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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

  • Results being announced by INEC incorrect, unacceptable -Secondus

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Uche Secondus has said that some of the Presidential Election results from states being announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at its collation centre in Abuja, were incorrect and unacceptable by the party.

    Three of the results, such as Ondo, FCT Abuja, and Abia were in favour of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

    But Secondus at the party’s presidential campaign office, Legacy House, Abuja, said some of the polling units result from states, including Nasarawa, narrowly won by Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress had been tampered with.

    Secondus said that the party’s collation centres have all ‘original results’ from every polling unit, in every ward, in every Local Government Area (LGA).

    He said the international community is aware of the results.

    He accused the presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), and  INEC officials of trying to “alter” the course of history and disenfranchise our people through the cancellation and manipulation of figures for results already announced at polling units, nationwide, in LGAs, where PDP, had commanding votes.

    He also alleged that the APC in collusion with INEC had taken aggressive steps, mostly through inducements, manipulation and incarcerations, using the elements of state power, such as the police, DSS, the army and the EFCC,  to silence the voices of the people.

    He said this was being done in full view of the ‘watching world’, and in spite of the commitment by PDP and its agents to adhere to every laid down rule for the 2019 general elections,

    “As results trickled in on Sunday, Feb. 24th, clearly putting the PDP in the lead, the ruling party and President Buhari dispatched high-ranking officials to coercively influence outcomes in different geopolitical zones in the country.

    “For example, the minister of the interior was dispatched to the North West of the country.

    “The Secretary of the Government of the Federation was dispatched to the North East of the country; while the Attorney General and Minister were dispatched to the South East and South-South regions”.

    He claimed that INEC IT server was hacked by agents of the APC to manipulate results and alleged that the result in Wurno LGA in Sokoto state was tampered with, with the addition of  10, 000 illegal votes.

    NAN reports that in the actual result declared for the council be the Returning Officer, Dr Francis Patrick,  APC scored 20, 307 while PDP scored 9, 847 out of 33, 048 total votes cast in the presidential election.

    Secondus further claimed: “Additionally, violent and destructive attacks have been meted out to officials while counting at Lafia St. and police barracks polling units.

    ” As if these provocations are not enough, our agents and officials are constantly arrested and in many cases locked-up for complaining that Card Readers were not in use in many Northern states, implying that all results from the Northern part of the country where Card Readers were not used should be voided in accordance with INEC guidelines.

    ” I also believe, the arrest of Eng. Buba Galadima, who has been a great symbol of what is courageous about our people goes to show that one man’s ambition is greater than our collective good, and most probably worth the blood of all Nigerians.

    “In that context, I call for Buba Galadima’s immediate and unconditional release, as well as that of all officials and agents of the PDP, in the Southwest, who were mostly arrested on the eve of the elections where intimidation became the APCs sole election strategy.”

    Secondus said that in spite the provocations, intimidation and attempts to hijack Nigeria’s democracy the PDP was on course to victory and the Presidency; “therefore, remain resolute and steadfast, because our party shares in your uncertainty and suffering, which must decisively come to a good end for us all.”

    He appealed to the leadership of INEC to remain impartial and not become willing agents to disenfranchise Nigerians and derail the country’s  democracy, “because the world is watching, and history will indeed pass judgment.” (NAN)

  • Finance Commissioner defeats incumbent senator of Kaduna North

    Alhaji Suleiman Abdu-Kwari of All Progressive Congress (APC) was on Monday declared winner of Kaduna North Senatorial District election held on Saturday, Feb. 23.

    Abdu-Kwari, the Commissioner of Finance in the State defeated the incumbent senator representing the area, Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi who defected to PDP just last year.

    Announcing the result at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Zonal Office in Zaria, Kaduna State, the Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammad Magaji-Garba of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria said the APC candidate polled 411,498 votes to defeat other contestants.

    He said People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Suleiman Hunkuyi scored 181,955 votes to emerge second in the contest.

    Read Also: Buhari leads comfortably in Kaduna

    The Returning Officer said all together 20 candidates contested for the senatorial election.

    Magaji-Garba said: “Kwari Suleiman Abdu of the APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected today, 25th February 2019.”

    Speaking in an interview shortly after the announcement, Abdu-Kwari attributed his victory to manifestation of the proven leadership exhibited by President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Nasiru el-Rufa’i of Kaduna State.

