The Nation Newspaper

Tag: elections

  • ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed has raised an alarm about a plot to postpone the general elections. At a press conference in Lagos, the spokesman, who denied the allegation that the APC was hacking into the electoral commission’s database, reiterated the need for men of goodwill to rise in defense of democracy.

    The Department of State Services (DSS), on January 7, released the so-called findings from its investigation, following the gestapo-like raids of our Data Centre at Number 10, Ajibola Street, Ikeja, on November 22, 2014.

    The summary of the ‘findings’ is that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had an ‘articulated plan to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country’’.

    Our immediate response, which was issued on the same day and which got a big play, was to dismiss the ‘findings’ as hogwash, a great disservice to Nigeria and an embarrassment to all intelligence-gathering organizations around the world. Our stand on the ‘findings’ has not changed.

    However, having taken our time to study the ‘findings’, we believe it is necessary for us to respond to the allegations in a more detailed manner that will show that we were even charitable to have described the report as hogwash. That DSS report is bunkum, garbage, and is not worth the paper on which it is written. We will demonstrate that to you shortly

    But first, let us address the motive of the DSS for this report and the timing of its release.

    We will like to tell all Nigerians that the crap called ‘findings’ is part of the ongoing efforts by the Jonathan Administration to postpone next month’s general elections. Having seen the handwriting on the wall vis-a-vis the growing rejection of the PDP by Nigerians, the Jonathan Administration has gone into a panic mode, while embarking on a plan to postpone the elections.

    Apparently, the thinking at the DSS, which is working in cahoots with the PDP, is that its report that the APC plans to hack into the voters’ registration Data Base of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will raise doubts about the integrity of the voter’s register to be used for the forthcoming polls, and subsequently force a postponement of the elections since the existing register cannot be used for the polls.

    Unfortunately for DSS and the PDP, this thinking was based on a wrong premise, as we will show shortly, and it has backfired.

    Before you say our claim is outlandish, remember that some prominent Nigerians have publicly called for the postponement of the election – which can only benefit the Jonathan Administration and delay its impending Waterloo at the polls. Place the calls side by side with the apparently doctored outcome of the DSS investigations and the timing of the report’s release, and you will understand where they are coming from.

     

    The findings

    We make bold to say that those ‘findings’ cannot stand a serious scrutiny by independent investigators.because the DSS worked backwards, from answer to question, in an effort to reach a pre-determined conclusion

     

    Hacking of INEC’s database

    The allegation that the APC planned to hack into INEC’s voters’ registration Data Base is false. The fact that the DSS made the allegation at all shows that the agency does not understand the concept of hacking, which is pathetic for a primary intelligence agency of its stature.

    We are not aware that INEC has made a complaint of anyone or group trying to hack into its system. The DSS ‘findings’ are baseless as INEC’S database is a reflection of the registered members with the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Please note that at the time of the DSS’ raids, the PVCs had already been printed. Therefore, of what value would it be to hack into the system and input more names?

    Simply put, it is not possible for the APC to hack into the INEC Data Base for the following reasons:

    INEC’s database is not online, how then is it possible for anyone to hack into it?

    To prevent virus intrusion, there is no Internet service at the APC Data Centre that was raided. Therefore it is not possible to hack into INEC’s database.

    The DSS has claimed that hacking tutorials were discovered on an external hard drive. This is a lie! All the USB ports on the pc systems in the office were disabled to prevent virus intrusion. Therefore, the use of external hard drives is not allowed at the APC Data Centre. If this is so, how is it possible for an external hard drive containing these so-called hacking materials to be found on the premises of the APC Data Office?

    Please note that the work stations at our various data registration centres in the country are manned by unemployed youths with just basic computer knowledge. The question to ask is: Would the party have employed these people if the intent were to hack into INEC’s Data Base or employed gurus in the IT world?

    It is clear that the DSS purchased a hard drive and downloaded the information themselves from the Internet. After all, the DSS, by virtue of its duties, should be the hacking experts, hence hacking tutorials will be part of their staff induction training.

     

    Timing of the DSS raids

    As we have said, the overall motive of the raid of our offices and the so-called findings is to give the impression that the INEC voter’s register has been corrupted, hence, cannot be used for next month’s elections. Now, a more specific question: Why did the DSS break into the APC Data Centre at the time it did?

    It is no coincidence that the DSS raided the APC Data Centre on Nov. 22nd 2014, exactly one week before the start of the PVC distribution exercise on November 28, 2014.

    The reason the DSS came to vandalize our Data Centre is because the Service is working hand-in-hand with the PDP. They carried out the raids to know our party’s strength in terms of membership. Please note that after the raids, many of our registered members could not find their names on the list when they went to collect their PVCs. This is not a mere coincidence.

     

    Alleged multiple registration

     of members

    After the first visit of the DSS, it was clear to all Nigerians that the Service’s claim that we were cloning PVCs could not be sustained. That explains why they could not display a single cloned PVC

    During the second raid carried out by the DSS on the same at the APC Data Centre, the security personnel carted away bags with unused membership registration forms. These are the forms to which they have fraudulently attached pictures of babies and  military personnel in order to implicate the APC.

    Or what on earth was the purpose of the DSS carting away blank APC membership registration forms? Why did it take the DSS almost 50 days to reveal this information? If it were true, won’t they have released the information to the general public immediately? Has the DSS hired any renowned  IT organization to attest to its ‘findings’? Can you be an accuser and a judge at the same time?

     

    Alleged registration of armed forces/paramilitary personnel

    This is a no-brainer. The question to ask the DSS is: Will any member of the armed forces and paramilitary organisations be so daft as to join a political party using a passport photograph of himself or herself in uniform? The DSS must think Nigerians are fools.

     

    Alleged registration of babies

    To the best of our knowledge, a baby cannot vote. So, why would any organisation register a baby as a member? Our application edits date of birth, hence, we will not allow the registration of under-aged persons. The DSS should tell the world where it got the pictures of babies that it affixed to the blank forms that were carted away from our Data Centre. We did not and could not have registered babies as members. This allegation is nitwitted, to say the least.

