The Nation Newspaper

Category: Verdict 2015

Election in Nigeria 2015

  • INEC exposes reasons Card Readers failed

    INEC exposes reasons Card Readers failed

    •‘Nail polish, adhesive used to sabotage device’

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has maintained that it will not allow manual accreditation for Saturday elections.

    The commission, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said unlike in the presidential and National Assembly elections where the commission relaxed the rules, Card Readers will be used for governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

    Consequently, the commission also revealed that it has worked on identified challenges that faced the operation of the Card Reader during the last elections.

    The statement by the commission’s secretary, Mrs. Augusta C. Ogakwu, explained that there was no way the commission would suddenly replace the provisions in the books.

    The statement reads: “The INEC wishes to inform all Nigerians that Card Readers will be used for the April 11, 2015 elections.

    “The provision of the guidelines for the conduct of the 2015 general elections, which outlined what is to be done if a Card Reader fails and cannot be replaced by the commission within a specified time frame (i.e. reschedule the election to the next day), will be enforced.

    “The relaxation of the guideline on March 28, 2015 was only with respect to the presidential and National Assembly elections held on that date.

    “The commission has reviewed the operation of the Card Reader in the March 28 elections, identified the challenges and has taken adequate measures to address them.”

    But, some senior security officers have alleged that nail polish and adhesive were used by many members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to sabotage the operation of Card Readers during the March 28 elections.

    The officers, who craved anonymity, said superglue or transparent nail polish when applied to fingerprints creates new prints, thereby distorting original fingerprints.

    Investigations also revealed that superglue contains Cyanoacrylate, which is a generic name for a family of strong and fast-acting adhesives.

    It was also found that the vapours of Cyanoacrylate react with the chemicals that are found in fingerprints.

    One of the security officials said most voters deliberately applied the substances to make the Card Readers unable to detect their fingerprints.

    “They robbed these substances to protect their fingerprints. The superglue and nail polish distorted their fingerprints and rendered the Card Readers unable to capture them.

    “This gave room for agitation and confusion. In the process, INEC resorted to manual accreditation. The manual accreditation gave birth to manipulation and irregularities,” a senior security officer said.

    He added: “They used it and it worked. They are also planning to use it on Saturday for the governorship and House of Assembly elections. They will create enough confusion that will compel INEC to revert to manual accreditation.”

    He asked electoral officials to check fingerprints thoroughly before placing them on the card readers for identification and accreditation.

    “INEC officials must do additional work. They should examine fingerings of each voter physically before using Card Readers on them. Otherwise, the failure rate of Card Readers in the next polls will be worse than the last election,” he said.

  • INEC to punish erring officials in Edo

    INEC to punish erring officials in Edo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission is to punish any of its officials whose actions caused irregularities in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Edo State.

    Resident Electoral Commission in the state (REC), Barrister Mike Igini, who disclosed this Monday said the erring officials must account why result sheets were not present at some polling units during the elections.

    Igini spoke shortly before meeting with Electoral Officers and other management staff of INEC to review the March 28 polls as well as strategies for this Saturday elections.

    The Edo REC said it was worrisome for result sheets not to be available at polling units when he personally handed out the result sheets to the concerned officials.

    According to him, “There must be an account why result sheets were not at the polling units. I am compiling areas where results sheet were not accompanied with other materials. When I distributed sensitive and none-sensitive materials, I gave everything to all of you.

    “To say that there was no result sheet is a clear manifest violation of our procedures; and there must be consequences today.”

    Barr. Igini warned INEC officials against any breach of procedures in the April 11th State Assembly elections saying “the outcome of the election must be decided by the people.

    “The will of the people must not be compromised because this office will occupy is under public trust.

    “I don’t have any vote to give to anybody. There are consequences for those who breached our procedure.”

