The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2015 polls

  • Imo guber: Araraume declares support for Okorocha

    Imo guber: Araraume declares support for Okorocha

    Last minute efforts by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to reconcile the PDP governorship candidate, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha and a former governorship aspirant of the party, Senator Ifeayin Araraume Thursday collapsed as the Senator, who is still laying claim to the governorship ticket, teamed up with All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    The Senator, who commands large followership in the State, directed his supporters to vote for the APC candidate in the governorship election.

    The directive which has dealt a damaging blow to the chances of the PDP candidate was hailed by APC chieftains, who described the Senator as a distinguished Imo indigene who puts the interest of the state ahead of party or personal considerations.

    The Nation gathered reliably that Ararraume, may join the APC soon after the elections.

    However, when contacted, the Media Assistant to the PDP stalwart, Dr. James Okoroma, said the Senator is not thinking of defecting to the APC but took the decision to ensure that at least the APC will have at least one state in the Southeast in the overall interest of Ndigbo.

    According to him, “the Senator has not joined APC, what he did was to direct his supporters to vote for Governor Okorocha since Imo is the only APC state in the Southeast and he wouldn’t want Ndigbo to lose out completely”.

    Meanwhile, notable members of PDP in the State have defected to APC; among them were two former governorship aspirants of the party, Chief Jerry Chukwueke and Chief Bethel Nzimako.

  • Lecturers storm INEC over unpaid allowances

    Lecturers storm INEC over unpaid allowances

    Academic staff in the University of Calabar (UNICAL) that served as returning officers in the May 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections Thursday, stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Calabar to protest the non-payment of their allowances.

    They threatened to boycott Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    One of the protesting lecturers told journalists that they embarked on the action to protest the ill-treatment meted out on them by the commission.

    He disclosed that what they have been receiving in previous elections was higher than what the commission offered them in this year’s elections, though he declined to disclose the figure.

    According to him, ‘they (INEC) slashed our honorarium without explanations, and could not even pay what they claim they were going to pay us.’

    Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Sylvester Ezeani condemned the protests by the lecturers describing their action as ‘unfortunate.’

    He said such action was expected of students and not academic staff, adding that efforts will be made to pay them.

  • April 11 poll: 9 Guber candidates step down for El-Rufai

    April 11 poll: 9 Guber candidates step down for El-Rufai

    Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, nine governorship candidates in Kaduna State have stepped down their ambition for the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

    The candidates who converged at Kwara State Government Lodge in Kaduna to address newsmen on the development said the decision was reached after a wide consultation with their teeming and magnanimous supporters and NEC members.

    According to them, “We the following gubernatorial candidates in the 2015 election schedule to take place on 11th April, 2015 after due consultation with our teeming and magnanimous supporters/ NEC members of our great parties we have unanimously and unequivocally resolved this day 9th April, 2015 to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 general election, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

    “Having duly, adequately and articulatively study the manifesto’s of the APC and seeing that it aim, objectives and principles are in complete compliance to our aspiration and desire to run for the gubernatorial election in our dear state such as security of life and property, economic empowerment, women and youth empowerment.

    “We therefore call on our teeming and enthusiastic supporters to come out en mass come Saturday 11th, April 2015 and vote for Malam Nasir El-Rufai of the APC.

    “We pray for a successful free, fair and credible and violence free election,” they stated.

    The governorship candidates who stepped down include, Isa Adaamu Abdullahi, National Conscience Party (NCP), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Ahmed, Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Arch. Kabir Ahmed Jibril, Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Alhaji Lawal Yusuf, United Party of Nigeria (UPN) and Bala Mohammed Yunusa, African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    Others include Dr. Sani Abdulkadir, NNPP, Alhaji Mohammed Ribadu, APA, Garba Moh’d Suleiman, ACPN and Nayaya Mohammed Lawal, PDC.

     

  • Edo APC accuses PDP of recruiting fake INEC staff

    Edo APC accuses PDP of recruiting fake INEC staff

    The All Progressive Congress in Edo State has raised an alarm over recruitment of students by the Peoples Democratic Party with a view to sabotaging Saturday’s House of Assembly elections.

    It said the PDP hoped to bribe some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt the students as adhoc staff for the election.

    State Publicity Secretary of APC, Comrade Godwin Erhahon, in a press statement said thugs have been recruited by the PDP to unleash mayhem in areas where the PDP could not rig elections.