     

    Alleged confessions by workers arrested from the data centre

    Please recall that in a statement we issued of Dec. 5th 2014, we accused the DSS of resorting to the use of torture to obtain forced confessions from the workers who were arrested during the first raid on our party’s Data Centre.

    In that statement, we called the action of the DSS a contravention of the UN Convention against Torture to which Nigeria is a signatory and a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights.

    The DSS shackled the hands and legs of those arrested and blindfolded them while they were being taken to Abuja; The arrested persons remained in chains even at the dark detention cell where they were made to sleep on the bare floor for the 10 days they were detained illegally.

    The workers had guns pointed at their heads by DSS personnel who threatened to shoot them

    A pregnant woman among those who were arrested was denied access to her drugs even when she started bleeding due to the torture to which she was subjected by the DSS.

    Gentlemen, we now present to you some of those who were arrested and tortured by the DSS, so they can narrate to you their ordeal in the hands of the DSS – A national institution being maintained by taxpayers’ funds but which has now become the enforcement arm of the PDP to be used by the ruling party to terrorize innocent citizens.

    The DSS said it had charged these workers to court. This is a lie. We were the ones who charged the DSS to court, and the court ordered the security agency to release the arrested workers. Be that as it may, we are expecting them to join us in court, and let the court decide on the crap they called findings. We are confident that the ‘confessions’ extracted from these people, after they were subjected to incredible acts of torture, cannot even stand in any court of law.

  • Elections, INEC and America’s prediction

    SIR: Socrates, the philosopher, born circa 470BC in Athens, Greece, and as wont in their custom, was presented to the “god of life” by his parents, during dedication. The trusted god did not blink in reeling out dossier of the new-born. The darkest spot of his life curricular was, however, a dent on his amphora where the god predicted larger than life achievements but on negative norms – “this newborn will become a Chief Highway Robber the type the world has never witnessed, the god submitted”.

    His parents were perturbed by the message of a god held in high esteem. Socrates’ mother refused to address him by the christened name but chose to call him “Armed Robber”. Noticing, as he grew, his mother addressing him in unconventional way, he challenged her for disparaging his person by the odious name. The mother did not hesitate to reveal the reason.

    What Socrates did when told of the story of a “god that never lied” was to prove the “god” wrong.

    This is the time to prove America and her ilk wrong by surmounting our God given innate qualities and abilities to keep this fragile nation one. The white refer to us as black people but they are wrong. We are dark-skinned and our brain is neither black nor dark.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission under the leadership of Professor Attahiru Jega has to rise to the occasion by ensuring fair contest amongst the numerous candidates.

    The stigmatized image of a body believed to be instrument of electoral frauds in the recent past should be salvaged as we are all waiting to see whether or not he who pays the piper will not call the tune.

    INEC officials are Nigerians, and official corruption has no borderline as people with hitching palms are abound in all facets of life.

    A one man, one vote permutation where justice is seen to be done in arena where votes count is the only panacea to suppress the unseemly beggary and loathsome minds who believe that nothing good could come from the Nazareth of our INEC.

    The fact that Nigerians have been condemned to abject poverty by the successive governments and majority are hibernating under the gale of inescapable fate of economic strangulation and kwashiorkor does not blur our vision from discerning lies even when coated with tissue of truth. People’s sensitivity to electoral manipulations has never been more charged than now.

    Sovereignty belongs to the people and every democratically elected leader is expected to derive power from the people through transparency and prudent accountability in affairs of the state by a way of giving hope to the local populace in a society where individuals are privileged to wangle ways in serene and secured ambient environment for economic emancipation. Yes, political office holder, if truly elected, should be accountable to the electorates.

    We should be reminded that a few Nigeria politicians in their desperation, either to cling to power or record electoral success at all cost, are obstinate in hypocrisy by laying foundation of their house of deception on an undermined sand cliff ready to crumble to pieces with the occupiers.

     

    The phobia of break-up as orchestrated by the West in form of a kite supposedly flown in our sky of sub consciousness is a charade, an intrigue of deceit intended to sow seeds of discord, hatred and disunity amongst our ruling elites for actualization of their dream, not for anything, but their economic interests.

    All eyes must open. All ears must open. All sense organs must be at alert as if this is the last lap on a common race towards destination for a new Nigeria where everybody will be his brother’s keeper

     

    Let the votes count. Let us put our detractors to shame. Let Nigeria be

     

    • Jimoh Kayode,

    Lagos

  • Elections and the imperative of peace

    It is heart-warming that the two leading candidates in the February presidential elections, President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, as well as other candidates, have made public commitment to embracing peace before, during and after the elections. It is particularly noteworthy that the President Jonathan and General Buhari openly embraced and shook hands at the event while also mutually openly denouncing violence in their respective speeches. This commitment to peace was made at a recent workshop on how to ensure violence-free elections held in Abuja. The event, which was chaired by former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, also had in attendance a former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Anan and some representatives of the country’s registered political parties.

    The resolution of political parties and their leaders to toe the line of peace is especially momentous in view of the several acts of violence, arson, thuggery and the ensuing tension that have pervaded the political landscape of recent. Now that the major gladiators in the political process have openly pledged to uphold the peace, it is expected that their teeming supporters across the country would equally see the wisdom in toeing same line. It has been stated, over and over again, that elections should not be a do or die affair. If the overriding interest of all aspiring public office holders, as they often make us to believe, is to better the lives of Nigerians, it would be contradictory for them to turn the political scene into an orgy of violence. Doing this would only compound the woes of the people as violence could further complicate the economic and security troubles of the country.

