The Nation Newspaper

Category: Election 2019

  • Adamawa elects 2 Assembly members Saturday

    Following a court order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State on Saturday, all eyes will be on two state constituencies for Assembly members.

    Election either did not take place or was cancelled when governorship and state assembly elections were conducted on March 9 in the constituencies.

    They are: Nasarawo/Biyeri in Mayo-Belwa LGA where State Assembly election was put off on March 9 because a candidate entered for the election died days before thee exercise and Uba/Gaya State Assembly Constituency in Hong LGA where voting was cancelled in some polling units.

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Nasarawo/Binyeri state constituency, Adamu Kwanate, had collapsed while campaigning and died in a hospital three days to the election, prompting INEC to hold off the House of Assembly election in the constituency for necessary adjustments.

    The Commission also later announced after the March 9 election, that the House of Assembly election in Uba/Gaya was inconclusive following irregularities in certain polling units.

    Supplementary election in Uba/Gaya would take place in three polling units namely Guw 1, Kumatai and Kurmi Mayolope; while the election in Nasarawo/Binyeri would be conducted in all the 92 polling units of the constituency.

    The head of information and education unit of INEC in the state, Mrs. Rifkatu Duku, affirmed in a telephone interview Thursday night that supplementary election would be held in two state constituencies.

    “Only state assembly supplementary election will hold in Nasarawo/Biyeri state constituency in Mayo Belwa LGA and Uba/Gaya state constituency in Hong LGA,” she said.

    Twenty-three members of the House of Assembly had been elected in the March 9 with ruling APC and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having 11 members each.

    One member was elected on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    The state assembly has a total of 25 seats.

  • INEC distributes materials for supplementary election in Benue

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) says it has distributed sensitive materials across the 23 local government areas of Benue in readiness for Saturday’s supplementary polls.

    Mr Terkaa Andyarigeria, the INEC Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the state, disclosed this in a telephone interview with our reporter in Makurdi.

    It was gathered that the March 23 Governorship Supplementary Election will hold in 22 out of the 23 local government areas of the State.

    The only local government area in the state where the governorship supplementary election will not be holding is Katsina-Ala.

    However, the supplementary election for the state House of Assembly will hold in Katsina-Ala and nine other local government areas of the state.

    Even where the supplementary elections will be taking place, not the entire local government areas will be participating, but only places where elections didn’t take place at all or where elections were cancelled.

    NAN

  • Sokoto re-run: Army extends show of force to six violence-prone LGAs

    The Nigeria Army on Friday extended its “Show of Force Exercise” to six violence-prone local government areas in Sokoto State preparatory to the Saturday supplementary elections in the state.

    The affected local government areas are Raba, Kebbe, Gada, Goronyo, Sabon Birni and Isa.

    Addressing the motorcade before taking off from Sokoto, Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Otiki, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 8 Division, Nigerian Army, said the exercise was to arouse public attention to the presence of the military.

    Otiki explained that the exercise was not meant to intimidate the public, but to express army readiness to curtail any form of public disturbance.

    He said further that the exercise would also serve as warning to hoodlums and other disgruntled elements that might plan or intend to disrupt the upcoming supplementary elections.

    The GOC added that similar exercise was conducted for hours in Sokoto metropolis on Thursday and urged the people to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in ensuring peaceful coexistence in the country.

    He, however, cautioned all violators of peace to be wary of the repercussion, stressing that the military were always ready to secure lives and safeguard the nation’s territorial integrity.

    ‘’I urge you to feel free and to come out on that day to exercise your civic responsibility at the selected places within the periods.

    The exercise was conducted in partnership with the Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department of State Security Service (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

    Okiti urged the officers to be disciplined, adding that discipline was the bedrock of achieving success in all aspects of life. (NAN)

  • Plateau: Lalong confident of victory in supplementary polls

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau says he is confident of securing a second tenure ahead of the supplementary election to determine who governs the north-central state in the next four years.

    INEC is to hold supplementary elections in some local governments of the state after it declared the exercise inconclusive because the margin of lead was less than the cancelled votes.

    The election is slated for Saturday, March 23, alongside other states where the exercise was declared inconclusive.

    Read Also: Plateau: rerun election will be walk over, says Lalong

    Lalong told newsmen on Thursday in Jos that the c oast was very clear for him because he needed “just 2,000 votes, out of 49,000, to secure victory”.

