The Nation Newspaper

Category: Election 2019

  • Borno, Yobe ready for Saturday’s polls – RECs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Borno state has assured it has taken delivery of all the sensitive and non- sensitive materials for Saturday’s rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner Mohammed Ibrahim told reporters at the headquarters of the Commission in Maiduguri on Tuesday that deployment of election materials and personnel will commence from Wednesday to local governments far from the state capital.

    He assured “polls would open by 8pm on Saturday across the state”.

    He also announced the state headquarters of INEC has taken custody of sensitive materials from all the twenty seven local government areas and re-deposited at the Central Bank.

    The INEC Commissioner informed over five thousand smart card readers have been recalled and reconfigured.

    On the safety of materials and personnel for the election, Ibrahim said adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure they are well protected.

    The Borno REC explained the over 160,000 uncollected PVCs will be deposited at the Central Bank until after the general elections.

    In Yobe State, his counterpart Ahmad Makama also assured all the sensitive materials dispatched across the 17 local government councils have been returned intact and re-deposited at the Damaturu branch of Central Bank of Nigeria.

    “We initially kept the sensitive materials at the Police armory of respective local government headquarters and asked our Electoral Officers to keep vigil until clear directives were received from headquarters.

    “On receiving that directive on Sunday, all materials were safely returned intact to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Damaturu and that has been confirmed by the CBN Controller.

    “The consignments are now kept local government by local government for easy re-distribution either on Wednesday or Thursday,” Makama informed.

    Speaking on the security challenges in Gujba local government where the Boko Haram launched attacks on military base on Saturday, the REC said: “The voters and ad-hoc staffs must have been frightened and the case will be tabled at the security meeting scheduled for Tuesday so that the commission will solicits for guidance if the situation is not containable but i assure you that no one will be disenfranchised”.

    Our correspondent discovered INEC in Yobe had earlier relocated all voting/polling units to three centres in Goniri, Gujba town and Buni Yadi due to security threats.

  • PDP to military: don’t obey order on ballot box snatching

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, have urged the military and other security agencies not to obey the presidential order asking them to deal ruthlessly with would-be ballot box snatchers.

    The party chieftains described the order as unlawful, insisting that there are enough provisions in the nation’s laws for the arrest and prosecution of ballot box snatching and other electoral offences.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari had said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take.

    “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    But speaking Wednesday in Abuja, at the 84th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP, the two opposition chieftains cautioned President Buhari not to let loose anarchy in the country during the upcoming elections.

    Atiku said it’s shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy and that Nigerians should not accept it from President Buhari, adding “We have fought more ruthless dictators than himself”.

    According to him, Buhari’s actions and utterances since he mounted the saddle in 2015 have been painful reminders of the era of military dictatorship.

    “General Buhari has consistently violated the constitution; he failed to uphold the rule of law. Recent instances include the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria a day before he was supposed to inaugurate the committee for the election tribunals that will decided any appeals or whether our elections were subject to manipulation, thereby crossing the immutable line that divides the executive from the judiciary.

    “When you people are talking about democracy, I have always said that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is not a democrat, he has never been a democrat. We started the fight to drive the military, he was never there, he never participated.

    “You can see that he just wore the garb of democracy so that he can come back to power and do whatever he is doing. So Gen Buhari is not a democrat, he doesn’t believe in democracy, he is a lip service, he is more of a power monger than a democrat.

    “A precondition for free, fair and credible election is that the people are able to freely vote the candidate of their choice. You owe it to the people to let them give their verdict in the same way that you were elected. If you do so and if you win, then the people will commend you for it. Otherwise, history will condemn you for it. But before history does that, we will condemn you for it,” Atiku added.

    Secondus said Nigerians were still in shock as a result of the order, stressing that the same President who has been “off duty” since the needless bloodletting in various parts of the country over the years, could give what amounted to shoot-on-sight orders against ballot snatching.

