Category: Lead

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will appeal the court judgment that asked the commission to accept the use of the Temporary Voter’s Card (TVC) in this year’s general election.

In a tweet via its verified handle @inecnigeria, the commission said: “INEC has been served a copy of the judgment delivered today (yesterday) by the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, which ordered it to allow two plaintiffs to vote with their Temporary Voter’s Card (TVC).

“The commission is taking immediate steps to appeal against the judgment of the trial court.”

The Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the INEC to allow the use of TVC in the March 18 governorship and House of Assembly election.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu gave the order while delivering judgment yesterday in a suit filed by two aggrieved Nigerians who sought the use of TVCs in this year’s general election in the absence of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Justice Egwuatu said the order was made on the grounds that the plaintiffs were duly registered and captured in INEC’s database.

“An order is made compelling the defendant (INEC) to allow the plaintiffs to vote, using their Temporary Voter Cards issued by the defendant, the plaintiffs having been duly captured in the National Register of Voter’s database.

“A declaration is made by this court that the plaintiffs, having fulfilled all necessary legal requirements to register and having consequently been captured in the defendant’s (INEC’s) central database and manual, printed paper-based record or hard copy format of the defendant’s maintained Register of Voters, the plaintiffs are entitled to vote using their Temporary Voter’s Cards in the forthcoming 2023 general election,” he said.

The judge said he was unable to grant Prayer Three, which was to allow every eligible voter with a TVC to vote because the suit was not filed in a representative capacity.

“This suit, having not been brought in a representative capacity, I find myself unable to grant any relief pursuant to prayer three of the plaintiffs’ application,” Justice Aneke said.

The court also held that there was no portion of the law, including the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, that states that it is only the PVCs that could be used.

He added that the law under Section 47 provides for a voter’s card, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Addressing reporters, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Victor Opatola said the judgment was a victory for all Nigerians who suffered to get registered to vote, were duly registered, but due to no fault of theirs, could not get their PVCs before the election.

Also, INEC is to immediately begin the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in readiness for the governorship and Houses of Assembly election now scheduled to hold on March 18.

The election, which was initially scheduled to hold tomorrow, was postponed to allow the electoral umpire have sufficient time to reconfigure the machines.

The commission had said the BVAS could only be activated on specific date and time of an election and that having been used for the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, it became necessary to reconfigure the machines for activation on the date of the governorship and House of Assembly election.

It explained that while the ruling of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal makes it possible for the commission to begin the preparation of the BVAS for the governorship and House of Assembly election, it was far too late for the reconfiguration to be concluded.

But Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekunmi, told The Nation that the reconfiguration of the machines would start in earnest and completed ahead of time for the governorship and House of Assembly election.

When our reporter asked him when the exercise would start, Oyekunmi said: “Let me not tell you when we will start the reconfiguration of the machines. But I can tell you that it will take at least three days to complete the process.

“The process will be completed well ahead of time for the election. It was in other to avoid the pressure of hurried reconfiguration that we decided to shift the same elections by one week.”

Some National Assembly elections that were rescheduled for March 11 will also hold on March 18.

It was a black Thursday yesterday for Lagos State civil servants. 

Six of them died while 79 were injured when a bus conveying them to their office in Ikeja was hit by a fast-moving passenger train.

The train’s registration number is 2215; the staff bus’ number is 04A-48LA.

At least, two women died on the spot, The Nation learnt. 

The accident occurred at the PWD railway crossing at about 7 am.

The victims blamed the driver for being reckless as he made to cross the level crossing at PWD, close to Shogunle on the rail corridor.

A survivor, Kazeem Abiola, who sat by the door, said the bus was midway through the rail at the Shogunle level crossing when the train crashed into it. 

He said the bus had sped past the train around Ladipo Bus Stop on the Old Agege Motor Road. 

When they got to the PWD level crossing, they warned the driver to slow down and wait for the train. 

“He shouted us down, thinking he could speed past before the train would catch up with us,” Abiola said.

“We warned him to allow the train to go, but he was adamant. 

“Everybody was shouting, cautioning him, but he cared less. 

“Half of the bus had crossed the rail track before the train hit us. 

“The last I heard was the crash and I passed out. 

“I regained consciousness here (LASUTH Emergency Unit).”

The train, on Iddo-Ijoko Mass Transit Train Service, was operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

The victims who suffered various degrees of injuries spoke at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

Anuoluwapo Musa, a staff of the Lagos State Emergency Maintenance Agency (LASEMA) told The Nation that the bus, which was coming from Ikotun, picked him up at Jakande Estate.