    Going down memory lanes, our previous attempts at democracy were hampered by acts of violence that engulfed the electoral process. In the First Republic, the ‘wild wild west’ chaos and other such political violence that followed the 1965 general elections heralded the coming of the military. A series of events that followed eventually culminated in the civil war (1967-70), whose wounds are yet to be completely healed. In the Second Republic, yet another attempt at entrenching democracy in the country was bungled, partly as a result of the tension and crisis that followed the 1983 general elections, which were widely believed to be heavily rigged in favour of the then ruling National Party of Nigeria, NPN.

    It took us another 15 years, from 1984 to1999 to be precise, before we could have another go at democracy. Presently, we have had an unprecedented 14 years of un-interrupted civil rule. This should be enough motivation for principal actors in the political process and all stakeholders to play according to the rules. Doing anything to the contrary would only make a mess of whatever gains we have made in the past years, in our bid to build a virile democratic culture. This is why it is vital that political parties and, indeed, all concerned Nigerians, must maintain decorum in all they do, with regards to the coming elections, so that the future of the nation’s democracy will not be jeopardised.

    The elections, therefore, offer us another huge platform to get things right. We should no longer hide under the usual pretext of a ‘nascent democracy’ to do things crudely. This is the time to get it right. The only interest that should be paramount in the ensuing political contest should be that of the country. It is not in anyone’s interest for the country to be engulfed in crisis because of election; something that is a mere routine in other climes. We have had enough of bloodshed in the country. In the past four years, we have lost too many innocent souls to the criminal activities of insurgents. It is, therefore, irrational to adjoin political turmoil to the growing lists of our national troubles. In the 21st century, killing or maiming people in the name of an election portends backwardness and barbarism. If relatively smaller and less endowed neighbouring countries could conduct peaceful and credible elections, it behoves on the most populous Black Country in the world to demonstrate the needed political leadership, worthy of emulation across the continent.

    However, it is often said, there can be no peace when justice is compromised. It is, thus, very crucial for INEC and the various security agencies to be fair to all in the coming elections. From past experiences, the inability of past electoral umpires to conduct fair and credible elections had been largely responsible for the resultant chaos that trails the outcome of previous elections. Hence, INEC’s officials, at all levels, must not compromise the electoral process. The vote of every Nigerian must be made to count. Same goes for the security agencies. It is unethical for security agencies to display partisan tendencies while overseeing the conduct of a national election. The police, in particular, should be civil and impartial in their conduct before, during and after the coming elections. Their allegiance should be solely to the country, and not any parochial political interest.

    Universally, peace is a vital precondition for development. Without peace, no meaningful development could take place in a chaotic atmosphere. According to Martin Luther King, “peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” It is, therefore, essential that the media, political parties, civil society organisations, the academia, faith based organisations, electoral monitoring groups, NGOs and other related bodies come up with well streamlined political education and enlightenment campaigns that would centre on the need to embrace peace in the political process. As it has been rightly highlighted, irrespective of our varying political leanings, we remain brothers and sisters living in the same house. It, hence, behoves on us to ensure that the house does not collapse. It will be foolhardy to do otherwise. Long live Nigeria.

     

    • Ogunbiyi is of Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • 2015 poll: IPC sensitizes journalists on media code

    2015 poll: IPC sensitizes journalists on media code

    As part of bid to ensure violence free election come February, the International Press Centre on Tuesday organised a seminar (Tweet-a-thon) to sensitize journalists.

    The seventh tweet-a-thon themed: ‘Making use of Media Code of Election Coverage for Credible Reporting’, generated several tweets which reached 134,853 accounts, thereby making 173,975 impressions through hashtag #Media4Elections.

    Lead discussant, Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Newspapers and President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adesina, charged the Nigerian media on professional coverage of the general elections.

    Speaking at the International Press Centre (IPC) Tweet-a-Thon, on Tuesday, Adesina who was represented by Mr. Bolaji Tunji, Executive Director, Special Duties, The Sun Newspapers, stressed that if the elections would go well, without negative incidents, it depends largely on how the media do their work.

    “There are several factors that instigate electoral violence, but a key one is the perceived sense of injustice, through electoral manipulation. But if the media does its work professionally, covers the elections dispassionately, and the electoral umpire also does its work with absolute neutrality, and efficiently, then the possibilities of violence flaring are greatly reduced,” he said.

    According to him, credible reportage promotes the transparency and impartiality that goes into an election that has been properly conducted.

    He noted that stakeholders in the media had worked hard over the past many months to articulate what is now called ‘The Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage’, which has now been formally presented to the public.

    Also present at the seminar is former Assistant Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, Mrs. Funmi Komolafe as well as General Secretary of the Lagos State council of the Nigerian Union of Journalist, (NUJ), Mrs. Abimbola Oyetunde.

    Mrs. Komolafe in her presentation advised journalists not too over trust anybody to the extent of not having necessary details about situations reported.

    “Politicians in most cases want to use you. Do not over trust your sources because the person giving you the information only wants to get it across through you. So double check the details,” she reiterated.

    Mrs. Yetunde responded to a question from Mrs. Komolafe on how Police representatives, the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security (DSS), were informed about the role of the media in the coverage of election.

    In her response, she suggested that the Union at the national level set up a monitoring team to mediate between military and paramilitary personnel as well as journalists when need arises.

    Mr. Adeshina, who observed that elections should be about free will, making choices, and contributing to development through the emergence of leaders who can serve faithfully, said: “Elections in our country need not be doomsday.”

    He said: “Why then should a country perish, simply because it is holding elections? That is the scenario in Nigeria.  But the evil day can be avoided if journalists do their work impartially, professionally and efficiently.

    “A document has been put together to help us.  Let everyone that has the code of election coverage run with it.  The vision is for an appointed time.  And that time is now,” he summed.

    The associations involved in the months-long bid to produce the document included Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).

    Others are Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Media Rights Agenda (MRA) as well as International Press Centre (IPC).

  • ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed has raised an alarm about a plot to postpone the general elections. At a press conference in Lagos, the spokesman, who denied the allegation that the APC was hacking into the electoral commission’s database, reiterated the need for men of goodwill to rise in defense of democracy.

