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Tag: Election Postponement

  • Oshiomhole, Obaseki meet APC leaders in Edo

    Less than 48 hours to the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for February 23, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday met with leaders of the APC from the 18 local government councils in the state.

    Speaking to journalists after the closed-door meeting at Government House in Benin City, Governor Obaseki said his administration has recorded huge successes within a short time owing to support from President Buhari.

    He said: “Edo is an APC state and there is no doubt about it. President Buhari led-administration has been supportive to us. He has granted all our requests. He has also assured to do more for us.”

    Read Also: Obaseki orders payment of February salary to Edo workers

    The governor expressed confidence that the state would deliver one million votes for the re-election of President Buhari.

    Oshiomhole assured that the party would not allow thuggery and ballot box snatching during conduct of the elections on Saturday, February 23, across the country.

    He noted: “We had a special meeting today. We met as APC family to reaffirm our commitment in ensuring we do what is expected of us as leaders to mobilise Edo people to vote en masse for President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC candidates in the election.

    “In Edo, we are used to one man, one vote. So, we will not allow thuggery and ballot box snatching,” he said.

    According to Oshiomhole, President Buhari has demonstrated that he is a trusted and honest leader, who deserves re-election to complete his developmental agenda across the country.

    He said: “We have resolved to give Buhari a second term and based on the track records of the APC governments in Edo State, I believe President Buhari will win.“

  • PDP jittery over directive on ballot box snatching – Presidency

    The Presidency on Tuesday said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) is jittery over the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with anybody that attempts to snatch ballot box during the forthcoming elections.

    Reiterating that anyone who dares to snatch ballot box during the elections will be doing it for the last time, the Presidency said that it should be seen as a strong message against the long history of savagery associated with elections in the country.

    Speaking with State House correspondents, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, recalled some past elections in parts of Nigeria, during which innocent voters lost their lives while ballot boxes were snatched by armed thugs.

    He said the President had the safety and security of Nigerians uppermost in mind when he made the comment, and should be praised rather than criticized for issuing this stern warning to potential ballot box snatchers.

    He also expressed concern about those attacking the president’s comment, and their worry over the fate of anyone caught snatching ballot boxes.

    Read Also: PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    He said “This sounds like members of the opposition, specifically the People’s Democratic Party, PDP who have perfected plans to rig the elections and to snatch ballot boxes.

    “They can tell that President Buhari is not prepared to tolerate their antics this time around, and they are afraid. They have shown their intent.” he said

    Shehu noted that no one had anything to fear from the President’s comments if their conscience and intentions were clear.

    He said, “Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything.

    “Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk. About 10 years ago, evidence was brought before an election tribunal from one of the states in North Central of the gruesome killing of 26 prospective voters by ballot box snatchers.

    “Their modus operandi is well known. They storm election venues in commando style, overwhelm the law-enforcement agents and seize ballot boxes leaving a trail of death and injury.”

    He added “Anyone who dares to put the lives of innocent citizens at risk in their desperation to rig elections must be prepared for the possibility of losing their own lives because our security agents will certainly not stand by, clap for them and watch them kill and maim.“

  • Dickson: Nigeria heading for constitutional crisis if…

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson on Monday warned of a looming major constitutional crisis if the elections failed to hold as rescheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Dickson, who briefed journalists in Government House, Yenagoa, said there was a need for all stakeholders to work collectively to avert the crisis.

    To avert looming succession crisis, Dickson suggested President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately convened an expanded emergency meeting of the National Council of State.

    He said the meeting should have the service chiefs, INEC, political party leaders and their candidates and other major stakeholders in attendance.

    He said the stakeholders in the meeting should resolve on the new date for the postponed elections, adding that INEC was wrong to have unilaterally chosen next Saturday for the rescheduled poll.

    He cautioned leaders against name-calling, appealing to them to work in the interest of the country to avoid plunging Nigeria into avoidable succession crisis.

    He said it was unpatriotic for anyone to be calling for the removal of the INEC chairman, adding the country would be on a crossroad if two critical institutions of INEC and the Supreme Court were undergoing crisis at the same time.

    According to the governor: “This postponement belittled our country. It doesn’t show us as a serious country. Unless all stakeholders drop the habit of name-calling and claiming to be rights, we are moving close to a major constitutional crisis.

    “If anything should go wrong, we will have a full blown crisis; crisis of succession at a time the Supreme Court is also undergoing crisis.

    “We should not call for the removal of the INEC chairman. If INEC is in crisis and the Supreme Court is crisis I don’t know where we are headed.

