The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Festus Okoye

  • Breaking: INEC extends voting hours

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will extend voting hours in areas where polling failed to open by 8am, it be confirmed.

    The National Commissioner in Charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Barrister Festus Okoye, said the commission had anticipated that there might be some hiccups.

    Okoye however assured Nigerians that the commission is on top of the situation, urging the public not to panic.

    Speaking on the extension of voting hour, Okoye noted that in any of the states where polls open at 9 o’clock, there will be an extension of one hour.

    Read Also: Pitfalls INEC must avoid today

    The extension time, he said, is predicated on the hours of delay experienced.

    On this, he said INEC is in touch with the Resident Electoral Commissioners

    Speaking on the identified hiccups, Okoye said most of the challenges are security- related and delay on the part of transporters.

    In the issue of security, he noted that INEC boss was already in touch with security agencies to address the situation.

    On the general outlook, he said polling in some states opened 100 percent at the stipulated time while some states recorded 90%

     

  • Nigerians shall have free, fair and credible elections – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has allayed the fears of Nigerians and assured of its readiness to conduct free, fair and transparent elections, beginning with the Presidential election on Feb 16, 2019.

    Speaking with media executives on the preparations ahead of the coming Presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, in Lagos, on Saturday, the National Electoral Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter education Mr Festus Okoye, said a total of 84,004,084 million Nigerians, have been registered to participate in this year’s election which will feature 91 registered political parties.

    According to him, the elections would take place in 1,558 constituencies and 774 local government areas, and results collation in 8,809 registration areas/wards, in 119,973 polling units and 57, 023 voting points nationwide.

    Okoye said a total of 73 candidates had been cleared to contest the presidential election, while the governorship election will be contested by a total of 1,068 candidates in 29 states of the federation. The 109 senate seats will be contested by 1,904 candidates, while 4, 680 candidates will jostle for the 360 seats in the House of Representatives.

    The 991 state constituency elections will have 14,583 contestants, while 806 candidates would be jostling for the 68 area council seats in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Okoye said INEC will be recruiting 17,618 senior academic staff of the various federal universities in Nigeria, to serve as collation and returning officers, as the commission, he said, have decided to have two collation officers or each of the 8,809 centres to facilitate timely collation of results.

    These returning officers, according to Okoye, would be assisted by 814,453 ad-hoc staff, madeup of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, and in some cases final year students in federal universities, who are currently being trained across all the states of the federation.

    For logistics, the commission, Okoye disclosed has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Transport Workers Union, whose members are gong to be deployed nationwide to deploy and retrieve election personnel and materials on the days of elections. He added that all the vehicles to be involved in the exercise across the states would be certified by the federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), and all would have tracking devise installed by the commission, to ensure the safety of all personnel and electoral materials.

    The National Commissioner said Nigerians who are yet to collect their permanent voters cards have up to Feb 8, to do so at the local government offices of the commission nationwide, adding that all uncollected PVCs would thereafter be withdrawn for safekeeping pending the conclusion of the two strands of elections in the electoral calendar this year.

    Okoye said; “All the state offices and local government offices of the commission have taken delivery of the non-sensitive materials for the conduct of the elections, while the various branches of the Central banks of Nigeria are presently receiving sensitive materials for the conduct of the elections.”

    He said the commission has accredited a total of 116 domestic and 28 foreign election observers for the 2019 elections, while the commission’s chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on January 12, 2019, have signed the regulations and guidelines for the election.

    Okoye disclosed that among other innovations, the commission has enhanced the smart card readers, eliminated the use of incident forms, and has introduced the use of Braille jackets, agnifying glasses and assistive posters for persons living with disability, while it is also working on appropriate framework for internally displaced persons voting.

    Among other challenges listed by Okoye as confronting the commission this year are conflicting court orders arising from party primary elections, the number of political parties participating in the general elections, the size of the ballot papers, the management of polling units and the number of party agents and accredited local and foreign observers at each of the elections.

    He charged the media to collaborate with the commission in fighting the scourge of vote buying which is becoming a major issue, disclosing that the commission may be coming up with a number of innovations to nip the menace in the bud in the election.

    “We at Independent National Electoral Commission do not sell or buy votes, we are not in the business of midwifing or husbanding the votes. That is why we are calling on the media to help sensitise Nigerians to stop acts that would undermine the electoral process,” he added.

    Okoye assured Nigerians that the commission is determined to make the votes of all Nigerians count. “The commission would continue to conduct its activities in total obedience to the rule of law and due process,” Okoye stated.

  • Ogun 2019: You’re on your own, INEC tells Adebutu

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has said any Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in Ogun State campaigning for elective position without being on the candidates’ list released by the electoral umpire “is on his or her own” as the body has nothing to do with such.