    “We have 49,000 registered voters in the places that the election will be conducted and I am already ahead with more than 44,000 votes.

    “I don’t see anything stopping my victory,” he said

  • Court schedules judgment for March 25 in Bauchi gov poll

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has slated judgment for March 25 this year in the case filed by the Governor of Bauchi State Mohammed Abubakar and the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resume collation exercise in the state’s gubernatorial election.

    INEC had declared the election inconclusive on the grounds that the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin of lead between the two top political parties.

    The electoral body later announced it would resuming collation because it found out that the number of cancelled votes was tampered with, stating instead of 2,533, 25,330 was written, a decision Abubakar and the APC are now challenging in court.

    It is the plaintiffs’ contention that INEC has no power to overrule the pronouncement of the Returning Officer, who had declared the election inconclusive.

    The plaintiffs, represented by Ahmed Raji (SAN), asked the court to determine whether any other person or body, except a court of competent jurisdiction, has the powers to overrule a returning officer whose pronouncement ought to be final in an election process.

    INEC, represented by Tanimu Inuwa (SAN), filed an objection, in which it argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain any case that deals with issues of an election or any of its processes. The commission claims that such cases ought to be heard by the election petitions tribunal.

    READ ALSO: INEC to conduct Bauchi supplementary polls in 15 LGAs – REC

    While arguing his client’s case on Thursday, Raji contended that elections petitions tribunal could only entertain cases where a return has been made by the INEC returning officer, but where no return has been made, as is the case in Bauchi, the election petitions tribunal is powerless.

    He added: “If the court shut us out, by saying it has no jurisdiction, and the election petitions tribunal shut us out because a return has not been made, to whom shall we go? We would be left in the lurch. Do not leave us in the lurch, my Lord.”

    He argued that while INEC consulted with the various political parties before it declared the election inconclusive, the commissioner reversed the decision and unilaterally announced that collation would resume, in violation of his clients’ right to fair hearing.

    Raji urged the court to overrule INEC’s objection to the suit filed by his client’s prayers but to grant them the reliefs they sought.

    On his part, Inuwa said that the Electoral Act did not allow any court to entertain any issue bordering on election or any of its processes, and since what was being argued is the issue of collation of result, which is an election process, the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

    He contended that, INEC,  being an independent body, did not need to consult anyone before taking any decision on an election matter, hence the issue of denying the APC and Abubakar fair hearing does not arise.

    Inuwa added that since the election was not yet completed, Abubakar and the APC ought to have waited for a return to be made.

    He added that it was only after a return is made that the plaintiffs can approach the election petitions tribunal with their complaints, rather than jumping the gun and coming to the federal high court which, according to him, clearly lacks jurisdiction in the matter.

    After listening to arguments from parties, Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned to March 25 for judgment.

  • ‘Those prodding Atiku to go to court after his money’

    Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, on Thursday said that those pressurising the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to challenge outcome of the February 23rd Presidential election in court could be doing so to get money from him.

    He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the State House.

    According to him, he was at the Presidential Villa to congratulate Buhari on his victory at the poll.

    He said that with his victory in Niger State, people of the state should be assured his administration was committed to providing dividends of democracy to them and to complete ongoing projects.

    The new projects to be embarked upon, he said, will be of benefit to the general public.

    On the Atiku’s claim that he won the election, governor Bello said: “It is not unusual, when you lose elections, you go to court for so many reasons.

    “It could be that you think you won or it could be that someone is telling you that you have won or it could be that someone is telling you some miracles can happen.

    “It could also be that someone wants to get money off you. So there is no reason why after free and fair elections had been conducted and it is clear in the eyes of the world one still believes that there are shoddy dealings.

    “Anyone who feels dissatisfied is free to approach a court of law. It is a free world. Everyone is entitled to his opinion. But honestly, from what I saw in Niger, this election has been the fairest election we have conducted so far.”

    Despite the declaration of election inconclusive in some states by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor said that the elections were the fairest election so far conducted in the country.

    He said: “I think INEC did extremely well, the security agencies did very well as well. It is not unusual when you hold elections in a country like Nigeria where you have so many units to have issues with one or two units.

    “If you look at the number of polling units, compare to the ones that have issues, probably, it’s less two or five percent. But generally, the elections went well.”

