Today’s Headlines: Ondo PDP fumes as 203 councillors defect to APC, Sheffield prepare £10m bid for Akpom

Ondo PDP fumes as 203 councillors defect to APC.

According to Punch news, Hundreds of chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party and their supporters across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

It was gathered that the defectors included former vice chairmen of the 18 local governments and 203 councillors across the 18 council areas. They left their former party under the auspices of the Ondo Forum of Vice Chairmen and Councillors.

At the defection ceremony held at the Secretariat of the APC in Akure on Tuesday, the Coordinator of the forum, Mr Oyeyinka Akosile, hinged their decision on “the exceptional leadership of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.”

“We will work tirelessly to make the APC a much stronger party together,” the defectors’ leader promised.

Welcoming them, the Ondo State APC Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, thanked the grassroots politicians for choosing the APC as their new political home.

He encouraged them to be exemplary leaders at their various wards in the state, emphasising that the party belonged to everyone.

Adetimehin assured the defectors that they would not regret their decision, especially considering the widespread admiration the party enjoys at both the state and national levels.

Photo Credit: Google.

Sheffield prepare £10m bid for Akpom.

According to Punch news, Sheffield United are eyeing a £10m move for Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Akpom was an unused substitutes as Boro lost 1-0 on the opening day of the English Championship season at the Riverside.

The former PAOK striker did not feature during Boro’s pre-season programme, with injuries restricting his ability to train last month.

PUNCH Sports Extra had reported last month that a number of Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace, Fulham and Everton have shown interest in the 27-year-old striker.

According to TEAMtalk, Sheffield United are in search for attacking reinforcements after losing Iliman Ndiaye to Marseille earlier this month.

The Blades haved drawn up a list of strikers and last season’s top scorer from the Championship, Akpom, tops the list of possible recruits.

And while Akpom is in the final year of his contract at Middlesbrough, he is yet to agree to a new deal at the Riverside with talks ongoing, the Teesside club do not want to lose the striker who is eligible to play for Nigeria for free next year.

Bus driver crushes motorcyclist to death in Ogun.

According to Punch news, A bus driver, on Wednesday, rammed into a yet-to-be-identified motorcyclist in Isabo, Ojodu Abiodun in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, killing him on the spot.

PUNCH Metro gathered that no fewer than four others, including two passengers and two motorcyclists, sustained various injuries in the crash.

According to an eyewitness who did not want to be mentioned in the media out of fear of retaliation, the deceased victim was en route to Alagbole from Berger when the vehicle rammed into him.

The source said the motorcyclist was thrown on the roof of a nearby store by the impact of the collision.

By the time our correspondent arrived at the scene, policemen from the Adigboluja Police Divisional Headquarters were on the scene to prevent the breakdown of the law.

N1.17bn contrabands seized in eight months, say Customs.

According to Punch news, The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal tions Unit, Zone ‘D’ seized contrabands worth N1.17bn between January 30 and August 9, 2023.

The Acting FOU Controller, Joseph Adelaja, disclosed this at a press conference in Bauchi on Wednesday.

Adelaja said during the period under review, the unit made a total of 88 seizures, prominent of which are 174,585 litres of petroleum products and nine sacks of pangolin scales and claws weighing 396.4kg,

Others, according to him, are 1,800 bags of sugar (50kg) each, 343 bags of fertilizer and 328 bags of 50kgs foreign parboiled rice among other seizures.

“The unit has intercepted nine sacks of pangolin scales and claws weighing 396.4kg.

“Others are two life birds (African crowned crane), one live antelope gazelle, one piece of lion bone and a plastic container of lion fat,” he said.

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