  • Kwara: Parties adopt Ahmed as governorship candidate

    Kwara: Parties adopt Ahmed as governorship candidate

    Ahead of April 11th governorship and House of Assembly elections, seven political parties in Kwara state have adopted Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as their candidate.
    The parties, under the aegis of Congress of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), based their decision on the need to be in the mainstream of the nation’s politics.
    The parties involved are Action Alliance (AA), Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA), United Progressives Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP), Citizen Popular Party (CPP), African Peoples’ Alliance (APA) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    Accordingly, the governorship candidates of the parties have stepped down for the APC governorship candidate.
    The governorship candidates that stepped down for Ahmed are Mrs. Felicia Oyewusi(AA), Alhaji Tiamiyu Kamoru(PPA),Deaconess Comfort Kayode (UPP) and Lekan Alabi (SDP).
    Others are Mr. Bayo David (UDP), Bamidele Omotosho(CPP) and Mrs. Falilatu Bashiru, deputy governorship candidate of SDP.
    Addressing reporters on Monday in Ilorin, the chairman of the CNPP in the state, Alhaji Adebayo Lawal said their decision was borne out of genuine concern for the progress and development of the state.
    Lawal added:”We in the CNPP of Kwara state identified the need to be in the mainstream of the nation’s politics by ensuring that our governor, Alh. AbdulFatah Ahmed also emerges on the platform of APC to enable us recoup all the losses we have sustained under the punitive policies of the administration of the outgoing President in the last two years.
    “We are therefore unequivocal in our resolve to fully support the incumbent APG governor, Alh. AbdulFatah Ahmed on April11, 2015 and we call on all our teeming members and supporters in Kwara state to cast their votes for the party of the moment, the APC on that day.
    “Furthermore, we are calling on all well- meaning people of Kwara state to also give their support to the candidate of APC in his well deserved second term in office as the executive governor of Kwara state and also to the various APC candidates for the state House of Assembly so that the dividends of democracy would continue to reach the people throughout the nooks and crannies of the state.

    “The APC that presented the victorious presidential candidate in the March 28 elections, has thus emerged as the ruling party in Nigeria and also the party to beat in the final round of the 205 general elections in which governors and state Houses of Assembly legislators are expected to be elected.”

  • April 11 polls: Ogiemwonyi, Benin leaders canvass votes for APC

    April 11 polls: Ogiemwonyi, Benin leaders canvass votes for APC

    Former Minister of State for Works, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, and members of the Benin Leaders of Thought have urged the people of Edo State to reject any monetary offer meant to induce them to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during Saturday’s House of Assembly elections.

    Ogiemwonyi alleged that the PDP wants to deploy money to hoodwink Edo people into an unrewarding opposition with the aim to destabilizing the state.

    Speaking at a press briefing Monday, Engr. Ogiemwonyi, noted that a legislature dominated ‘by a poisonous and vindictive opposition is a recipe for strife, instability and retrogression.’

    Ogiemwonyi warned Edo people not to forget how Oshiomhole’s first year in office was dogged by deliberate truncation of enabling laws for development including the non-release of ecological funds to tackle erosion problems in the state.

    According to him, “We cannot afford to be in opposition. The time has come for us to decide. We must have APC in Edo as we have in Abuja.”

    “The politics of inclusion as a panacea for attaining sustainable development is gaining acceptance globally and Nigeria is one being left out. The Yoruba nation, having realized the futility of opposition politics, has keyed into mainstream politicking at the centre.”

    “It is our firm belief that our interest in Edo will be better served within the framework of the APC under the leadership of Gen. Buhari at the centre with APC at the state level. Edo people must support this change.”

    “On April 11, Edo people must jettison the toga of opposition. We must reject the persuasions of those who seek to use an expected numerical edge in the House of Assembly to instigate instability and chaos in Edo State.”

    Prime Minister (Iyase) of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, said he was shocked at the results of March 28 general elections.

    Chief Igbe stated that whoever voted for the PDP was an enemy of the state and urged the people to vote for APC.

    Former Chief of Staff to Governor Oserheimen Osunbor, Isaiah Osifo, said Edo peoples must vote for APC in line with the voting pattern of the people of Katsina State.

    Other speakers at the press briefing included former Vice Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University, Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor, Col. Paul Ogbebor amongst others.

  • Don’t repeat mistake of voting PDP in Kaduna -APC Chieftain

    Don’t repeat mistake of voting PDP in Kaduna -APC Chieftain

    Ahead of the April 11th governorship election, a chieftain of the All Progresives Congress (APC) from Southern Kaduna, Ibrahim Garaje Akut has called on the people of the area not to repeat the mistake of voting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ‎ again.

    He therefore appealed to his kinsmen to rally round support for the APC’s candidate, Mallam Nasir El-rufai in the saturday polls.