He said he jumped and broke his arm.

“I was at the back when the incident occurred. 

“I heard the bedlam as those in the front row were shouting down the driver. Not quite long, we were hit by the train. 

“I was conscious enough to jump out of the bus while the train was still dragging our bus on the rail track,” he said.

Another victim said she also jumped out of the bus. She also suffered an arm injury.

The bus, which was navigating inward to Ikeja, was trapped by the train’s magnets, it was learnt.

Commuters paused to offer assistance.

NRC: Safety measures ignored

The NRC, in a statement by the Deputy Director of Public Relations, Mamood Yakub, said the passenger train was coming from Ijoko in Ogun State to Iddo Railway Station in Lagos.

The statement reads: “The general public may wish to note that NRC had put in place level crossing control and management procedures necessary for preventing accidents by deploying mechanisms and level crossing staff that work at the level crossing across the country to prevent accidents.

“The Corporation is and will continue to appeal to all and sundry to please ensure restraint and strictly observe caution signs and instruction from officials when approaching railway level crossing and completely stop their vehicles when directed to do so by the Level Crossing Keeper and officials to ensure seamless movement of trains and safe crossing of the motorist as well as pedestrians.

“We must also be aware that the Railway has the right of way in any city that has the benefits of train services, hence, the Railway track must be kept free from walking and trading at all times.

“All level crossings are manned 24 hours and the management of the NRC will not relent in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of advising drivers and pedestrians to always comply strictly with instructions given by the railway staff at the level crossing.

“Meanwhile, we will continue to collaborate with Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), State Traffic Management Agencies such as Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASMA), etc, to ensure the prevention of incidents of vehicles colliding with moving trains.”

The Corporation commiserated with the people and government of Lagos and prayed for the repose of the dead while wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Sanwo-Olu: it’s an avoidable accident 

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister for Transportation Mu’azu Jaji Sambo expressed deep shock and sorrow over the accident.

The governor confirmed that six passengers died. 

He said two died on the spot, four died in the hospital, and 79 others sustained various degrees of injuries.

Sanwo-Olu described the accident as “totally avoidable. 

He said the driver only needed to exercise a little patience and follow proper transportation protocol, which requires a driver to wait at a level crossing.

The governor sympathised with the injured workers and commiserated with the families of those who lost their loved ones.

Sanwo-Olu declared three days of mourning and suspended his political campaigns in honour of the victims. 

He also directed flags to be flown at half-mast throughout the period.

Declaring it “a trying period” for the state, Sanwo-Olu directed that all offices should close at noon today.

“Lagos is in a state of mourning and for the next three days, I am suspending all campaign activities. 

“All flags will be flown at half-mast and tomorrow (today) all civil servants will work till noon before returning home to be with their loved ones during this trying time,” he said.

The governor added: “There were 85 passengers on board the bus and the accident claimed the lives of six workers. 

“According to the LASUTH classification scale, there are 42 moderate, 29 serious and eight mild injuries.”

Sambo, in a statement signed by his media aide, Samuel Idiagbonya, commiserated with the families.

He ordered a detailed investigation of the train incident. 

Driver in custody

Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, said the accident was caused by the recklessness of the driver.

According to him, rather than wait when he was flagged down by the flag man, the driver ignored the warning and drove against the oncoming train.

He said the driver was in custody and would be interrogated once he is stabilised.

The commissioner wondered why the driver refused to obey the flagman when warned of the approach of the train.

Oladeinde said the Shogunle axis where the accident occurred was on the Red Line Rail corridor.

He said it was one of the spots for which an overpass was being constructed by the NRC.

When construction is completed, the level crossing would be cordoned off to traffic, he said.

Condolences pour in

House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila expressed grief at the losses, saying the accident was “regrettable”.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, Gbajabiamila sent his condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the government of Lagos.

He prayed for the repose of the souls of the dead and quick recovery for the injured.

Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa also suspended his scheduled political walk across Agege following the train accident.

Obasa met the thousands of youth, men and women walking towards the Pen Cinema area while returning from an official engagement and stopped them.

He described the accident as a sad occurrence and sympathised with the bereaved families. 

Senator-Elect for Lagos West and former Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, expressed sadness over an unfortunate accident.

She commiserated with the governor, the civil servants and the families of those who died in the accident. 

She prayed to God to grant the injured a quick recovery.

Adebule expressed confidence in the ability of the state government to ensure the best treatment for those injured.

NEMA confirms fatalities 

NEMA’s Lagos Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed that employees of the state government died in the accident.

