The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2015 elections

  • 10 things you didn’t know about my father – Halima Buhari

    10 things you didn’t know about my father – Halima Buhari

    In an interview on Kayode Ogundamisi’s blog, Halima Buhari, daughter of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate speaks of her father.

     

    What type of father is he?

    · He is very realistic and tells you exactly how it is.

    ·He likes cracking jokes.

    ·He is very caring and sensitive to our feelings.

    · He does not coerce us to do anything we don’t want to do.

    · He is very understands unlike what people believe.

    ·He has a very soft side.

    What type of grandfather is he?

    ·He cares a lot about his grandchildren and plays with them even more than he does with his own children.

    ·He is very fond of his grand children.

    ·He gives them all sorts of funny traditional names.

    What kind of president will he be?

    This is a democratic era, not 1983 – the military regime, so he will certainly be more tolerant and passionate about leading Nigeria and getting it out of every mess that it has seen, the corruption and insecurity which is making thousands of Nigerians lose their lives and is affecting everyone in one way or another.

    He will tackle it and make sure he gets his job don

    Link- VIDEO: The Buhari Nigerians Dont Know – Halima Buhari Speaks.

  • Dasuki seeks postponement of 2015 elections

    The National Security Adviser, Sambo Dsuki, has called for the postponement of next month general election to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission complete the distribution of millions of biometric ID cards to voters.

    Dasuki said on Thursday he had told the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, that a postponement within the three months allowed by the law would be a good idea.

    However, the All Progressive Congress has said it would oppose any postponement, and the electoral commission said it had not received any such official communication from Dasuki, Reuters reports.

    The elections, currently scheduled for February 14, will be the first where Nigeria’s 68.8 million voters must have a biometric cards — a measure introduced to guard against fraud that has plagued past polls.

    But there have been technical glitches in data collection and officials have not explained how they will hold the election in parts of the northeast gripped by a violent uprising by Boko Haram rebels.

    How Nigeria conducts this poll will be closely watched by investors and foreign powers, amid the uprising and an economic crisis linked to low oil prices.

    Dasuki, speaking at London think-tank Chatham House, said INEC had distributed 30 million cards in the past year but had another 30 million to hand out.

    He said INEC had assured him it would achieve this in time for the February date, but he thought it would make more sense to take more time and there was a 90-day window during which the election could legally take place.

     

  • Press council sensitises journalists on 2015 elections

    Press council sensitises journalists on 2015 elections

    Ahead of the forthcoming general elections in February, the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) is organizing capacity building programmes for journalists in the six geo-political zones in the country.

    The council, which is holding the 6th edition in Lagos state, organized the workshop to prepare members of the press on the effective coverage and reportage.

    With the theme: “ethical conduct and effective coverage of 2015 elections by the media”, the council aims at strengthening the capacity of the media using the code of professional conducts.

    The key objective of the zonal workshops is to train journalists in both print and broadcasting organisations in best practices for election reporting, sensitizing them on ethical principles guiding election reporting and coverage a deliberate means of entrenching democracy and by extension good governance in Nigeria.

    The workshop is in support of the Democratic Governance for Development Project (GDD) of the United Nations Development Programme.

  • Benue will vote for PDP, Jonathan – Mark

    Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday assured that the peoples a Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan will win the forthcoming elections in Benue State by 85 per cent margin.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, in a statement in Abuja said the campaign train of President Jonathan is scheduled to berth in Benue on Thursday.

    Also on Wednesday, Mark and Governor Gabriel Suswam said democracy can only thrive in Nigeria if predicated on justice, fairness and equity rather than rancour and acrimony.

    The Senate President and the Governor, both vying for 2015 Senatorial seats for Benue South and Benue North East respectively, spoke at the flag off of the former’s 2015 senatorial bid at Och’Idoma’s palace square in Otukpo, Benue state.

    Speaking at his country home, Otukpo, Benue state, Mark insisted that the PDP-led Federal Government has provided enough dividends of democracy to the people of Benue State to guarantee overwhelming victory.

    He noted that the state PDP has maintained a winning streak in the state since 1999 and has every good reason to remain faithful to the party.

    Mark said: “Given another opportunity, the PDP-led government would advance on its service delivery to the citizenry and make Nigeria much better.”

