The Nation Newspaper

Tag: council election

  • Council election holds tomorrow, says Oyo govt

    •Seven opposition parties join APC

    The Oyo State government has said the local government elections will hold tomorrow.

    It said movements will be restricted between 8 am and 3 pm.

    The Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner Oluseun Abimbola said the suit against conduct of the election was dismissed by a Federal High Court in Ibadan.

    The suit, filed by some persons from Eruwa, said Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) could not conduct elections into new wards.

    Abimbola said Justice Joyce Abdulmaleek, of the Federal High Court in Ibadan held that the powers of OYSIEC is being challenged by the plaintiffs and not those of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is joined as a federal agency.

    He said: “She (the judge) agreed with the submissions of …Abimbola that the joinder of a federal agency will not automatically confer jurisdiction on the court if the subject matter contested is outside the jurisdiction of the court.

    “The court then held that the suit was not for the Federal High Court but for the State High Court and accordingly struck out the suit in its entirety along with any previously made orders.”

    He added: “It will be recalled that the court had earlier made an order of injunction restraining defendants from using the new ward delineation for the elections. That order is equally now vacated.

    “With this ruling, the coast is clear for the exercise of democratic rights by residents to elect chairmen and councillors into Local Government Councils, Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) and their constituent wards on tomorrow.”

    Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun, said students with proof that they are writing the National Board of Technical Examination (NABTEB) would be allowed to move to their centres.

    He said the election will hold in 33 local government areas and the 35 LCDAs.

    He urged the public to troop out and vote for candidates of their choice.

    Also, seven opposition parties have confirmed their participation.

    The election is coming 11 years after the last one held by former Governor Rashidi Ladoja.

    The parties, participating are: Progressive People Alliance (PPA), Unity Democratic Party (UDP), African Peoples Alliance (APA), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Young Political Party (YPP), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Justice Must Prevail Party (JMPP).

    They urged security agencies to ensure a peaceful election.

    In a statement by Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday, State Publicity Secretary Dr. Smart Afolayan said the opposition urged the electorate to come out and participate in the poll.

    They said they decided to participate after OYSIEC dropped the N150,000 and N100,000 for chairmanship and councillorship nomination forms.

    The statement reads: “As we have no other state we can call our own, we are thus saddled with the responsibility of maintaining peace and ensuring that the election is peaceful and devoid of rancour and disruption from any quarters.

    “We call on security agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere to facilitate a free and fair local government election devoid of rancour and blood-letting.”

    Court dismisses suit against poll

    Justice Joyce Abdulmaleek, of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, yesterday dismissed a suit challenging the conduct of the local government election tomorrow.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suit was instituted by some aggrieved member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibarapa East Local Government Area.

    Justice Abdulmaleek held that the State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) was duly constituted to conduct the election.

    He said: “The position of the law on jurisdiction on this matter is well settled.

    “This court is mindful of the fact that the law does not give the Federal High Court jurisdiction over local government issues.

    “The act of delineation carried out by OYSIEC, which is the second defendant in this case, is duly backed by law.

    “Therefore, this court has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter and the position of the plaintiffs is hereby struck out.”

    NAN recalls that the plaintiffs challenged the powers of OYSIEC to carry out delineation and create new polling units in the state.

    Commenting after the judgment, Justice Commissioner Seun Abimbola said the ruling was a victory for democracy.

    But lawyer to the plaintiffs, Mr Solomo Adeseun, could not be reached for comments.

    NAN reports that others joined in the suit are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyo State governor and commissioner for Justice.

  • CAPP, NOA lead campaign for peaceful council election

    A non-governmental organisation, Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP), in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA), has unveiled strategies towards a peaceful local government election in Plateau State.

    The strategies were revealed during a capacity building workshop organised for staff of NOA held at Nana Country Home Hotel, Tudun Wada, Jos.

    Plateau State government has said it will conduct election into the 17 local governments in the state in February 2018.

    In his opening remarks at the training workshop, Programme Manager of CAPP, Nelson Amanze, said, “The theme of the workshop, ‘Strategic action plan on 2018 Local Government Election in Plateau State’, was aimed at preparing the staff of NOA towards meeting the challenges of the proposed council election in a manner to ensure credible elections.”

    According to Amanze, “The training of staff of NOA is part of efforts of CAPP towards strengthening citizens’ engagement in electoral processes in Nigeria, particularly in Plateau State.

    “To us in CAPP, local government’s election is the most important of all categories of elections in the country for the fact that it is the election that stimulates democratic process at the grassroots that involve active participation of the rural populace.

    “And when we talk of active participation, there are segments of the society that are often left out in the electoral processes; that is the women, youths and people with disability. We are targeting such groups of people through public awareness campaign for them to be given more opportunities in the electoral processes.”