    The Department of State Services (DSS), on January 7, released the so-called findings from its investigation, following the gestapo-like raids of our Data Centre at Number 10, Ajibola Street, Ikeja, on November 22, 2014.

    The summary of the ‘findings’ is that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had an ‘articulated plan to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country’’.

    Our immediate response, which was issued on the same day and which got a big play, was to dismiss the ‘findings’ as hogwash, a great disservice to Nigeria and an embarrassment to all intelligence-gathering organizations around the world. Our stand on the ‘findings’ has not changed.

    However, having taken our time to study the ‘findings’, we believe it is necessary for us to respond to the allegations in a more detailed manner that will show that we were even charitable to have described the report as hogwash. That DSS report is bunkum, garbage, and is not worth the paper on which it is written. We will demonstrate that to you shortly

    But first, let us address the motive of the DSS for this report and the timing of its release.

    We will like to tell all Nigerians that the crap called ‘findings’ is part of the ongoing efforts by the Jonathan Administration to postpone next month’s general elections. Having seen the handwriting on the wall vis-a-vis the growing rejection of the PDP by Nigerians, the Jonathan Administration has gone into a panic mode, while embarking on a plan to postpone the elections.

    Apparently, the thinking at the DSS, which is working in cahoots with the PDP, is that its report that the APC plans to hack into the voters’ registration Data Base of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will raise doubts about the integrity of the voter’s register to be used for the forthcoming polls, and subsequently force a postponement of the elections since the existing register cannot be used for the polls.

    Unfortunately for DSS and the PDP, this thinking was based on a wrong premise, as we will show shortly, and it has backfired.

    Before you say our claim is outlandish, remember that some prominent Nigerians have publicly called for the postponement of the election – which can only benefit the Jonathan Administration and delay its impending Waterloo at the polls. Place the calls side by side with the apparently doctored outcome of the DSS investigations and the timing of the report’s release, and you will understand where they are coming from.

    The findings

    We make bold to say that those ‘findings’ cannot stand a serious scrutiny by independent investigators.because the DSS worked backwards, from answer to question, in an effort to reach a pre-determined conclusion

    Hacking of INEC’s database

    The allegation that the APC planned to hack into INEC’s voters’ registration Data Base is false. The fact that the DSS made the allegation at all shows that the agency does not understand the concept of hacking, which is pathetic for a primary intelligence agency of its stature.

    We are not aware that INEC has made a complaint of anyone or group trying to hack into its system. The DSS ‘findings’ are baseless as INEC’S database is a reflection of the registered members with the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Please note that at the time of the DSS’ raids, the PVCs had already been printed. Therefore, of what value would it be to hack into the system and input more names?

    Simply put, it is not possible for the APC to hack into the INEC Data Base for the following reasons:

    INEC’s database is not online, how then is it possible for anyone to hack into it?

    To prevent virus intrusion, there is no Internet service at the APC Data Centre that was raided. Therefore it is not possible to hack into INEC’s database.

    The DSS has claimed that hacking tutorials were discovered on an external hard drive. This is a lie! All the USB ports on the pc systems in the office were disabled to prevent virus intrusion. Therefore, the use of external hard drives is not allowed at the APC Data Centre. If this is so, how is it possible for an external hard drive containing these so-called hacking materials to be found on the premises of the APC Data Office?

    Please note that the work stations at our various data registration centres in the country are manned by unemployed youths with just basic computer knowledge. The question to ask is: Would the party have employed these people if the intent were to hack into INEC’s Data Base or employed gurus in the IT world?

    It is clear that the DSS purchased a hard drive and downloaded the information themselves from the Internet. After all, the DSS, by virtue of its duties, should be the hacking experts, hence hacking tutorials will be part of their staff induction training.

    Timing of the DSS raids

    As we have said, the overall motive of the raid of our offices and the so-called findings is to give the impression that the INEC voter’s register has been corrupted, hence, cannot be used for next month’s elections. Now, a more specific question: Why did the DSS break into the APC Data Centre at the time it did?

    It is no coincidence that the DSS raided the APC Data Centre on Nov. 22nd 2014, exactly one week before the start of the PVC distribution exercise on November 28, 2014.

    The reason the DSS came to vandalize our Data Centre is because the Service is working hand-in-hand with the PDP. They carried out the raids to know our party’s strength in terms of membership. Please note that after the raids, many of our registered members could not find their names on the list when they went to collect their PVCs. This is not a mere coincidence.

    Alleged multiple registration of members

    After the first visit of the DSS, it was clear to all Nigerians that the Service’s claim that we were cloning PVCs could not be sustained. That explains why they could not display a single cloned PVC

    During the second raid carried out by the DSS on the same at the APC Data Centre, the security personnel carted away bags with unused membership registration forms. These are the forms to which they have fraudulently attached pictures of babies and  military personnel in order to implicate the APC.

    Or what on earth was the purpose of the DSS carting away blank APC membership registration forms? Why did it take the DSS almost 50 days to reveal this information? If it were true, won’t they have released the information to the general public immediately? Has the DSS hired any renowned  IT organization to attest to its ‘findings’? Can you be an accuser and a judge at the same time?

    Alleged registration of armed forces/paramilitary personnel

    This is a no-brainer. The question to ask the DSS is: Will any member of the armed forces and paramilitary organisations be so daft as to join a political party using a passport photograph of himself or herself in uniform? The DSS must think Nigerians are fools.

    Alleged registration of babies

    To the best of our knowledge, a baby cannot vote. So, why would any organisation register a baby as a member? Our application edits date of birth, hence, we will not allow the registration of under-aged persons. The DSS should tell the world where it got the pictures of babies that it affixed to the blank forms that were carted away from our Data Centre. We did not and could not have registered babies as members. This allegation is nitwitted, to say the least.

