The Nation Newspaper

Tag: EDSIEC

  • EDSIEC ignores court order, conducts by-election in 59 wards

    EDSIEC ignores court order, conducts by-election in 59 wards

    There was low turnout of voters in today’s by-election which was held in 59 wards in 15 local government areas of Edo State.

    Only the All Progressives Congress participated in the by-election which was boycotted by other political parties.

    Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) had conducted the by-elections despite a restraining order issued by an Edo State High Court presided over by Justice Mary Itsueli.

    Justice Itsueli issued the order following a motion filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The PDP had argued that tenure of elected councillors remained valid until September 2026 and that any attempt to declare the seats vacant or conduct elections would be illegal.

    Read Also: How we survived herdsmen attack that claimed 200 lives in Benue community – Residents

    Justice Itsueli held that the PDP presented sufficient grounds to warrant judicial intervention and granted the party leave to pursue judicial review and ordered that all further steps towards conducting the proposed bye-elections be suspended.

    But EDSIEC ignored the court order and conducted the by-election.

    Few voters were seen in many polling units visited even as there were delays in arrival of materials.

    At Asoro Primary School in Oredo Ward 9,  journalists were assaulted after talking to voters present.

    But some thugs descended on the journalists and accused them of working for the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP)

    Phones were seized by the thugs and all pictures about the election coverage deleted.

  • Edo holds council polls Saturday

    Edo holds council polls Saturday

    Edo State Government will conduct elections into the 18 local government areas of the state on Saturday.

    It would be the first council election to be conducted by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    The last time council election was held in the state was in 2013 and it was won by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

    At least 10 political parties are participating in the election with the exception of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which boycotted the poll.

    Explaining the reasons for the PDP boycott of the election, the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Chris Nehikhare, said the party was not participating in the elections because it filed a case in court challenging alleged constitutional breaches.

    “From the onset, we outlined our grievances regarding the composition of EDSIEC and the unconstitutional amendment to the number of days’ notice to be given to political parties before elections are held

    “Our case is strong and justifiable. As a consequence and not wanting to give credibility to a flawed and skewed process, we hereby advice all our members, sympathizers as well as the good and hardworking people of Edo State to observe March 3, 2018 as a day of rest.

    “There is absolutely no need to go out to the polling stations as your votes will not count. The election is liable to be declared null and void by the time the case is completed. All those elected will be dismissed from the offices they were illegally elected into.”

    The Chairman of Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), Prof. Stanley Orobator, assured that the polls would be credible, free and fair.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, said adequate security would be provided across all polling units in the state.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Edo LG Polls: Civil Society scores EDSIEC high on preparedness

    Edo LG Polls: Civil Society scores EDSIEC high on preparedness

    With less than four days to the local council polls in Edo State, civil society organisations that are in the state to assess the readiness of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) for the polls, the dispositions of the electorates and political parties towards the elections and other variables crucial to a hitch-free exercise, have scored EDSIEC high on its preparedness.

    Addressing journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital on Tuesday, Team Leader, Forum of Civil Society Organisation in Nigeria, Comrade Fidelis Nweke, said that after his team’s pre-election observation exercise, they “observed that the Edo State government has provided the necessary logistics for EDSIEC to organise and conduct credible elections in the state without the state government’s interference.”

    Nweke said his team “gathered that some political parties will not participate in this Saturday, 3rd March, 2018 Local Government Election in Edo State.”

    He maintained that “boycott of elections is not healthy for our democracy,” and  recommended “that such political parties should be sanctioned and stopped from participating in any elections for a period of five (5) years.”

    He explained that in the course of their work, “we met with various stakeholders in the electoral process, including Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), the political parties, security agencies and the electorates. This was aimed at determining the level of preparedness of all the relevant stakeholders, as part of the critical component of election observation in the state.”

    Nweke said they observed that EDSIEC is committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections in the state, by providing a level playing ground for all political parties in the state to participate in the elections.

