The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ballot papers

  • INEC deploys ballot papers, boxes

    INEC deploys ballot papers, boxes

    The green light is on for the March 28 and April 11 elections.

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday told leaders of political parties that all sensitive and non-sensitive materials, especially ballot papers and boxes, had been deployed in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Besides, said Jega:

    .the military will not be used, unless in an emergency; and

    .the Smart Card Readers (SCRs) will be used.

    He said most of the sensitive materials had been kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    The INEC chairman also presented some samples of ballot boxes and prototype of ballot papers to the parties.

    Jega foreclosed the jettisoning of SCRs, despite the protest by 15 “minor” parties. They were the same parties that had endorsed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. But the PDP did not oppose the card reader at the meeting.

    It was gathered that Jega spoke to the parties in a no-holds-barred manner for two hours on INEC’s readiness.

    After the opening remarks, where Jega said some parties were heating up the polity with their utterances and attitude, the party leaders retired into a session on the status of preparation for the elections.

    The INEC chairman said: “We are ready for the elections; all the materials (sensitive and non-sensitive) have been deployed. Some sensitive materials like ballot papers are being kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    “We have been having meetings with security agencies on how to ensure the successful conduct of the poll. The security agencies are on top of their game.

    Responding to a question, Jega said “the military will not be involved in the elections; they will only be deployed in case of emergency”.

    Jega also presented samples of ballot boxes and why the ballot papers will look like to the leaders of the parties.

    “The ballot boxes and papers will be colour-coded,” he added.

    Asked to explain why the 700,000 staff for the elections had not been trained, Jega said: “We usually train them in the last week of the elections and it is from the training they go to the field.

    “So, traditionally, the commission waits till the week of the elections to train these staff.”

    The Director of Electoral Operations, Mr. Kayode Oladimeji spoke about logistics and deployment for the elections.

    The parties that raised objections alleged that the failure rate of the SCRs was higher during the last Saturday Mock Election in 12 states.

    But Jega said: “The commission believes that the Card Readers add a lot more value to the transparency and fairness of the electoral process. The SCR is not meant to confer electoral advantage on any party. We are going to use Card Readers; it is within the prerogative of the commission to ensure that the electoral process is free, fair and transparent. When we also did the cost benefit analysis, the SCR is far better.”

    The Director of ICT of INEC, Mr. Chidi Nwafor, faulted claims that the failure rate of SCRs last Saturday was high.

    He said: “All the four objectives behind the SCRs were 100 per cent successful. Let us assume that the fourth objective was not achieved, we have made provision for physical identification of voters once the SCR authenticates his or her PVC.”

    Apparently overwhelmed by the detailed analysis of INEC, the representatives of the PDP said: “PDP is not against Card Readers but all the errors or flaws noted last Saturday should be addressed.”

    A party source said: “Those against Card Readers lost out at the session because Jega foreclosed any plan to jettison the device.”

    When APC raised issues on what INEC will do if voters mistakenly drop ballot papers in wrong boxes, the  Deputy Director, Electoral Operations, Mr. Chima Duruakwu, said such votes will become invalid.

    He said it was left for parties to “educate their members and supporters” on how to vote right.

    Addressing the opening session, Jega said: “The eyes of the whole world are on all of us in term of ensuring that we conduct not just free, fair and credible elections but also peaceful election.

    “The altitude or disposition of parties and candidates is what to a large extent determine whether we have peaceful election or not.

    “I particularly call on political parties and candidates to ensure that they engage positively in the electoral process.

    “It is unfortunate that by actions of some political parties, or some candidates or their supporters a lot of tension has unnecessarily been raised relating to 2015 general elections.

    “It is also unfortunate that we have witnessed conflict and violence in the process of elections campaign, and really these are some of the event that we should all work hard to ensure that this negative tendencies do not in any way compromise the conduct of the elections.’’

    “We believe that we are adequately prepared for these elections because with the six-week extension, we have added value to the process to ensure that the objective of Nigerians of conducting credible election is satisfied.

    “We, on our part, will continue to do our best to ensure that we are non-partisan and offer plain ground for all political parties and candidates.”

    Jega urged the parties to “have very credible agents who can participate in these processes,  not only to added to the transparency of the process but to ensure that if irregularities occur, they could be easily identified and the evidence  would be there to prove that this has happen.

    “ We also want to urge political parties and candidates to pay attention to the selection of credible people as agents. “

    Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yunusa Tanko   said: “While we welcome the assurance given by INEC, security chiefs on the above three items, we will lean our voice on the observation of the card readers which is to be a check on the PVCs and enhance stability towards the elections.

    “ We advise strongly that all the observations made by various political parties should be looked into by solving the problems, especially on finger identification and time consumed in the process of accreditation.”