    “I call on President Muhammadu Buhari as the leader of the country to convene an emergency meeting of the National Council of states to enable service chiefs and the INEC brief stakeholders on their preparations.

    “The meeting should involve the political party chairmen with the presidential candidates to examine the developing scenario which may plung our country into crisis. I believe that if we all sit down and know the circumstances, we should agree on a new date.

    “I disagree with INEC unilateral announcement of Saturday as a new date. I do not believe that all the challenges that INEC has can be resolved within six days.

    “A more sensible approach is needed. Our nation cannot afford another postponement”.

    The governor recalled that few hours to the postponed elections, Bayelsa did not have ballot papers for Presidential elections and stamps to authenticate votes.

    “Even now I am told there are issues of unserialised ballot papers”, he said adding that stakeholders expected customization of electoral materials.

    Read Also: Dickson: APC leaders don’t want me to receive Buhari

    The governor further commended Buhari for calling on security agencies to deal ruthlessly with troublemakers during the election.

    He said by such presidential directive, security agencies should no longer be encumbered from doing their jobs without fear or favour.

    He also disagreed with INEC on suspension of campaigns saying that his party would continue to engage the people in accordance with the established law of the land.

  • Polls shift: APDA backs INEC for credible election

    The Kano state chapter of the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance ( APDA ), on Monday, threw its weight behind the postponement of the 2019 general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it will enable the Commission to conduct a more credible, free and fair elections that will be acceptable to Nigerians.

    The party also called on Kano residence to support the aspiration of its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Abacha and all its candidate in the state and National Assembly.

    Speaking to Reporters at the party’s Kano headquarters, the state chairman, Alhaji Bashir Hamza Bataiya, said that, “the shifting of the election will enable INEC cover some lapses and challenges so as to conduct a more credible election.

    “You can recall that barely a week to the elections, hoodlums in some states vandalized INEC facilities, burning down its offices and other infrastructure. It would have been so tedious and difficult for INEC to conduct elections in such situation.

    “APDA as a party has watched with concern, reactions from individuals, stakeholders and even political parties and civil society organizations as regards to the postponement.

    Read Also: Polls shift: NANS suspends protest in Ogun

    “As a responsible political party, we urge our teeming supporters, and indeed, Nigerians to bear with the electoral body, and troop out en-mass to perform their civic responsibility come February 23 and March 9, 2019.”

    Bataiya who said the position of the party was endorsed by its gubernatorial, Alhaji Muhammad Abacha, also hailed President Muhamnadu Buhari’s administration for its giant strides in the area of economy, security, power generation, agriculture and the fight against corruption.

    The, party, however, appealed to security to be up and doing in their responsibilities during the elections, while wishing Nigerians, “a historic, hitch-free, fair, credible and violence free-election.”

  • Olawepo-Hashim writes INEC, seeks further shift of polls date

    Third Force Presidential candidate running on the People’s Trust (PT) platform, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has written the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu requesting a further extension of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The Presidential hopeful argued that, the one week extension was rather too short to conclude the stated enormous logistics requirement for the polls.

    Olawepo-Hashim who lately led the online polls of most preferred candidate amongst the third force, argued in a letter to the INEC chairman that another extension was reasonable in view of the logistics burden on the contestants and the parties.

    According to him, the candidates and the parties would now have to repeat logistics preparations that have hitherto been deployed to achieve the level of mobilization at the February 16 scheduled election.

    He stressed that, “It is my considered opinion that in the haste to stick to a quickly announced date for the election, the Commission may not have paid adequate attention to the attendant voter apathy that may result if adequate confidence building measures are not implemented to win back ‘would-be’ voters for the next date of polling.

    “As a result and because a potential voter’s apathy in some section of the country or all of the country may substantially affect the results of the election, a new date of election should be between three to four weeks from February 16 not one week from February 16 as previously announced. This is more so for self-funded candidates and political parties who do not have the possibilities or intentions of falling quickly on the State treasuries to refinance another logistic deployment.” He argued

    The candidate equally opined that, campaigs should also resume undoubtedly in consonance with extant legislation that allow campaign to continue up till 24 hours before elections, in order to achieve the same level of mobilization of voters as before February 16th.

    In his letter copied to the United Nations representatives, Observer and Civil Society Groups, the diplomatic community and the media Olawepo-Hashim also urged that, “the Commission should liase with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), who should use their national networks to ensure mobilization of communities, social and interest groups to reach potential voters in order to avoid voter apathy at the next date of election.”

  • Airlines lose billions over election postponement

    Domestic carriers were yesterday hard hit by the postponement of Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Their inability to operate local trips resulted in the loss of several billions of naira that would have accrued to them as revenue from ticket sales.