    Mr. Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner for Information, Media and Voter Education, said this while featuring on Citizens’ Forum, a programme aired by the Rock City 101.9 FM, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu, a member of the House of Representatives and some of his supporters have been campaigning for various offices despite not making the list of candidates released by INEC.

    Adebutu has been at loggerheads with Senator Buruji Kashamu, PDP’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, over the governorship ticket.

    According to Okoye, only members of the PDP whose names were on the list released by INEC were the genuine candidates of the party, adding that others were mere pretenders.

    Okoye said, “Our position is that the INEC received judgments of properly constituted courts of law and we have given effect to the judgments that we have. The judgments that we have asked the INEC to recognize the list of candidates submitted by a particular faction of the PDP in Ogun State.

    “We have recognized the candidates submitted by that particular political party and we have published the names of those candidates recognized by the court. So, it is the names of those candidates that have been published. Any other individual, outside that particular list, who is campaigning for any position whatsoever, is on his or her own.

    Read Also: Adebutu: I’m the authentic PDP candidate

    “The INEC has nothing to do with that. We have obeyed the law. We have published the list of candidates that we were asked to publish based on court order and we have done what the law requires us to do.”

    Okoye also said that INEC was doing all within its powers to prevent vote buying during the elections.

    According to him, “The INEC has intelligence that as we are working assiduously to prevent the phenomenon of vote buying, politicians and political parties are working assiduously at devising new mechanisms on how to corrupt the electoral system and subvert the will of the people. We are going to put up new measures to address this issue.

    “My advice is that those who want to violate the law and those who want to change the will of the Nigerian people can continue with what they are doing. But on election day, the INEC will work with security agencies to make sure that anybody who tries to corrupt the electoral process or who attempts to violate the will of the people is apprehended and prosecuted.

    “My advice to political parties and candidates that want to subvert the will of the people is that they should be very careful because INEC and all the security agencies will be on the watch out for anyone who wants to violate the law.”

    The INEC National Commissioner said the general election would witness a larger voter turnout than the 2015 elections.

    He said, “We expect a larger voter turnout based on various variables.

    “One, we have registered over 80 million voters for this particular election. Second, the simultaneous accreditation and voting will afford Nigerian people the opportunity of voting without any disruption or delay.

    “Third, we expect the political parties to mobilize electorate for them to come out to cast their votes. We expect a higher voter turnout in this election than we had in the previous election.”

  • Fake News may cause 3rd world War- Soyinka

    Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has said that fake news may cause 3rd World War.

    Speaking at the ongoing conference on fake news, the erudite professor warned that fake news should be treated as a crime.

    INEC representative, Festus Okoye, a National Commissioner, posited that fake news constitutes a danger to the forthcoming general elections and therefore stressed the need for the security operatives to be watchful.

    Okoye also noted that the country has an army of angry people with different agenda. The way out, he said as a people, we should be able to draw a line between what to believe and what not to believe.

    Read Also: ‘Fake news may affect 2019 elections’

    On the side of the security, he urged them to be watchful and be proactive as space is amorphous.

    He also urged INEC as a  commission to interact with people through regular press briefing so as to address issues as they come up so as not to create space for peddlers of fake news.

     

  • Senators trade tackles over confirmation of INEC nominees

    …Confirms Festus Okoye as National Electoral Commissioner

     

    There was uneasy Wednesday in the Senate over the confirmation of nominees for appointment for the position of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) resident commissioners.

    This followed the consideration of the report of the Committee on INEC on the screening of nominees for confirmation as Resident Electoral Commissioners.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi North) presented the report of the committee for the consideration of the Senate.

    Trouble started with the recommendation that the nominee from Zamfara State, Ahmad Bello Mahmaud, should be rejected.

    Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central) openly accused the screening committee of being heavy compromised to return uncomplimentary comments on Mahmud.

    Marafa insisted that he has it on good authority that the committee was compromised to turn down the nomination of Mahmud.

    He challenged the chairman of the committee to provide the affidavit in support of the petition it claimed to have received against Mahmud.

    Marafa said, “I have evidence that the committee was heavily compromised to write its report. The committee should tender the affidavit in support of the petition it claimed that was written against the nominee.”

    Read Also:Senate faults claim of ‘insubordination’ as cause of rising insecurity

    The Zamfara Central senator said that the state governor, Abdul Azeeze Yari, was behind the attempt to deny the nominee confirmation.

    He noted that contrary to the insinuation that Mahmud was not from Zamfara State, the nominee was born and bred in the state.

    Senator James Manager (Delta South) threw his weight behind Marafa.

    Manager said that as far as he was concerned, the report was incomplete.

    Before Manager could continue, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, raised a point of Order to the effect that it was unparliamentary to input improper motive against any senator.

    Ekweremadu quoted relevant sections of the standing rule of the Senate to buttress his point.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, agreed and ruled Marafa out of order.

