 Results of the governorship elections so far released indicate that the all-progressives Congress won the governorship polls in the 15 states, while the People's Democratic Party won six states and the NNPP Secured Carnot State will continue a review of the elections on the breakfast so far. And enough of the press to bring you in-depth analysis of today's major newspaper headline, so this ahead on the breakfast. Very good morning to you. Thank you very much for your time. And of course, we are set for a very, very interesting program presentation right here on the breakfast and plus TV Africa. My name is Kofi Bartels. Election 2015 or 2023 rather is still on and the coalition is still on. It's not over. It's still counting some states. But of course our eyes have been firmly fixed and fixated on the coalition centers across the country in the different state capitals where the state coalition officers and returning officers have been doing their job as usual, lots of controversy in different states. Some attempts to buy some people allegedly saying that the results are attempts to try and change the results in favor of one party or the other and resistance coming from the people and you keep hearing the narrative, the narrative that the Independent National Electrical Commission is complicity in one way or the other. Either through the coalition officers, returning officers or even just the staff of the commission and different polling units and the wards and all that. And people are complaining. And you know what the Independent National Electrical Commission has a lot of questions to answer about its role in alleged rigging, about its role in alleged rigging if you listen to what people are saying. They just have to come out and answer so that they can clear the air on what exactly is going on. But in other states the Independent National Electrical Commission has done well to try and make sure that they do a good job. But in some other states, you begin to ask yourself what is going on. Are the parties contesting against themselves or are they contesting against themselves and against INEC? And right now it's basically a contest between the worst election in Nigeria's history, 2007, presided over by the dead INEC chairman, Professor Mori Siwu, and this particular 2023 election supposed to be attended over by Professor Mamodi Akubu. We're still trying to understand which is the worst. Is it the 2007 elections? Where to date if you ask for the results from the states, INEC can't give you the results from the states from what those who have tried to get it are saying. Last one I read, one of the papers said they approached INEC for the results from the states and they were told to go to the state INEC offices to get those results. You know that was dancing to be the worst election in Nigeria's history. But this election is threatening to overtake that and it is sad to see. It is sad to see. When you see the electoral empire deliberately shifting election polling units to places where people can easily be attacked by thugs. When you see officials of the electoral organizer attempting to disenfranchise voters by closing polling units and earlier than they should and actually residents actually begging to be allowed to vote, you know, when the law says that when you're on the queue by the time of voting which is 2.30, the last person on that queue should be allowed to vote. And then you're being asked, who's interest is INEC operating in? Is it in the interest of the political parties or the interest of Nigerians? You know when we hear over 300 billion narrow budgeted for INEC, whose money is that? Is it the money of the politicians or the money of Nigerians? You know and posterity is is is doing press-up to see how it will judge or to rank this election and what legacy Professor Mamoudi Akubu will leave at the end of the day. Anyway, our first trending segment story on this, on the training, top training segment right here on Plus TV Breakfast. This is an Inuga resident stripping out to INEC office to, you know, express their frustration at what they allege is the attempt of the People's Democratic Party to manipulate the election results. You know, the PDP is the ruling party in Inuga state and of course the all-progressive Congress is also a party that is rising and trying its best to to come up in Inuga state. So this is this is quite an interesting situation and the other parties are in that state, you know, in the election are the all-progressive Grand Alliance. We also have the Labour Party as well as one of the the top politicians in that state, who is of the PDP, but has openly voiced his support for the all-progressive Congress presidential candidate. So supporters of both the Labour Party and the People's Democratic Party had to take themselves all the way to the inner headquarters in Inuga state at the front of the office both engaging in a protest. What the Labour Party in Inuga state was saying is that they're protesting the non-usage of beavers to conduct the governorship election in Inuga state. Now why would Inuk refuse to use the beavers? You know, why would Inuk officials go take his device that, you know, billions of dollars have been spent to procure, I mean, that's part of the money, not that exactly the billions were spent, but you know, billions of Naira and then go to a state and then say we are not going to use the beavers. What is