    “Our team observed the distribution of electoral materials by EDSIEC officials to various local government areas of the state; we observed that the electorates in Edo State are ready and willing to come out en-mass on Saturday, March 3, 2018 to exercise their franchise and also vote for candidates of their choice; EDSIEC accredited some reputable Civil Society Organisations and journalists to observe the election and to report accordingly without being biased.”

    The team commended the state government and the governor for what they described as “taking the bull by the horn to conduct a local government election when some state governors are complaining of poor allocation of funds from the federal government,” and described Governor Obaseki as a “true democrat for ending the use of caretaker chairmen in the state and making sure that democratically local government chairmen and councillors are elected in the state come March 3, 2018.”

    They further recommended that the electoral umpire in conjunction with civil society organisations engage in massive voter education and sensitisation before the next election and advised the Edo State government to declare Friday, March 2,2018 as public holiday to enable civil servants and other stakeholders travel back to their communities and wards to exercise their rights.

    Read Also: Edo LG Polls: APC wraps campaign as 10,000 PDP decampees set to join ruling party

  • Edo council polls hold March 3

    Edo council polls hold March 3

    The elections into various local government councils in Edo State will hold on March 3.

    The Chairman of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), Prof. Stanley Orobator, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

    The statement said political parties are expected to conduct their primaries before the end of January while political campaigns would begin next month.

    Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has released the sales of its nomination forms.

    It pegged the nomination form for chairmanship aspirants at N250,000, while those vying for councillorship positions are expected to pay N50,000.

    The Secretary of APC in the state, Lawrence Okah, said the party would immediately commence processes for the conduct of primaries for its aspirants.

    Okah said: “We are already working hard for the elections because we are ready to consolidate on Governor Obaseki’s victory in the state.”

    The Spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Chris Nehikhare, said the party was not aware of the date for local council elections.

    Nehikhare, who expressed shock at the news, said he had called several stakeholders and was told EDISEC did not inform them.

     

  • PDP rejects Edo council election results, promises legal action

    PDP rejects Edo council election results, promises legal action

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the results of the April 20 Edo council elections and described the exercise as a mockery of democracy.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr  Olisa Metuh,who made this known while briefing newsmen on Sunday in Abuja also said the party would challenge the results in court.

    The PDP spokesman said the elections were manipulated against the party, adding that what happened at the Edo council elections was “a mockery and a threat to the country`s democracy.

    `The survival of our democracy is under very serious threat.

    “Unpatriotic and undemocratic elements have laid siege on our nation’s democracy and Nigerians are now living in serious fear and uncertainty.

    “Since the annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential elections, we have never in the political history of Nigeria witnessed any such assault on the people and democracy like what is going on in Edo.’’

    Metuh said it was a regret that the people of Edo were being subjected to the “worst form of tyranny’’ while their will to choose their leader was being subverted.

    The PDP spokesman decried the intimidation of PDP candidates and their supporters during the election.

    He called on the military authorities to investigate the alleged role of the Brigade Commander in Benin in the use of the military against PDP members during the polls.

    Metuh further alleged that ballot boxes were carted away, with election results manipulated in favour of the ACN.

    “Also, election results were annulled in places where PDP candidates won clearly,’’ he said.

    Metuh also contended that there were no election materials in many local councils where PDP had greater support and that PDP members were not allowed to vote in Etsako Central.

    “The cancellation of the Esan North-East election results by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), the second time after it was discovered that a PDP candidate won the election, was to undermine prominent PDP members from the area,’’ he said.

    The party spokesman said PDP would challenge the election results in the court.

    “We went to court in Lagos, we will go to court in Edo. That is the beauty of democracy,’’ he said.

    Metuh said it was an irony that Gov. Adams Oshiomhole had continued to display disdain for democracy since he assumed office.

    “It is funny that a direct beneficiary of President Goodluck Jonathan’s policy of transparent election is the one that is now going against it,’’ he said.

    The PDP official called on Nigerians, civil society groups and other stakeholders to join in the “just fight” to salvage the Edo people.

    “We as a party cannot witness the enthronement of free and fair federal elections by President Goodluck Jonathan only to become victims in elections in states controlled by the opposition,’’ Metuh said.(NAN)