    Secondus said, “By that directive, ordering soldiers to kill our citizens without recourse to the law and with impunity, the President has unwittingly given license to APC leaders to carry military personnel on Saturday.

    “The agenda of that directive is clear; to scare away voters and agents, that we have directed to defend their votes, so as to give way to a military protected political thugs to come into the polling booths, and implement their result replacement strategy.

    “The President’s body language alongside that of his party hierarchy appeared remorseless for the damage done to our democracy or the huge private and public resources wasted by the inability of APC hawks acting as contractors and consultants to allow INEC to operate.

    “I can indeed make the conclusion, that from inception, President Buhari, was not ready for free and fair elections, otherwise he would easily have signed the amended Electoral Act, which would have enabled peaceful and hitch free elections in 2019.

    “President Buhari’s disregard for institutions of states, which started with the attempt of the Executive to hijack the Legislature, has continued unabated, with the illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the swearing in of an acting CJN”.

    The party chair insisted on non-deployment of military or paramilitary units to electoral duties, as, according to him, elections are civil activities, which the police are best trained to handle.

    He also sought assurances from the Federal Government that all communication assets – fixed and mobile, including the Internet, will not be interrupted or compromised during the elections.

    The party chair similarly urged adherence to steps taken by the government to safeguard the conduct of the elections, including restriction of movements and closure of the nation’s borders with the Republics of Chad and Niger.

    The meeting, which lasted several hours, was attended by key party stakeholders, including governors, federal lawmakers, former cabinet Ministers and members of the Board of Trustees.

  • Buhari deserves praise for warning ballot box snatchers, says SAN

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Jibrin Okutepa has said President Muhammadu Buhari deserves praise rather than condemnation for warning ballot box snatchers.

    The President’s statement that ballot box snatchers risk death has divided opinions but Okutepa said Buhari’s could not be faulted.

    To him, only those who plan to use thugs to snatch ballot boxes will condemn the President.

    “If you think that those who snatch ballot boxes to rig election shouldn’t pay, then tell them not to rig this election.

    “Why should you encourage people to rig election? Send your children to snatch ballot boxes and not somebody’s children. If you don’t want to die, don’t rig election.

    Read Also: I’ll vote if I’m alive – Obasanjo

    “The warning of the President should attract commendations rather than condemnations.

    “If I have my way, those issuing statements condemning the warnings should be asked to tell us whether they have concluded plans to use thugs to snatch ballot boxes.

    “Those who encourage ballot box snatchers are anti-democratic forces. There must be consequences for ballot boxes snatching, period,” Oketepa said.

    In response to Okutepa’s statement posted on his Facebook wall, a commentator, Monyei Friday, said: “You have missed the point. No sane lawyer with all his knowledge of the law will support extra judicial killing for ballot box snatching.

    “Can you seriously say that there are no existing laws for such electoral infractions, and for crying out loud, have we elevated ballot box snatching to a capital offence?”

    Replying, Okutepa said: “Please, we sometimes take things out of context. Do you know that warning is timely?

    “Do you think those snatching ballot boxes will be doing so with kid gloves?

    “They are trained thugs who can kill to do so. Don’t give me this utopian law in very lawless society like ours.”

  • ‘Despite setback, Buhari will win Bayelsa’

    A member of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Council,  Mr. Preye Aganaba, has said that despite a setback caused by the postponement of elections, President Muhammadu Buhari will win Bayelsa State in the rescheduled elections.

    Anganaba, who is a founding member of the APC, said people in Bayelsa had seen a remarkable difference between the 16 years of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the three years of Buhari in the state.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, he said the only appreciation voters in the state would give to Buhari was to come out en masse on Saturday and vote for him.

    “President Buhari has shown so much love to Bayelsa state. The APC administration of President Buhari has done more for Bayelsans in three and a half years compared with 16 years of the PDP”, he said.

    He noted that the present APC-led Federal Government was executing numerous road, housing and water projects; building ICT centre sand initiating youth development programmes amongst others.

