The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Independent Electoral Commission (INEC)

  • INEC shifts Bayelsa, Kogi guber polls to Nov 16

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday granted the wish of Bayelsa state to have the governorship election shifted from November 2nd to 16th this year.

    The Commission also disclosed that the Kogi guber poll will hold on the same date of November 16th.

    In a statement signed by the National Commissioner in Charge of Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye said other activities will also be adjusted to align with the new date.

    The statement reads: “It will be recalled that on 9th April 2019, the Independent National Electoral Commission (lNEC) released the timetable and schedule of activities for the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections. The Commission fixed 2nd November for the elections to hold in both States.

    “However, the Commission has received several appeals from the Government, State Assembly, Elders, Religious leaders, Traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders in Bayelsa state that the election date coincides with the State’s Annual Thanksgiving Day which is backed by the Bayelsa State Thanksgiving Day Law 2012.

    “After a careful consideration of the appeals the Commission at its regular weekly meeting held Thursday 16th May decided to shift the govemorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States to Saturday 16th November 2019.

    “The timelines for all other activities leading to the elections have also been adjusted to align with the new date. The amended timetable and schedule of activities for the elections is attached to this press release.”

  • Airlines lose billions over election postponement

    Domestic carriers were hard hit by the postponement of Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), resulting in the loss of several billions of naira that would have been earned as revenue from ticket sales.

    Airlines did not operate scheduled domestic and regional flights from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, on Saturday February 16, 2019.

    Among the affected carriers were 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.

    Sources closed to airlines said the losses could be up to over one billion as revenue that would have accrued from ticket sales.

    Read Also: NCAA sanctions four airlines

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

    He stated that this would not discourage them from continuing to be part of efforts to give the country the best.

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

    Ojuri disclosed that it would be difficult to quantity the losses now, 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;  Rwandair among others.

    Ethiopian Airlines had three days ago stated in a statement that it won’t operate to Nigeria because of the election; a huge loss to the carrier and airport.

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

    The only unaffected airlines include British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and Air-France , which do not operate night flights.

    “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.”

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has clarified that there was no disruption in the provision of air traffic services on Saturday , February 16, 2019.

    Its spokesman and general manager public affairs, Khalid Emele disclosed in a statement.

    Emele said NAMA 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 (Aviation), Hadi Sirika ensured a 24-hour operation at airports on Friday, February  15, 2019 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.”

  • Observer hails INEC for smooth conduct of Osun election

    One of the accredited observer in the recently concluded Osun state election, Election Monition (EM) has commended the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for the smooth conduct of the governorship election in the state.
     
    Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress was declared winner of the election by INEC.
     
    Coordinator of the non-governmental organisation, Mr Abiodun Ajijola, while presenting a report of the election in Abuja, said the electoral umpire needed to do more in ensuring all of its staffs were on the same page with the commission.

    Read Also: INEC issues nomination form to Abubakar

     
    He said the election was generally peaceful and well conducted by INEC despite few discrepancies that was noted.
     
    Ajijola urged INEC to probe these discrepancies to ascertain whether it should affect the general outcome of the election.
     
    He also urged INEC to investigate the circumstances that led to declaring the September 22nd election inconclusive.
     
    He recommended that there should be a more stringent reasons for cancellations of votes adding that for increase transparency a special form should be created for cancellations of elections at polling unit.
     

  • Osun poll: Security agents monitor use of smart phones at polling units

    Security agents attached to polling units in Saturday’s governorship election in Osun are monitoring the use of smartphones by voters, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    In some of the polling units visited in Ilesa and Ile-Ife, majority of the voters came to the polling units with their smartphones although security agents did not allow them to take them inside the cubicles to vote.

    Security personnel, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria on the condition of anonymity, said the measure was to check vote-buying.

    He expressed the belief that the move had so far checked the incidence of vote-buying at polling units.

    Mr Jimmy George, an election observer, commended security agents for preventing voters from using their phones inside the cubicles.

    George, who is the National Secretary of the National Committee of Patriots, said the action of the security agents would minimise vote-buying in the election.

    Meanwhile, accreditation and voting in the election continued on a peaceful note in many polling units across the state.

    Read Also: Osun Poll: Police talk tough, vow to arrest errant politicians

    At Unit 12A, Ward 05 in Ile-Ife, voters were seen on the queue peacefully with INEC ad hoc staff attending to them.

    It was also observed that the card reader machines were also working perfectly at the polling unit visited by News Agency of Nigeria.

    Mr Lukman Adedini, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), agent confirmed that the election had been peaceful.

    Adedini also commended INEC ad hoc staff for arriving on time.

    Also at Ward 6, Remo Unit 2 in Ile-Ife, many voters were seen on the queue.

    Mrs Victoria Komolafe, the Presiding Officer, who said the election had been orderly and peaceful, also commended the large turnout of voters.

    Mr Olayade Abiola, the SDP party agent at the polling unit, commended INEC for the prompt arrival of materials.

  • INEC partners population commission on dead persons in voter register

    INEC partners population commission on dead persons in voter register

    The Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Tuesday urged the National Population Commission (NPoPC) to furnish it with record of dead citizens since 2015 to enable it to “sanitise’’ the voter register.

    Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the requested when he visited the Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruijeoma, in Abuja.

    He said that the records were necessary to enable the electoral umpire to expunge names of dead persons from the national voter register.

    “We will like to partner NPC and ask that the population commission make available records of dead citizens since 2015 to enable us take necessary steps to remove them from the voter register.

