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Tag: 2019 ELECTIONS

  • 2019 elections: ‘Prisons to pay officers allowance soon’

    The Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) will soon begin the payment of allowance to officers that took part in the just concluded 2019 general elections, it was learnt on Tuesday.

    This was in reaction to recent protest by some officers and men of the service over the alleged non – payment of their allowances for conduct of the elections.

    It would be recalled that some of the NPS officials told a national daily newspaper last week that personnel of other departments in the Ministry of Interior like the Prisons Service were paid their entitlements immediately after the elections.

    NPS spokesman, Francis Enobore who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja over the issue vowed that payment of the said allowance will commence soon.

    Enobore confirmed to The Nation that the delay was occasioned by the additional officers who were asked to join those already on election duty.

    He vowed that as soon as the money is ready payment would commence.

    His words: “there are some others that are asked to be on standby and as the event progress we discovered that other staff that were asked to stand by were pulled to join those ones already on the field.

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    “In fact I have been in a meeting since morning doing final collation of all their name, account numbers and other details so that we can pay them as soon as the money comes.”

    Asked how soon would the payment be, Enobore said: “For now I may not be able to be specific on the time on when the money will be released but I was reliably informed that the money have been approved and any moment from now payment will be paid. I wouldn’t know how much each officer will be receiving until when the money come.”

    He called for calm adding that all issues concerning the welfare of officers and men of the NPS will be addressed.

     

  • Election Tribunal receives 12 petitions in Nasarawa – Official

    The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia has received 12 petitions from different candidates in Nasarawa State.

    Mr Bello Mukhtar, Secretary of the tribunal, made the disclosure to newsmen in Lafia on Tuesday.

    He said the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed five petitions, All Progressives Congress (APC) filed two petitions and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) filed three petitions.

    He said the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) each filed one petition.

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    Mukhtar stated that the tribunal was still expecting petition from the re-run elections that were conducted on March 23.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PDP is challenging the three senatorial seats, Lafia/Obi and Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituencies, while APC was challenging Akwanga/Nassarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituencies.

    PDM is challenging Nasarawa South and Northern Senatorial seats, Akwanga/Nasarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituencies.

    ZLP and APGA are challenging Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituencies and Nasarawa West Senatorial seats respectively.

  • Violence, intimidation, thuggery mar Kano rerun election, says group

    A foreign observer based in South Africa,  Pan African Women Projects has said the supplementary election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Kano was marred by violence, Intimidation and partisanship on the part of the security operatives as well as voters disenfranchisement.

    publicity secretary of the group, Madam Mphoentle Keitseng at a press conference Tuesday in Kano, revealed that the supplementary election was also characterized by thuggery, abuse of electoral process, chased away of foreign observers and media personnel from gaining access to the polling units.
    According to her, thuggery and voter intimidation were reported in almost all the polling units where the rerun was conducted with cases of loss of lives and other malpractices, under the watch of INEC officials and security agencies pointing that “it is evidence that INEC and security agencies were compromised”.
    ” The observed regulated violence and sponsored thuggery in Nassarawa, Madobi, Dala, Kura, Rimin-Gado and Kibiya local government areas. Women were not found queuing in most polling units we visited. We also observed that the two major political parties APC and PDP tried to undo each other for swift electoral victory, hence the palpable eruption of spontaneous crisis with some loss of human lives.
    The group also observed ” Visible lacuna in our electoral act with regards to the role and responsibilities of the INEC. We call for immediate review of the said act of strengthen the functionalities of the INEC for  effective, responsive and coordinating activities in any type of subsequent election”.
    The group however hailed the umpire for conducting the supplementary election across the nation despite numerous challenges.

  • Breaking: Court orders INEC to conduct supplementary poll in Adamawa

    The Adamawa State High Court which gave an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the state supplementary governorship election, has lifted the order.

    In a ruling he delivered Tuesday, Justice Abdulazeez Waziri of High Court 4, also affirmed that his court has the jurisdiction to continue with the case that gave rise to the order.

