General
INEC Seeks More Women In Electoral Process
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The need for more women to be involved in electoral process in the country has been emphasised by Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood.
This, Prof Mahmood said, the Commission has been working hard to achieve.
However, the INEC boss has commended political parties for the increasing opportunities given women to participate in the electoral process and contest elective positions.
He also commended women for their increasing interest in the electoral process and encouraged their greater participation.
Prof Mahmood gave the commendation when the newly elected executive of the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS), led by its National President, Gloria Laraba Shoda visited the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He said INEC takes the issue of women participation very seriously, explaining that the Commission, soon after the FCT elections, was displeased about the absence of women in the 6 Chairmanship seats and 62 Councillorship positions contested.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission raised the issue with political parties in their last meeting and was pleased that there were visible changes in the forthcoming elections.
“We appealed to Political Parties to consider women in all forth coming elections. I am happy to report that the political parties have listened to our plea.
“In the forthcoming governorship election in Edo state, one Political Party has fielded one woman as governorship candidate, and eight Political Parties out of the 19 contesting in the Edo governorship elections have also picked women as their deputy governorship candidates. And we expect the political parties to extend the same understanding in the forthcoming Ondo governorship election and in all the subsequent elections,” he said.
On the issue of violence against women in elections, the INEC Chairman said: “the issue of violence across the board is a source of concern for the Commission but most especially against the disadvantaged groups and the women. We shall continue to work with you to remove all the obstacles to the participation of women in politics including the issue of violence”.
He added that: “As mothers, you also bear the brunt of some of the violence in some of the elections, we unfortunately lost some of our ad-hoc staff and these ad-hoc staff were your children, young graduates who have only recently graduated from the university and in the course of national service lost their lives”.
The INEC Chairman reassured the Commission’s guests that the Commission would always encourage women in every respect to actively participate in the electoral process, not just as voters but also as candidates. “That is why we have a whole Division dedicated to gender issues. When we talk about gender, we are basically talking about our women,” he said.
Earlier, the National President of NCWS, Gloria Laraba Shoda, said the purpose of their visit was to express appreciation for INECs work with women’s issues and to see where both organizations could continue to collaborate to continue to push for a better deal for women, as far as politics was concerned.
She commended the Commission for its commitment towards gender mainstreaming and its continued dialogue with Political Parties on the subject of gender balance within party hierarchy. “Through our collaborative work, we can achieve gender parity in political structures and further build women’s political participation,” she said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the petition to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central, Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, did not meet the requirements.
In a statement on Thursday, the electoral commission said the petition did not meet the requirements of the constitution.
“The petition for the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended),” INEC wrote on its X handle.
INEC cited Section 69(a) of the Constitution, which stipulates that a petition to recall a senator needs the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the lawmaker’s constituency.
“The total number of registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District is 474,554. More than one-half of this figure (i.e. 50%+1) is 237,277+1, which is at least 237,278 voters,” the statement issued by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Mr Sam Olumekun read in part.
“Across the 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas that make up the Senatorial District, the Commission ascertained 208,132 signatures/thumbprints from the submission made by the petitioners.”
The development comes some days after the electoral body rejected the petition to recall the embattled lawmaker, citing missing addresses and other issues.
The petitioners later submitted the missing items, and on March 26, the body confirmed that it has received the contact addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of representatives of those who submitted the petition for the recall of the suspended senator.
INEC added that the next step was to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50 per cent) of the registered voters in the constituency.
With this, INEC has concluded that the petition has yet to meet all requirements for the recall of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as enshrined in amended 1999 constitution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector have been encouraged to enter for the 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize for a chance to win $160,000 set aside by the organisers.
Applications for the contest opened today, Thursday, April 3, and will close on Tuesday, June 10, a statement made available to Business Post said.
The competition, in its seventh edition, is for promising young co-founders and founders across Africa who have launched businesses across the continent’s agrifood value chain “from seed to fork”.
Judges will be looking for innovative, scalable, and impact-driven agripreneurs not more than 35 years who have built tech-savvy, sustainable businesses tackling food security, job creation, and equitable economic growth.
Participants must be a citizen of an African Union member country, and must serve as a founder or co-founder of a legally registered venture operating in Africa, which must be registered by June 10, 2025.
In September 2025, GoGettaz finalists will pitch their businesses live on stage in Dakar, Senegal during the annual Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) taking place from August 31, to September 5, 2025.
Two grand prizes of $50,000 each will be awarded to the most outstanding male and female-led agribusinesses. An additional US$60,000 in Impact Awards will recognize businesses excelling in key areas such as technology, innovation, nutrition, food security, improving rural livelihoods, climate resilience, gender equity, natural resource conservation, and job creation.
“I am continually amazed by the ingenuity and determination of the young entrepreneurs we meet through the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition each year.
“Their ability to leverage technology and innovative business models showcases the immense potential of the agrifood sector and the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in sustainable development.
“As we launch the 2025 campaign, we are inspired by the opportunity to empower and support young entrepreneurs who are enhancing job creation, uplifting communities, and nourishing Africa’s growing population,” the chief executive of Yara International and co-founder of GoGettaz, Svein Tore Holsether, stated.
Also, the another co-founder of GoGettaz and chairman of Econet Group, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, said, “Africa’s youth are brimming with creative energy and ideas to solve myriad problems with innovative solutions.
“They aren’t waiting around for the perfect conditions; they are seizing the moment and embracing technology to revolutionize the agrifood industry across the continent,” he noted. “They are launching remarkable ventures, but to ensure they can grow and scale, our youth need the right support, access to capital, skills, and enabling environments to grow their young businesses into multimillion-dollar pan-African and global agribusinesses.
“Our amazing young entrepreneurs deserve both recognition and support, which is why GoGettaz exists.”
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is an integral part of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF), the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will empower Africa’s young leaders for food systems transformation.
With the 2025 AFSF theme Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize competition is set to empower youth entrepreneurs from across West, Northern, Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa who looking to showcase, grow, and scale, their agrifood businesses.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Members of the public have been warned against buying, selling, leasing or letting of Hampton Harbour landed property, emphasising that doing so could be very risky.
This caveat is from Structured HQ Legal (SHQ) via a statement to Business Post on Thursday afternoon through one of its representatives.
The company stressed that the property is currently under legal scrutiny, cautioning that any individual or entity engaging in transactions related to Hampton Harbour does so at their own risk, emphasising further that unauthorized dealings could lead to significant financial loss and expose parties involved to legal consequences.
“The public is strongly advised to exercise caution and ensure due diligence before engaging in any transactions concerning Hampton Harbour.
“Prospective buyers, investors, or stakeholders must seek formal confirmation and approval from Structured HQ Legal or Baggeren International Company Limited to avoid financial and legal risks,” a part of the notice stated.
The legal organisation warned that any person(s) who proceeds with any dealings in relation to the Hampton Harbour property risks both financial loss and potential legal actions noting that such transactions may result in criminal and civil liabilities for trespass or fraud.
The landed property measuring at 19.5 hectares is located at Elegushi Royal Family Land in Ikate, Eti Osa, Local Government Area of Lagos State with reference number 376/376/2777GC. The property is said to belong to the Baggeren International Company.
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