“The PDP governorship candidate and the chairmanship candidates were going out every day for campaigns, but the ruling APC was not doing the same. So, if the PDP wins the election today, it is due to its hard work,” The Punch quoted Leneke.

Leneke noted that the low voter turnout was partly driven by a historic perception among rural populations that local government polls automatically favor the party in power. He also stated that heavy rainfall after 1:00 p.m. further disrupted voter participation.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Professor Kaletapwa Farauta expressed satisfaction with the exercise after visiting the Karewa Primary School polling unit and other centers. Farauta described the turnout as impressive and orderly, praising the electorates for their peaceful conduct and urging the Adamawa State Independent Electoral Commission (ADSIEC) to maintain professional standards.

Some voters also reported that material distribution and simultaneous accreditation began smoothly around 8:00 a.m. at locations like Jambitu unit 002.

Conversely, opposition candidates have alleged widespread irregularities. At Girei I Ward, observers noted that seven polling units were without election officials and voters by 11:00 a.m. In Song Local Government Area, officials were present in only three township units but recorded no voter turnout.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairmanship candidate for Demsa Local Government Area, Dennis Kakaba, strongly criticized the process, alleging that voting occurred in only eight out of the 172 polling units in his council.

“There is no local government election in Adamawa State. They wrote the results last week and are pretending that an election has taken place. It is a shame for democracy,” Kakaba stated.

Despite the criticism and low turnout, APC Publicity Secretary Dogo Victor expressed confidence that the ruling party would emerge victorious once the final results are officially computed and released by ADSIEC.

The electoral commission had earlier confirmed that 11 political parties, including the APC, PDP, ADC, SDP, YPP, and the Labour Party, participated in the local government contests.

The document further outlines additional claims made by Okonkwo during the broadcast, noting his assertions:
“(b) that the said unlawful demand was accompanied by documentary proof; the person who relayed the information to you having sent the said information together with the receipt evidencing the payment;
(c) that our Client personally wrote and compiled the list of the party’s candidates from his hotel room at the Johnwood Hotel;
(d) that you warned the said aspirants that our Client is going to scam them;
(e) that our Client travels abroad to collect money from people; and
(f) that our Client and the leaders of the NDC in the South-East are perpetuating criminality.”

Rejecting the assertions, Obi’s legal team emphasized that the remarks directly target their client’s character, integrity, and public standing.

The chambers stated:
“The above statements, in their natural and ordinary meaning, and by necessary implication, falsely and maliciously represent our Client as a person who demands, solicits, organises and collects bribes; who extorts, defrauds and swindles political aspirants of their money; who is a fraudster, a scammer and a dishonest political actor; and who, in concert with others, is engaged in criminal conspiracy and is actively perpetuating criminality. These are extremely grave, damaging and reckless imputations of bribery, extortion, fraud, financial dishonesty and criminality directed at the character, integrity, reputation and public standing of our Client.”

The letter goes on to describe the public nature of the statements as particularly troubling due to their rapid amplification across digital channels.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our Client states categorically that the said allegations are false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory and wholly unsupported by any fact. They were made with the clear intent and purpose of lowering our Client in the estimation of right-thinking members of society, exposing him to hatred, contempt and ridicule, and injuring his hard-earned reputation as a man of unquestionable integrity, a statesman and a political leader.

It is particularly disturbing that the said statements were made by you on live television and were thereafter republished, broadcast and widely circulated through online and social media platforms, including video-sharing platforms, where such falsehoods spread rapidly and assume a life of their own. Your words were not mere political commentary. They crossed the permissible bounds of fair comment and constituted a direct assault on our Client’s person, integrity, image and reputation.”

The law firm said that the right to freedom of expression does not permit the reckless destruction of another person’s reputation,

The firm’s listed demands require Okonkwo to immediately withdraw the defamatory statements in their entirety and publish a clear, unequivocal, and unreserved public apology to Peter Obi.

This withdrawal and apology must be given equal prominence to the original broadcast and shared across all his social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Additionally, the legal team demanded a written undertaking that he will cease making or publishing further defamatory statements against their client, alongside a financial compensation package.

The firm said that failure, refusal, or neglect to comply with the terms within the stipulated seven-day window will force the former governor to seek full legal redress in court.

“I would say Declan is my vice-captain,” Tuchel said. “We had that conversation when Harry was not with the squad, and Declan wore the captain’s armband.”

Rice has since linked up with fellow Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze at England’s training camp in Florida as preparations continue for the World Cup.

England will face Costa Rica in their final warm-up match before heading to Kansas City for the tournament. The Three Lions begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17 and will also take on Ghana and Panama in G