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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

  • Police chief speaks tough

    •Says Tough time awaits anybody that attempt to disrupt state elections.

    The acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu spoke tough yesterday ahead of the Saturday pills.

    Adam warned those whose only interest is to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the Saturday governorship and State House of Assembly elections to stay clear of polling units.

    The security agencies he said are ready to deal with them.

    Adamu gave the warning at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting held at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

    He said that security agencies were ready for the Saturday elections.

    He encouraged every Nigerian to come out and cast his or her vote on the election day, while also assuring domestic and international observers and journalists adequate security during the elections.

    “The INEC staff and ad hoc staff are also encouraged to carry out their process without fear or any molestation.

    Read also: Wike: no conspiracy can defeat Rivers PDP tomorrow

    “For those that disrupted the process in some of the states during the presidential election this time is going to be tough for you. You will never get opportunity to disrupt the process again.

    “If you attempt to do that there will be consequences. It is better for you not to come out because we have seen what you done before, we have seen your mode of operandi and we are ready for it,’’ Adamu said

    The acting IG who described the Feb. 23 national election to be largely peaceful, said it was achieved as a result of effective collaboration among security agencies and INEC.

    He said that the collaboration would be improved on for the success of the Saturday state elections.

    “The security arrangement we provided for presidential and NASS elections are still in place.

    “We have reviewed what we did and we have seen areas that needed improvement. We have sat down with other security agencies and we have agreed and already put in place adequate security for the next election,’’ he said.

    On his part, the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Monguno, commended the INEC Chairman and members of the commission for the successful conduct of the just concluded national elections.

    Monguno, who was represented by Sanusi Galadima, also commended security personnel for their conduct in the last elections, while expressing optimism that Saturday’s election would also be peaceful.

    Monguno disclosed that a room for the election situated in his office would open from Friday to Wednesday, with representative from all security agencies in attendance.

    All security agencies, including military and paramilitary agencies were represented at the meeting.

    In his remark, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians that the Commission “will work closely with the Police to ensure the diligent prosecution of all violators of our electoral laws. Citizens are asking for effective but non-intrusive protection before, during and immediately after the elections in which their rights are respected and their choices safeguarded.”

    He also said that the commission is looking forward to the same kind cooperation exhibited in the last elecrions with the security agencies.

    “ I am confident that lessons learnt from the Presidential and National Assembly elections will help us to more effectively secure the environment for the elections this weekend.”

    He however noted that the “ Commission is concerned that many of our materials, including ballot boxes, voting cubicles, voters’ registers and Smart Card Readers were lost to acts of hooliganism and thuggery in the elections held two weeks ago.

    “Most worrisome is the attack on electoral officials. Some of our staff were abducted and taken hostage in an attempt to disrupt elections or influence the outcome. In fact, some of the supplementary elections I referred to earlier were caused by such acts of thuggery. I am confident that working together with the security agencies, we will consolidate on the largely peaceful conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections while also taking decisive steps to deal with the minority of violators intent on disrupting the conduct of peaceful elections. However, the Commission will not tolerate the act of holding our officials hostage and forcing them to declare winners under duress. Where such occurs, the Commission will not reward bad behaviour by issuing them Certificates of Return.”

     

  • INEC distributes sensitive materials to councils in Ekiti

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State has distributed sensitive materials across the 16 local government areas for the conduct of House of Assembly election scheduled for Saturday.

    The distribution, according to the state’s Acting Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Muslim Omoleke, was done in the presence of security operatives and various parties’ representatives.

    The governorship election was held in the state on July 14, 2018, which produced Dr. Kayode Fayemi, leaving the state with only Assembly election.

    Speaking with reporters in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Omoleke assured that the commission won’t disappoint Ekiti voters with the conduct of the election.

    He advised the commission’s regular and ad hoc staff not to be partisan by displaying high level of neutrality and shunning any  corrupt tendencies that could cast a pall on the electoral process.