    Erhahon warned the students’ mercenaries to steer clear of polling units and collation centres especially in Orhionmwon or they would be dealt with in a lawful manner that would jeopardize the student’s future.

    He urged parents not to allow their children to be used to sabotage the election by politicians whose children are schooling abroad.

    Erhahon advised INEC not to allow its ranks to be infiltrated as it did in the March 28 general elections.

    Responding, a chieftain of the PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, denied the APC allegation and said it amount to insanity.

  • Aprill 11 Polls: IGP redeploys 20 AIGs, CPs

    Aprill 11 Polls: IGP redeploys 20 AIGs, CPs

    • Special forces for Rivers

     

    The Inspector General of Police IGP Suleiman Abba has deployed Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police to supervise the gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections in different states.

    This deployment is in addition to the deployment of six Deputy Inspector-General of Police to coordinate Police activities in the six geo-political zones.

    Also, due to the volatile nature of activities in Rivers, Special Forces have been deployed to oversee electoral activities in the State.

    This is contained in a statement Thursday by the Force Spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu.

    According to the statement, the 16 AIGs affected by the deployment are: “AIG Usman A. Gwary – Abia State, AIG Olufemi Adenaike – Kwara State, AIG Mbu J. Mbu – Ogun State, AIG Patrick Dey Dokumor – Kaduna State, AIG Tambari Y. Muhammed – Jigawa State, and AIG Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar – Gombe State.

    Others are: “AIG Ikemefuna R. Okoye – Oyo State, AIG Tunde Ogunsakin – Rivers State, AIG Jubril O. Adeniji – Bauchi State, AIG Yerima Irimiya – Imo State, AIG Baba Adisa Bolanta – Akwa Ibom State, AIG Lawal Tanko – Lagos State, AIG Ballah M. Nasarawa – Benue State, AIG Musa Abdulsalam Daura – Edo State, AIG Aderele T. Shinaba – Plateau State and AIG Bala A. Hassan – Sokoto State.

    To ensure adequate security, four Commissioners of Police have also been deployed for election duties to the following States: CP Sam Okaula – Anambra State; CP E. J.  Ibine – Ekiti State;  CP Adamu Mohammed Enugu State; and  CP Valentine Ntomchukwu -Osun State.

    In addition to the officers, Abba also deployed Commissioners of Police to command each of the Senatorial Zones of these States; Gombe, Bauchi, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Benue, Edo, Plateau and Sokoto.

    On the deployment to Rivers state, the following Special Units deployed are: “32 Units of Police Mobile Force (PMF), 4 Units of Counter terrorism Units (CTU), 4 Units of Special Protection Units (SPU) and 6 Crack Teams of Detectives from Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) and complements of Intelligence officers”.

  • Mimiko, Ondo APC in supremacy battle over Assembly polls

    Mimiko, Ondo APC in supremacy battle over Assembly polls

    Ondo state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have engaged in an intensive effort to ensure the victory of the party in tomorrow House of Assembly election in the state.

    The PDP lost in the last Presidential election in the state, hence the rigorous efforts by the Governor to ensure that the party wins majority of the seats in the state House of Assembly in the forthcoming election.

    Efforts by Mimiko and other leaders of the party in the state were aimed at ensuring that the PDP dominated the House of Assembly to produce Speaker of the House.

    However, with the defection of many PDP leaders including its 2012 governorship candidate, Chief Olusola Oke and many others from the Southern District, might not be easy task for Mimiko as usual.

    The Governor, it was gathered had met with his loyalists and supporters across the state on how to ensure that the party wins overwhelmingly in the Saturday’s election.

    Also, Mimiko and some members of his cabinet including contestants for the House of Assembly election had engaged in intensive campaign ahead of the election.

    It was learnt that Mimiko had also embarked on grassroots campaign in order to gain the hearts of the people of the grassroots ahead of the election, but many are said not to be favourably disposed to his style of politics.

    Already, the state House of Assembly is being controlled by the PDP, but the Governor is said to be worried by the outcome of the last Presidential election in the state, hence the last minute campaign across the state.

    It was gathered that the Governor is not giving any chance to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to take over the leadership of the House, as he still has almost two years to spend in office as the Governor of the state.

    But, for now the original owners of PDP in the state have left the party for the APC with a view to join forces and defeat Mimiko in the election.

    It was observed those in the present PDP are members of the old Labour Party (LP) who accompanied Mimiko to PDP and still loyal to him.