    Alleged confessions by workers arrested from the data centre

    Please recall that in a statement we issued of Dec. 5th 2014, we accused the DSS of resorting to the use of torture to obtain forced confessions from the workers who were arrested during the first raid on our party’s Data Centre.

    In that statement, we called the action of the DSS a contravention of the UN Convention against Torture to which Nigeria is a signatory and a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights.

    The DSS shackled the hands and legs of those arrested and blindfolded them while they were being taken to Abuja; The arrested persons remained in chains even at the dark detention cell where they were made to sleep on the bare floor for the 10 days they were detained illegally.

    The workers had guns pointed at their heads by DSS personnel who threatened to shoot them

    A pregnant woman among those who were arrested was denied access to her drugs even when she started bleeding due to the torture to which she was subjected by the DSS.

    Gentlemen, we now present to you some of those who were arrested and tortured by the DSS, so they can narrate to you their ordeal in the hands of the DSS – A national institution being maintained by taxpayers’ funds but which has now become the enforcement arm of the PDP to be used by the ruling party to terrorize innocent citizens.

    The DSS said it had charged these workers to court. This is a lie. We were the ones who charged the DSS to court, and the court ordered the security agency to release the arrested workers. Be that as it may, we are expecting them to join us in court, and let the court decide on the crap they called findings. We are confident that the ‘confessions’ extracted from these people, after they were subjected to incredible acts of torture, cannot even stand in any court of law.

  • PDP, DSS plot to shift elections, says APC

    PDP, DSS plot to shift elections, says APC

    There are plans to postpone next month’s elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleged yesterday.

    Its proof: claims by the Department of State Service (DSS) that APC planned to hack into the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) voter registration database.

    At a news conference yesterday in Lagos, APC National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed said the DSS fabricated lies to pave the way for INEC to postpone the elections.

    The APC spokesperson wondered why it took this long for the DSS to come out with its findings, noting that it was done in conjunction with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after discovering that Jonathan’s administration had been rejected.

    He said: “We will like to tell all Nigerians that the crap called ‘findings’ is part of the ongoing efforts by the Jonathan administration to postpone next month’s general elections. Having seen the handwriting on the wall vis-a-vis the growing rejection of the PDP by Nigerians, the Jonathan administration has gone into a panic mode, while embarking on a plan to postpone the elections.

    “The summary of the ‘findings’ is that our party, the APC, had an ‘’articulated plan to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country.

    “Our immediate response, which was issued on the same day and which got a big play, was to dismiss the ‘findings’ as hogwash, a great disservice to Nigeria and an embarrassment to all intelligence-gathering organisations around the world.”

    Mohammed added that having studies the ‘findings’, “we believe it is necessary for us to respond to the allegations in a more detailed manner that will show that we were even charitable to have described the report as hogwash. That DSS report is bunkum, garbage, and is not worth the paper on which it is written.

    “Before you say our claim is outlandish, remember that some prominent Nigerians have publicly called for the postponement of the election – which can only benefit the Jonathan administration and delay its impending Waterloo at the polls.

    “Place the calls side by side with the apparently doctored outcome of the DSS investigations and the timing of the report’s release, and you will understand where they are coming from.”

    The APC chieftain said  the “findings” cannot stand a serious scrutiny by independent investigators because the DSS worked backwards, from answer to question, in an effort to reach a pre-determined conclusion.

    Mohammed maintained that the party was not aware that INEC has made a complaint of anyone or group trying to hack into its system.

    “We are not aware that INEC has made a complaint of anyone or group trying to hack into its system. The DSS ‘findings’ are baseless as INEC’S database is a reflection of the registered members with the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Please note that at the time of the DSS’ raids, the PVCs had already been printed. Therefore, of what value would it be to hack into the system and input more names?

    “Simply put, it is not possible for the APC to hack into the INEC Data Base for the following reasons:

    “INEC’s database is not online; how then is it possible for anyone to hack into it?

    “To prevent virus intrusion, there is no Internet service at the APC Data Centre that was raided. Therefore, it is not possible to hack into INEC’s database.

    “The DSS has claimed that hacking tutorials were discovered on an external hard drive. This is a lie! All the USB ports on the pc systems in the office were disabled to prevent virus intrusion. Therefore, the use of external hard drives is not allowed at the APC Data Centre. If this is so, how is it possible for an external hard drive containing these so-called hacking materials to be found on the premises of the APC Data Office?

    “Please note that the work stations at our various data registration centres in the country are manned by unemployed youths with just basic computer knowledge. The question to ask is: Would the party have employed these people if the intent were to hack into INEC’s Data Base or employed gurus in the IT world?

    “It is clear that the DSS purchased a hard drive and downloaded the information themselves from the Internet. After all, the DSS, by virtue of its duties, should be the hacking experts, hence hacking tutorials will be part of their staff induction training.

    “As we have said, the overall motive of the raid of our offices and the so-called findings is to give the impression that the INEC voter’s register has been corrupted, hence cannot be used for next month’s elections. Now, a more specific question: Why did the DSS break into the APC Data Centre at the time it did?

    “It is no coincidence that the DSS raided the APC Data Centre on Nov. 22nd 2014, exactly one week before the start of the PVC distribution exercise on Nov. 28th 2014.”

    The party’s conclusion is that “the DSS came to vandalise our Data Centre is because the Service is working hand-in-hand with the PDP.

    “They carried out the raids to know our party’s strength, in terms of membership. Please note that after the raids, many of our registered members could not find their names on the list when they went to collect their PVCs. This is not a mere coincidence,” Mohammed said.

    According to him, “After the first visit of the DSS, it was clear to all Nigerians that the Service’s claim that we were cloning PVCs could not be sustained. That explains why they could not display single cloned PVC.”

  • Can there be credible elections without PVCs?

    Can there be credible elections without PVCs?

    In this piece, Adeyinka Jeje, Election Manager and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, contends that the disenfranchised of eligible voters, through the shoddy distribution of Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  is dangerous for democracy.