  • Shehu Sani gets Tribunal’s nod to inspect election materials

    National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna has granted Senator Shehu Sani’s request to inspect the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s collation result sheets for Kaduna Central Senatorial zone.

    The Nation recalled that, the sitting Senator Shehu Sani who contested the February 23 Senate election under the platform of People’s Redemption Party (PRP), lost to Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The Senator and his party thereafter rejected the result and resolved to challenge it in the court.

    The tribunal Chairman, Justice A. H Suleiman granted Senator Sani’s request contained in an ex parte motion he filed alongside PRP.

    In their petition No. EPT/KD/SN/M/02/19, the applications asked INEC, to make results sheets and incident forms available to them for inspection.

    Ruling of an ex-parte motion, Justice Suleiman said: “An order is hereby made compelling the 3rd Respondent (INEC) to allow the petitioners/applicants or their agents or assigns access to inspect documents (Form EC8A, Eze INEC incident forms) and result sheets of all polling units in the seven Local government Areas that make up Kaduna Central Senatorial district.”

    “An order is hereby also made on the 3rd Respondent to make available to the petitioners/Applicants certified True Copy of all the documents,” he ruled.

  • 2019 election materials safe, open for inspection, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State Thursday said all materials used for the general elections were safe and ready for inspection by any party who followed laid down procedure for inspection.

    The state INEC gave the assurance while refuting allegations by some persons who claimed the commission colluded with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Essien Udium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State to rig election by destroying ballot papers thumb printed in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Reacting to an advertorial titled “Political Jobbers on the prowl,” published in this newspaper on March 16, spokesman for INEC in Akwa Ibom Don Etukudo described the allegation as deliberate falsehood, misinformation and the attempt to malign the commission and the person of the Resident Electoral Commissioner.

    Etukudo said INEC’s bus was involved in an accident in which the driver and three others became unconscious while on reverse logistics duty, adding that it was a directive from the commission’s headquarters in order to safeguard electoral materials.

    He said: “While the commission does not intend to join issues with anyone or group of persons on the conduct of the just concluded elections as it believes that the nation’s electoral laws have adequately provided due process for complaints, it is however pertinent to address the deliberate falsehood, misinformation and the attempt to malign the commission and the person of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), as contained in the said advertorial.

    Read Also: INEC to conduct Bauchi supplementary polls in 15 LGAs – REC

    “The commission refers here to the claim in paragraph 6 of the advert to the effect that its truck which was involved in an accident at Abak on March 12, 2019, was conveying “ballot papers earlier voted in favour of the APC and that they “were being transported to a location near INEC office in Uyo for destruction and subsequent replacement with ballot papers fraudulently thumb printed…”

    “This is not true. It is a clear mischief and a lame attempt to hoodwink the reading public and blackmail the commission for insisting on upholding the integrity of the electoral process in Akwa Ibom State.

    “On March 12, at about 4pm, the commission’s vehicle which was undertaking reverse logistics from INEC office Eastern Obolo, to the state office got involved in an accident at Oku Abak, a few meters away from the Abak Police Station.

    The accident was duly incidented in the Abak Police Station.

    “The driver of the vehicle and the other three occupants became unconscious owing to the accident and could not have responded to questions as alleged by the advertorial. The claim that “the driver of the truck on interrogation confessed that was the sixth trip that day shuttling to different PDP stalwart houses…” is therefore unfounded, spurious and mischievous.

    “Reverse logistics from LGA offices to state offices was a national directive from the commission’s headquarters to all RECs. It was not peculiar to Akwa lbom State. The exercise is ongoing nationwide. This fact is verifiable.

    “In the light of the failed attempts in some LGAs to disrupt elections in Akwa Ibom State by bombing and setting INEC offices and vehicles ablaze (as in Ibesikpo, Obot Akara and Mkpat Enin LGAs, for instance) before, during and after the elections, the directive of the National Headquarters is amply justified.

    “In implementing this directive, the commission in Akwa lbom State was careful to rigorously follow the laid down procedure. It duly informed the Commissioner of Police in the state who is also the Chairman of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), a body made up of all security agencies in the state. It was therefore no secret that the commission was retrieving materials used for the elections from the field for safe custody in the state headquarters.

    “The commission hereby assures the public that materials used for the 2019 General Elections are safe and open for inspection by any party on application or as may be directed by an appropriate authority,” he said.