  • Guber polls: NYSC members flee Akwa Ibom

    Guber polls: NYSC members flee Akwa Ibom

    Some members of the National Youth Service Corps who are ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State have fled the state ahead of April 11 governorship and state house of assembly elections.

    Some of the corps members spoke with newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital Thursday.

    The corps members said they sent ‘Save Our Soul’ letter to the Director General of the NYSC through the State Coordinator, Lady Ngozi Chukwuka.

    The leader of the group, who only identified himself as Asuquo, said many of them became objects of attack following unavailability of sensitive materials in their polling units during the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    He added that many of the corps members who had been trained by INEC and used in the presidential and national assembly elections and who are not from Akwa Ibom, had fled the state.

    He said: “During the Presidential and National Assembly elections, for instance Ward 11, Unit 2, Nkemba, Uyo, we were sent there but we were not given sensitive materials. Because of threats to lives of many of our members following the irregularities that took place during the presidential and national assembly elections, many corps members who are not from Akwa Ibom, have left the state for where they come from.”

    He stated that the voters did not believe that INEC did not supply them with sensitive materials as they had believed that they (the INEC ad hoc staff) were hoarding the materials for politicians that would pay them handsomely.

    He appealed to the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Austin Okojie to ensure the availability of materials at the polling units before they are sent out to the field to conduct the governorship and state house of assembly elections.

    The letter by the corps members read: “We the undersigned youth corps members who are doing our national service in Akwa Ibom State and who have been recruited as ad hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission have decided to send this ‘Save our Soul’ appeal to you to come to our aid.

    “Sir, we are constraint to write to you with respect to the forthcoming governorship and house of assembly election coming up on April 11.

    “Our experience during the last presidential election, where we were sent to the field without result sheets and other sensitive materials, exposed us to extreme danger, and this calls for sober reflection.

    “We only have God to thank that we lost only one female member in Abak and we do not want a repeat of it.

    “To this end, sir, we are appealing to you to use your good offices to direct the REC to ensure that no youth corps member should be sent out for electoral duties without giving him/her all the materials needed for the elections.

    “Equally important, sir, is the issue of security which must be put in place to ensure the safety of every youth corps member employed on electoral duties.”

  • ‘Igbos will vote for Ambode’

    ‘Igbos will vote for Ambode’

    A notable Lagos based administrator, Benedine Eloka-Umuoji, has called on Igbo residents and other non indigenes in Lagos to regard Oba’s comments as his personal opinion and vote for Akinwumi Ambode and other APC candidates.

    Eloka-Umuoji, who is one of the Igbos based in Lagos, said it would be unfair to visit Akiolu’s sin on Ambode, whose party; All Progressives Congress (APC) has since dissociated itself from the monarch’s comments.

    ‎‎She also urged her kinsmen not allow the opinion of the Oba to derail them from fulfilling their promise to vote for Ambode as the next governor of the state.

    According to her, “We are in a symbiotic relationship and must do everything so support our host.‎ Nonetheless; we give Oba Akiolu kudos for reminding us that we are strangers. The truth is that we are strangers here. Lagos belongs to some people, just like Onitsha and Aba. Let’s not carry on as if this place is a no man’s land. It is not!

    “The Oba’s statement only succeeded in opening our thoughts to start considering shifting investments down our real father land. However, the Oba of Lagos does not have the impetus to insult us and we therefore demand his apology.

    “Nevertheless, we would troop out en-mass to vote for Ambode because we believe in Fashola’s administration and its uniqueness. ‎At least Lagos is being re-branded. APC government would support our objective, and so we would reject sarcastic words opposing our journey to our rehoboth. Such is the Oba’s statement. It is devil’s strategy. Please let us ignore it.”

    ‎Eloka-Umuoji, therefore urged Ambode to as a matter of urgency address the alleged extortion of money from Igbo traders in all markets in Lagos state by Yoruba Market union leaders immediately he assumes office on May 29.

    “The in-coming governor should ensure more representation of the Igbos in his government‎, give approval of Certificate Of Occupancy for properties owned by non indigenes, provide adequate compensation for properties demolished for public interest belonging to affected persons, and the Igbos in the state, curtail the excesses of the Law enforcement agencies particularly the LASMA that hid under Fashola Law to mete hardship and punishment on Lagosians and ‎review Okada riders policy,” she added.

  • April 11: Rivers leaders, elders call for massive vote for APC

    April 11: Rivers leaders, elders call for massive vote for APC

    The Rivers Elders and Leadership Council (RELEC) has called on the people of the Niger Delta state to massively vote on Saturday for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside.