    I have followed with interest the on-going National discourse on INEC; the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards; and the Continuous Voter Registration.  I have restrained myself from making comment by virtue of my office, but l am finding it difficult to defend my position of silence in the face of what appeared as deliberate effort by INEC to frustrate the 2015 General Elections.

    My change of position is also due to the fact that I am an Election Manager in Lagos State and constitutionally,  whatever is the final product of the voters register by the INEC will also affect the performance on my job, hence, I am constitutionally permitted to shout loud and clear where Any short-coming in the process. Moreover, l am a Nigerian and privileged to have full understanding of the electoral terrain, hence l owe the nation, posterity and myself the duty to analyse the situation as an insider and let Nigerians know and understand the unfolding scenario.

     

    Issues

    It is essential to articulate the issues under these major headlines; (i) Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and (ii) The Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise.

     

    Permanent voter cards

    It would be recalled that the Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) were issued by INEC on registration for the 2011 General Elections. INEC informed all of us that those with double registration had their names deleted as at 2011 and even threatened then to prosecute those affected by double registration. The Permanent Voter Cards being distributed now, had the 2011 Voters Register as its data base. Of course, this was four years ago!  INEC equally informed us in 2011 that it was in the process of issuing the Permanent Voter Cards. In essence it took INEC four years to produce the Permanent Voter Cards purportedly to be used for the 2015 General Elections. One would have expected a perfect and seamless job, not the haphazard issuance, missing of individual names and entire registration units all over the country.

    First, let us examine the issue of double registration. While INEC has the right to perfect its Voter Register, l have checked the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, l did not see anywhere INEC is empowered to disenfranchise anybody for double registration. Me think the most logical thing to do is to delete double but still maintain the voter in the register. INEC could decide to prosecute anyone for double registration but for God’s sake, it has no right to disenfranchise anybody.

    Secondly, INEC came with some double talks on why voters in some states decreased while obviously these states are states with exploding population. Is INEC saying after the 2011 General Elections it did another editing of the register or it employed another computer application that assisted in weeding out names with double entry?  I know this was not the case, hence something mischievous or hidden from the public and the Election Managers in the 36 State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), who will equally use the same register for their Local Government elections are not being along carried on by INEC. This leads simply to suspicion as election is a process and the compilation of the Voters Register is a very important aspect of that process.

    Thirdly, is the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards for three days and relegation of subsequent collection to INEC Local Council Offices, is a reckless management of the distribution without adequate consideration for the environment. All of us who witnessed the distribution were sure that not up to 30 percent collected the PVCs.  I was therefore ,shocked when INEC claimed that over 60 percent of registered voters had collected the PVCs and that any registered voter without the PVC will not be allowed to vote in the 2015 General Elections. This seemingly simple unconstitutional decision by INEC is a recipe for disaster in the forthcoming election.

    The voters register is biometric in the sense that it has the picture, details and finger-prints of each voter. It is easy to relate the photograph in the register to the face of the voter and one could ask some simple security questions like age, date of birth, etc, to ascertain doubtful voters. To out-rightly ban those who could not locate/collect their PVC is nothing but arbitrary use of power.

    If this situation is not corrected by calling INEC to order, the ground or foundation is being laid for altercations at each of virtually all the polling units across the country. On the day of election, it is easy for altercation to get heated and if not well managed, could lead to squabble which may ultimately lead to chaos, riots and breakdown of law and order. I foresee this happening simultaneously all over the country and this will simply lead to cancellation of elections in those areas where peace appears to have been disturbed.

    I have read voraciously about electoral processes and luckily l was in Washington DC, USA with Prof Jega and his team during the 2011 presidential elections. One constant in stable electoral environments all over the world is confidence in the system. No voter ever expect to be disenfranchised and voters in those climes know that anyone who commits an Electoral offence shall be liable. The simple question l want to ask is: Hhs INEC distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards generated confidence in the Nigeria Electoral System towards the 2015 elections?”

     

    Continuous voters

    registration exercise

    After the 2011 elections, Prof Jega announced that INEC would start the Continuous Voters Registration immediately all over the Federation.  I find the whole gamut of Continuous Voters Registration as a huge joke on Nigerians. Why five days if it is Continuous Voter registrations, is it not contradictory?  We all can remember the problem of the data Capturing Machines when used in 2011 and we begin to wonder what magic INEC wanted to perform within 5 days of what they called Continuous Voters Registration exercise. Of course, this is not the age of miracles, the exercise has failed woefully.

    The INEC has a monopoly on the compilation of Voters Register, but the Constitution also empowers SIECs to advise INEC on the subjects as long as the same Register would be used for Local Councils’ elections. This implies SIECs are Stakeholders, but INEC in its electoral arrogance did not consider it necessary to carry the SIECs along and to worsen the matter has refused to acknowledge inputs from SIECs. INEC is on a solitary journey in the Nigeria electoral terrain whereas it is expected to carry all the stakeholders along. It is more painful because this is one of our areas of core competence where we are, expected to exhibit pure professionalism, which I must confess is lacking in INEC’s management of the exercise.

     

    Inferences

    It is quite clear from the analysis that if INEC is not called to order, it would embark on unconstitutional disenfranchisement of   eligible voters. INEC has no right to delete any name from the Voters Register but can only prosecute those involved in double registration.

    What happens to the names of individuals missing in the Register or to names of people in an entire Registration Unit missing? Many people re-registered but still no Permanent Voter Card. Yet many of these people have the temporary Voter Card but according to INEC, cannot vote.

    What will happen on Election Day.  Are we using the Card Reader? What value is the Card reader going to add to the election? Is the card reader going to replace the Poll Clerk? In fact it is still a mystery to me at our level of electoral development what the card reader is meant to achieve.

    Anyway you must have a Permanent Voter Card before the Card Reader can be used. What if the Card Reader is faulty?

    The INEC should drop the idea of disenfranchising eligible voters for lack of Permanent Voter Card. The blame for non- possession of Permanent Voter Card should be placed at the doorstep of  the INEC. I do not want to subscribe to the allegation that INEC is playing out a script.