    “The sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been distributed to all the council areas under heavy security cover.

    “We are not taking anything for granted. We tracked all the vehicles to ensure that those materials were not diverted but delivered at the appropriate place.

    “We did not only distribute the materials, but we partnered the security agencies to ensure that they are on ground in all the LGs to protect them till Saturday.

    “Early on Saturday, the materials will be distributed to the wards for onward distribution to the units.

    “Our projection is that the elections must start at 8am simultaneously in all the 2,195 polling units on Saturday,” Omoleke said.

     

  • Confusion in Bayelsa as INEC retrieves 23 card readers

    There was confusion in Bayelsa State ahead of the forthcoming election on Saturday following the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to retrieve all the 69 missing card readers.

    The commission declared 69 card readers missing shortly after conducting the Presidential and National Assembly elections and begged persons in their possession to return them.

    But it was gathered that out of the missing number 23 were returned by unknown persons while 46 were still with unknown politicians.

    Some politicians were unhappy at the development raising fears that without retrieving all the stolen card readers, the electoral process would be compromised.

    They were also unhappy at the inability of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Monday Udoh to give full disclosures of the circumstances that led to disappearance of the card readers and the identities of persons who returned the first 23.

    But Udoh said yesterday in Yenagoa that he had declared a two-day amnesty to persons withholding the readers.

    He confirmed that 22 smart card readers saying management would take strict measure on areas where card readers were yet to be recovered.

    Speaking during the stakeholders’ meeting with leaders of political parties, the REC explained that out of the 24 missing in Nembe Local Government area, only 14 were recovered.

    He said in Sagbama out of eight, three had been recovered, Southern Ijaw out of 24 only two were returned while in Yenagoa out of six, only three had been retrieved.

    Udoh commended the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), religious leaders, community chiefs, youths, women groups and other stakeholders for persuading the card reader thieves to return them.

    He said that INEC would continue to perform its roles as an unbiased umpire in elections conducted in the state.

    The REC also urged the people in the state to forego incidents of the past elections and eschew violence for a better election in the state.

    He said that election was not a war but a process for leaders to emerge and queried: “If those you are to lead are all dead what is the gain?’

    ”Election is not war. Where there is peace you find progress and development. So by the time you kill those you are to lead what is the gain and who will you lead?

    “Let us all allow peace to reign in the state, before, during and after the elections. 85 per cent of the sensitive materials are already in the Central Bank and we cross-checked them with all party agents to show we are transparent”, he said.

    Also speaking, the Administrative Secretary of the commission, Mr. Nduh Sampson, said it was time to allow the people own the electioneering process, adding that the process required a collective and collaborative work.

    He also said that everyone must come together to be part of the history to change the narrative of violence to a peaceful and transparent election in the state.

     

  • Elections: INEC concludes distribution of voting materials in Adamawa

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa had concluded the distribution all voting materials across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

    Alhaji Kasim Gaidam, state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, told newsmen in Yola on Thursday that the exercise covered both sensitive and non-sensitive materials.

    He said the early distribution was to ensure that voting commenced on schedule in all polling units across the state.

    ‘”So far, we have distributed all voting materials, including sensitive materials, to the INEC offices in 21 LGAs of the state.

    ” Also we re-trained and paid all ad-hoc staff that will conduct the elections ” Gaidam said.

    He explained that the aim of the re-training was to correct some errors made in the last presidential election, adding that Saturday’s elections would be free and fair.(NAN)

  • We will not tolerate act of holding our officials hostage – INEC Chairman

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it would no longer tolerate any attempt by politicians to hold its officials hostage and force them to declare winners of elections under duress.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu gave the warning at the meeting of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) ahead of Saturday elections, held at the commission’s headquarters on Thursday in Abuja.

    He said that where such abduction occurs, the commission would not issue Certificates of Return.