    The leaders insisted that another Ikwerre person would not be allowed to succeed Governor Rotimi Amaechi, an Ikwerre from Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers state.

    RELEC, through its Chairman. Chief Albert Horsfall, a former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Wednesday in Port Harcourt, stated that the upland/riverine dichotomy in the state must be respected.

    The Rivers elders were apparently referring to the state’s governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Nyesom Wike, an Ikwerre, a former Minister of State for Education, who hails from Rumueprikom in Obio/Akpor LGA.

    RELEC said: “It is the considered directive and advice of the RELEC elders that all Rivers people should vote Dakuku Peterside for governor and accordingly urge Peterside and all other riverine candidates to enter into immediate consultations to collaborate, in order to avoid splitting the votes for single riverine candidate.

    “We must not sleep-walk into another avoidable catastrophe. We must ignore anyone or group who tries to instigate us to violence, with the erroneous impression that what we could not do when we were in authority and power for six years, we could do now if we remain in power another day or year.

    “Is it not sad and disgraceful that since 1999 when civilian democracy returned to this country, this state has never had a proper democratic election, where-as other states have all tried, successfully and started to do so? For us, it has been the same practice of ‘carry go’; stuffing of ballot boxes; intimidation and violence, and writing false results, after illegal thumb-printing of ballot papers.

    “We are pre-dominantly Christians in this state and we must not allow religious politics or politicking to grow in the state. Christ and Christianity is our chosen and cherished belief; nothing must be done to subvert or undermine our own way of life. The rights, traditions and culture of our people must be respected and recognised.

    “Dear Rivers people, can we once again remain in opposition to the Federal Government and see our people continuously deprived in a land where we have made so much contribution and sacrifice? That is what we get when we vote a PDP candidate for governor. So, think again, our dear Rivers people.”

    The elders also stated that a successful, but partly rigged election for governorship was conducted in 1998, and a stable administration emerged after that election in 1999, stressing that the sailing was okay and there was a peaceful and trouble-free conduct of affairs in Rivers state throughout 1999 and most of year 2000, lamenting that from 2001, killer gangs were organised by top politicians in the state government, first under a serving police officer, to hunt down and kill imagined opponents.

  • ‘Akiolu’s statement cannot stop Igbos from voting Ambode’

    Barely three days ‎after the Eleko of Eko, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, allegedly threatened Igbo residents in the state to either vote for All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the state, Akinwunmi Ambode or die in the lagoon, a notable Lagos based administrator, Benedine Eloka-Umuoji, has called on Igbo residents and other none indigenes in Lagos to regard Oba’s comments as his personal opinion.

    Eloka-Umuoji, who is one of the Igbos based in Lagos, said it would be unfair to visit Akiolu’s sin on Ambode, whose party; All Progressives Congress (APC) has since dissociated itself from the monarch’s comments.

    ‎‎She also urged her kinsmen not allow the opinion of the Oba to derail them from fulfilling their promise to vote for Ambode as the next governor of the state.

    According to her, “We are in a symbiotic relationship and must do everything so support
    our host.‎ Nonetheless, we give Oba Akiolu kudos for reminding us that we are strangers. The truth is that we are strangers here. Lagos belongs to some people, just like Onitsha and Aba. Let’s not carry on as if this place is a no man’s land. It is not!

    “The Oba’s statement only succeeded in opening our thoughts to start considering shifting investments down our real father land. However, the Oba of Lagos does not have the impetus to insult us and we therefore demand his apology.

    “Nevertheless, we would troop out en-mass to vote for Ambode because we believe in Fashola’s administration and its uniqueness. ‎At least Lagos is being re-branded. APC government would support our objective, and so we would reject sarcastic words opposing our journey to our rehoboth. Such is the Oba’s statement. It is devil’s strategy. Please let us ignore it.”

    ‎Eloka-Umuoji, therefore urged Ambode to as a matter of urgency address the alleged extortion of money from Igbo traders in all markets in Lagos state by Yoruba Market union leaders immediately he assumes office on May 29.

    “The in-coming governor should ensure more representation of the Igbos in his government‎, give approval of Certificate Of Occupancy for properties owned by non indigenes, provide adequate compensation for properties demolished for public interest belonging to affected persons, and the Igbos in the state, curtail the excesses of the Law enforcement agencies particularly the LASMA that hid under Fashola Law to mete hardship and punishment on Lagosians and ‎review Okada riders policy,” she added.