    Saraki asked Marafa to withdraw the “offensive” comments as well as to apologise to Nazif.

    Marafa reluctantly withdrew his comments but refused to apologize to Nazif.

    Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, said that Marafa should not only withdraw his comments that the committee was comprised but also apologize to the committee chairman in his “own interest).

    Na’ Allah reminded Marafa that everything done in the chamber was being recorded.

    Marafa stood his ground and said that he was not prepared to apologize to anybody.

    It was anti-climax for the committee when Saraki put the question.

    The nomination of Mahmud was unanimously adopted by the senate.

    Saraki put the nomination to question for the second time.

    The result was a resounding ‘aye”

    The Senate President had no option than to rule that the “ayes had it”

    There was jubilation in the chamber as some senators rushed to Marafa to congratulate him for his tenacity in ensuring that the nomination of Mahmud was confirmed.

    The confirmation of the nomination of Mahmud as Resident Electoral Commissioner came after two rejections by the Senate.

    The nomination was earlier rejected on the basis of petition that he was from Sokoto State and not Zamfara State.

    Apart from Mahmud, the Senate also confirmed Mr. Monday Udo Tom from Akwa Ibom State and Attahiru Madami from Niger State as Resident Electoral commissioners.

    It also confirmed the nomination of Festus Okoye from Imo State as National Electoral Commissioner representing South East geo Political Zone.

  • Nigerians’ll determine fate of confab report – Okoye

    Nigerians’ll determine fate of confab report – Okoye

    Festus Okoye, a former National Pubicity Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), has said only the people of Nigerian should be allowed to determine the fate of the report of the ongoing national conference.  He spoke with Tony Akowe.

    The National Conference is currently considering reports of the various committees. What would you say has been the achievement so far considering the positions canvassed by the various interest groups before the conference?

    I think that the National conference has entered a critical stage. It has entered a critical stage in the sense that we have finished work at the various committee levels. The 20 committees set up the conference has submitted their reports and we are now considering some of those reports. When we started at the National conference certain individuals and groups came with certain positions that would have, at the end present the conference with a faith accompli. Some of them came with certain fixations, certain conclusions and insisted that it is either they get what they are asking for or the conference can as well close shop.

    After about three weeks, people started to drop their hard line positions, having realised that you cannot have a national conference made up of the Nigerian people without engaging in consultations, negotiation, compromise as well as give and take. I think that it is that process of consultation, consensus as well as give and take that has moved the national conference to where we are now.

    In arriving at decisions, how has the conference been able to harmonise all the views and positions of the different interest groups?

    What the delegates are saying, and the position of patriotic delegates is that they are not going to be fixated to any position and that what should be the over-riding principle in relation to the National Conference will be, what is it that we want for the Nigerian people and not what the position of one section of the country should be. You can see that some of the issues that were very contentious, at the end of the day, civil society groups and organisations, the Labour union and some other patriotic Nigerians engaged in bipartisan consultations that led to some of those issues being resolved. Let me give you an example with three issues.

    First is the withdrawal of fuel subsidy. The positions were very high. There were some people that insisted that the only way Nigeria can make progress is if fuel subsidy is removed. Some of us insisted that the removal of fuel subsidy will bring untold hardship on the Nigerian people. At the end of the day, it was a bipartisan position proposed by civil society groups and organisations as well as labour and other patriotic Nigerians that carried the day. We now said that the government should go and fix the refineries and get them to work, improve the general condition of living of the Nigerian people after which you can gradually remove subsidy over a period of three years. That was the bipartisan position everybody agreed on.

    The second bipartisan position relate to the constant clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen and at the end of the day, we arrived at a bipartisan position saying that a time has come when we must establish grazing reserves especially in states that agreed to it and that over a period of five to ten years, the government of those states and the federal government must establish such reserves in other for us to reduce escalating incidences of people being displaced; people being killed on account of these problems and some of these challenges. The third bipartisan position was the establishment of what we called an equal opportunities commission which we have made a part of the federal character commission so that persons who are disabled, women and other people with challenges can also have an opportunity within the federation rather than reduce the issue of federal character to geography. These are some of the issues that have seen the light of the day at the conference using bipartisan positions. There are other issues that are still outstanding, one of which is whether we should transfer the land use act or expunge it from the constitution. There has not been any resolution regarding that. You also know that we are going to deliberate on issues of state police, whether Nigeria should be made up of three zones, state police among others. I am convinced that with the spirit of bipartisan position at the National Conference, we are going to resolve all these issues in a manner that will be in the best interest of the Nigerian people ad in a manner that will lead to the development of this country. So, for me, I am positive that very positive resolutions will come out of the National Conference and at the end of the day, key stakeholders in the Nigerian project will look at some of the policy issues and implement them, look at some of the administrative issues and implement them and also look at the issues that will require legal and constitutional amendment and attend to them as such so that Nigeria will be the better for it.

