Our Reporter

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it will transmit all results manually during the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this yesterday in Abuja at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room Dialogue Session with Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) of Kogi and Bayelsa states.

Yakubu, who was represented by Mr. Festus Okoye, a national commissioner of INEC, said that the commission would adhere to the rules and regulations of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.

“While Section 52, subsection 2 of the Electoral Act gives the commission the discretion to make a determination relating to the procedure to adopt in any election, sections 63,64,65,66,67 and 73 of the same Electoral Act prescribed the mode of transmission of election results and it is manually.

“So we are going to conform to the provisions of the Electoral Act as amended and also conform to provisions about regulations and guidelines in relations to the transmission of the election results in the spirit of the law.”

Yakubu, however, reiterated that the commission would deploy and use the smart card readers for the purposes of verification and authentication of voters during the elections.

He said that the process was part of the commission’s guidelines and part of the accreditation process.

He said that the ad hoc staff found wanting in the last general elections had been bared from the commission and handed over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.

He advised political parties to be guided by the consequences of preventing the card readers from being used as itemised in the guidelines.

Mr. Clement Nwankwo, Converner, Situation Room, said that the event was supported by DFID to promote free, fair and credible elections.

Nwankwo said that the event was organised to dialogue with stakeholders to know their level of preparedness for the elections and how to prevent irregularities.

By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

 

THE Cameroon the Ninth of Twon Brass, Bayelsa State, His Royal Highness, Beinmo Rufus-Spiff, has endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief David Lyon.

Speaking in Yenagoa, Rufus-Spiff, popularly called the Director and Godfather of Brass Local Government politics, said Lyon represented the future of Bayelsa.

The traditional head, who recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described Lyon as a person of good character and moral values.

He added that he is impressed by his humility.

Rufus-Spiff said among other things, Lyon had a clear blueprint to eliminate hunger and poverty through social investments, youths and women empowerment.

The monarch lamented the collapse of Bayelsa economy, saying despite huge revenue allocations accruing to the state, the government had done nothing to improve people’s lives.

Read Also: UPDATED: David Lyon wins APC primary in Bayelsa

He said the APC candidate had the passion to ensure security, modernisation, infrastructural development and effective public service.

Rufus-Spiff appealed to the electorate to vote for Lyon and his running mate, Senator Biobarakumo Degi-Eremieyo.

He said: “The reason why I decided to support David Lyon is because of his character. He has a very strong character. When David Lyon tells you that you should go, you go but when he says wait and you wait, he will always come back and meet you.

“He is a very simple and natural guy, a person that everybody can relate with. People in the rural areas, urban areas and the international community can relate with him. He is somebody that gives. This is a time I believe Bayelsa is going to have somebody that gives and Bayelsa people are really hungry for that.

“They want their leader to be a giver and somebody that can relieve them from pains. We are producing so much money, but we are producing so much poverty. The money we are receiving from federal allocations has not been translated to quality of lives. We are still living as if Bayelsa was created yesterday.

“A state that was created over 20 years ago, what do we have to show the world? Everywhere you go they ask you what are your leaders doing with all the money? We need to ask ourselves, ‘what is happening to all the money that has been coming to Bayelsa?”

By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

 

THE Bayelsa State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief David Lyon, yesterday told the Traditional Rulers Council that if elected on November 16, his administration would tackle absence of basic amenities.

Lyon, who led leaders of the APC to the headquarters of the Council of Traditional Rulers chaired by the King of Twon Brass, King Alfred Diette-Spiff, said he was disturbed that Bayelsa lacked potable water, security and electricity.

The candidate, who said he came to introduce himself to the traditional institution to seek royal blessings, noted that it stood logic in the head that despite the wealth in Bayelsa, the people were still suffering abject deprivation and poverty.

Addressing over 17 traditional rulers who received him in Yenagoa, Lyon said if adequate security was provided, investors would flood Bayelsa and establish industries and factories, thus creating jobs.

The candidate, who said Bayelsa was blessed with agricultural potential, huge gas and crude oil deposits, added that the people had no business with poverty.

He lamented that no area in the state had potable water.

Lyon said the APC had a programme of drafting traditional rulers into a project of tackling insecurity because the monarchs hailed from different communities with the capacity to call troublemakers to order.

He said it was unacceptable that Bayelsa with huge gas reserves still lacked electricity, with its capital thrown into darkness, adding that when elected, he would explore avenues to give the state regular electricity.

The candidate told the monarchs the importance of aligning the state to the ruling APC at the centre to attract enough federal presence and mega projects.

He promised to give traditional rulers their pride of place in the country by providing them with infrastructures, welfare and a conducive environment to discharge their functions.

Lyon said: “I am blessed today to be in the presence of our revered traditional rulers. I am here to tell my kings that I am the candidate of the APC in the forthcoming governorship election.

“You are the fathers of Bayelsa and you are aware that insecurity is bothering the people. The APC government will not handle insecurity without the traditional rulers. Why we are emphasising on security is that insecurity drives away investors.

“When I am elected as the governor I will hold consultations with traditional rulers and assign them roles to tackle insecurity. Once we tackle insecurity, many investors will be ready to come to Bayelsa because our state is blessed with abundant resources. We are one of the richest states in the federation.

“But look at where we are as a state. We don’t have electricity. We have all the resources, but there is no electricity. When there is no electricity, how can investors come? Investors can’t come into darkness and insecurity.