He said: “The state government staff bus was trying to cross the PWD/Shogunle rail crossing while the train coming into Lagos from Ijoko trapped the bus on its rail.

“Two NRC flag officers reportedly tried to stop the driver of the bus from crossing but it was said that the driver ignored the directive and drove into the rail.”

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) said it has commenced an investigation into the accident.

General Manager, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi, in a statement, said first responders at the accident site evacuated the bus and the train.

The statement reads: “This accident investigation marks the first train accident investigation embarked upon by the Bureau since its establishment under the NSIB Act 2022.

“The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in form of pictures, video, or recording evidence to help assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.

“The bureau can be reached through info@aib.gov.ng and on its social media platforms. The Bureau can also be reached on its emergency line +234-807-709-0909.”

FRSC, police speak

The Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Babatunde Farinloye, urged all motorists to respect all traffic regulations on level crossing across the country. 

He said the accident could have been avoided if the bus driver had complied with the regulation and exercised a little patience.

Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, admonished motorists to always give way to trains at all railway level crossings. 

Atiku, Obi sympathises with victims 

The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, condoled the state and victims.

Atiku said: “The unfortunate crash of a train and a BRT bus in Lagos is sad news not only to Lagosians but to all of us Nigerians, as is any mishap anywhere.

“The powers of states as federating units in Nigeria in the area of transportation must be reinforced with enabling laws and enhanced by the states themselves with knowledge and the requisite expertise in the same sector.

“Emergency and medical rescue services must also be enhanced to avoid casualties in accidents such as this.

“I urge the relevant authorities to swiftly investigate the cause of the accident and take appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and may God grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Obi said the accident was regrettable and “avoidable”.

Describing such incidents as heartbreaking, the former Anambra State governor urged relevant agencies and authorities to stand up to their responsibilities.

He said: “I received the depressing news of a train collision with a BRT Staff Bus in Ikeja, where precious lives were lost and several people wounded. We must at all costs guard against accidents like this.

“The many lives lost to such avoidable incidents are heartbreaking. The relevant agencies and authorities must stand up to their responsibilities.

“I commiserate with the bereaved families and hope the critically injured are given good medical care for quick recovery. 

“We are united with you in this time of sorrow and pain. May God keep us all safe as we go about our daily lives.”

President Muhammadu Buhari and President-elect Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed sympathy over the Lagos train accident. 

They prayed for the souls of the deceased, comfort for their families and quick recovery of the injured.  

Buhari, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, described the accident as distressing and extremely sad.

“The accident at the level-crossing involving the train and the BRT staff bus is distressing and extremely sad. 

“I pray for the souls of the deceased and quick recovery of the many who were injured,” the President said.

President Buhari commended the Lagos State authorities and the 

Federal Government agencies for promptly getting involved in rescue efforts

Also, the President-elect sympathised with the families of the victims.

In a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu said: “I offer my sincere condolences to the victims and families affected by the gory incident involving a train and a bus in the Ikeja area of Lagos State.

“I am praying for all, including those who died and those who sustained injuries in the tragic and unfortunate incident.

“My thoughts are with them and with the Lagos State Government, even as I continue to follow the emergency response efforts closely and offer support, where necessary, to ensure that survivors and others involved receive the best care.” 

• Governor attacks Amaechi, Abe for ‘misleading’ Igbo, CAN

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday gave a hint on how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be reorganised in post-May period.

He said for the leading opposition party to be rebuilt, it should be liberated from vampires and buccaneers.

Wike, arrowhead of the aggrieved PDP governors – G5 – said despite the antics of those who fragmented the platform, efforts will be made to rebuild it into a formidable party.

The governor, who has been at loggerheads with the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakr, and national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu,  spoke during the inauguration of the 10-kilometre road constructed by his administration in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area.

He blamed former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate Magnus Abe for misleading Igbo and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state.

Also receiving the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo at the Government House, Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike said G5 was satisfied with the emergence of a president from the South.

He disclosed that the G5 contributed to the actualization of zoning and power shift to the South.

Justifying the position of G5 on the 2023 polls, Wike said those who violated the provisions of the PDP constitution for rotation of elective and appointive offices would be thrown out of the party.

He said: “We have finished the first phase of the war. We are going to the second phase of the war. In the second phase of the war, we must chase out the buccaneers and vampires. We are going to chase them out of the party, take our party and rebuild our party.

“These people left our party in 2014/2015 and our party lost in the election. Again, they have come back, our party has lost again. They have destroyed our party. We are going to chase them out of our party. They have no role to play in our party.”