    Yakubu said that the commission was worried over the rate of attacks on its personnel and the loss of lives and election materials recorded during the Feb. 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    “The Commission is concerned that many of our materials, including ballot boxes, voting cubicles, voters’ registers and Smart Card Readers were lost to acts of hooliganism and thuggery in the elections held two weeks ago.

    “Most worrisome is the attack on electoral officials. Some of our staff were abducted and taken hostage in an attempt to disrupt elections or influence the outcome.

    “In fact, some of the supplementary elections I referred to earlier were caused by such acts of thuggery.

    “I am confident that working together with the security agencies, we will consolidate on the largely peaceful conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections while also taking decisive steps to deal with the minority of violators intent on disrupting the conduct of peaceful elections.

    “However, the Commission will not tolerate the act of holding our officials hostage and forcing them to declare winners under duress.

    “Where such occurs, the Commission will not reward bad behaviour by issuing them Certificates of Return.’’

    Yakubu expressed the Commission’s appreciation to the security agencies for securing the environment during the national elections.

    He noted that in the course of securing the elections, the security agencies, electoral officials and innocent Nigerians suffered needless attacks resulting in casualties including deaths and loss of personal and official properties.

    “On behalf of the Commission, I extend our deepest condolence to the families of those who lost their lives, including personnel of the security agencies. We are glad that the Police has made several arrests and investigation is ongoing.

    “I wish to assure Nigerians that the Commission will work closely with the Police to ensure the diligent prosecution of all violators of our electoral laws.

    “Citizens are asking for effective but non-intrusive protection before, during and immediately after the elections in which their rights are respected and their choices safeguarded.’’

    Yakubu expressed optimism that the Saturdays election would open by 8 am. going by arrangements already put in place by the commission.

    “On Saturday March 9, Nigerians are once again going to the polls to elect Governors in 29 States, 991 members of Houses of Assembly in all the States of the Federation, 6 Chairmen as well as 62 Councillors for the Area Councils in the FCT.

    “A total of 1,082 candidates will be elected by citizens across the country. Learning from the experience of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held two weeks ago, the Commission has effectively tackled the challenge of logistics.

    “Materials for the election have been delivered to all States and the FCT. Movement to the Local Government Areas will be completed today.

    “By tomorrow, all materials and relevant personnel will arrive at the Registration Area Centres (RACs). With this arrangement, we are confident that all polling units will open at 8.00 am nationwide.”

    Yakubu disclosed that INEC had also reconfigured its Smart Card Readers for the elections on Saturday, saying the use of the card readers was mandatory and there will be no exemption to their deployment for accreditation of voters.

    “Under our Regulations and Guidelines, there are clear penalties for the deliberate failure to deploy them on the part of our staff.

    “Where such happens with the connivance of communities, the result of election in the polling unit(s) will be cancelled and zero vote recorded.’’

    Yakubu said that in addition to elections into 1,082 constituencies nationwide, the Commission would conduct supplementary elections in 14 States of the Federation covering 7 Senatorial Districts and 24 Federal Constituencies.

    He said that the list of candidates that emerged winners in the Senatorial and House of Representatives’ elections held on Saturday Feb. 23 would be available on INEC website “later on Thursday.’’

    He said that INEC would still maintain its Situation Room at the International Conference Centre (ICC) to monitor the elections nationwide and respond to issues that may arise.

    Yakubu, however, said that no election results would be collated and no declaration of winners would be done at the ICC.

    “All collation and declaration of results will be done at the various constituency and State declaration centers.’’

    He disclosed that for Senatorial Districts and Federal Constituencies in which winners had already emerged, the Commission would issue their Certificates of Return next week.

    “The Certificates of Return shall be presented at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Thursday March 14 starting with Senators-elect at 10 am. and members of the House of Representatives-elect at 2 pm.

    He also disclosed that the Certificates of Return for Governors and Deputy-Governors-elect, Members of State Houses of Assembly-elect and Chairmen and Councillors for the FCT shall be presented in each State on a date to be announced next week.(NAN)

  • Polls: Steer clear of polling units, IGP warns troublemakers

    …says tough time awaits anybody that attempt to disrupt state elections

    The acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu spoke tough Thursday ahead of the Saturday polls.