Read Also: CSOs protest, demand fresh Bayelsa elections

“Our team already has a blueprint to tackle insecurity and in that blueprint, traditional rulers will play important roles. Again, after the air we breathe, water is the next important thing. But there is no potable water in Bayelsa despite all our money.”

The APC standard-bearer was accompanied by the Alternate Director General, APC Campaign Council, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe; two former acting governors, Peremabowei Ebebi and Werinipre Seibarugu; former Chief of Staff to Governor Seriake Dickson, Dikivie Ikiogha Santorum and other party leaders.

Receiving Lyon and his entourage, King Diette-Spiff, on behalf of other traditional rulers, gave his royal blessings to the candidate and called for a peaceful election.

He urged Lyon to prevail on his supporters to maintain a peaceful disposition throughout the election.

According to him, the APC candidate, while speaking, struck the cord on quite a few areas.

 

Our Reporter

 

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said no distraction will prevent it from conducting a free, fair and credible governorship election in Bayelsa State on November 16.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr. Monday Udoh disclosed this while addressing the media in Yenagoa.

He said he remained focused on achieving the mandate, adding that the commission would not join issues with persons who wanted to win election at all cost by running others down.

Udoh said INEC was not a political party, therefore had no candidate in the election, noting that it was more interested in working seriously towards conducting a credible and peaceful election.

Read Also: INEC sets up peace advancing activities for Kogi, Bayelsa elections

“We shall remain focused on achieving our mandate and we shall not be distracted by fake and false news being peddled about my humble self and INEC in Bayelsa State.

“We shall not join issues with anyone or throw tantrums and venoms at people just because they want to win election at all cost by running others down.

“INEC did not give contract to anybody to recruit ad hoc workers for its operations,” he said.

Udoh urged the electorate to exercise their civic responsibility by coming out en masse to vote on November 16.

By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

 

THE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged plot to disqualify its candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, Mr. Musa Wada.

The party fingered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the masterminds of the alleged plot.

At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, spokesman for PDP Kola Ologbondiyan alleged that the electoral body and the APC were plotting to tamper with INEC’s Monitoring Report on PDP’s September 3 primary election.

The PDP said the objective of the alleged plot was to disqualify its governorship candidate. It vowed to resist the alleged plot.

The party also alleged that the APC has instigated security agencies to arrest and detain some key PDP leaders ahead of the poll.

It alleged that the move was to pave the way for Governor Yahaya Bello of the APC to emerge as the sole candidate for the poll.

Ologbondiyan said: “Of course, this plot is dead on arrival, as our candidate, Musa Wada, remains duly nominated through the statutory processes of our primary election, which was well covered in the Monitoring Report released by INEC. The PDP cautions that any attempt to tamper with its candidature will trigger the wrath of the people.

“The PDP is aware of every stage in this conspiracy against Kogi State as well as the actors involved. Already, our party is working with the people of Kogi State to stop them on their trail.

“The PDP is fully aware of the details of the meeting between the INEC officials and APC stalwarts on October 20 and 21 at the INEC office in Lokoja, on how to alter INEC’s position in its earlier released Monitoring Report, which confirmed the validity and transparency of our governorship primaries.

“Our party has full details of how the APC leaders came to the meeting, held at about 2pm, in a black Toyota Prado Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) with covered number plate; how the INEC officials arrived 10 minutes later in a Kia SUV as well as the pecuniary transactions that followed.

“Information available to our party shows that an INEC P.R.O. and a legal official of the commission were also at the meeting where they plotted how to ensure the alteration of the INEC’s Monitoring Report on our primary election before November 1.

“The PDP has been further made aware of how the conspirators have recruited 205 APC loyalists, who are being trained at Muslim Community School, Lokoja to impersonate the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as polling and electoral officers in designated areas to enable the APC and INEC manipulate the process in such areas.”

“Now that these plots have been exposed and the conspirators already known by the people of Kogi state, the PDP cautions INEC to desist from any attempt to carry out APC’s nefarious bid.”

The party spokesman warned that the people of Kogi were ready and fully rallied to monitor electoral activities at the polling units and collation centres, as well as to protect their votes up to the final declaration of results.

He said anybody who attempts to subvert the determination of the electorate for a free, fair and credible process will only have himself to blame.

Read Also: Kogi PDP ticket: Judge to deliver judgement ten days to election

Ologbondiyan went on: “The inevitable trajectory of change in this election as desired by the people of Kogi State, in their yearnings to end the suppressive, corrupt and anti-people administration of Governor Bello is clear and there is no way the people can allow anybody to undermine their determination for a new order.

“Also, intelligence available to the PDP indicates that over 30 Kogi leaders have been listed for arrest by the APC so as to put them out of circulation and pave the way for manipulations against the people.

“Our party cautions the APC and their compromised security agents to steer clear of our leaders and members during this election. This is because any unwarranted attempt on their freedom and safety will be resisted.

“Let it be known to the APC and security agencies that the people of Kogi, standing with the PDP, are ready for this election.”

PDP called on Nigerians to hold the APC and Governor Bello responsible should any harm befall any of its leaders or should any of them suddenly become a victim of unexplained accident, accidental discharge or sudden disappearance.

“The Kogi people are determined for a new leadership; their choice is already known and nothing can make them surrender their will to anybody, no matter what,” PDP said.