    “We are confident that you will oblige us so that we can further clean up our voter register ahead of the 2019 general elections,” Yakubu said.

    According to him, the commission is determined to do whatever it takes to sanitise the voter register as a free, fair and credible election is dependent on a sanitised voter register.

    The chairman said that as provided by the Constitution, both commissions were saddled with similar responsibilities.

    “While INEC is saddled with the responsibility of registering eligible voters, the population commission registers births and deaths of citizens across the country,” he said.

    He disclosed that a draft copy of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies had been submitted to the population commission for its consideration.

    “When the MoU is signed, it will formalise and enhance collaboration between the sister agencies for the general development of the country,” Yakubu said.

    Responding, Duruijeoma commended INEC for the initiative to sanitise the voter register using records of NPC.

    He said that the collaboration between the sister agencies in the performance of statutory duties was very pivotal to national development.
    According to Duruijeoma, if we get our elections and censuses right, our nation will be on the way to greatness.

    He said that the commission would commence the process of making the records of deaths across the country available to INEC.

    He, however, said that the commission could not pretend to have the records of every birth or death that had occurred since 2015.

    “We look forward to the day when every single birth or death case will be efficiently documented by the commission,” Duruijeoma said.

    He said that copies of the MoU had been circulated among relevant officers within the commission and that necessary inputs were already being made.

    He assured the INEC chairman of his readiness to sign the MoU once it was finalised.

    NAN

  • Rate of litigation in political parties worries INEC

    Rate of litigation in political parties worries INEC

    Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, expressed worry over the high rate of court cases among political parties.

    Yakubu said this at a two-day capacity building workshop for National Officers of political parties in Abuja.

    According to him, the commission has been discussing with political parties on the need for them to entrench internal democracy and ensure inclusive participation across all strata of the society.

    He said the issue of litigation was one aspect that INEC would collaborate with political parties to curb by organising workshops to discuss how to solve the problem.

    “There are so many court cases, even on matters settled by the Supreme Court; the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very clear.

    “Once there is a pronouncement by the Supreme Court, all citizens are duty bound to obey the judgement until there is another law superseding that by the National Assembly, the Executive or reconsideration by the Supreme Court.

    “But there are matters settled by the Supreme Court that are still subjects of litigation.

    “For instance, the famous Labour Party versus INEC case 2009 says that once an election is nullified on account of candidate’s disqualification, the disqualified candidate cannot participate in the grand election.

    “It adds that the party that fielded a disqualified candidate has also lost its right to field a candidate in the election,’’ he said.

    Yakubu said unfortunately, some political parties’ in spite of the court’s pronouncement, went back to the court on the deformed injunction to apply in the case of accusation.

    The Chairman said a forum would be organised to bring in the legal advisers of political parties to discuss and know what was needed and how to address such issues.

    He said the commission had been in court, adding that that was why the only rerun election in the Anambra Central senatorial district was not conducted before now.

    Yakubu expressed optimism that the planned forum, when in place, would set a perfect atmosphere to get it right ahead of 2019 elections.

    In her remarks, Prof. Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine, National Commissioner, INEC and Chairman Election and Political Party Monitoring Committee said the commission was collaborating with UNDP on capacity building for political parties.

    Okoosi-Simbinealso said INEC’s experience in monitoring parties showed that parties lacked internal democracy in terms of electing party executives, selecting candidates for office and policy formulation.

    She said that there was also lack of transparency in the funding and expenditures of political parties and campaign expenses.

    The national commissioner also identified absence of formal internal mechanisms for mediation, settling disputes and as part of the challenges confronting political parties.

    She said given these challenges, it became imperative to organise the workshop for the promotion of international best practices in political party administration and operations.

    Prof. Mohammed Kuna, Special Adviser to INEC Chairman said the workshop was designed to enhance and deepen the knowledge of democratic principles ideas and practises for political parties.

    Kuna further said it was to provide participants with administrative and organisational skills to strengthen the operations of their parties, in terms of formulation of policies, research skills and mobilisation of members.

    The workshop he said, would encourage parties to develop realistic programmes for their members and the country, to promote inclusive participation and internal party democracy.

    He expressed the hope that the exercise would encourage inter and intra party relationships, enhance the capacity of parties for strategic planning and communication skills.

  • Voters commend INEC, security agents over Ondo poll

    Voters commend INEC, security agents over Ondo poll

    Some voters on Saturday in Ondo State commended the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for a hitch-free governorship election.

    In  separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Okitipupa, they said that the card readers functioned seamlessly in the area making the accreditation and voting process to be fast.

    They also lauded the security agencies for their prompt action to stop criminality at polling centres.

    Mr Wale Adekoya, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in the area, told NAN that there was no challenge with the card readers.

    “I have to commend INEC for their early distribution of materials, the punctuality of their staff as well as effective functioning of the card reader machines,” he said.

    An Alliance for Democracy agent, Mr Rotimi Olasenoja, also commended security agents for their prompt action to make the election credible.

    ” We have enough security agents on ground and they are doing their job,” he said

    Mrs Adewunmi Oloko, an APC supporter, also said the election was fair and credible.

    Mr Dare John, INEC’s Presiding Officer for Okitipupa Ward 2, Unit 017, said that the voters were cooperative and orderly in their conduct, promoting a smooth electoral process.

    “The electorate cooperated with us and were orderly too and we have no issue with the card reader machine,” John said.

    A Superintendent of Police and Head of the police patrol team, Earnest Ejong, also said that no suspect was arrested so far in connection with election crime.

    NAN reports that sorting and collation of results were ongoing as at the time of filing this report.

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