    More worrisome is the implication of the aforementioned on the voter turn –out. Any Electoral Management Body (EMB) that refuses to take into cognizance the confidence of the voter in the electoral system and level of participation in the democratic process is invariably plunging the nation into legitimacy crisis. If democracy is the government of the majority, a situation where less than half the voter population elect the representatives could not be said to be democratic in actual terms. Prof. Attahiru Jega should revisit the way INEC is embarking on this journey of 2015 elections.

    Nigeria has a lot to learn from Brazil that incidentally shares some attributes with Nigeria, equally a federal state, highly populated and multi-cultural in nature. Just last year October, 2014 the Voter Turn –out in the presidential election of that Country was 78.9 per cent where  Presidential, Gubernatorial and National Assembly Elections were held same day. Perhaps we need to also note the 2013 parliamentary elections in Australia with 93.23 per cent Voter Turn-out. Nigeria could achieve same feat if the political will and the conducive atmosphere is in place. However the present disposition of INEC and the body language appears to be indifferent to high turn-out of Voters during the coming election.

    The INEC not to allow itself to be an instrument in subverting itself in the process of free, fair and credible election. It should allow without any controversy the use of Temporary Voter Cards during the 2015 election or else it might open itself to litany of litigations which I hope may not add to frustrating credible 2015 general elections in Nigeria.

  • Aregbesola: Don’t misuse soldiers during elections

    Aregbesola: Don’t misuse soldiers during elections

    Osun State Rauf Aregbesola  has urged Nigerians to reject the use of soldiers for electoral duty, stressing that it is counter-productive.

    The governor, who spoke at the launch of the Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem at Osogbo, the state capital, said the people should reject any plan to use the military to intimidate civilians during and after the general elections.

    He recalled that soldiers were mobilised against civilians during the last osun State governorship election.

    The governor, who launched the emblem with N2.5 million, explained that he would have done more for the military, if the state has not started to feel the impact of the cash crunch.

    Aregbesola described the election as a historic event, urging the people to vote wisely. He said the exercise should put an end to the peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership at the centre.

    He said: “It is a great misnomer and misuse of the military and  resources for soldiers to be deployed as instruments for abridging the citizens’ freedom and liberty, and to intimidate and bully them for the sinister purpose of gaining electoral advantage.

    “This we have witnessed on several occasions in recent times when the government at the centre unleashed combat-ready soldiers on the populace in a purely civil matter of vote casting by law-abiding citizens.

    “More alarming is the fact that this happened at a time when a part of the country had been taken over by a terrorist group, whose dislodgement should have been a matter of high national security priority.

    “Such inexcusable abuse of authority and citizens’ trust ought to trigger in any right-thinking citizen a deep sense of patriotic indignation.”

    The governor advised the  military to set up special vocations centres for soldiers to acquire new skills.

    He described military service as a distinctly peculiar profession, adding that soldiers are expected to put their lives on the line in the defense of the nation.

    Aregbesola said Nigerians should hold soldiers in high esteem  as defender of the territorial integrity of the country.

    The Deputy Commandant-General and Chairman of Nigerian Legion  in Osun State, Col. Alimi Samotu (rtd), called on the Federal government to pay the 20 per cent balance of pension arrears to avoid protest by ex-servicemen.

    He said: “The fallen heroes being remembered today deserve the honour because of the supreme sacrifice they made particularly during the Nigerian Civil war.

    “The gallant fighters lost their lives on the battle field without a farewell to their parents, wives, children and other dependants and many who did not die became maimed.”

  • Artistes advise Nigerian youths on elections

    Artistes advise Nigerian youths on elections

    While most Nollywood actors and filmmakers have pitched their tents with some candidates for the coming elections, other artistes appear neutral, as they have come together to urge Nigerians to explore their fundamental human rights by coming out en mass to vote.

    Spearheaded by advocacy group, Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, the artistes, in a series of short videos, directed by Body Lawson and posted on the internet, are encouraging young Nigerians to not only register and vote, but also ensure their votes are protected.

    “So you registered to vote. You should be very proud. Because that card you hold in your hand has the power to change this nation one vote at a time. So, it’s very simple; select, vote and protect,” says songstress and photographer, TY Bello.

    Pop artiste, 2Face Idibia also reaches out to a wider audience with vernacular, saying; “I go register, I go select carefully, I go vote wisely, I go protect my vote. I be 2Face Idiibia. You sef go out there; register, select, vote, protect. 2Baba say so.”

    On the other hand, Nollywood actress, Ufuoma Ejenbor called on voters not to be swayed by electioneering promises. “They would hold rallies, they always do. That’s fine. But let’s not get carried away with the singing and dancing. Let us get hold of their manifesto. Let us understand their individual plan for every sector of the economy. Let us read it, be knowledgeable of it and balance it out with reality. Enough is Enough,” she advised.

    EiE is also organising a Presidential and Governorship election debate series called The Peoples’ Debate, in partnership with GenVoices, Gemstone and the Nigerian Global Shapers Hubs (Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, Ibadan & Kano).

  • Imoke, Efiks and the coming elections

    These are very sobering times in Cross River State. Negative tendencies that were buried several years ago are being exhumed all in a bid to score cheap political points. ýStrangely, good guys are now being made to look like devils all in the name of politics. Nothing is more distressing than the on-going campaign by some embattled and failed politicians to portray the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke as one who hates Efik people of the state. Yet in truth, no other politician, including Efik sons and daughters, in recent times, has done more to uplift the Efiks than Imoke. Until 1999, no Efik man or woman was ever elected the governor of Cross River State. Indeed, the buzz words on everyone’s lips then was that no Efik could be governor of the state. In truth, this position had nothing to do with the competence of the Efiks to hold such an office. Rather, it was a simple case of all the other ethnic groups loosely referred to as Atam, coming together to form a huge voting bloc, to ensure that only their own ruled.