    The candidate of the Movement for Restoration and Defense of Democracy (MRDD), Rev Eric Theman, had sued INEC immediately after the March 9 governorship election in the state, saying he was deprived of his right to be voted for as the logo of his party was not on the ballot paper for the election.

    He had asked for an order cancelling the election and stopping the supplementary election which INEC fixed for March 26 after it declared the election inconclusive because the margin of lead between the two leading candidates was lower than cancelled votes. The court granted the injunction stopping the conduct of the supplementary election and fixed Tuesday for determination of its jurisdiction over the case, among other things.

    At the resumed sitting Tuesday, Justice Abdulaziz Waziri lifted the order against the supplementary election but fixed Wednesday, March 27 to hear the originating motion by MRDD asking the court to nullify the governorship election conducted on March 9 on the grounds of the logo of his party not being on the ballot paper for the election.

    Reacting to the judgement, the counsel to the MRDD, Bar Mustapha, said it was perfect, as there was no point granting accelerated hearing and an order to restrain conduct of elections.

    “The main substances to our case is the removal of the MRDD party logo from ballot papers, which constitutes the disqualification from the entire election,” he said.

    The counsel to INEC, Bar Stephen Ibian, also expressed satisfaction with the ruling, especially the vacation of the order against the supplementary election.

    “We are happy over the court vacating the earlier order so that we can conduct our supplementary election in the state,” the INEC counsel said.

    The Tuesday court witnessed the joining of Ahmadu Fintiri, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as the PDP, in the case as second and third defendants.

    Reacting to the development, counsel to Fintiri, Joe Kerry Gadzama (SAN), said, “Fortunately, we have today been made parties. She, the PDP governorship candidate Ahmadu Fintiri is now the second defendant while PDP is third defendant in the suit. This ruling came in late, it is a swift victory, but at the same time we are going to be vigilant it is not yet over.”

  • Kwara Poly didn’t fund Saraki’s campaigns, says KWSG

    The Kwara state government has described rumours in some circles that the state-owned Polytechnic, Ilorin funded Senate President Bukola Saraki’s previous political campaigns as false and illogical.

    The state government also absolved Senator Saraki of any involvement in the planned appointment of a new rector for the polytechnic and the vice chancellor for Kwara State University (KWASU).

    Commissioner for Tertiary Education Utaz A. Alikinla, dismissed the claims as outright falsehood, stressing that only Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has the authority to make such appointments.

    The commissioner said the recruitment of the new heads of the institutions will follow due process such as advertisement of vacancies three months to the expiration of tenure, followed by the selection process after which the governor will approve the appointment on the Governing Council’s recommendation.

    Alikinla said that in line with this procedure, the process for the recruitment of a new rector for Kwarapoly commenced on Monday, 25th March 2019 with the advertisement of the vacancy in national Newspapers.

    According to him, the vacancy was advertised as the incumbent’s tenure expires June this year.

    As governance abhors a vacuum, he said, the administration started the recruitment in line with due process even though its tenure is ending.

    He added that as the tenure of the current vice chancellor of KWASU ends next July, the recruitment of his replacement is yet to commence.

    Alikinla also denied claims that a former Chairman of Kwarapoly’s governing council contributed funds to the Senate President’s electioneering campaign in 2011, adding that there is no record of any such transaction in the state government’s or the institution’s records neither is there any record an approval by any organ or official of the institution to that effect.

    On the issue of funding, Alikinla clarified that subvention to Kwarapoly was stopped when a review of its finances revealed the institution could meet its obligations without recourse to government.

  • Kano rerun: Remain calm, PDP urges supporters

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday in Kano called on its supporters to remain calm and law-abiding as they await the outcome of the election petition tribunal.

    The party through a statement by Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the spokesman of its governorship candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf, vehemently rejected the result of the election.

    It said: “The PDP in Kano is proud to be distinctly civil and uniquely peace-loving. We condemn this fraud in its entirety.

    “We have decided to take legal action through the Election Petition Tribunal with overwhelming evidences that has been gathered, and Insha Allah, soonest the mandate of the good people of Kano state shall be reclaimed.