    Mr. Akut who contested for the House of Representative for Kaura Federal constituency at the primaries on the platform of the APC and lost to a former ‎Secretary to the State Government of Kaduna State and also a former Permanent Secretary cabinet office in the presidency Charles Bonet, further appealed to the people of the zone support the APC candidate so as to form the same party in the state as it is presently at the national.

    Although he frowned at the way and manner ‎the election went during the presidential polls where the zone gave their support to President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP despite his glaring inability to tackle challenges bedeviling the nation, such as insecurity, corruption, impunity’, he said, there is the need to retrace step and avoid another mistake in the governorship election.

    He called particularly on the elders and traditional‎ and religious leaders of the southern Kaduna extraction to use their good positions to unite the people of the area and the state and country in particular rather engaging in activities that will divide the people.

    According to Mr. Akut, the APC governorship candidate is a trusted man with proven experience which when brought to bear will help to transform the state positively, he therefore appealed for an overwhelming support for him in the forthcoming polls.

    “The Deputy Governorship candidate Barnabas Bala Bantex is our own who severally have proven himself as a man of integrity, their combination in the governance of the state will not only unite the people of the state, it will ‎further draw Federal Government attention to the state and the southern Kaduna area.

    He said, Mallam El-rufai has severally identified with the challenges of the southern Kaduna people, particularly the recurring killings in the area and has promised if elected to bring a permanent end to killings and ensure that justice prevail in the zone in all their areas of ‘oppression’.

    “We have suffered a lot of neglect in our area, our people ‎are killed at any given opportunity and so far nothing tangible seems to be done about it, we cannot continue that way, there must be a change which the APC government has promised to provide.

    “I want to call on our people to come out en-mass and vote for Mallam Nasir El-rufai of the APC as the governor of the state, by that we will have a bargaining power at the end, let us not be deceived with empty promises that may not see the reality of the day,” he stressed.

  • April 11 elections: INEC insists on Card Readers

    April 11 elections: INEC insists on Card Readers

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its wish to ensure that card readers are used during the April 11 elections.

    The commission in a statement signed by its Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, said: “The provision of the Guidelines for the conduct of the 2015 General Elections which outlined what is to be done if a card reader fails and cannot be replaced by the Commission within a specified time frame (i.e. Reschedule the election to the next day) will be enforced.

    “The relaxation of the Guidelines on the 28th March 2015 was with respect to the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on that date.

    “The commission has reviewed the operation of the Card Reader in the 28th March Elections, identified the challenges and has taken adequate measures to address them.”

  • Ogbemudia hails Buhari

    Ogbemudia hails Buhari

    Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, former governor of defunct Bendel state, has expressed confidence in the ability of President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) to perfectly handle the affairs of this country.

    According to a congratulatory statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, Ogbemudia (retired army general), said he was confident that Buhari’s tenure would mark an unforgettable era in the history of this country.

    He acknowledged Buhari’s energy and resilience in winning the election, noting that his shot at the presidency paid off after making the fourth attempt.

    “I have known him (Buhari) since 1963, when he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army.

    “I had the privilege of reading some of his confidential reports, written by his commanders in which he was described as a young officer with boundless energy, and willing to continue when others are tired.

    “These energy and resilience, he has truly demonstrated in politics by winning a historic election at the fourth attempt.

    “I am confident he will lead Nigeria into a remarkable era,” Ogbemudia stressed.

    He then called on PDP members to reflect on what led to their defeat.

    “To my party, the PDP, this is an opportunity to begin to demonstrate capacity to serve as a viable and credible alternative in the service of the nation.

    “A peep into what went wrong is called for,” the former governor advised.

    He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the sportsmanship and statesmanship he demonstrated after the loss, adding that history would never forget such act of patriotism.

  • Adamawa: Atiku disowns pro-Ribadu messages

    Adamawa: Atiku disowns pro-Ribadu messages

    Former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has dissociated himself from a purported photograph of him canvassing for votes for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Adamawa State.

    Atiku, in a press statement signed by his media office on Friday, said that the circulation of a photograph showing him carrying a banner asking for votes for Ribadu was a fraud done out of malice.

    According to the statement, the banner in question was the banner he held in canvassing for votes for the Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, during the last governorship election in Osun State last year.

    Atiku said that the imperative of voting for the APC in the next line of elections in the country on April 11 is a virtue that he is firmly committed to, and to which he will urge all Nigerians to give unwavering support.