    Aganaba described the appointment of Prof. Nelson Brambaifa as the acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as one of the best things to happen to Bayelsa saying the state was already filling the impact of the position.

    Read Also: Buhari, govs, service chiefs meet in Aso Rock

    He said the rescheduled election was an opportunity for Bayelsans to say thank you by voting overwhelmingly for President Buhari and the APC.

    He insisted that it was time the state aligned with the government at the centre predicting that the APC would coast to victory on Saturday.

    Aganaba, who is a critical member of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO)  in Bayelsa lashed out at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the postponement of the polls, describing the commission’s conduct as “unfortunate, unprofessional and tactless.”

    He urged the APC supporters in the state and across the nation not to be discouraged by the shift in the polls by one week but to come out en masse to vote Buhari and other candidates of the party.

    He boasted that if election should hold any day, the APC would trounce the other parties.

    He said: “The numbers favour us. If the elections hold today, the APC will have a resounding victory at the presidential, governorship and National Assembly polls.

    “But in order for this to happen, all members of the party must be committed and resolute in delivering their polling units come Febuary 23 and March 9 respectively.

    “The mission here is to ensure we deliver our  polling units for the APC.”

    He said Buhari supporters in the state  intensified strategies to deliver massive votes for the President  in the state and all APC candidates in the elections.

    The APC leader said he and other supporters were engaging in a series of meetings with the various wards and the agents of different polling  units, strategising  on how to deliver massive votes for the President.

     

     

  • PDP jittery over Buhari’s directive on ballot box snatching- Presidency

    The Presidency on Tuesday said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is jittery over the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with anybody that attempts to snatch ballot box during the rescheduled elections.

    Reiterating that anyone who dares to snatch ballot box during the elections will be doing it for the last time, the Presidency said that it should be seen as a strong message against the long history of savagery associated with elections in the country.

    Speaking with State House correspondents, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, recalled some elections during which innocent voters lost their lives while ballot boxes were snatched by armed thugs.

    He said the President had the safety and security of Nigerians uppermost in mind when he made the comment and should be praised rather than criticized for issuing this stern warning to potential ballot box snatchers.

    He said: “This sounds like members of the opposition, specifically the People’s Democratic Party, PDP who have perfected plans to rig the elections and to snatch ballot boxes.

    Read Also: PDP urges people to vote

    “They can tell that President Buhari is not prepared to tolerate their antics this time around, and they are afraid. They have shown their intent.” he said

    Shehu noted that no one had anything to fear from the President’s comments if their conscience and intentions were clear.

    He said: “Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything.

    “Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk. About 10 years ago, evidence was brought before an election tribunal from one of the states in North Central of the gruesome killing of 26 prospective voters by ballot box snatchers.

    “Their modus operandi is well known. They storm election venues in commando style, overwhelm the law-enforcement agents and seize ballot boxes leaving a trail of death and injury.”

    He added: “Anyone who dares to put the lives of innocent citizens at risk in their desperation to rig elections must be prepared for the possibility of losing their own lives because our security agents will certainly not stand by, clap for them and watch them kill and maim.”

  • PDP jittery over directive on ballot box snatching – Presidency

    The Presidency on Tuesday said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) is jittery over the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with anybody that attempts to snatch ballot box during the forthcoming elections.

    Reiterating that anyone who dares to snatch ballot box during the elections will be doing it for the last time, the Presidency said that it should be seen as a strong message against the long history of savagery associated with elections in the country.

    Speaking with State House correspondents, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, recalled some past elections in parts of Nigeria, during which innocent voters lost their lives while ballot boxes were snatched by armed thugs.

    He said the President had the safety and security of Nigerians uppermost in mind when he made the comment, and should be praised rather than criticized for issuing this stern warning to potential ballot box snatchers.

    He also expressed concern about those attacking the president’s comment, and their worry over the fate of anyone caught snatching ballot boxes.