Wike said it was hypocritical for the national leadership of the PDP,  which blatantly jettisoned provisions of Section 7 (3) C of the party’s constitution that recommends rotation of elective and appointive offices, to accuse the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of not following its guidelines for the conduct of the general election.

He said: “You are blaming INEC chairman, he did not follow guideline. You, did you follow our own constitution? He who seeks equity must come with clean hands. Whatever you sow, you will reap.”

The governor maintained that by breaching Section 7 (3) C of the PDP constitution, the PDP leadership had committed anti-party that led to its humiliating loss in the presidential election.

Wike said: “I am an apostle of power shift. I fought for it. I have no apology to anybody. I said power must shift from the North to the South.  I did not commit any anti-party. I fought for the unity of the country. Those of them at the national level in PDP committed anti-party.

“When people abandon the provisions of constitution of their party that talks about zoning of elective and appointive offices, what is more anti-party than that? You that refuse to obey the constitution of your party because of impunity; because you think you have the number, so, you refuse to obey the provisions of the constitution of your party.”

The governor maintained that the loss suffered by the PDP during the presidential election was avoidable, if not for the obstinacy of those, who erroneously believed that certain cabal in Aso Villa would install them.

Wike said Rivers had reaffirmed its commitment to the PDP by winning all the three senatorial and nine out of ten House of Representative seats declared so far by INEC.

The governor also took a swipe at his predecessor Rotimi Amaechi, whom he accused of stoking conflict between the people of Rivers and their Igbo neighbours.

He said Amaechi’s attempt to reintroduce the long forgotten issue of abandoned property because of his inordinate political agenda smacked of mischief.

He described as preposterous Amaechi’s promise to the Igbo that they would be compensated for abandoned property in the state, if they supported his crony, Tonye Cole, in the governorship election.

Wike said: “We are living in peace, harmony with our (Igbo) brothers and sisters. Because he wants to install Tonye Cole, he is now talking about issue we have long forgotten.

Wike said if Amaechi truly loved the Igbo, he would have supported the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr.Peter Obi, instead of mobilising for the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is from the North.

He said: “Amaechi, you are half smart. You said you love the Igbos, but you supported Atiku for president. You refuse to support Obi. You didn’t know the Igbos then, that you were supposed to support them.

“When he (Amaechi) was running for president, he said power should come to the South. When he lost, he didn’t believe in that again. So, power should go to the North so that when the North finishes, he will beg them to give him power.  No way.

“Within us in our Integrity Group, we agreed that we must make sure power comes to the South and in any state where you have control, if Labour Party comes first, APC must come second. If APC comes first, Labour Party must come second, and we did it. I am proud to say it.”

The governor also castigated the governorship candidate of the SDP, Senator Abe, for lying to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that if they supported his ambition, he would sponsors Rivers people on pilgrimage to Israel.

He declared that currently in the country, no state government could claim it had supported Christendom more than his administration.

The governor said the Rivers State government had donated N800m and N500m respectively to the Anglican and Catholic churches’ university projects.

‘G-5 has achieved zoning’

Wike explained to the Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership that as an advocate of Southern presidency, it was not possible for him to have worked against the chances of any presidential candidate from the South.

Wike described as untrue allegations against him on the social media that he worked against Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate.

He said: “I supported that power must come to the South. When Obi came here, I gave him all the logistics; vehicles, and paid for the stadium, but some other persons applied and I refused. You should know me too well by now,” he said.

Wike explained how Obi eventually decided to leave PDP for the LP.

He said: “Obi was running with us. I knew when Obi left. He was principled and he said he can’t stand it, people should say the truth. He went to see Sule Lamido in Jigawa, not in Dutse, but in a village that will take you more than four or five hours drive from Dutse, the capital.

“You know what he told Obi? He didn’t tell him that look, you came late and I have chosen somebody. He said it is the North that will produce the next president. That was how Obi left, saying why is he wasting time. Ask him, that’s how he left PDP.

“And that was what I saw at the convention ground. Within minutes, knowing that I was going to win, your sons were all the ones who did everything, sabotaged me. I said ok, no problem.

“But I still maintained that look, if you have taken the presidential candidate, you can’t take chairmanship again. Give us back the chairman and I still stand by that and if you don’t do that, whatever you see, you take.”

Wike said people like him were hated because they spoke their minds always, insisting that he would not apologise to anybody.

He recalled that before the election, the Integrity Group had met in Abuja and took a decision to support the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, who maintained that power must shift to the South in the interest of national unity.

Wike said the G5 agreed that no votes in their states should be ceded to any northern candidate, which was what really happened.