    He said: “The purported photograph of me canvassing for votes for the PDP in the Adamawa governorship election is a fraud and done out of outright malice.

    “I did not and will never call for support for any candidate of the PDP. The photograph that is being circulated is the Photoshop copy of my photograph that called for votes for the Osun State governor in the 2014 gubernatorial election in that state.

    “My commitment to support and canvass for votes for the APC, not only in Adamawa State, but in all strata of elections across the country is a virtue that I will urge all Nigerians to follow,” he said.

  • PDP won’t lose its states in guber polls, says Akpabio

    PDP won’t lose its states in guber polls, says Akpabio

    The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum and Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday maintained that the party will not lose any of its states during April 11th governorship elections.

    The party lost the Presidential election last Saturday to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan along with other PDP governors, Akpabio commended Jonathan for sacrificing his political ambition for the sake of Nigeria.

    According to him, Jonathan has set a statesmanlike record in Africa by conceding victory to the opposition despite glaring flaws characterising the election like malfunctioning voter card readers, and intimidation.

    He reiterated the party’s position that it would explore possible legal options in seeking redress over the anomalies observed during the election.

    He said: “I am sure the PDP as a party will react on matters connecting with the elections of March 28. But as governors we came to pay solidarity with our president and to commend him for being a statesman.”

    “Honestly he has done something that no African leader has done in such a flawed exercise, with underage voters everywhere, with disparity between states, some using card readers, some failed card readers, some using manual and some states not using manual and some just taking ballot papers to government houses, particularly in certain parts of the country.

    “Yes, very flawed exercise; yet he looked at it and said in spite of it all I want to ensure peace, unity and stability of the country, let me give an opportunity to the APC Presidential candidate to come in and then give his own to the country.

    “That kind of sacrificial stand by a president can only come from a PDP president and that is why we are very proud of what has happened,” Akpabio  added

    He also said that the PDP was glad not only to have pilot the affairs of the country for the past 16 years  but also giving Nigeria a very peaceful transition that had shocked all and sundry.

    The governor also dismissed reports that the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Muazu had resigned his appointment.

    He said that he spoke with Muazu 30 minutes earlier and nothing of such had happened

    He also explained that some of the PDP governors could not make it to the meeting with the President because the notice was too short.

    Among the PDP governors who met with President Jonathan include Theodore Orji (Abia); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River).

    Others are Idris Wada (Kogi); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Martin Elechi (Ebonyi); Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe); Murktar Yero (Kaduna); Jonah Jang (Plateau); and Sullivan Chime (Enugu).

    Some Minsters who also met with the President were Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (Agriculture); Ibrahim Shekarau (Education); Musiliu Obanikoro (State, Foreign Affairs II); Professor Viola Onwuliri (State, Education); Mohammed Adoke (Attorney General); Abba Moro (Interior); Aminu Wali (Foreign Affairs) and Suleiman Abubakar (National Planning).

    Others are Zainab Maina (Women Affairs); Omobola Johnson (Communication Technology); Sarah Ochekpe (Water Resources); Laraba Mallam (Environment); and Akon Eyakenyi (Land and Housing).

  • I have no qualms about my defeat, says Babangida Aliyu

    I have no qualms about my defeat, says Babangida Aliyu

    Niger State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Niger East Senatorial candidate, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has conceded defeat to the Senator-elect for the zone, Barrister David Umaru.

    He was defeated at the last Saturday National Assembly polls by Umaru with over 170,000 votes.

    Aliyu who spoke on Wednesday in Minna before a state executive council meeting said he has been calling the Senator Elect to congratulate him but his calls and text messages have gone unanswered.

    “I have already conceded defeat to Barrister David Umaru. I have called Umaru’s number after he was declared about seven times but he did not pick‎. I sent a text saying ‘this is the Chief Servant calling, please pick’ and I have not received a reply by now.

    “I have no qualms about the defeat. I did not see my defeat as an insult to my person but as God’s will.”

    Aliyu commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for paying attention to details and advised the body to appreciate the shortcomings in the last election and work towards correcting it.

    He also applauded the gentleman approach of President Goodluck Jonathan in congratulating the President-elect adding that his action doused whatever‎ tension that was on ground during the collation of the results.

    “President Jonathan’s approach doused whatever tension has been created. It worked to smoothen whatever rough edge the election would have created. We hope that the transition will be smooth and everyone will see a friendly handover.”