    Adam warned those whose only interest is to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the Saturday governorship and State House of Assembly elections to stay clear of polling units.

    The security agencies he said are ready to deal with them.

    Adamu gave the warning at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting held at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

    He said that security agencies were ready for the Saturday elections.

    He encouraged every Nigerian to come out and cast his or her vote on the election day, while also assuring domestic and international observers and journalists adequate security during the elections.

    “The INEC staff and ad hoc staff are also encouraged to carry out their process without fear or any molestation.

    “For those that disrupted the process in some of the states during the presidential election this time is going to be tough for you. You will never get opportunity to disrupt the process again.

    “If you attempt to do that there will be consequences. It is better for you not to come out because we have seen what you done before, we have seen your mode of operandi and we are ready for it,’’ Adamu said

    The acting IGP, who described the Feb. 23 national election to be largely peaceful, said it was achieved as a result of effective collaboration among security agencies and INEC.

    Read Also: IGP condemns attacks on police officers

    He said that the collaboration would be improved on for the success of the Saturday state elections.

    “The security arrangement we provided for presidential and NASS elections are still in place.

    “We have reviewed what we did and we have seen areas that needed improvement. We have sat down with other security agencies and we have agreed and already put in place adequate security for the next election,’’ he said.

    On his part, the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Monguno, commended the INEC Chairman and members of the commission for the successful conduct of the just concluded national elections.

    Monguno, who was represented by Sanusi Galadima, also commended security personnel for their conduct in the last elections, while expressing optimism that Saturday’s election would also be peaceful.

    Monguno disclosed that a room for the election situated in his office would open from Friday to Wednesday, with representative from all security agencies in attendance.

    All security agencies, including military and paramilitary agencies were represented at the meeting.

    In his remark, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians that the Commission “will work closely with the Police to ensure the diligent prosecution of all violators of our electoral laws. Citizens are asking for effective but non-intrusive protection before, during and immediately after the elections in which their rights are respected and their choices safeguarded.”

    He also said that the commission is looking forward to the same kind cooperation exhibited in the last elections with the security agencies.

    “I am confident that lessons learnt from the Presidential and National Assembly elections will help us to more effectively secure the environment for the elections this weekend.”

    He however noted that the ” Commission is concerned that many of our materials, including ballot boxes, voting cubicles, voters’ registers and Smart Card Readers were lost to acts of hooliganism and thuggery in the elections held two weeks ago.

    “Most worrisome is the attack on electoral officials. Some of our staff were abducted and taken hostage in an attempt to disrupt elections or influence the outcome. In fact, some of the supplementary elections I referred to earlier were caused by such acts of thuggery. I am confident that working together with the security agencies, we will consolidate on the largely peaceful conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections while also taking decisive steps to deal with the minority of violators’ intent on disrupting the conduct of peaceful elections. However, the Commission will not tolerate the act of holding our officials hostage and forcing them to declare winners under duress. Where such occurs, the Commission will not reward bad behaviour by issuing them Certificates of Return.”

  • INEC deploys 12,842 personnel for Saturday’s elections in Kwara

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will deploy 12, 842 staff for the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Kwara.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Malam Garba Attaihiru-Madami, made this known on Thursday at a news briefing at INEC office, Ilorin.

    According to him, 237 would serve as Collation Officers, while 196 would be Senior Presiding Officers (SPOs).

    Attahiru-Madami added that 12, 409 would serve as Presiding Officers (POs), Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) and Registration Areas Technicians (RAC Techs).

    He said the Commission has decided to replace some Collation Officers and Presiding Officers that took part in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The REC explained that the replacement of the ad hoc staff became necessary because of complaints against them during the Feb. 23 elections.