    He said INEC should ensure the full production and distribution of PVCs.

  • PDP congress: Senator decries Alao-Akala’s tearing of ballot papers

    PDP congress: Senator decries Alao-Akala’s tearing of ballot papers

    •Filani protests illegal imposition of candidate

    Senate Deputy Whip Hosea Agboola has described the tearing of ballot papers by former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala at the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Southwest zonal congress as “a show of shame.”

    Agboola spoke in Ibadan at the weekend in reaction to the former governor’s alleged action and outbursts over the purported removal of the name of his candidate as a zonal youth leader at the party’s congress by “some forces that were against him.”

    The development nearly turned the congress, which was held last Saturday at the Apex Multipurpose Hall, Agodi in the state capital into a pandemonium when Alao-Akala expressed his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election and angrily collected the ballot papers from the state’s delegates and tore them up.

    The former governor was shouting as he expressed his grieviance to the Chairman, Screening Committee of the congress, Senator Emmanuel Anozike and the financier and Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the PDP, Prince Buruji Kashamu.

    But speaking, Agboola denied playing a fast game on his former boss (Alao-Akala).

    He said: “I was casting my votes for aspirants of my choice when he emerged from my back and tore the ballot paper in my hand. It beats my imagination that a person of former governor’s status could resort to self-help in a matter as this.

    “His action caught me unawares because I never expected it and the truth was that we reasoned that since he, like some of us, was instrumental to the formation of the state executive under Yinka Taiwo’s leadership, there was the need for us to allow the Minister of State for FCT, Jumoke Akinjide, whose people were not included in the state executive, to present the candidate for the office of the party’s zonal youth leader, to give them sense of belonging.

    “The party is bigger than everyone of us and as for me, we should eschew bitterness and unhealthy rivalry if we genuinely have the interest of our party at heart. It is high time all of us joined President Goodluck Jonathan in his transformation agenda beyond 2015. And that is what we have been doing with Senator Folarin and Hon. Muraina Ajibola among others in the last few weeks.”

    The congress would have turned violent if not for the quick intervention of the Ekiti State governor-elect, Mr. Ayo Fayose and Kashamu, who pacified Alao-Akala and later called a meeting to resolve the issue.

    The Southwest Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP, Chief Ishola Filani also protested the imposition of a late aspirant at the congress.

    Filani, who appeared briefly at the venue, presented his protest letter to the chairman of the congress committee.

    He also copied the party’s national chairman; the chairman, Board of Trustees, Chief of Staff to the President, Governor Segun Mimiko, Governor-elect of Ekiti State Mr. Ayo Fayose and the party’s Board of Trustees in the zone through Chief Olabode George.

    The aggrieved PDP chieftain noted that till last Thursday, he was the only aspirant contesting the National vice-chairman Southwest.

    But some undisclosed forces imposed the present the Chairman of PDP in Ekiti State, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, against him, which he said, was a breach of the party’s constitution.

  • APC faults Jonathan’s directive on ballot papers

    APC faults Jonathan’s directive on ballot papers

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the Presidential directive that all electoral materials must be printed by the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) as a threat to the independence of electoral agency INEC and the organisation of a free, fair and credible elections in the country.

    In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the directive is suspicious because it was followed by the dissolution of the management of the NSPMC, which may be a ploy by the President to inject PDP card-carrying members into the reconstituted management so that the company could become another rigging tool in the 2015 general elections.

    ‘’On the surface, there is nothing wrong in having the NSPMC print electoral materials, since this will translate to more jobs for Nigerians and save money. However, against the background of the PDP-led Federal Government’s abuse of national institutions like the military and the police, which are used as the enforcement arms of the PDP during elections, it will be dangerous to have the Federal Government take control of the printing of ballot papers and other electoral materials via the NSPMC.

    ‘’Secondly, where is the independence of INEC when the President can just direct it by fiat to do its bidding? INEC should be left to determine where to print its electoral materials to ensure the integrity of such materials.

    ‘’Thirdly, asking the CBN Governor, an appointee of the President, to now oversee the ‘reform’ of the NSPMC, and the Governor’s promptitude in visiting INEC over the presidential directive, raise more questions. While the CBN is a part owner of the NSPMC, it is not INEC’s supervisory ministry and should not tamper with its duties,’’ it said.

    The APC said the bottom line is that INEC should be left alone to carry out its onerous duties without interference from any quarters whatsoever.

    ‘’There should be a limit to the desperation of President Jonathan and his party to win the 2015 elections at all costs. They have perfected the use of the security forces, especially the military, the police and the DSS, to harass and intimidate the opposition during elections. While the whole nation is still trying to get them to stop abusing the security forces, they should not draft another institution into the election rigging fray,’’ the party added.