going on? You know, there's a video and we thank God for the thing called a mobile phone where, you know, people can film and put it on social media. The video of a reverend father somewhere in River State, you know, somewhere in River State, you know, reigning curses on officials of INEC who refused to count the votes, upload them and all that in their presence and just went away with electro materials. And you have a reverend father. I mean, is he a thug or is he lying? Is a reverend father? Who is saying why would you live like that? widespread reports of officials of the Independent National Electrical Commission acting in a manner that shows that they are colluding with powerful politicians to rig the election. And I know that people will come out to whitewash this even in the media. But you see, the beautiful thing about this is this isn't the first time we live in a country where politicians or their proxies have sat in the offices of INEC rex to write results. Sometimes the results come out and the number of those who voted are more than those who are even on the register. But guess what? They get to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court says approved. So I mean, there's nothing new here. Really, there's nothing new. And so Labor Party supporters in illegal state are protesting the non usage of the beavers now asking, why would you conduct an election? And then you've touted this device called the beavers only for you to come and election day and refused to use it. What are you? Why are you refusing? What is the problem? You use your mouth to say we want to use the beavers. And then on election day, you refuse to use it. You refuse to use it. You know, anyway, so the election in kind of East local government area is where the Labor Party supporters are completing off. Well, the PDP supporters are saying that the results should be declared in their favor. And we hear that Labor Party has had submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission in respect of the results for Nkano East local government area. Anyway, what we know now, I mean, from the results that have been announced, I am the two South Asian Eastern States, Abia State and Nkano State are not there. So I suspended those results. Not the results, but the results collation, let me call it that, you know, and that's what we hear. So we're also able to tell you how many states the PDP and ABC have won and even we can't tell you the entire picture because of Abia State, Nkano State, amongst other states. Okay, so that's that. We'll move on, but that Nkano East local government area election, it remains to be seen if the electoral empire would re-conduct that election because you can't refuse to upload results electronically. You can't. You can't. Anyway, we have to move on. I'll just take a quote of one of the protesters. This is a Labor Party supporter who was quoted in the Punching East National Assembly, says quote, this is the leader of the protesters, by the way, they want INEC to complete the sham, saying we should go to court. We won't accept it. Our demand is that votes that didn't meet the threshold of the election requirements, threshold of the election requirements as a minimum standards, should be canceled. We also are demanding that places where elections did not hold or were canceled because of violence, be conducted before finally releasing the results. And when I hear the electoral empire or spokesman, a good friend, Faisal Okoye, come out to tell us that the elections in some places will be canceled. I mean, of course, he's quoting law now because of violence. Then it means that we are playing into the elections of politicians and their accomplices in INEC, their accomplices in INEC. Why? So you see some boys or aguerus or thugs come and then just chase them away and scatter election material in areas where they think they have less of an advantage and where maybe the opposing party has many supporters. They just go and scatter the election materials and chase everybody away and then over. Then there's violence here, we can't hold elections, zero. So in that area where maybe a party, a PDP or a lower party or APC, whichever it is, could have gotten a significant amount of votes because of that action, zero. And in some places, the INEC officials are so quick, so quick to run away. Now, so you can't blame them if their lives are threatened. What can you do? There's a video, a brave Nigerian film of our Anakavishal Karinez, like we say in this country, ungo ungo his things, his property, and leaving the place in, do you want them to break my head? You know, before, do you want them to break my head? Now, what some of these people are saying is when you suspend those elections, reorganize them, like it was done in VGC in legal state, bring a reinforcement of security or police there, conduct them on Sunday, bring a reinforcement of security or police there, and then let the election hold. And let's see who's going to come and scuttle it because people must vote. People must vote. Otherwise, politicians can say, well, let's just send some boys there, scuttle it, scuttle it, like it rides them, and then that's it. It's really sad. It's really sad. And, and the electoral empire cannot be seen or be deemed to be handing glove with powerful politicians to help them rig the elections. It is the same thing as a referee in a football match, being partial