    Read Also: Election: INEC replaces erring ad hoc staff in Borno

    Attahiru-Madami said all the ad hoc staff would be retrained on Friday to prepare them for the elections.

    He said 35 candidates would be contesting for the governorship slot while 338 candidates from 19 political parties would be slugging it out for the 24 seats in the State House of Assembly.

    The REC said that he had directed that the Registration Area Centres must be properly activated with all the required facilities put in place to make ad hoc staff comfortable.

    He warned that any ad hoc staff caught in any untoward activity would be made to face the wrath of the law.

    The REC directed all electoral officers to be at the polling units by 7.30a.m on Saturday ready and waiting for the voters.

    He commended the people of Kwara for the orderly and peaceful manner they conducted themselves during the Feb. 23 presidential and national assembly elections.

    The REC appealed to the people to be orderly and peaceful during Saturday’s elections for the process to be free, fair and credible.

    “INEC Kwara will conduct free, fair, transparent and credible elections, which will be accepted by all stakeholders and applauded by the International Community.

    “All Political Parties will be given a level playing field and all votes must count because our Card Readers are 100 per cent functional and no one will be disenfranchised,” he said.

    NAN

  • Poll: Parties join forces in Oyo, Kwara, Benue, Lagos

    POLITICAL parties are joining forces for better performance in Saturday’s Governorship and States’ Assembly Elections.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting governorship elections in 29 states. The assembly elections are holding in all the 36 states and the six council areas in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The candidates are outsmarting one another in last-minute moves to sway the electorate’s support ahead of the poll.

    Here is a report of events in the states:

    LAGOS

    In Lagos, 30 candidates are backing All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    TARABA

    In Taraba, the local chairman of the APC, Alhaji Ibrahim El-Sudi, insisted that Sani Abubakar remained its candidate for the governorship election.

    El-Sudi was reacting to a Federal High Court order earlier yesterday in Jalingo which disqualified Abubakar on the grounds of falsification of age. He said that the same case had been determined and dismissed by a superior court in 2007.

    The chairman noted that the party’s lawyers had swung into action to appeal the “mischievous judgement”.

    He urged the party’s supporters to continue with their campaign.

    A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, the state capital,  presided over by Justice Stephen Pam, had issued an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and APC not to recognise Abubakar as a governorship candidate.

    A copy of the judgment showed that Usman Udi, Joshua Paaku, George Geofrey and Muslim Munkaila, had on January 9, urged the court  to disqualify Abubakar for falsifying his date of birth.

    “It is hereby declared that the information contained in the affidavit Abubakar supporting his personal particulars that he was born on February 14, 1968 is in conflict with his date of birth contained in the West African Senior School Certificate he submitted to INEC,” the court noted.

    NIGER

    Governorship candidates were locked in series of meetings to seal the support of their supporters.

    Some of the candidates took their campaigns to churches, holding talks with religious leaders to solicit for votes.

    The Nation gathered that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Joshua Bawa, had visited three churches between Sunday and yesterday.

    The two main contenders – the APC and PDP – have been meeting with various religious leaders and youth groups to strengthen their support bases.

    APC candidate and incumbent Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has been meeting with labour, religious leaders, indigenous groups, women, pressure groups and directors in Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

    KWARA

    No fewer than 37 political parties in Kwara State pledged to support APC governorship candidate  Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

    The parties, under the umbrella of Kwara Like-Minds Political Parties (KLPP), backed all the APC House of Assembly candidates at the poll.

    Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, spokesperson of the parties, Prince Oladele Sunday, directed their members to vote en masse for the candidates all the APC on Saturday.

    Prince Sunday said: “We are at a critical stage in our country, but most especially our dear state is already in political labour room and KLPP has joined hands with APC and other stakeholders in taking a successful delivery of liberated Kwara.

    “Today is not meant for an unending discussion but to let the whole world know that when the people were dying slowly in the hands of political tyrants, the KLPP showed up. When the people were groaning and gnashing their teeth under bad governance in the state, posterity will be fair to us that KLPP showed up.

