The Nation Newspaper

Tag: African Democratic Party (ADC)

  • NASS elections in Ogun elaborate charade, says ADC

    The Gboyega Nasir Isiaka Campaign Organisation (GNICO) on Wednesday declared last Saturday’s National Assembly elections in Ogun State were “elaborate charade”.

    It alleged the outcomes were bought and not won by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The party particularly cited Ipokia, Yewa South and Ogun Central Senatorial district where it alleged the exercise was characterised by sundry malfeasance, including violence, intimidation and “blatant use of fake Youth Corps unknown to INEC” as well as fake police officers to pervert the process to favour the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and APC.”

    Addressing reporters at GNICO office on Quarry road, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, the GNICO’s Director – General Asiwaju Tony Ojeshina strongly warned against a repeat of such malfeasances during the forthcoming March 9 governorship election in the state.

    Ojeshina, who was a former Commissioner, said election should not be a do – or – die affair and advised the purveyors of violence and thuggery not to “turn Ogun state into war zone.”

    According to him, ADC and GNICO have also been inundated with plans by agents of violence to create an atmosphere that would  prevent many voters from coming out to vote due to fear of the unknown.

    He urged Ogun state citizens not to exercise any fear whatsoever, but come out to cast their votes for Gboyega Nasir Isiaka of the African Democratic Party (ADC).

    Ojeshina said: “As a responsible party and campaign organisation, we are not raising red herring or crying foul where there is none but our disappointment and disapproval of this process stems from the fact that we saw it ahead, cried out, yet INEC and the security apparatus ware handicap while antidemocratic forces had their way.

    “A few of these malfeasance are hereby catalogued: There were deliberate discrepancies in the numbers and unexplained disappearance of ballot papers distributed to some Local Governments when compared to the numbers from state distribution centre (CBN).

    “Two prominent examples include Imeko-Afon Local Government missing a total of 6,050 ballot papers and Ajilete ward in Yewa-South local government missing 5,500. In the case of Imeko-Afon, it  took sustained media agitation and harassment of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner before supplementary ballot papers where brought to remedy the tense situation.

    Read Also: NASS members don’t hate Buhari, says Dogara

    “For Ajilete, the missing ballot papers were never recovered; and after intense pressure, they brought 3,000 ballot papers from another location that did not have same serial numbers with that of Ajilete – which we rejected and got the AEO to sign an undertaking to discount the missing 5,500 and vote with the leftover.

    “Non- enforcement of open-secret ballot system because in many locations, voters were surreptitiously allowed to display their voting preferences to lurking arty agents with active connivance of some security officers and polling officers.

    “Inexperienced and poorly trained ad-hoc staffs and polling agents that were at times confused.

    “Compromised ad-hoc staffs loyal to the ruling party were used in many polling booths across the state.

    “There was multiple voting in many location by individuals; indicative of compromise of officials or failure of card reader accreditation.

    “Voting was stopped in some locations due to dried ink as voters were incapable of thumb-printing any longer.

    “There are recorded incidences of voting in certain booths without card readers working; contrary to provisions of the electoral act 2010 (As amended) and INEC guidelines.

    “Another very unfortunate recorded malfeasance include the thuggery at Ipokia Local Government where a particular candidate that felt he must win that local government deployed thugs to unleash mayhem in many polling booths; chasing away many voters who fled for safety; and in the process, a police officer was shot dead while many sustained injuries.”

  • Oyo ADC crisis: Obasanjo meets aggrieved members

    Aggrieved members of the Oyo state chapter of the African Democratic Party (ADC) Monday met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in an effort to reconcile the factional groups before the party’s primaries expected to hold next month.

    Led by the party’s National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu the reconciliation was held at the Presidential Library, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

    Read Also:Osinbajo tackles Obasanjo, IBB, Jonathan over oil cash

    Others present at the meeting are Chief Michael Koleoso, Chief Olayiwola Olakojo, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, former Deputy Governor Taofeek Arapaja, Former Secretary to the state Government, Dr. Adebisi Busari, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, Chief Femi Majekodumi, Mr Yinka Olona, and Chief Mrs Funmi Arulogun amongst others.

    Details of the meeting were still sketchy as they were yet to conclude as at the time of filing this report.

    Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun , one of the gladiators at the meeting confirmed the peace move yesterday anchored by the former President Obasanjo .

    Oyo ADC which was launched two months ago in Ibadan, the state capital drew its membership from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressive Congress ( APC) and Accord Party (AP) .

    However, trouble started last week during the conduct of the state congress to elect officials of the party , where a group under the aegis of the Unity Forum accused the former governor of Oyo state, and ex-Secretary to the state Government (SSG), Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Chief Michael Koleoso  of hijacking the party .

    They claimed that the controversial congress was not all inclusive as they were sidelined during the conduct of the congress.

    The aggrieved members also alleged that all the exco members who emerged as state officials of the party were Ladoja’s men.

    The peace meeting held at Abeokuta Monday was called in order to find lasting solution to the crises rocking the state chapter of the party.

    Among the personalities present at the meeting are Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu   and other groups within the state chapter of the party.

    It would recalled that a group within the party, Unity Forum, had last week raised alarm over the alleged hijack of the party by former governor of Oyo state and former secretary to the state government, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja and Chief Michael Koleoso respectively.

    The group last Thursday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the national leadership of the party to address what they termed as impunity. The ultimatum expired yesterday.
    A source revealed that yesterday’s meeting was called in order to correct the alleged imbalances in the party.