  • A’Ibom APC seeks relocation of election tribunals to Abuja

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom has asked the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice to relocate all election tribunals from the state to Abuja.

    In a letter by the State chairman of the party, Obong Ini Okopido to the AGF, the APC said the move became necessary in view of plots by the Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Mr. Mike Igini, the state government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to perpetrate electoral fraud.

    Okopido specifically alleged Igini, the state government and the PDP are planning to destroy electoral materials needed to substantiate the election petition of the APC.

    ”We observe with deep regrets that since Mr. Mike Igini superintended over the worst general elections ever conducted in Akwa Ibom State, that was fraught with manifest irregularities and wide spread electoral infractions, the REC is now unveiling a grand scheme to thwart and create a chaotic environment to pave way for the pervasion of justice.

    ”We have been reliably informed that the REC is now intimidating electoral officers who participated in the just concluded general elections in the State, particularly, Collation Officers, Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), handing over their phone numbers to hired assassins and PDP killer squad to forcefully coerce them to concoct and fabricate false reports of violence, ballot paper snatching, all in a bid to justify the clandestine activities of Mr. Mike Igini days after the purported declaration of results, seeing that unit results will expressly show that candidates of the All Progressives Congress clearly won the elections by the votes directly delivered at the polling units across the state.

    “This latest action by the leadership of INEC in Akwa Ibom State has vindicated our stand expressed in various fora before the general elections that Mr. Mike Igini is a biased umpire, heavily compromised by the Akwa Ibom State Government to truncate the smooth conduct of free and fair elections.

    “We therefore reiterate in unambiguous terms, that INEC under Mr. Mike Igini cannot guarantee credibility and the ethos of fair play as demonstrated with this plot hatched to frustrate the electoral process.”

    The Akwa Ibom State APC said the immediate relocation of the elections tribunal to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja would forestall breakdown of law and order.

    The party also reiterated the call for the immediate redeployment of Mr. Mike Igini to pave way for a level-playing field for all parties that partook in the elections.

    It also called on security agencies to provide adequate security to all ad-hoc staffs of INEC in the state and properly investigate and bring to book, thugs allegedly paid by the PDP to intimidate or coerce non-yielding election officials.

    Reacting to the allegation that he was destroying ballot papers, the Igini said: ”On the allegation that the commission is destroying ballot papers needed to substantiate election petition at the tribunal I challenge anyone to come forth with proof to show where and when such thing happened”.

    The REC said it was ridiculous for anyone to link him with electoral fraud, adding he was just an unbiased umpire in the elections and did not play any role in determining who Akwa Ibom voters choose.

    ”Mike Igini was not in any of the 298 polling units of Akwa Ibom state where elections took place.

    “I was not in any of the local government collation centres where the results were collated and announced.

    ”The people of Akwa Ibom openly expressed their will on whom to govern them through the ballot paper and that was what happened during the elections the people have spoken. My job was only to supervise the elections,” he said.

  • Census: NPC begins Area Enumeration Demarcation in Kwara

    The National Population Commission (NPC) in Kwara on Thursday commenced another round of Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), as part of preparation for the forthcoming census.

    The exercise, which is being held throughout the 16 local government areas of the state, will end on April 13.

    According to the NPC’s Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Hassan Bashir, the EAD constitutes the foundation on which the entire census architecture stands.

    The address, which was delivered on his behalf by the Federal Commissioner, NPC in Kwara, Alhaji Saad Ayinla-Alanamu, noted that the EAD was part effort toward ensuring a successful exercise.

    He said that the EAD would hold in one local government area, in each of the 23 selected states of the federation including Kwara.

    READ ALSO: Senate blocks Durunnguwa’s nomination as NPC commissioner

    Bashir said that at the end of the EAD, the commission would have successfully demarcated 135 local government areas in the country.

    He said that the remaining 639 local council areas in the country would be covered in the subsequent programmes of the commission

    The acting chairman said that a 52-person Demarcation Team, consisting of 40 demarcation officials;  10 supervisors and two Quality Control Assistants, had been recruited for each of the 23 states involved.

    According to him, the expectation of the commission is that after the conclusion of the ongoing demarcation, what will be required for future censuses will only be updating.

    Bashir appealed to the authorities in the 16 local government areas of the state, traditional institutions and communities in the affected areas to support the commission in carrying out the exercise.

    He urged participants to be humble and honest in the discharge of their responsibilities.

    NAN