    “Finally, members of KLPP hereby instruct our numerous members and appeal to the teeming voters in the state to come out en masse on March 9th to vote for all APC candidates. Let us all ‘show up’ so that we can all move from ‘O to gee’ (It’s enough) to ‘O to pe’ (It’s worthy of praise)”.

    APC Chairman Bashir Bolarinwa said: “The forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections are equally important to the APC. It is important to us as a party and the people of Kwara State.

    “I want to say here that out of 55 political parties that are functional in the state, today are above 35 have openly declared to identify with us. What that simply means is that all of them as members of these political parties are directing their members and appealing to the people to vote on Saturday for the governorship candidate of our party.

    “Further to that, all the 24 House of Assembly candidates of APC will on Saturday be candidates of their parties as well.”

    Also yesterday, a former state lawmaker, Wole Oke, said the victory of the APC candidates “means total freedom for Kwarans”.

    ENUGU

    In Enugu State, 70 political parties were said to have adopted incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the sole candidate.

    The parties, under the auspices of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP), unanimously adopted Ugwuanyi of the PDP as their consensus candidate.

    The leaders of the political parties, who conveyed their position to the governor when they visited him at the Government House, Enugu, said: “Our mission here tonight is to reaffirm our total, unalloyed, unequivocal and unconditional support for your re-election as governor come March 9, 2019, which is barely five (four) days away.”

    OYO

    The Oyo State chapter of the APC berated the PDP candidate, Seyi Makinde, for “his double standards”.

    It urged the people not to trust an individual with such a major character flaw with their mandate.

    The APC lambasted Makinde on his coalition with the gubernatorial candidates of Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Femi Lanlehin, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Sarafadeen Alli, the leader of ZLP, Rashidi Ladoja and others.

    According to the APC spokesman, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde,  Makinde should explain “to the electorate who Ladoja, Lanlehin and Sarafa are to him as the APC does not want to preempt him by calling them godsons”.

    Olatunde felicitated with some members of ADC, ZLP, SDP and others for jumping off the “sinking ships” of the parties to align with the ruling party, stressing that “the APC knows their worth and will accord them their due respect and regard”.

    RIVERS

    An APC chieftain in Rivers State, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, restated the people’s determination to sack Governor Nyesom Wike with their ballot on Saturday.

    He said the resolution was because of what he called the abysmal performance of the PDP-led administration in the Southsouth state in the past four years.

    In an online statement, Eze alleged that Wike was the initiator of the call for his sack by Rivers people.

    Eze said: “The failure of Wike’s administration is responsible for why most Rivers people want him to go on May 29 this year. Rivers State is losing out on development, since Wike forced his way into office through the bloody and massively-rigged 2015 elections.

    Wike is the arrowhead of the agitation to remove him (Wike) from the Brick House (Government House, Port Harcourt), a project he initiated immediately he assumed office on May 29, 2015, by scaring away investors from the state, through the promotion of insecurity.”

    Members of the Coalition of Like-minded Rivers People described March 9 as the state’s day of hope, when Wike will be voted out.

    The group, at a news conference in Port Harcourt, as part of the massive protests they started on Monday in the state capital, declared that there was no going back in ensuring that a focused and God-fearing person would be the occupant of the Government House from May 29.

    The coalition’s three-page address was read by Azubuike Wanjoku, the President-General of Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM) International, who is also a member of the House of Assembly, representing Ikwerre constituency.

    But Wike, through his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, urged the people to ignore what he called “the propaganda of the APC”.

    He insisted that Wike’s impressive performance across the 23 local government areas would earn the PDP re-election on March 9.

    Also yesterday, the Police debunked the alleged plan to kidnap the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State. They urged the public to disregard it as fake news.

    Commissioner of Police Usman Belel, who debunked the rumour, described it as unfounded and unverifiable.