    An aviation source said the airlines could have lost about N1 billion on Saturday.

    Scheduled domestic and regional flights were not operated from the Murtala Muhammed Airport on Saturday because of the election.

    The affected carriers are: Air Peace; Arik Air; Aerocontractors; Dana Air; Azman Air; Max Air; Overland Airways and Medview Airlines.

    Besides airlines that did not operate flights, concessionaires at the airport did not carry out any commercial activity forcing to lose revenue running into millions of naira.

    Spokesman for Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, said the airline had to make sacrifice of cancelling about 90 flights scheduled on Saturday due to the general election.

    He said: “While we thought it right to make the sacrifice as part of our contribution to the development and stability of our dear nation. It is unfortunate that the sacrifice eventually amounted to nothing.”

    Iwarah stated that this would not discourage them from making sacrifices and offering good services.

    The huge loss, according to the Managing Director of Aglow Aviation, Mr. Tayo Ojuri, will adversely impact on the aviation sector and by implication, affect the economy.

    Ojuri, who disclosed that it will be difficult to quantify the losses, but hinted that the loss could be over $250 million which he said, affected airlines, over 150 concessionaires, service providers, airport authority, car rentals and others.

    He stated that because of the postponement, all local and international flights were cancelled, especially those who operate day flights including Virgin  Atlantic Airways; Emirates Airlines; Ethiopian Airlines and Rwandair, among others.

    Ethiopian Airlines had three days ago stated in a statement that it would not operate to Nigeria because of the election. The cancellation was a huge loss to the carrier and airport.

    The airport has automatically lost over $10, 000 being the cumulative as Passenger Service Charge (PSC) on over 200 passengers at $50 on each passenger. The airline also operates into Abuja, Enugu and Kano.

    The airlines unaffected by the election were British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and Air-France. They operate night flights.

    Ojuri said: “You can now see how much money will be lost due to this cancellation, because ordinarily if not for election there will not be reason for that mass flights cancellation or rescheduled.”

    But the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has clarified that there was no disruption in the provision of air traffic services on Saturday.

    Its spokesman and General Manager, Public Affairs, Khalid Emele, assuring that the agency remains alive to its responsibility in keeping its mandate of providing uninterrupted safe, effective, efficient, and economic air navigation services in the country.

    He said the agency in line with the directive of the Minister of State for Aviatio), Hadi Sirika, ensured a 24-hour operation at airports on February 15 to facilitate the transportation of INEC materials nationwide.

    Emele said: “In the same vein, NAMA wishes to reassure all airspace users and the general public that the Nigerian airspace shall remain open for all airspace users before, during and after the rescheduled 2019 general elections.

    “Thus, the agency has put in place appropriate contingency measures to ensure safe flight operations within the period, as well as possible extension of operational hours of any domestic airport when the need arises.

    “Therefore, airline operators, the travelling public and other service providers who are dependent on the agency’s services, are hereby advised to go ahead with their businesses as usual.”

  • On the election postponement

    SIR: Nigeria is the richest country in the black world and Nigerians are counted amongst the most sophisticated people on earth. Yet many things aren’t right with Nigeria. You wonder why?

    An election deferred in the small hours of the day when people were sleeping without the two-way efforts of all stakeholders. It is a shame. In other climes, sensible ones, the INEC chairman would have resigned for lack of capacity to organize an election as planned. But you cannot blame the INEC chair solely for this embarrassment. The system is really bad and it is one inherited from the days of the President Obasanjo administration.  Even President Jonathan attempted and succeeded in postponing a general election and it took the intervention of the international community to make us hold elections.

    You see why the West will continually dictate to us how we should behave. We have refused to grow up and there aren’t signs that we intend to grow. And while we were seething with rage over the rescheduling, came the gory news yet again that 66 people were killed in Kaduna.

    What I find bemusing and saddening is that despite the trajectory of deaths government  has failed to provide internal as well as security around the borders of the country to protect her citizens.

    A country that cannot provide security for her citizens cannot aspire to greatness.

    The proactive measures put in place by the west are a pointer to how these countries value life and humanity. Even non-western countries like Jordan today have taken a proactive stance to provide security for her citizens and crush insurgency.

    I remember a Jordanian  interior minister who said that his country  is going after Islamic State group militants wherever they are and plans to “wipe them out completely,” and that country has intensified air attacks on strategic militants sites in alliance with US-led military coalition.

    * This was after the militants posted a film online of them burning a Jordanian pilot to death in a cage.

    But despite horrendous deaths in Nigeria, those in charge of protecting our lives wear us out with the oft repeated platitude of “we are investigating the matter and culprits would be brought to book” needless to say, the culprits are forever in the wind.