    But the Efiks were able to break that jinx in 1999 with the election of Donald Duke as governor. One man who played a pivotal role to ensure that this revolution of some sort took place is Senator Imoke. By 2003, it was looking almost impossible for Duke to get a second term in office. The other ethnic groups had banded together under the auspices of the Atam Peoples Congress with the sole aim of wresting power. It was the same Imoke who is now being painted as one who hates Efik, that confronted his own people and neutralized them so that his friend, an Efik, could get a second term in office. When Imoke, who is from the Central Senatorial District of the state won the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) governorship primaries for the 2007 elections, he settled for none other than Barrister Efiok Cobham as his running mate. Cobham is Efik. Unlike his predecessor and even some of his current colleague governors, who change their deputies like one changes garments, Imoke has kept his deputy. And everyone in the state knows that unlike other deputy governors, Cobham is actively involved in the running of the state. The story of the no-love lost relationship between the state governor and his first deputy in 1999 is well documented and needs no rehashing here. Cross River State is divided into three senatorial districts; Southern, Central and Northern. While Imoke is from the Central, his deputy is from the Southern Senatorial District. Despite occupying the office of deputy governor, Imoke nominated another Efik man, Edem Duke for ministerial appointment. That office was originally meant for the North. Under the present dispensation, three Efiks are ýcurrently serving as Nigerian ambassadors. These appointments are made by the President with recommendations from governors. In the Cross River State Executive Council appointed by Imoke, Efik sons and daughters occupy very strategic ministries. They include Etim Caifas, Commissioner for Finance, Prof Ndem Ayara, the State Economic Adviser, Prof Offiong E. Offiong, Commissioner for Education and Prof Angela Oyo-Ita, Commissioner for Health.

    It must also not be forgotten that the chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Ewa Henshaw is Efik. This is not to forget Senator Florence Ita Giwa, an Efik daughter, who is on the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). The senator representing the Southern Senatorial District, Prince Bassey Otu is an Efik man. The district is made up of seven local government areas. Two of these local government areas, Biase and Akamkpa are non-Efik speaking. Today, the phrase ‘Five Alive’, mischievously and selfishly coined to draw a distinction between the five Efik speaking local councils and the rest two, Biase and Akamkpa is proof that the latter two are ‘dead’ and serfs of the Efiks. Besides appointments and elective offices, Imoke has also favoured the Efiks more than any other ethnic group in the state when it comes to location of capital projects.

    Tellingly, the location of key capital projects in Efik land by Imoke started long before he became governor. As Minister of Power and Steel, Imoke got the Federal Government to site one of its Independent Power Plants (IPP)ý in Odukpani, an Efik land. His administration in the state has uplifted Calabar South more than any other administration has ever done with the construction of over 44 roads. There is also the Margaret Ekpo International Airport Bypass with an interchange flyover, the first of its kind in the state. The civil servants housing estate constructed by the Imoke-led administration is located in Akpabuyo, an Efik land. Other major capital projects being built in Calabar by the administration include the impressive Calabar International Convention Centre, the over 200-bed Specialist Hospital, 18-hole international golf course, monorail, a new upscale housing estate, ultra-modern indoor sports hall and many more. One of the new General Hospitals built by the Imoke administration is located in Ukem, Odukpani Local Government Area, an Efik land.

    In their haste to tar Imoke with a hate brush, these faceless ethnic jingoists exposed themselves for who they truly are; political hirelings paid to do a hatchet job for a fee. In effect, this group cannot be said to be representing the Efiks, but a narrow political interest masquerading as the voices of the Efiks. Else, why did the group find it rather difficult to unveil the so-called Concerned Citizens of Calabar by revealing signatories of the advertorial as published by The Nation of Monday January 6 and Tuesday January 7? Obviously, the content reveals clearly that the so-called Concerned Citizens of Calabar are agents working for a particular politician. It is also worrisome to find that the term Calabar is now loosely used to designate a people or tribe rather than a geographical location. Are these hirelings speaking for all the people, including those from the North and Central residing in Calabar or the Efiks as a people? In particular reference to the Peregrino meeting where Imoke was said to have voiced his concern about his alleged hatred for Calabar people, was the gathering a party affair or one for the Calabar people? When has a PDP or a party affair become that of the entire people of the state?  Is every Calabar resident or Efik man a PDP member?

    In an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, the faceless group claimed that Imoke hates Efik people ýwhich is why he is opposed to the idea of incumbent Senator Otu returning to the Senate. According to them, the governor favours Gershom Bassey who is unacceptable to them.  Let us, for the purpose of argument, concede that Gershom Bassey enjoys the support of the governor. But is Gershom Bassey not an Efik man like Prince Otu? Does support for one Efik man over the other amount to hate for a tribe?

    Another claim that flies in the face of truth is the purported neglect of the Obong of Calabar by the Imoke-led administration. If anything, Imoke has tried to restore the dignity ýof that highly revered stool that was needlessly desecrated by the previous administration led by an Efik son. The Mercedes Limousine the current Obong of Calabar cruises in was bought for him by the Imoke-led administration. Besides the monthly stipend that is paid to every member of the state Traditional Rulers Council which the Obong is a member, he gets an additional one million naira every month from the Imoke government. Let these purveyors of falsehood tell the world what car the Obong was driving when their son was the governor? We will also like to know what he was getting from the government on a monthly basis prior to the emergence of Imoke-led administration.

    In what clearly signposts a ‘clear and present danger’ to an incoming administration, this faceless group has revealed the imminent danger and threat it constitutes to its existence and survival in office. In an act of desperation and coupled with bare-face scheming for relevance, the Concerned Citizens of Calabar is already inciting the undiscerning among them against an administration that has yet to contest an election, much else secure a victory to form a government. In its febrile attempt, the group listed positions already shared out in the incoming regime that purportedly seek to exclude Calabar people!

     

    • Okon  writes from Calabar.