    “However, we urge the good people of Kano state and particularly our teaming supporters to be patient and remain calm. Kano state is our only home.

    “We have no other place better than this noble state and no blood of any citizen is worth shedding.”

    PDP accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies of joining forces to rig the election in favour of the APC.

    “In the political history of Kano, we have undergone the most horrific elections ever where the ruling APC and Kano State Government deployed all mechanisms to orchestrate violence against the citizens.

    “Indeed, the good people of Kano state have witnessed a broad daylight robbery of their mandate by the enemies of democracy. It is with tremendous zeal and courage that we joined the 2019 Kano gubernatorial contest, believing in the impartiality of the umpire – the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies, being on a mission to restore the lost glory of our dear state from the hand of political predators who destroy every meaningful programme and policies set by the previous administration of Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

    “The deliberate disruption of results collation process in Nasarawa Local Government, which led to the cancellation of Gama Ward, alongside numerous other Polling Units across the 28 Local Government Areas and the appalling conduct of the players in the sham called inconclusive Election, has raised huge doubts about the professionalism of the security agencies and the effectiveness, credibility and fairness of INEC as an organization as well as professionalism and neutrality of the security agencies.”

  • Observer groups to sue INEC over Okorocha’s Certificate of Return

    Observer Groups Monday lampooned the Independent National Electoral Commission for withholding the Certificate of Return of Imo West senator-elect, Rochas Okorocha.

    The groups noted that the electoral umpire is overstepping its bonds, adding that it lacks the powers to stop any candidate after he or she has been declared winner.

    At a press Conference in Owerri, Emmanuel Azuike of the Women Fest for Better Life Living Initiative, an Independent Observer group, said that the issue of allegation of duress upon which INEC relying on to withhold the Certificate of Return can only be established by a Court of competent jurisdiction.

    According to him, the allegation by the Collation Officer, Innocent Ibeawuchi, was not only outrageous but criminal

    He said, ”we were observers at Imo West Senatorial election and we observed that the election and the entire processes were peaceful and credible. We were also at the collation center at Orlu INEC office where the election results were received and we saw that Rochas Okorocha won with a wide margin and the Returning Officer, Prof Innocent Ibeabuchi, declared him winner”.

    He continued that, “the Returning Officer, Ibeabuchi was not under any form of duress to announce the results whatsoever, not at gunpoint, knife point or any form of harassment.”

    “All security Agencies, police, DSS, Army were there for the protection of the Returning Officer, and everybody present in the collation room.”

    “For him to say he was under duress was a big lie and deceit of the highest order.”

    “We hereby urge INEC to issue Rochas Okorocha his certificate of Return as senator-elect of Imo west senatorial zone or we will go to court to compel INEC to issue the Certificate of Return to the winner of the elections earlier declared.“

  • Kano supplementary poll license to violence – Obi

    The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 election, Mr Peter Obi, has described last Saturday’s governorship supplementary election in Kano as scandalous and the height of brigandage.

    The conduct of the election, Obi said, was akin to giving official license that could motivate Nigerians into violent acts and thereby destroying the country’s youths.

    In a statement Monday by his media office, Obi said what all democratic watchers saw in Kano state rerun election, amounted to licensing our youths for violence, and setting a very dangerous precedent.

    He said, “We are now institutionalizing thuggery and rigging as process of coming into power, which is very dangerous precedent for our country”.

    The main opposition chieftain added that, “proceeds in the name of results from what happened in Kano make the entire electoral process ridiculous and shameful”.

    Mr Obi wondered how the Nigeria Police, which mobilised its top officers and men to Kano, to secure the state during the election, could watch while political thugs took over control of the process.

    “They owe Nigerians and election observers a lot of explanations on what happened”, Obi said.

    Mr Obi also called to question the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for hurriedly recognising and acknowledging election results from a process “where machetes carrying miscreants took charge of the process”.

    He warned that with the Kano incident, the country is dangerously bequeathing to the society a trend that is bound to consume not only the youths, but also, the entire country.