    Read Also: PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    He said “This sounds like members of the opposition, specifically the People’s Democratic Party, PDP who have perfected plans to rig the elections and to snatch ballot boxes.

    “They can tell that President Buhari is not prepared to tolerate their antics this time around, and they are afraid. They have shown their intent.” he said

    Shehu noted that no one had anything to fear from the President’s comments if their conscience and intentions were clear.

    He said, “Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything.

    “Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk. About 10 years ago, evidence was brought before an election tribunal from one of the states in North Central of the gruesome killing of 26 prospective voters by ballot box snatchers.

    “Their modus operandi is well known. They storm election venues in commando style, overwhelm the law-enforcement agents and seize ballot boxes leaving a trail of death and injury.”

    He added “Anyone who dares to put the lives of innocent citizens at risk in their desperation to rig elections must be prepared for the possibility of losing their own lives because our security agents will certainly not stand by, clap for them and watch them kill and maim.“

  • APC supporters protest Akeredolu’s alleged alliance with opposition

    Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akoko Northeast local government area of Ondo state on Tuesday marched on the streets of Ikare-Akoko to protest alleged anti-party activities of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu ahead of Saturday’s rescheduled polls.

    The protesters include party leaders and youth from all the 13 wards of the local government.

    They urged the leadership of the party at the national level to sanction Akeredolu for his alleged disloyalty to APC, the party he rode to power.

    Read Also: 2019 polls will be hitch-free, says Akeredolu

    Speaking to reporters, the duo of Chief Elemeje Idris,the APC Senatorial leader and Apostle Oloruntoba Johnson of Akoko East Elders Assembly condemned in strong term ,the visible support given to Action Alliance candidates for the next Saturday’s election at the expense of APC candidate, Prof. Ajayi Borrofice and Bunmi Ojo who are bonafide candidates of the ruling party.

    They said: “Governor Akeredolu and the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the local government, Rafiu Eniayewu with other political appointees are now agents of AA as they distanced themselves from APC and its candidates for the Saturday’s election”.

    The APC stalwarts urged the national leadership of the party not to put logistics of the party through the governor, stressing such would be used to work against President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC candidates in the area.

    However, Akeredolu had repeatedly denied the claims that he was working for AA candidates instead of APC flag bearers.

  • Polls: IGP warns troublemakers

    The Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu on Tuesday warned politicians and other Nigerians that it is fully prepared to deal with anybody planning to snatch ballot boxes or make trouble during the forthcoming elections.

    He gave the warning while briefing State House correspondents after security meeting Presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting had reviewed security situation in the country, especially towards the general elections.

    Adamu assured that the police is ready to protect every eligible Nigerian to exercise his or her civic responsibility.

    Anybody that tries to disrupt the elections by engaging in ballot boxes snatching, he said, would have himself or herself to blame.

    Read Also:  IGP vows to end scourge of jungle justice

    He also said that any act of thuggery and touting during the polls will be met with grave resistance.

    He said, “Today, members of the security community and intelligence community came and briefed Mr. President on the security situation in the country.

    “We deliberated on the consequences and came up with the resolve to further provide adequate security within the country so that the electorate will come out and cast their votes without any fear of molestation.

    “Every Nigerian is encouraged to come out on the election day and cast his or her vote without any fear of molestation. The security personnel are ready and prepared to protect everybody.

    “Anybody that feels that he can come out and disrupt process should have a rethink because that situation will not be allowed. If you plan and allow yourself to be used as touts, whatever happens to you, you will take it.

    “Ballot snatching, ballot buying, thuggery will never be allowed, anybody that is planning to snatch ballot boxes or planning to be used as a tout, will have his or herself to blame on the Election Day. So you better don’t allow yourself to be used.” he said

  • Polls: IGP warns troublemakers

    *Says ballot box snatchers will face grave consequence

     

    The Acting Inspector General of Police ( IGP ), Mohammed Adamu on Tuesday warned politicians and other Nigerians that it is fully prepared to deal with anybody planning to snatch ballot boxes or make trouble during the forthcoming elections.