    From all that you have said, one is tempted to say that it has been hitch free all the way at the conference and that there have been no challenges.

    We have been a lot of challenges. One of the key challenges we have is the crisis of imagination. When a country stop thinking, when a country stop taking risk; when a country does not think ahead and does not plan ahead, that country is likely to stagnate and make a lot of mistakes. Other countries are already planning how to deal with pensionable citizens in the next 20 years. Some countries are already looking at the statistics to know how many people will be unemployed in their country in the next 20 years and are putting in mechanism on how to address them. But in Nigeria, we wait for things to take us by surprise before we start putting in place measures and mechanism to address them. I believe that this National Conference is going to put down the template for a greater Nigeria; a Nigeria of the future and will also look at some of those challenges and crisis that has stunted our growth and deal with them. I hope and pray that we should have the political will, the administrative will and the constitutional will to implement some of those recommendations that will come out of the National conference. But one thing I would want to advise is that the Nigerian people must moderate their expectations relating to what is going to come out from the National Conference. The National Conference will not fix Nigeria in one day, but will lay down a template on how to resolve some of the challenges facing the country. So, it does not mean that the moment we conclude the National Conference, all Nigeria’s problems and challenges will disappear. That will not happen and so, I think we should moderate our expectations because some of the recommendations will be futuristic, while some of them will demand immediate implementations and I hope and pray that the political class in this country will have the will and courage to implement some of the recommendations that will come out of the conference.

    Do you think the outcome of the conference will take the country to the promises land?

    My own take is that the time available for the conference to do its work is too short. It would have been much better to divide members of the conference into the six geo-political zones for them to go to each state of the federation and feel the pulse of the people and get complete feedback from the people so that they will buy into whatever recommendation that comes out of the conference. Secondly, the time available for us to do our committee work was also too short. For instance, I was a member of the committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters. It would have been better, since we made recommendations on state Independent Electoral Commissions, all the chairmen of the state Independent Electoral Commissions should have appeared before us and justify why the commissions should continue to exist. Local governments are having very serious challenges. I would have preferred a situation where those local government chairpersons appear before us and answer some questions relating to the operation of local government. I would have preferred a situation where we invite the leadership of the various political parties to appear before us and tell us why they think internal party democracy is not working. I would have preferred a situation where the leadership of the police force will come before us the type of challenges they are facing policing election. But because of the time frame available to us, we could not do all that and had to rely on previous reports as well as the imagination of people and the experiences of others in other to arrive at our decision. Now, it would have been better for us to have all these shades of opinion for us to do a good job. But given the time available to us and the conference as well as the reports that has been presented, I think that the committee have done a good job and that if the conference considers those reports in the interest of the Nigerian people, it is possible that implementation of those report will be to the glory of the Nigerian people.

    Some people hold the view that the outcome of the National conference will undermine the duties of the National Assembly. What is your take on this?

    If you look at the Nigerian constitution, the National Assembly comes first even before the Executive and the Judiciary. If you look at part two of the constitution, the power of the Executive, the power of the Legislature and the power of the Judiciary are grouped as the powers of the federal republic of Nigeria. It is not in the interest of anybody, not in the interest of the delegates, not in the interest of the Executive and not in the interest of key stakeholders in the Nigerian project for anybody to ridicule the law making powers of the National Assembly. We are not in competition with the National Assembly and can never be in competition. I respect both arms of the National Assembly because it is the National Assembly that is supposed to be the tribune of the people. But the truth of the matter is that there are certain policy issues, certain administrative issues, certain issues of perception and politics that has been bugging the Nigerian people and I think that it is when you get people of a rainbow coalition from different background that you can talk sincerely and honestly about those things and try to break down barriers of suspicion and I think that is one of the things that the conference is doing.

    Nigeria as a country has always set up committees and hold conferences and reports of such committees and conferences has never been implemented. How sure are we that the report of this conference will be implemented and not abandoned like others?

    There are people who have canvassed a position that the moment we conclude our work, the report should be subjected to a referendum and I have said no. I have canvassed a position that the faith of the report of the National Conference will depend on the outcome of the conference. I was a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee. When we submitted our report, it was like the report was thrown out. But today, there is nothing that the National Assembly has done in relation to electoral reform that they have not referred to our report. All the amendments that have been made arose from our report. Prof. Attahiru Jega who was a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee appeared before us and said that since he assumed office, all his actions are based on the report of the Electoral Committee. What that means is that the Nigerian people saw merit in our report and bought the report as their own. That is why, the more the government runs away from the report, the more it follows them. So, everybody is quoting the report. If we do a good job, the Nigerian people will determine the faith of that report and decide whether the report will be implemented or not implemented.