    The Special Assistant to the Governor on Electoronic Media, Simoen Nwakudu, had in a statment on Tuesday, raised the alarm on the alleged plan by APC members to kidnap the REC ahead of the polls to push for its postponement.

    But the Police Commissioner said that his men were on top of the security situation.

    The commissioner said there was no cause for alarm.

    DELTA

    The governorship candidate of the Allied congress party of Nigeria (ACPN) in Delta State, Chief Paul Isamade, urged Deltians to reject Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the PDP, alleging that his four-year reign has brought nothing but backwardness to the state.

    Isamade, who is also the National Secretary of the party, said it was “unfortunate that 20 years into the current democratic dispensation, Delta State is still not working inspiite of the huge revenue that has accrued to it.”

    CROSS RIVER

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade has not been sacked by the Court of Appeal, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary Christian Ita, said yesterday.

    Ita described as fake news reports trending on social media claiming the governor has been sacked by the appellate court in Lagos as the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s election.

    In a statement, the spokesman said there was no such pending matter in the Appeal Court.

    He maintained that the case instituted in a Federal High Court in Abuja by Mr. Emmanuel Ibeshi was discontinued when he filed a legitimate notice of discontinuance and as such never went on appeal.

    He blamed the report on political opponents who have been dazed by the reality that the governor’s re-election bid was a fait acompli.

    The statement, therefore, urged members of the public and the governor’s teeming supporters to disregard the fake report.

  • Polls: INEC distributes sensitive materials in Zamfara

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Zamfara State Office has distributed sensitive election materials for the March 9 Governorship and State Assembly elections.

    Addressing newsmen while distributing the materials, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Asmau Maikudi, said the distribution was done early to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

    “You are all aware of the logistics problem encountered (in the state) during the presidential and national assembly elections.

    “This occurred as a result of a court order to include the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the national assembly elections,’’ he said.

    Read Also: ‘We’ll probe INEC over polls shift’

    Asmau assured that since the issue had been resolved, all the materials would reach polling units before 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and election would commence at the designated time.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the sensitive election materials were handed over to the Local Government Electoral Officers of all the 14 councils.

    A total of 1,671,333 ballot papers were distributed for State Assembly elections and 1,701,061 for the governorship election across the 14 council areas.

    The process was carried out in the presence of agents of all the political parties participating in the elections.

    Other materials distributed include results sheets for polling units, ward and local government collation, state assembly as well as governorship return sheets.

    NAN

  • Anambra: INEC to replace NYSC members in conflict areas

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra on Wednesday said it would post stand-by ad-hoc staff to the conflict areas of the state for Saturday’s House of Assembly elections.

    The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, dropped the hint at the CBN Awka office during the distribution of sensitive materials ahead of the poll.

    Nkwachukwu was reacting to the statement by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the state that corps members would not be posted for election duty in Idemili and Ogbaru areas of the state.

    The state NYSC coordinator, Kehinde Aremu, had said that the decision to withdraw corps members from those areas was based on the directives from the headquarters barring them from volatile areas.

    But the REC said the decision would not pose any challenge to the exercise, noting that the electoral umpire have more than enough trained staff to replace the corps members with.

    Read Also: PDP takes protest to INEC

    He revealed that the commission had invited a total of 9,000 persons for the training, but said over 18,000 reported and were eventually trained for the exercise.

    He said, “I received a letter from the NYSC saying it won’t deploy corps members to conflict prone areas. But it’s not a source of worry to us.

    “We have lots of people in our data base standing by for engagement. Some even come to the polling unit uninvited, waiting for opportunities to work.”

    Orji also debunked allegation that some of the ad-hoc staff involved in the last election did not undergo training, resulting to their inability to effectively manipulate the smart card readers.

    He said it would be an act of irresponsibility on the part of the commission to engage untrained hands for such sensitive assignments.

    “I don’t believe we can hire people, train them and dump them to use those we didn’t train. We’re not that irresponsible,” he added.