    He appealed to the people of Benue to come out in large number to welcome President Jonathan to the state just as he canvassed for peaceful conduct of all the elections.
    He stressed that development can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

     

  • Only registered IDPs will vote – Jega

    Only registered IDPs will vote – Jega

    Only registered Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will be allowed to vote in the coming February general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.

    The commission also noted that only those still within the three troubled states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe would be allowed to participate in the elections.

    There are between 981,000 to one million IDPS.

    Speaking this morning at a stakeholder’s workshop on Internally Displaced Persons and 2015 general election, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega said the Commission would be setting up special centres for the IDPs to vote, stressing that it is the least that could be done to allow for their participation.

    Jega also said that the centres would be used for the distribution of Permanent Voters Card.

    He also announced that no centre would be created in IDPs camps.

     

  • EU deploys election observers to Nigeria

    The European Union has deployed an Election Observation Mission for next general election in the country.

    EU is expected to assess the poll against national law and international principles for elections contained in regional and international law and standards.

    The European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) is led by Santiago Fisas Ayxela, a member of the European Parliament, from Spain, who will arrive in Abuja later this week.

    A delegation from the European Parliament and EU diplomats in Nigeria will also join the mission on election days.

    According to a statement issued by the mission in Abuja, nine analysts of the core team have already arrived the country since January 6, this is in addition to the advance team that was deployed during the party primaries last November and December.

    ”The EUEOM’s extended presence shows the EU’s commitment to the conduct of inclusive, transparent and credible elections in Nigeria. We don’t just focus on the election days, but on all aspects of the electoral process, including the arbitration of petitions long after voting is finished,” Ayxela said.

    The EUEOM will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the entire electoral process. This will include assessing the legal framework, the performance of the election administration, voter registration, candidates’ nomination and political parties’ primaries, campaign activities, respect for fundamental freedoms, access to and conduct of the media, voting and the counting, the announcement and acceptance of results, and complaints and appeals.

    The EUEOM is bound by a code of conduct which requires strict neutrality and no interference in the process.

    The mission undertakes all its work in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. The EUEOM will publish its initial findings in preliminary statements, which will be presented in press conferences two days after each election day. A final report will be later published which will include recommendations for improvements for future elections.

  • Group lauds politicians on peace pact

    Group lauds politicians on peace pact

    The Good Governance Group (3Gs) has commended the signing of a peace pact against post electoral violence by all presidential candidates in the forthcoming general elections.

    The group urged them faithfully adhere to the agreement by calling on all their agents to desist from any form of violence and provocative statements.

    The 3Gs, which is a non-political affiliated group, also called on politicians in the country to engage themselves in issue based campaigns and stop attacks against individual personalities.

    In a statement signed by the convener of the group, Comrade Seyi Gambo, the signing of the peace pact in the presence of a former secretary general of United Nations and his counterpart former secretary of the Commonwealth shows the seriousness of the international community against violence in the political space with the attendant capability to truncate democratic institutions.

    He said, “The peace pact is symbolic and a step in the right direction, an indication that our political leaders are also aware of the importance of a free and fair election. We recall that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan have repeatedly said that no Nigerian blood should be shed on account of his re-election, just as General Muhammadu Buhari have been swift at condemning recent violence in Port Harcourt and Jos.

    “The traditional institutions, obas, emirs, and obis among others, should rise up to the occasion, by calling youths in their respective domains to desist from perpetuating violence before and after this elections, because these traditional rulers are closer to the people just like the police.

    “Political aspirants should also remember that Nigeria is greater than every individual and their ambitions. We should all work to ensure the success of the Nigeria project and defend the legacy of a united and peaceful Nigeria that was bequeathed to us by our founding fathers and heroes ‎who fought during the civil war.”

    Comrade Gambo berated politicians and their supporters who leave substance and developmental issues to attacking their opponents at political rallies and campaigns, adding that campaigns should be ideologically driven and not about individual personalities.

    “The media have been awashed with derogatory statements against individual candidates instead of issues. Their campaigns should be targeted at what they will do when voted into power; how they will improve the lot of the people, strategies and machineries they will put in place to address the shortfall in the educational, health and other sectors of the economy,” he added.