to one team, can such a match stand by FIFA standards? No. Not at all. Posterty is going to judge all those who are complicit in stealing the manage of the people in different parts of the country. Now, this is not about one party or two parties. It happens everywhere. You know, APC is the winner, the presidential, people are complaining, but they're the loser in some states, where they are also victims. They are complaining. A case in point is river state. Okay. Let's go on. The next one is, he was allegedly attacked in legal state. Now, yesterday we put up a tweet by someone who's supposed to be a spokesman for the APC presidential campaign to cancel. And it was a warring tweet. It, it, it, it was, you know, it was, it was hate speech, actually, by all global standard definitions of hate speech, you know, targeted at a particular tribe. And, and we have laws in this country. We have, we have rules in this country. It is the APC led federal government that propagate or promulgated in the midwife, this law against hate speech in the country. And some of us applauded it because hate speech is wrong. And we know what hate speech has done in countries around the world. I'm tired of talking about the Rwanda example. It's not a portion, but it will be a portion if we continue like this. I hope not. So it is surprising that, and it's warring that a government, a political party, or progressive congress that has introduced a law against hate speech has its supporters, for example, M. C. O. Lu or more, captured on video. House's officials, for example, bio or Nanuga, live on Twitter, propagating hate speech and verbal attack on a particular tribe. You know, it is, it is, it is not acceptable. And I've looked at the definition of hate speech in familiar years. You know, when arguing on radio with those who say, yeah, why is the government bringing about hate speech? And I'll try to explain to them why this is important. Any statement that is, is that, that, that stands up hatred, anger, you know, at a particular tribe or group or segment of society based on how they look, the color of their skin, you know, where they belong, and over is considered hate speech. And we need to, we need to call ourselves to order. And I've said this a number of times, that there are certain things in our, in our minds, our brains, that react and, you know, really awaken when it comes to things that we hold dear. Things like religion and things like tradition, things like ethnic, you know, background. These things stir up, that's why when Nigeria is playing, people feel passionate. That is why when a country goes to war, the soldiers feel passionate. That's why when you hear the national anthem, you feel passionate. That is why when you go to the mocks to pray, there's anything about Allah or the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Okay, you feel passionate. If I didn't add that, peace be upon him, maybe he's angry. Why? Because it is a requirement. They are passionate about it. That's an example. That's why when people talk about your pastor, you feel passionate. You want to defend him. Because these things stir up certain feelings, you know, in our brains, in our bodies. We react differently to them. Okay, now, the people in Rwanda, intellectuals, middle class elites who turned on their neighbors, who were from different tribes, either the Hutus or the Tutsis, either the Hutus or the Tutsis and hacked them to death, massacred them to death or handed them over to killer sports, burned their houses, chased them away. Today, these people, if you ask them, how could you do such a thing? They can't explain it. They can't even believe that they turned into animals overnight. They became carnivorous overnight. They became barbarians overnight. Why? Because when people who have the opportunity play on those sensitive things, those things we hold dear, religion, ethnicity, okay, something in our brain kicks into action. It kicks into action. And in some instances, we can actually abandon all form of reason, logical reasoning, logical reasoning. So these are the things that can kick people into actions. And you have, and we can see it playing out, the people who are meant to know better, meant to know better about how to address issues, are not throwing caution to the wind. And after propagating hate speech, they actually defend it. Because some of these things, when they take you over, you begin to act irrationally, logically. And you see anyone who makes any decision, maybe about who to vote for and all that, based on all these factors that make us take decisions by instinct, we're still living in what Hobbes called a state of nature, where each man is living for himself. It has to fend for himself, not organized in a way. This was a hypothetical state before society became organized, and the the philosophers can tell us better about it. You know, it's likened to a primitive thinking where, you know, we are taking decisions illogically, not based on certain fundamental, even scientifically proven facts. Okay, so everybody needs to calm down and take a step back and reset. Otherwise, we might begin to see the people who come from a certain tribe, certain tribes in certain parts of the country, will be half to become refugees in their own country. You know, now we are hearing the attacks on ebos in parts of legal state, you know, because the man who is not able to separate