     

    In his welcome remarks, Plateau State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Bulus Dabit, said, “NOA in Plateau State has entered into partnership with CAPP because we have seen they have genuine programmes of public awareness and civic education on government policies and programmes.”

    Dabis explained that “any government policy or programme that does not enjoy public acceptance is bound to fail, and since the target of CAPP is to mobilise the general public to participate in local government election in the state, it is another way of creating public acceptability of government programmes.

    “That is why NOA in the state has adopted the Citizens Engagement in Electoral Processes (CEEP) initiated by CAPP. In this training workshop, staff of NOA from all the 17 local governments of the state are participating. The training will help build the capacity of our staff and equip them with relevant skills for them to carry out the civic education activities in their respective local governments. All we are out to achieve in this campaign is to ensure a peaceful local government election in the state.”

  • Council election: Oyegun, Okorocha, Etiebet, Ita Enang, Ekere, others storm A’Ibom

    Council election: Oyegun, Okorocha, Etiebet, Ita Enang, Ekere, others storm A’Ibom

    Readers and prominent stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) yesterday stormed the Uyo Township Stadium for flag-off of campaigns ahead of the December 2 Akwa Ibom local government elections.

    Party dignitaries who at the event included the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun; Chairman of APC Governors Forum Rochas Okorocha; Deputy national

    chairman (Southwest) Segun Oni and Special Assistant to the

    President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang.

    Others were the Managing Director/CEO Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Nsima Ekere; the Managing Director/CEO of Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Authority (OGFTZA), Umana Umana; Senator Nelson Effiong(Akwa Ibom South), Chief Don Etiebet and deputy national chairman (South-South) Hilliard Ettah, among others.

    Overwhelmed by the crowd of supporters at the stadium, APC leaders took turns to express confidence that the APC will record

    massive victory in them forthcoming exercise across the 329 wards and 31 local government areas of the state.

    They also cautioned the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) not to connive with the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) to rig the elections.

    Oyegun said the impressive turnout was a manifestation of the readiness of the people to unseat the PDP administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel in 2019.

    Oyegun, who officially handed over the party’s flags to the chairmanship candidates of the 31 local government areas, urged them to play active roles to ensure that the state is freed from the misrule of the PDP government.

    According to him, the council polls would serve as a test case for the APC, adding the large turnout of teeming supporters was a testimony to the fact that Akwa Ibom people are in support of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Ita Enang and Ekere alleged the PDP was planning to rig the elections.

    Ekere claimed he was aware of PDP’s perfected plans to connive with AKISIEC to stop announcement of results at collation centres.

    He warned the APC will resist such attempt.

  • Updates: Lagos LG Council poll

    Updates: Lagos LG Council poll

    APC victorious in Ambode’s polling unit
     
    The All Progressive Congress (APC) has won both the Chairmanship and Councillorship elections in Ward A6 polling Unit 033 located in Ogunmodede College, Papa Epe where the State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode voted this morning.
     
    At the end of counting of the votes cast, the results showed that the APC polled a total of 299 votes for the Chairmanship election as against one polled by the Labour Party and zero vote polled respectively by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party.
     
    For the Councillorship election in the unit, the APC polled a total of 293 votes as against One polled by Labour Party and zero polled by PDP.
     
    In the second polling unit in the ward, APC polled 298 votes for the Chairmanship election as against zero vote polled by the PDP and Labour.
     
    Also in the councillorship election, APC polled 300 votes while the PDP, Labour and Accord Party all polled zero vote.

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    Council polls: Senator Tinubu humbles PDP

    Precious Igbonwelundu

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu has humbled the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), delivering her 034 Bourdilon Road polling unit to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Of the 51 votes cast, the APC scored 44 for chairmanship and 43 for councillorship positions, leaving the PDP with paltry six votes for both positions being contested in the Local Government elections.

    One of the votes cast was invalid.
    ………………………………………………..

    Early morning rain on Saturday prevented many voters from coming out to vote in the Lagos council polls in Eredo and Ikotun/Igando Local Council Development Areas.

    Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the election, report that there was a low turnout of voters at some polling units.

    NAN also observed that there was no presence of security personnel at Ward A Units 2, 7, 8, 10, 16, 18 and 19 in Ilara community as at 9.30 a.m.

    However, security men mounted a barricade at the main junction as the Police engaged in stop and search.

    An electoral officer in the area attributed the low turnout to the rain, adding that voters may still come out as soon as the rain subsided.

    At Ward 037 in Ikotun/Igando LCDA, a few voters, majority of them old people, were at many of the polling units.