    He gave the warning while briefing State House correspondents after security meeting Presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting had reviewed security situation in the country, especially towards the general elections.

    Adamu assured that the police is ready to protect every eligible Nigerian to exercise his or her civic responsibility.

    Anybody that tries to disrupt the elections by engaging in ballot boxes snatching, he said, would have himself or herself to blame.

    He also said that any act of thuggery and touting during the polls will be met with grave resistance.

    He said, “Today, members of the security community and intelligence community came and briefed Mr. President on the security situation in the country.

    Read Also: We are ready for Saturday elections, APC boasts

    “We deliberated on the consequences and came up with the resolve to further provide adequate security within the country so that the electorate will come out and cast their votes without any fear of molestation.

    “Every Nigerian is encouraged to come out on the election day and cast his or her vote without any fear of molestation. The security personnel are ready and prepared to protect everybody.

    “Anybody that feels that he can come out and disrupt process should have a rethink because that situation will not be allowed. If you plan and allow yourself to be used as touts, whatever happens to you, you will take it.

    “Ballot snatching, ballot buying, thuggery will never be allowed, anybody that is planning to snatch ballot boxes or planning to be used as a tout, will have his or herself to blame on the Election Day. So you better don’t allow yourself to be used.” he said

  • We are ready for Saturday elections, APC boasts

    The APC Presidential Campaign Council has said that only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can say whether the rescheduled Presidential election will go ahead as scheduled, saying the APC were ready for the election.

    Director of Contact and Mobilization, APC presidential campaign council, Hadiza Bala Usman who spoke after inspecting the election situation room of a civil society group, Yiaga in Abuja also seek collaboration between political parties and civil society group to monitor the workings of INEC and ensuring that electoral materials get to their destination on schedule.

    She said “It’s important for APC as a political party to engage with civil society, to see what civil society is doing to ensure a free and fair election. We are keen to have a transparent, free and fair election. So, we encourage observers, we encourage any form of interrogation of the process.

    “I am here to lend the voice of the APC to show encouragement to the civil society and to encourage them to ensure that whatever is happening at the polling unit are highlighted for the world to see and whatever incidences  happen are brought up for the necessary agencies to deal with. We want the security agencies to be on ground to provide the necessary support, where INEC is required to deploy additional input and we believe that such situation rooms are very helpful and necessary for such feedbacks

    Read Also: APC embarks on rally in Ikorodu

    This is an election situation room, would you have preferred something to the run up of the election?

    “With what has happened and with the postponement of the election, I think pre-election day situation room is important so that we can see where our materials are in the country? Have they started been moved to the necessary voting points? Are the right materials being deployed to the right places? So such pre-election situation rooms are important.

    It is important for us and the political parties, for APC and indeed civil society groups to put a spotlight on the election monitor to ensure that this postponement that happened will not be repeated again and for us to monitor and follow Election material. You are all aware that some of the critical errors around voter concern has to do with election materials, if the especially sensitive ones fall into the wrong hands. We are open to any form of manipulation and so, it’s imperative that we put a spotlight and follow the sensitive material, follow what INEC is doing.

    One of the presidential candidate is asking INEC to extend the rescheduled election beyond this Saturday, what is the view of APC?

    “Our view is that INEC knows what it’s doing and they the determinant of whether it is ready for Saturday. INEC conveyed to all Nigerians that it is ready to conduct the elections on Saturday. So we look forward to see what INEC will say next.  For us in APC, we were ready for the election on Saturday 16 and we are indeed ready for Saturday 23rd. We look forward to INEC briefing us as we requested on a daily basis to ensure that materials are deployed anf in the right place at the right time. Ad I mentioned earlier, INEC is the umpire, and will tell us whether there is any additional postponement. But we are ready for Saturday the 23rd of February.”