his, you know, logic and think logically, we lie on these sensibilities and these sensitive emotions and these things, and when he keeps hearing, you know, that a particular man is his problem because of where he or she is from, which is what Hitler did in Nazi Germany. It's what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and even the German elites fell for it. You didn't see anything wrong in concentration camps, being opened where the Jews are going to be put in places like Auschwitz. They didn't see anything wrong in in the gas chambers that were created to to mass murder Jews. When these things take you over, sometimes reason disappears, logic deserts you and you begin to act like a primitive human being and hatred. I'm getting calls from people I know, credible calls, telling me that they are afraid to come back to Lagos. They went to the southeast, they are afraid to come back because they are their their neighbors are giving them calls and telling them, you know, you are my enemy, don't come back and over. And they, I said this is not the person I was, I used to drink beer with, isn't a person I used to chat with. I know one lady who told me, excuse me, she exited her church WhatsApp group because of the hatred and attacks on a certain segment of society, opinion in WhatsApp groups, okay, where people who are educated and enlightened actually are throwing scorn at ebos. Now what did the ebos in Lagos do? They didn't have a candidate standing in election, not a single governorship candidate was from the southeast in Lagos state. What they simply did is to want to express themselves by voting. That's all they they have done. Now are you going to fall for politicians when they sit down and say how do we win this election? It seems we are losing now. Okay, let's have a strategy. Let's appeal to the ethnic feelings of our people and let's tell them that if they don't vote for us they're going to lose their home to foreigners, which is a lie. And then they put it in because people are passionate about these things. They fall for it, but it's a lie because it's a strategy by politicians to win elections. And it's sad that the not the Nigerian Communications Commission but the the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria allowed some of these things. I saw adverts on social media, on the internet, on websites, you know, these Google ads where a particular party was saying protect your land, protect your heritage, vote for us so that Lagos will not be handed over to foreigners, you know, and it's warring. It's warring, really. So we have a segment of society, people who are not interested in any agitation whatsoever. Now today, okay any secessionist agitation or IPOB whatsoever, now today I mean they may make it look foolish because their brothers and sisters who are telling them to support such a cause are laughing at them. And now the likes of Simon Neck Park can come and say I told you so. We're actually proving them right. Why? Because we just want to win an election. You see, I want to talk to my Yoruba brothers and sisters in Lagos. This is where we are. Don't allow anyone to deceive you that this is about tribe and ethnicity. No, it's not about that. It's about winning an election. That's what it's about. And for Lagos, our Yoruba brothers and sisters need to ask themselves a question. And of course it's not all Yorubas who are attacking Ibu's. No. But because of the lies that have been peddled, they didn't ask themselves a question. Lagos is by heritage Yoruba land. We have revered Monax Yoruba. It is settled. Nobody can argue about that. But is Lagos for a party? Because there are two different things. Lagos is Yoruba land. Settled. No one can take that away. But is Lagos for a particular party? Because those are two different things. Now what those who are selling this narrative of tribal division to you is telling you that if we don't win, Lagos will be handed over to a certain tribe. Which is not true. Which is not true. But fear. Fear has driven people to act in such a way. So attacks on Ibu's have been reported in Aboledo area of Lagos state. And people need to be wise. The police have come out to counter this the stories. But the incident we hear is reported that it occurred hours after the governorship and House of Assembly elections took place in most parts of Lagos state. There's a trending video. I don't know if we can play it. But it shows two young Ibu men being carried into a vehicle after they were allegedly wounded by suspected political thugs. Okay. After they were allegedly wounded by suspected political thugs. Aboledo is located near Festa town in a mode of area of Lagos state. It has a large population of southeastern. S.C. Benjamin, who is a police public relations officer in Lagos state, is saying that normalcy has been restored. Okay. So we have a lot of materials out there. I listened to one song yesterday and everybody who heard it who spoke to you about told me that song is just spewing hate. It's just spewing hate. Everyone who listened to that song. Yes, that I played that song for just told me and the song is just spewing hate. You have a lot of these materials being shared. People, you know, someone will do a song, write the song, put it online. It's being shared on WhatsApp. And the song is is preaching hate against a particular tribe and we're sharing it around. I think we're working on thin