    A member of the Oyo state House of Assembly representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju, Hon. Afeez Adeleke had last weekend disclosed that the crisis rocking the state ADC could only be resolved by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He informed that leaders of the party, comprising all the aggrieved factions would take their grievances to the former President who they believed is the person to resolve the intra party crisis rocking the state chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    Adeleke, it would be recalled  was among the fifteen members of the state House of Assembly that met Obasanjo in Abeokuta to finalise their resolve to cross from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to the ADC .

    The lawmaker who urged all leaders of the party to work together in their bid to capture the state in the 2019 general elections argued that “Obasanjo is our guide, he has the solution, he is the solution to the ADC crises.

    “All of us met him in Abeokuta and we finalise that we are moving from the ruling APC to the ADC, he should prevail because he is our father. Ladoja was invited to the join the party, though the reconciliation is ongoing, there is a need for us to work to send APC away in 2019.”

    Adeleke who assured that Obasanjo’s intervention would put an end to the crises within the party, said he was surprised that Ladoja who was invited to join the party about three weeks ago could hijack the party from members who were on ground before his arrival.

     

     

  • PDP wins all chairmanship, councillorship seats in Ebonyi LGA elections

    PDP wins all chairmanship, councillorship seats in Ebonyi LGA elections

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the chairmanship seats of the 13 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi in the Saturday local council polls.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the party also won all the councillorship seats in the 171 wards of the state.

    Mr Jossy Eze, Chairman of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) announced this on Sunday at the commission’s headquarters in Abakaliki while declaring result of the polls.

    According to him, seven political parties participated in the elections out of the 40 registered parties in the state including the PDP and the All Progressive Congress (APC)

    “The other parties that contested in the elections include: African Democratic Party (ADC), African Peoples Party (APA) Merger Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP) Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP).

    “The PDP’s candidate in Abakaliki LGA, Emmanuel Nwangele won with 65, 036 votes, Ogbonnaya Oko-Enyim won in Afikpo LGA with 55, 808, Eni Uduma-Chima-Afikpo South 50, 894, Juliet Nwaogbaga—Ebonyi, 54, 527 and Nora Aloh—Ezza North, 58, 423 votes.

    “The PDP candidate in Ezza South LGA, Sunday Ogodo won with 50, 576 votes, John Nnabo—Ikwo, 77, 132, Henry Eze—Ishiellu, 68, 263, Ude Ogbonnaya—Ivo, 28, 787 Paul Nwogha—Izzi, 84, 088, Clement Odaa—Ohaukwu,84, 088, Nkechi Iyioku—Ohaozara, 55, 698 and Felix Igboke—Onicha,59, 698 votes,” he said.

    Eze declared that the APC trailed in a distant second position with an accumulated  5, 900 votes while most of the other parties did not record a single vote in most LGA’s.

    He commended the electorate, party agents, security officials, observers, among other stakeholders, for ensuring a smooth and credible electoral process, noting that cases of electoral disturbances were very minimal.

    “We have been able to deliver a credible election to Ebonyi people despite inherent challenges as the state has the enviable record of conducting LGA elections in the country, every three years,” he said.

    Mr Onyekachi Nwebonyi, state PDP Chairman, congratulated the party faithful for the victory and noted that it was an indication of what to expect in the state, in the 2019 genera elections.

    “This resounding success has proved that PDP is the only party which viably exists in Ebonyi and we are not going to rest on our oars until such feat is repeated in 2019,” he said.

    Mr Splendour Eze, state Chairman of the Advanced Congress for Democrats (ACD) hailed the smooth conduct of the election but regretted that his party did not participate in it.

    Eze, who is the state Secretary of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), lamented that the current economic hardship in the country made most parties not to participate in the election.

    “The state governor was magnanimous to offset 50 per cent of the nomination fees of N500, 000 for chairmanship candidates and N100, 000 for councillorship positions, for registered parties in the state.

    “The balance despite the subsidy was still high as it was still not within the reach of most parties,” he said.

    Miss Isabella Monye, an Election Observer from Anambra, however, disputed the high figures released by EBSIEC for the elections, noting that it did not reflect what observers witnessed in various polling units.

    “During our monitoring on Saturday we observed that the turnout for the election was poor so I wonder where EBSIEC got these high figures from,” she said.

  • 268, 942 people eligible to vote in Lagos bye-election – INEC

    268, 942 people eligible to vote in Lagos bye-election – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that only 268, 942 of the 340, 634 registered voters in Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency in Lagos can vote in Saturday’s bye election in the constituency.
    Mr Clement Oha, The Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, said that only 268,942 registered voters in the constituency possessed Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs).

    Oha spoke to Journalists on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ forum organised by the commission with political parties involved in the election.

    Oha said: “Only 268, 942 eligible voters have in their possession PVCs to exercise their voting right on Saturday election.

    “We are no longer distributing PVCs; only these people will be allowed to vote. We want to beg people who have no business with the exercise to steer clear.”
    He noted that some voters who had PVCs might have relocated from the constituency while some might have died.

    Oha said that INEC was ready for the poll, and urged voters to arrive at their polling units early.
    He said that accreditation and voting would commence simultaneously at 8a.m.

    The official said that INEC would conduct a free, fair and transparent poll.

    Oha urged politicians and their supporters to be peaceful before, during and after the poll.

    He said that the constituency had 335 polling units and 687 voting points, urging party agents to cooperate with INEC for a successful poll.

    Six political parties are to contest in the poll, they are: Action Alliance (AA), Alliance for Democracy (AD), African Democratic Party (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    The bye-election resulted from the death of Mr Elijah Adewale, who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives.

    Adewale died in Abuja on July 20.