Politics
Senegal votes for lawmakers in test for new president

Published
5 months agoon
By
Ekwutos BlogBy Ngouda Dione and Diadie Ba
DAKAR (Reuters) -Senegal headed to the polls on Sunday to vote in a legislative election that the president hopes will give his party the clear majority it needs to implement an ambitious agenda for reforms.
The heated campaign period has revived concerns about unrest as political rivals clashed, sometimes violently. The West African nation saw some of the worst political violence in recent history ahead of the presidential election in March.

Voters line up to cast their votes during the early legislative election, at a polling station in Parcelle, suburb of Dakar, Senegal, November 17, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
© Thomson Reuters
Voting in his home town of Ndiaganiao, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye urged the electorate to remain calm no matter the outcome.
“I once again call on voters… to show serenity, commit to the peaceful route, and to accept the popular will that will be expressed through the ballot box.”
Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0800 GMT) and close at 6 p.m, with a timetable for results still to be announced. More than 7 million registered voters will have the chance to vote for candidates for the 165-seat assembly, choosing between 41 registered parties or other entities.

Voters prepare to cast their votet during the early legislative election, at a polling station in Parcelle, suburb of Dakar, Senegal, November 17, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
© Thomson Reuters
At stake is Faye’s mandate to make good on promises to crack down on corruption and improve livelihoods that helped sweep him to power in April following a landslide election victory.
Top priorities for Senegalese voters are jobs and the economy, as inflation has squeezed livelihoods and the nation’s growing youth population struggles to find employment. Many are impatient for change.
Faye says his commitment to help has been stymied by the opposition-led assembly, which he dissolved in September to pave the way for Sunday’s vote.
People patiently waited at a polling station in a school in the Dakar suburb of Parcelle Unite, where several said they were voting for Faye’s party Pastef.

A man prepares to cast his vote during the early legislative election, at a polling station in Parcelle, suburb of Dakar, Senegal, November 17, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
© Thomson Reuters
“I hope they will address the issues our population faces. I want these elections to go smoothly and for them (Pastef) to get to work. We have faith in their program,” said El Baye Toure in the leafy schoolyard.

A voter casts her ballot during the early legislative election, at a polling station in Parcelle, suburb of Dakar, Senegal, November 17, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
© Thomson Reuters
Faye’s government is also grappling with slower-than-projected growth and a worsening budget deficit.
In September, a government audit revealed that Senegal’s debt and budget deficit were much wider than the previous administration had reported, causing the fiscal crisis to spiral. A $1.9 billion IMF programme agreed in June 2023 has been on hold since the discovery.
The main threat to the ambitions of Faye’s Pastef party is the unexpected alliance of two opposition parties, including the Republic party (APR) headed by the former Prime Minister Macky Sall.
The race also includes two smaller opposition coalitions. One, led by Dakar’s mayor Barthelemy Dias, has clashed with supporters of Pastef.
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Politics
Atiku, El-Rufai, Tambuwal visit Buhari in Kaduna

Published
46 minutes agoon
April 11, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has visited former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna.
The visit, which also included former governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Nasir El-Rufa’i (Kaduna), was captured in a video sighted on the Facebook page of Atiku Abubakar.
Although the specific purpose of the visit was not disclosed, Atiku described it as a “post-Sallah visit.”
In the post, Atiku wrote, “As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations. Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023. It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour. -AA”
The visit comes after governors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) paid a similar visit to Buhari in Kaduna last week, amid growing speculation about political realignments and possible coalitions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Politics
Rivers govt debunks civil service recruitment announcement

Published
58 minutes agoon
April 11, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Rivers State Government has refuted a widely circulated social media announcement alleging that the state’s Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, approved the recruitment of 10,000 “graduates and non-graduates” into the Rivers State civil service.
On Thursday, social media platform “Facebook”, was flooded with the purported government notice, which falsely claimed that the recruitment exercise had been sanctioned.
The statement was reported to have been signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika.
However, in a statement issued by Mrs. Inyingi S. I. Brown, Acting Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, the government described the information as entirely untrue and urged the public to disregard it.
The statement also clarified that any official communication on civil service recruitment would come from the Rivers State Civil Service Commission at the appropriate time.
The statement read, “The Office of the Administrator of Rivers State wishes to disclaim a purported Special Government Announcement spreading round on social media and other platforms stating that His Excellency, The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the recruitment of 10,000 qualified graduates and non graduates into the Rivers State civil service and that the recruitment portal shall be opened for application midnight of Sunday 13/04/2025.
“The statement is claimed to have been signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika.
“We wish to categorically inform the people of Rivers State and the general public that this is false and ask that this fake announcement be ignored.
“Appropriate information will be released by the Rivers State Civil Service Commission in due time.”
Politics
APC Can’t Take Anambra Like Edo, Imo and Kogi— Gov Chukwuma Soludo

Published
8 hours agoon
April 11, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Governor Charles Soludo has dismissed the chances of the All Progressives Congress in the upcoming November 8 Anambra governorship election, declaring that the party lacks the grassroots presence needed to win in the state.
Soludo, who is seeking re-election under the All Progressives Grand Alliance, made the statement during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time.
The National Chairman of the ruling APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, had repeatedly stated that the APC had its eyes on southern states under the opposition control, such as Edo, Anambra, Osun and Oyo states.
But the governor stated that APC was able to prevail in states like kogi and imo because the incumbent governor’s got reelected, and they prevailed in Edo because they had grassroot structure.

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