    It was terribly odd to see senior government officials celebrate the postponement of elections in 2015. Whose duty is it to provide security? I thought security is provided 24/7 and not for election purposes only. It is odd to read that those in power now ask Nigerians to be patient over the cancellation. They should bury their heads in shame. Maybe it could be a case of executive skulduggery.

    I also thought issues about elections should be discussed round the clock, in a 360 degrees manner and important decisions taken before and not in the dead of the night.

     

    • Simon Abah, Abuja.

  • PDP dares INEC, vows to reopen campaigns

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to reopen its campaigns any moment from now.

    The party said its position is hinged on provisions of the Electoral Act.

    A statement on Sunday night by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the decision to reopen the campaign was consequent upon the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections from February 16 to February 23.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had barred parties from reopening their campaigns upon the shift in election date.

    The Electoral Act allows campaign up to 24 hours to election date in any category of election. The party has rejected administrative prohibition of open campaigns issued by the electoral body after the postponement.

    “Such administrative pronouncement was erroneous, directly in conflict with the provision of the Electoral Act and is not backed by any other law in our country.

    “Our position is predicated on the clear provision of section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act which stipulated that ‘for the purposes of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.

    READ ALSO:Postponement: INEC decides on resumption of campaign tomorrow

    “The clear import of this provision, in the current situation, is that given the postponement of the election to February 23, 2019, the 24 hours requirement for closure of all public campaigning falls at midnight of February 21,” the statement added.

    The main opposition party reminded INEC that whenever its administrative pronouncement conflicts with the Electoral Act, such administrative pronouncement must bow before the law.

    It charged INEC to be appropriately guided while directing party members to await further directives ahead of its reopening of campaigns.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Election postponement is an occupational hazard – Ogboru

    The governorship candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta State, Great Ovedje Ogboru has described the postponement of Saturday’s election as an occupational hazard that could happened at any given time, urging his supporters to remain firm in preparation to cast their votes next Saturday. Ogboru who made this statement while addressing news men at his country home, said INEC that postponed the election should ensure a credible election is eventually conducted.

    “It is better late than never; so I am not surprised about the postponement, neither will I say I’m disappointed because if INEC in it’s wisdom says they postponed the election to conduct a more credible election. I think it’s best  thing to do”.  He appealed to his supporters who were shocked over the postponement to be calm.

    “I just want you to know that INEC postponing the election is an occupational hazard and it can happen any time. So when you are planning for election you also prepare that it may be postponed. But on a lighter note, it should not have happened.” Ogboru noted.

  • Abians lambast INEC over election postponement

    IN anticipation that the Presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on Saturday February 16, Aba the commercial hub of Abia State became boisterous with economic activities as people made last minute purchases of what they would need at the weekend.

    Many went as far as stocking food ahead of the day owing to the threats from the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who had said in a statement that they were going to treat anyone that came out to vote on the days of the elections as saboteurs.

    Despite assurances from the Police and heads of other security agencies, some members of the public, including members of IPOB, had decided that they were not going to vote because of the sit-at-home order and the anticipated fears associated with elections in the country.

    Relief however came barely 24hrs when the leader of IPOB; Nnamdi Kanu announced cancellation of the planned boycott, urging members of the group to go out and vote, stressing that the group has reached an agreement with yet-to-be known source over the demands of the group.

    But some of the voters who were willing to defy the threat to vote were devastated when the news of the election postponement to February 23, hit the social media.

    Some of the residents of the two major cities and its environs who apparently weren’t aware of the latest development after arriving early to some of the polling centers became devastated when they learnt about the cancellation.

    A visit to different parts of the state, including Aba North and South, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa West, Umuahia North and South, Isiala Ngwa North and South show that economic and business activities were at their lowest ebb as most of the residents of the cities had gone to their various villages in preparation of the voting exercise because of the travel ban expected to last between 6am to 6pmn yesterday.

    Some of the markets in Umuahia and Aba, including Ubani Market, Ariaria, Eziukwu, Ahia Ohuru among others show low turnout of traders and buyers in various markets.

    While the gates of Ariaria International Market were opened for business, the gates of Shopping center were still under lock and key as at the time of our reporter’s last visit to the market.

    Lazarus and Onyekwere who corroborated each other described the postponement as national embarrassment and called on INEC to ensure that they get it right within the next seven days that the elections have been shifted to.

    Others who spoke to our reporter on the cancellation believed that it would be better to have the elections delayed and to get it right than conducting an election in a hurry and at the end of the day, the commission would be inundated with a lot of litigations as a result of the election.