ice. You know, we're working on thin ice and it's it's we need to really call ourselves and this is where the leaders of of of thought, leaders of thought need to sit people down and say, A, we need to be to be careful so that we do not fall into a trap, you know, and like the Rwandans fell into. And I think people like the president to like can do that. You know, it's it's worrying really if there's any truth to this and we're waiting for the police regulations officer to to say something about this. If there's any truth in this, then it is absolutely, absolutely worrying. Okay, so we are calling on everyone to to step back, to step down. I mean, right now, we even have a controversy because families, you know, someone's asking me yesterday if I see how my brothers and sisters from the south east are being beaten up and chased away and I'm a I'm a unable man. My wife is here, but when I go home, what am I supposed to do? And I said, if you go home and start victimizing your wife, then there's no difference between you and the the people who are doing these things, you know, but for the fact that this individual is asking me this question is it says it all. It says it all that all is not well. So we want to appeal on to the politicians, you know, you've done enough damage already. Can you please call your your your your people to order call these talks to order come out and and condemn these attacks and then ask people to stay back because they will listen to you. You don't know that you're doing these things just because you want to win election. They feel it's different, it's in defense on their of their land, you know. We had a fellow in the southeast also doing the same thing and he was appealing to people's sensibilities and all that. Okay, right now there's a song I heard. Very, very disturbing song, you know, praising the governor but warning him. And what some people from southwest are saying is that, you know, we almost made a mistake. Thank God we survived this. It should never happen again. And we're going to see reprise our repercussions, you know, sort of like a clean up in this in the same Nigeria. Come on, this is shocking. So, the earlier we realize that we are on a one-way street to Anaki, the better. And I want to speak to those of you who are, you know, educated enlightened persons who are also doing this line. Some of you are in your WhatsApp groups in your office WhatsApp groups in in places you are doing this line. Please, let's call ourselves to order. It's very important. If those who are planning reprisal attacks in other parts of the country because it always happens that way, we need to realize there are two wrongs to not make the right. Last one, journalists always bear the brunt of some of these things, you know, whenever they happen, especially during election period and politically charged periods and chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Kanu state is condemning attacks on on journalists during the governorship election in Kanu state. This is a Malam, Abbas Ibrahim. He's condemned the attack on the journalists in Guali local government area of Kanu state. All right, he's calling also politicians to understand that journalists are not their enemies and that their duty as citizens is in line with a constitutional provision. He also calls on called on journalists to ensure their safety first because one has to be alive to be able to report. That is very, very, very, very important. You know, and these are our thugs who attacked the journalists at Gidan Galadima in Guali local government area. Okay, they attacked Ashir Umar and the NUJs condemning this. But who sent those thugs? Politicians. And these politicians are going to come into power. They're asking you to vote for them so they can solve problems of Nigeria, including insecurity. But in the process of asking you to vote for them so they can solve insecurity, they actually are creating insecurity and instability. And when they come in, they want to solve insecurity. And we sit down here and discuss, oh, how can the president, how can the governor solve insecurity? But the person who is in power, you know, may have gotten there by creating insecurity and instability. So what are we talking about? It means that we're wasting our time. Next time we have security breaches in the country. We have to discuss such a problem. I may not even want to talk about it because of the insecurity that politicians have created in this election and the instability. So why should we, why should we discuss insecurity and proper solutions when me and the politicians who are trying to get in there themselves create it? It's not a waste of time. It's a waste of time. So that's the decision I made. My programs I would do, except of course the station says we should discuss it and I will because why are we wasting our time when we know the root cause. So we will join the nitrogening of journalists to condemn attacks on anyone, including journalists. And also call on government agencies like INEC to allow journalists to cover their activities. We've seen ahead of protests in different state coalition centers where the electoral empires are tempted to pick and choose which journalists or which agency will cover their activities. Which is worrying and we will ask why. Anyway, the word of advice is enough. We'll take a breakdown. When we come back we'll look at what the papers are saying.