     

  • Group task youth on 2015 elections

    The Executive Director of Youngstars Foundation, Kingsley Bangwell has advised young people to shun violence and embrace peace and fair play as we approach the 2015 general elections.

     Bangwell made this known at  campaign toward, Nigeria 2015 election organised by Youngstars Foundation in partnership with The 2Face Foundation funded by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) through USAID held recently at the NRC Building, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos.

     The campaign “Vote Not Fight”: Election no be War brought together hundreds of youths, civil society groups, youth association and musicians within the Ifako-Ijaiye community. The youth, were given  a non-violence pledge slip.

     He said that the need to engage young people, most especially in violence prone areas on the values of peace, love and fair play as we approach the Nigeria 2015 election, is very instructive for a violence free poll.

     Bangwell said “vote Not Fight” is a youth non-violence voter education campaign that seeks to promote peaceful participation by Nigerian youth in the 2015 elections.

     He noted that by February 2015, Nigerians would again head to the polls to decide through the ballot box the leadership of the country at the federal and state level both at the executive and legislative arm. Previous elections have been known to be marred with instances of violence and sometimes needless deaths.

     He recalled that in 2011 elections in Nigeria, Over 600 people were killed and about 40,000 people were internally displaced in the post- election violence of 2011. He said, “this must be prevented in 2015 especially as there are already instances of violence during rallies in” some parts of the country.

     Bangwell opined that the campaign seeks to encourage youth to make a commitment to shun violence and embrace peace. It is hoped that Nigerians from all walks of life will commit to peaceful elections by signing a non-violence pledge.

     “Election is not a war but an opportunity to refine the future of our country which must be echoed in the minds of our youth as we draw closer to the polls,” he said.

  • 2015: I can’t sacrifice performance for party – Obasanjo

    2015: I can’t sacrifice performance for party – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday blows hot again, saying it is “performance” and not “party loyalty” that informed his choice of whom to support in the forthcoming general election.

    Obasanjo, who is a former chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), did not hide his intention to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun statw, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in the February 28 governorship election in the state.

    The ex- president made spoke Abeokuta, the state capital, when addressing Igbo leaders from Lagos and Ogun States, who visited him at his Presidential Hilltop Estate, Abeokuta.

    The Igbo delegation led by Chief Austine Nkeze was in Obasanjo’s home to identify with him and seek his direction regarding the elections.

    He appealed to non – indigenes in Ogun State to re-elect Amosun so that the infrastructural, urban renewal projects being executed by the governor could be sustained.

    Obasanjo said: “In 2011, we were not together, though we were together before and I did campaign against him. But, see what he has been able to do in the last three and half years in the state, I cannot sacrifice performance for party.”

    “I never dream of having a bridge on dry land in Ogun state in my life time. Yes, we have Ogun River, where there is a bridge, but on a dry land, go to Ijebu, Sagamu, Ota, what am I seeing, bridges, not even one, two, three.

    “So, my people, I am not talking about other elections. I have come to tell you that in order to appreciate what this personality has been able to do in the last three and half years, let us give him our votes.

    “If you do me this honour and things change, come and meet me and I will be responsible. But, because I know his personality, he will not. What happened in 2011 is politics, and we can all see the difference between politics and personality.”

  • Perpetrators of election violence should face ICC – TAN

    The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) has said that anybody found to have engaged in violence before, during and after the forthcoming general election should be sent to the International Criminal Court for trial as is being done presently in Kenya.

    The Head of Media and Communication of TAN, Christian Udechukwu, who made the call in an interview with a select group of Journalists in Abuja, said such action will deter people from perpetrating violence.

    He noted that although President Goodluck Jonathan has not made any statement suggestive of violence, current dispositions of some Nigerians have created tension in the polity and began to frighten investors and the ordinary Nigerians.

    He accused the All Progressives Congress of being the ones fanning the embers of violence ahead of the elections, pointing out that “President Jonathan on his part has cautioned all people who are involved in the political process not to threaten anybody, not to be aggressive in campaigning, not to be violent in their conduct but to ensure the free, fair and peaceful election.

    “That is what the President has been canvassing for, checkout his public statements but listen to the opposition and hear what they are saying, they are threatening fire and brimstone. They are threatening all manner of fire, blood of monkeys and blood of baboons and so on.”