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Arteta walking a tight rope as Arsenal woos Conte

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5 years ago

September 4, 2021

Olusegun Odunewu

Arsenal have agreed terms in principle with Antonio Conte, as Mikel Arteta continues to struggle this season

The Gunners are bottom of the Premier League after three fixtures, having not won a game or scored a single goal.

While sporting director Edu and the rest of the Arsenal hierarchy have shown faith in Arteta, it is believed he is walking a tightrope.

And Arsenal are already putting together plans to replace Arteta, should they decide to terminate his contract in the coming weeks.

Conte would surely be the number one preference, as he is available since leaving Inter Milan. The Italian has already turned down Arsenal rivals Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

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Osun 2026: Vote-Buying, Security Concerns Raise Fresh Questions Ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections OSOGBO — The 2026 Osun State governorship election has ended, but concerns over vote-buying, electoral technology, security and public trust could offer important lessons as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections. The August 15 election was largely peaceful across the state, with election observers commending voters and electoral officials for the overall conduct of the poll. However, reports of voter inducement, technical difficulties with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and isolated incidents of violence highlighted persistent weaknesses in Nigeria's electoral process. The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), in its preliminary assessment, reported BVAS delays and biometric verification problems in several local government areas, while observers also recorded allegations of vote-buying and isolated security incidents. Vote-buying remains a major concern One of the strongest warnings from Osun was the continued presence of vote-buying and voter inducement. Yiaga Africa said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with its independent statistical projections, but cautioned that this did not remove concerns about the integrity of voters' choices amid reports of vote-buying and inducement. The concern is particularly significant ahead of 2027, when political competition will take place nationwide and involve presidential, National Assembly and state-level contests. The International Republican Institute (IRI), following a pre-election assessment mission conducted in August, identified monetised political competition, election-related violence, insecurity and declining public confidence in INEC among the structural challenges facing the 2027 elections. IRI recommended stronger investigation and prosecution of vote-buying and voter inducement, urging INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and security agencies to act on credible allegations. Technology improves transparency — but has limits The Osun election also demonstrated how electoral technology can improve transparency. INEC's electronic transmission of polling-unit results through the IReV platform provided observers and members of the public with a mechanism to monitor uploaded results. Yiaga Africa subsequently said the official results were consistent with its independent statistical estimates, describing the outcome as evidence that the announced results reflected the ballots counted at polling units. However, technical problems with BVAS were reported during voting. CDD said difficulties involving biometric verification and slow processing occurred in several LGAs, including Irepodun, Ejigbo, Obokun, Osogbo, Olorunda, Ola Oluwa, Ede North and Ede South. These problems underline the need for INEC to ensure that electoral technology is not only available but also reliable, properly tested and supported by effective backup systems. Security remains another test for 2027 Although voting was generally peaceful, isolated incidents of violence and disruption were reported during the Osun poll. CDD called for security agencies to maintain political neutrality, investigate reported incidents and protect voters regardless of their political affiliation. IRI has similarly warned that insecurity and election-related violence could undermine meaningful political participation in 2027. Its assessment noted that more than 81 election-related violent incidents had been recorded in Osun in the year preceding the governorship election, with violence increasing as Election Day approached. 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With Nigeria's 2027 general elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, the Osun experience provides both a warning and an opportunity: the country has made progress in electoral transparency, but vote-buying, insecurity and declining trust must be confronted before they are magnified across a nationwide election.

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Arteta walking a tight rope as Arsenal woos Conte

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