.

“In every contest there will only be one winner.

” I think there should be that sportsmanship spirit with all of them.

“I think nobody is a loser; we understand it’s just for everybody to come on board to support the governor in his developmental drive,” he said.

The breakdown of the parties that participated in the election and the votes scored are listed below:

COLLATED RESULTS FOR EKITI 2026 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

1. EMURE LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF EMMANUEL OLUWAFEMI
RESULTS
ADC – 732
APC 14325
PDP – 851

2. EFON LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PRO. SUNDAY OJO
RESULTS
ADC -201
APC 8742
PDP 2051

3. IJERO LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF OLANIRAN AKANNI
RESULTS
ADC 2026
APC 25506
PDP 2479

4. IKERE LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF KEHINDE JAIYEOLA
RESULTS
ADC 245
APC 11116

5. EKITI SOUTH LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF KOLA OLADUNMOYE
RESULTS
ADC 1076
APC 14705
PDP 1800

6. IDO-OSI
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF AKINTUDE. MUTAKUBI
RESULTS
ADC 561
APC 17901
PDP 1449

7. EKITI WEST LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF BOLAJI STEPHEN
RESULTS
ADC 674
APC 28258
PDP 3644

8. ADO LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF TOYE FASIMINRIN
RESULTS
ADC 1054
APC 38026
PDP 3817

9. ILEJEME LG
COLLATION OFFICER – MOGAJI ANTHONY
RESULTS
ADC 578
APC 8984
PDP 1243

10. ISE-ORUN LG
COLLATION OFFICER – DR JOHN ISSA
RESULTS
ADC 365
APC 12908
PDP 1627

11. OYE LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF JIDE POPOOLA
RESULTS
ADC 998
APC 18975
PDP 2891

12. MOBA LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF ADEGBOYEGA SULAIMAN
RESULTS
ADC 994
APC 20500
PDP 1572

13. AYEKIRE GBONYIN LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF OSHO BAMIDELE
RESULTS
ADC 314
APC 17133
PDP 1503

14. IKOLE LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF SADIA FUNMILAYO ADIFALA
RESULTS
ADC 812
APC 26508
PDP 750

15. IREPODUN/IFELODUN LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF MICHAEL ADEYEMI
RESULTS
ADC 511
APC 29278
PDP 2119

16. EKITI WEST LG
COLLATION OFFICER – PROF OLABODE OLATUBOSUN
RESULTS
ADC 1730
APC 26359
PDP 2795

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

President Bola Tinubu has approved a final six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, allowing him to remain in office until February 2027.

The Presidency announced the extension in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, Adeniyi’s previous tenure extension was due to expire on August 1, 2026, but President Tinubu approved an additional six months to enable him consolidate key reforms within the Customs Service and ensure a smooth leadership transition.

The Presidency said the extension would allow the Customs boss to complete the implementation of the National Single Window initiative, a major trade facilitation programme designed to streamline import and export processes, reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and enhance revenue generation.

“The six-month extension, which will expire in February 2027, is to enable him to consolidate the implementation of the National Single Window and ensure an orderly succession in the service,” the statement said.

During the transition period, Adeniyi is expected to work closely with the Nigeria Customs Service Board to oversee the promotion of qualified officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and facilitate the mandatory retirement of officers who have attained the age of 60 years or completed 35 years in service.

The move is also aimed at ensuring stability within the service while maintaining operational efficiency and continuity in ongoing reforms.

Adeniyi, a seasoned customs officer and public relations expert, joined the Nigeria Customs Service after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in the late 1980s.

Over the years, he rose steadily through the ranks of the service. He was promoted to Deputy Comptroller in 2012, Comptroller in 2017, and Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020.

In January 2023, he was appointed Acting Deputy Comptroller-General before President Tinubu named him Comptroller-General of Customs in June 2023.

Since assuming office, Adeniyi has spearheaded a number of reforms aimed at modernising customs operations, enhancing revenue collection, strengthening border management and improving trade facilitation across the country.

The latest extension underscores the administration’s confidence in his leadership and its commitment to sustaining ongoing reforms within the Nigeria Customs Service.

The extension is expected to provide the Customs Service with sufficient time to complete critical institutional processes and prepare for a seamless transition to a new leadership at the expiration of Adeniyi’s tenure in February 2027.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC-Edo), representing Edo North Senatorial District, has called for the review of the name of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Mr Oshiomhole made the call on Friday in Abuja, at the unveiling of the NSCDC FCT Commandant Olusola Odumosu’s book, titled “Nigeria’s Security Dilemma: Rivalries and Implications”.

He said that the call for the change of name of the paramilitary agency was imperative in view of the word “Civil” in it, adding that it implied that personnel of the corps were not meant to bear arms.

He said that the NSCDC, saddled with the responsibility to be civil while protecting the nation’s critical national assets and infrastructure, interfaced with hardened criminals in line of duty.

The lawmaker, therefore, questioned how the operatives were expected to be civil when combating vandals, illegal miners and criminals who bear weapons.

“To be civil means you should not bear firearms, so if you do not bear arms to deal with people involved in illegal oil bunkering or destruction of public properties which you have been asked to protect, will you then preach while they carry guns?

“If you want to be civil, how do you deal with hardened criminals? If these criminals carry sophisticated weapons, you fighting them should not carry a less sophisticated weapon.

“When I see service chiefs holding meetings and I don’t see the commandant general (CG) of civil defence, I am like, There is something missing,” he said.

He noted that no single security agency could deal with insecurity both at the sub-national and national levels alone.

Mr Oshiomhole said that in tackling insecurity, it was imperative for Nigerians, including politicians and security agencies, to put aside their differences and understand Nigeria is only one.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu will continue to apply all measures necessary to ensure Nigeria is safe and insecurity reduced to the barest minimum.

The senator commended the author for speaking out through his book on how to tackle insecurity through effective synergy and communication sharing among security agencies.

“It is commendable that you put out your thoughts while in the system and not outside the system, as it is much more dangerous to speak truth to power,” he said.

Also speaking was a security expert, Tyor Terhemba, the reviewer of the book, who said that Nigeria’s security challenges called for collective efforts towards combating banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping, among other criminalities.

“This is a time to have all hands on deck to collectively fight the enemies of the state; hence, it is not a time of rivalry but to be united,” he said.

Mr Terhemba said that the book re-echoed the need for unity, synergy between security agencies, regional and international partnerships, areas of potential conflict, and the role of intelligence sharing.

According to him, it also talks about political interference, ambiguous laws, accountability, security sector reforms, communication systems, and other topics.

Meanwhile, the author, Mr Odumosu, said that the book looked at security from a holistic perspective, as there was a need for a united front.

“No one has a monopoly of wisdom or strategy, so there is a need to tackle insecurity from a common front.

“Obviously there have been issues of unhealthy inter-security agency rivalries, which have been a pain to coordinate national responses to our security challenges.

“I looked at it from the perspective where all security agencies can understand that we must have the same goal whether our mandates are interwoven or not.

“We have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and order in Nigeria,” Mr Odumosu said.

The commandant reiterated that when security agencies continue to fight each other or see one another as competitors rather than a united front, a lot of work will still need to be done.