    The former Anambra state governor declared that country further ridiculed itself and made itself a laughing stock, wondering how would anyone think that the process witnessed in Kano during the said election, could produce leadership that can grow the state.

    Obi, whose party lost the election to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC), described as regrettable the unnecessary loss of quality hands and minds heads to the exercise.

    He cited the case of another election in the same category, where a Professor was shot in Benue State, in the course of performing electoral duties. “It’s most painful”, he said.

    Making reference to India, Obi said if India, with over 800 million voters, can conduct election without losing such “caliber of people”.

    Obi wondered if President Buhari and the APC could come into power in 2015 without such “senseless” loss of lives, then why should it be the case now?

    He prayed God for repose of the souls of the victims and fortitude for the families and relatives.

  • Polls: Wamakko urges APC faithful to remain peaceful, calm

    Following the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as winner of the Sokoto state governorship elections, Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum and Coordinator, North West, Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, has urged the faithful of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), in the state to remain peaceful , resolute and calm .

    This is contained in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, to Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, Bashir Rabe Mani and issued to newsmen in Sokoto, on Sunday.

    Senator Wamakko was reacting to the outcome of the 2019 Gubernatorial elections in the state , which were capped by supplementary elections conducted on March 23,2019.

    The lawmaker said,” the party’s leadership, membership and the entire electorate in the State would not despair , in anyway .

    “We have jointly struggled, fought and won. We are never losers. All and sundry have done their possible best , by coming out en masse and massively cast their invaluable votes for our candidates, at all levels .

    ” In this direction, we are really appreciating and cherishing the immense sustained support of the members of the party to beat, the APC, as well as the electorate, in general.

    “These laudable gestures of the electorate were kick-started with the Presidential and National Assembly polls, then during the first Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections and climaxed with the supplementary polls on March 23 .”

    Wamakko who is a Member of the World Muslim League and represents Sokoto North Senatorial District noted that, the candidates of the party had recorded myriad of landslide victories during the 2019 general polls sequel to the unflinching loyalty and unshakeable devotion by its supporters and the electorate.

    The Marafan Hausasun further promised that, the APC and its leaders , at all levels, would remain religiously committed to the welfare, security and general comfort of Nigerians .

    These, he noted, form part of the cardinal ideals and objectives of the party , vowing that, Nigerians would never regret bestowing their mandates to the APC .

    ” Our Leader , President Muhammadu Buhari was just given a second term by Nigerians and he will surely take the entire country to the NEXT LEVEL.

    ” The leaders of the party , at all levels , most especially the ninth Senate , would relentlessly strive to fully complement the efforts of the President to better the lives of Nigerians, in all ramifications.

    ” The leadership and membership of the party, as well as entire Nigerians should continue to be peaceful and united .

  • Niger APC suspends Women Affairs Commissioner

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state has suspended the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Barrister Amina Musa Gua’ar for alleged anti-party activities.

    The Paikoro local government APC local working committee accused the Commissioner of engaging in anti party activities during the general elections in the council and flaunting the orders of the party.

    The Party accused her of engaging in some anti party activities of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Ishaya Azalolo who claimed to have acted based on Barrister Amina Gua’ar opinion, directive and support.

    The Party also accused her of mudslinging the party as she was said to have referred to the executive organ of the party as “bunch of thieves”.

    The local working committee stated that it invited the Commissioner for interaction but she refused to appear before the committee which resulted in her suspension.

    The suspended letter dated Friday 22nd March, 2019 and signed by the local government APC chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Kwanaread, “In reference to a letter dated 18th March, 2019, the local government executive working committee of the APC in Paikoro has resolved to utilize Article 21, Section A, Subsection 111 of the Constitution as amended “disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directive of the party.

    “Continuing, this is due to your refusal/disobedient to abide by the party’s directive within the stipulated time frame. Sequel to this, I hereby notify you of your suspension from the party until further notice”

    However, the State APC claimed it had not received any correspondence regarding the suspension.

    The letter was however copied to the APC stakeholders, Zonal chairman, APC State Secretary and Chairman as well as the Political Adviser to the Governor and Secretary to the State Government.