The governor pointed out that the results of election in those states showed that Southern presidential candidates came first and second due to the massive support they got.

He said: “And we also agreed we must vote for the South, no vote for the northern candidate. Our contributions, nobody knows. If you check the pattern, we agreed, the South must come first and second in any state. And check it, all the voting patterns. If Labour Party wins here, APC will take second. If APC wins here, Labour Party will take second.

“That was our position. All my campaigns, nobody can say he heard me abuse Obi or Tinubu. I didn’t do that. My campaign was against people of impunity who disobeyed the (PDP) constitution by saying there should not be zoning when there is a provision in our party’s constitution that there must be zoning of elective and appointive offices.”

Wike berated Amaechi, who told Igbo residents to support Cole of the APC, and get compensation for abandoned property.

The governor said because of election, Amaechi was scratching old scars and fanning the ember of violence to disrupt the prevailing cordial relationship between Rivers people and the Igbos in the state.

Wike said if he loved the Igbos that much, he would have implemented such compensation when he was governor for eight years.

The governor also condemned the allegation by Amaechi that the foreign scholarship his administration floated was discontinued because of the Igbo on the slot.

Wike insisted that the scholarship scheme was discontinued because of the exchange rate of the dollar and the quantum of none specialised courses like philosophy, English, Law and arts students that were sponsored to study abroad.

Wike emphasised that while those students were withdrawn, his administration had sustained full  scholarship to students studying medical and allied professions in Rivers State University and PAMO University of Medical Sciences.

Deputy National Legal Adviser of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr. Peter Anele, said Igbos had long sought to produce the president of Nigeria and they saw the last presidential election as an opportunity to clinch it.

He noted that Wike had done the Igbo proud as a voice against social injustice and marginalisation of Igbo, while creating conducive business climate for them. He also applauded him for appointing an Igbo into his cabinet

The president of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo in Rivers State, Lucky Ekeji, said Igbos were not at war with the Rivers State government. He assured that as a group, Ohanaeze has urged Igbos in the state to support the governorship bid of Sir Siminialayi Fubara.

Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike has vowed to chase away vampires and buccaneers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and rebuild the party.

Wike said irrespective of the antics of those, who fragmented the party in a bid to achieve their inordinate ambition, he and other like minds will rebuild PDP into a formidable political party.

He spoke during the inauguration of the 10km internal roads constructed by his administration in Igwuruta town of Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State on Thursday.

The leader of the G-5 Governors said after the general election, those who violated the provisions of the PDP constitution for rotation of elective and appointive offices would be shown their way out of the party.

He said: “We have finished the first phase of the war, we are going to the second phase of the war. In the second phase of the war, we must chase out the buccaneers and vampires. We are going to chase them out of the party, take our party and rebuild our party.

“These people left our party in 2014/2015 and our party lost in the election. Again, they have come back, our party has lost again. They have destroyed our party. We are going to chase them out of our party. They have no role to play in our party.”

Wike said it was hypocritical for the national leadership of the PDP, which blatantly jettisoned provisions of Section 7 (3) C of the party’s constitution that recommends rotation of elective and appointive offices, to accuse the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of not following its guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

“You are blaming INEC chairman, he did not follow guideline. You, did you follow our own constitution? He who seeks equity must come with clean hands. Whatever you sow you will reap,” Wike said.

The Governor reiterated that by breaching Section 7 (3) C of the PDP constitution, the national leadership of the PDP committed anti-party that led to its humiliating loss in the presidential election.

Wike said: “I am an apostle of power shift. I fought for it. I have no apology to anybody. I said power must shift from the north to the south. I did not commit any anti-party. I fought for the unity of the country. Those of them at the national level in PDP committed anti-party.

“When people abandon the provisions of the constitution of their party that talks about zoning of elective and appointive offices, what is more anti-party than that? You that refuse to obey the constitution of your party because of impunity; because you think you have the number, so you refuse to obey the provisions of the constitution of your party.”

The Governor maintained the loss suffered by the PDP in the presidential election was avoidable if not for the obstinacy of those, who erroneously believed that certain cabal in Aso Rock Villa would install them.

The governor said Rivers had reaffirmed its commitment to the PDP by winning all the three senatorial and nine out of ten House of Representative seats declared so far by INEC in the State.

He also took a swipe at his predecessor and immediate past Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, whom he accused of stroking conflict between the people of Rivers and their Igbo neighbours.

The Governor said Amaechi’s attempt to reintroduce the long-forgotten issue of the abandoned property for his inordinate political agenda smacked of mischief.