    Mrs Yemisi Dosunmu, a 57-year- old caterer, told NAN that the apathy by youths was not good for our democracy.

    She said it was important for the younger generation to understand the importance of voting.

    “I came all the way from Egbe to vote here because this is where I registered when I was living here.

    “That is to show you how important this election is to me; our voting age children (youths)  need to understand that they
    have the power to elect leaders of their choice.

    “As citizens, it is an obligation and our vote is the only power we have against bad governance, the power lies with us; we need to educate our youths,’’ she said.

    Also, a 43-year-old engineer, Dauda Ojo, told NAN that the poor turnout showed that people lacked the understanding of their
    voting power.

    “Since I started voting, this turnout is one of the poorest, we cannot achieve much if we keep showing apathy towards the
    election of office holders,’’ he said.

    NAN also reports that some food vendors at Eredo LCDA took advantage of their proximity to the polling units to
    make brisk business.

    Meanwhile, Mr Olusoda Adedeji, the Electoral Officer, Eredo LCDA, has assured that the outcome of the election would be
    credible in spite of the initial low turnout of voters due to the rainfall.

    Adedeji said adequate security and logistics had been put in place in the five wards and 85 units in the area to ensure a hitch-free election with more than 185 personnel deployed for the exercise. (NAN)

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    Voting materials yet to arrive Speaker’s polling booth by 11:30 am
    At polling booth no Ward E19 on Oluwole Olaniyan Street, Orile Agege, where the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa, will vote, LASIEC officials were nowhere in sight as at 11:20am.
    Our reporter, Joe Agbro reports that Police personnel and party agents were however on ground waiting, while residents went about their business.
    Youths in the area played football on  the empty streets.

    At polling unit 034, where Senator Remi Tinubu voted, voting commenced 10:41am

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    Large turn out of voters at polling unit 025, (Hausa Community in Obalende).

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 Governor Akinwunmi Ambode voted at 9.31 in Ward A6 Unit33 at Ogunmodede College in Epe Local Government.

center.

He urged voters to defy the early morning to vote in the election.

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Photo: Precious Welendu

As at 10 am accreditation of voters has not commenced at most polling units in Ikoyi.

According to our reporter Precious Welendu, there was mix up in the distribution of electoral materials. Voting materials meant for different polling units were taken to other venues.

Officials of the state Electoral Commission are trying to redistribute the materials.

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Early morning rain kept electorates for the local government election in Lagos  away from the polling booths.

At most polling units visited, the turnout was very low.

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  • Gombe APC unite ahead of council election

    Gombe APC unite ahead of council election

    Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State have laid aside their differences to form a common front towards Saturday’s local government elections and set the pace for the governorship in 2019.
    At the opening of campaigns yesterday, youth leader Abubakar Habu Mu’azu urged youths to be united, saying there was no fight among party leaders.
    “All we are out for, as leaders of this great party, is the progress of the party. We are out to make sure we unseat PDP in the next election and so, we cannot afford to be divided,” he said.
    According to him, those interested in flying the party’s flag in 2019 have reached an agreement to form a common front and rally round the eventual winner.
    APC’s governorship candidate in 2015, Inuwa Yahaya, appealed to APC supporters to come out en mass to vote and protect same.
    “Ensure anyone who tries to rig out our party faces the wrath of the law. You must protect your votes because it is the public’s fund, our money, that is used to conduct this election,” he said.
    Presenting flags to chairmanship candidates of the 11 councils, former Caretaker Chairman of the party, Bala Jibrin called for prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • PDP boycotts rescheduled council election in Edo

    PDP boycotts rescheduled council election in Edo

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo on Wednesday withdrew from the rescheduled council polls in Esan West Local Government over lack of confidence in the electoral body.

    The party’s Chairman in the local government, Mr Victor Idiakhoa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the conduct of the Edo State Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) would not guarantee free and fair polls.

    Idiakhoa said that the commission had clearly demonstrated that it was incapable of ensuring that the peoples votes would count.

    According to him, our party and supporters have lost confidence in EDSIEC and have no reason whatsoever to partake in its activities.

    “The conduct of last Saturday’s election was shameful and several people who had anticipated a one man one vote situation went home disappointed.

    “It is for this reason, that we took the decision not to participate in the rescheduled election.”

    Asked if the state chapter of the party supported their action, Idiakhoa told NAN that the decision was that of the local government.

    “We took the decision here at the local government and informed the state, and I think they agree with our decision,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the state Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr Thomas Okosun, has described the withdrawal of PDP from the poll as an acceptance of defeat.

    He said: “fI their decision to withdraw is true, it would not affect the credibility of the election in any way.

    “Six political parties participated in the election, so, withdrawal of one political party is of no value,” he said.