    He promised to do everything possible to improve on the lives of the people under his senatorial district, while also appreciating the electorate for coming out en-mass to exercise their franchise.

    “We are very much proud of our President as well as our amiable governor, Malam Nasiru Ahmad el-Rufa’i, we are all proud to be associated with wonderful jobs they have been doing to our nation.

    “I think is a vindication of how hard the governor has been working to supplement the efforts of Mr President and the people have spoken loudly that APC in this zone is entrenched.

    “We hope this will be replicated in the next two weeks with a shouting yes in favour of our governor and we hope this will go down well in history that we have supported Mr. President in this election,” he said.

    NAN

  • Drama as collation officer struggles with tabulated figures

    There was a little drama on Monday as the Collation Officer for Ondo state, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, struggled to match correctly tabulated figures with the political parties.

    The renowned Professor of International Relations on many occasions mixed up scores for political parties, prompting the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to ask him to go back.

    Yakubu was forced to ask Soremekun to go back and reconcile the results.

    Read Also: Two break into police officer’s home

    Meanwhile President Muhammadu Buhari has maintained lead in six states already announced.

    In the latest results announced, Buhari won in Kogi state wirh 285 894 to Atiku’s 218, 207.

    There were 1,640, 449 while 570, 773 were accredited for the elections.

    Prof Michael Atiku, Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, who is the Collation Officer for the state, revealed that 89,101 votes were cancelled.

    This he said was due to lots of hostility at the polling stations.

    The opposition parties however kicked over the figure of cancelled votes.

     

  • Ngige: INEC shouldn’t be crucified for electoral irregularities

    Minister of Employment Dr. Chris Ngige on Monday absolved the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of culpability over certain irregularities experienced during Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    He said the involvement of non-permanent staff of the commission makes it impossible for electoral irregularities not to be witnessed in any election.

    Fielding questions from journalists at the INEC collation centre in Awka, the Minister attributed most of the problems to the ad-hoc staff recruited for the exercise.

    He said: “You see when we talk about INEC, I like to be fair to them. INEC has both permanent and ad-hoc staff.

    “Lots of these problems emanate from the ad-hoc staff and you know they don’t owe deep loyalty to the commission.

    Read Also: Ndigbo endorsed Atiku in error, says Ngige

    “Government has tried to find a way around it by insisting they use federal government civil servants and lecturers in federal universities.

    “So if these ones misbehave, they can be punished according to civil service rules.”

    Ngige however canvassed early training for the ad-hoc staff and continuous training for the permanent ones as a way of mitigating the challenge.

    On the Presidential results so far released by the INEC, the Minister said he was not surprised at the outcome, expressing confidence that President Buhari would be re-elected.

    “What else do you expect? We’re expecting to clear more states, especially those with big votes,” he asserted.

    He however asked those who eventually emerge winners to be magnanimous with victory while those that lost should accept defeat in good faith.

    He said: “We expect that as a game, those who lost will try next time and for those who win to be magnanimous with victory.”

  • INEC declares APC’s Sabo senator for Jigawa South West

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared APC’s Mohammed Sabo as winner for Jigawa South West Senatorial District.

    The Retuning Officer for the election, Prof. Adamu Isge who announced the result in Dutse on Monday, said that Sabo scored 224,543 votes to defeat his PDP opponent, Mustapha Sule Lamido, who scored 143,611 votes.

    Read Also: I’ll wait for INEC’s final results, says Buhari

    Isge added that Ashiru Sunusi Katanga, the candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) scored 3,496 votes.

    “I, Professor Adamu Isge, hereby certify that I am the returning officer of Jigawa South West Senatorial District election which took place on the 23 day of February 2019.

    “That Mohammed Sabo of the APC having satisfyied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mohammed Sabo, popularly known as Nakudu is the serving senator for the senatorial district.

  • APC candidate wins Kwara South district

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate of the Kwara south senatorial district election Lola Ashiru as the winner of the last Saturday National Assembly.

    The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Sylvia Malom while declaring the result at the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat in Omu-Aran, said Ashiru polled 89, 704 to emerge winner.

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Senator Rafiu Ibarhim, Ashiru’s closest rival in the election, polled 45, 176 votes.

    Malomo said Ashiru having scored the highest number of votes in the election was declared winner and returned elected.

    She gave the total number of total registered voters as 432, 499, the total valid votes as 136, 889, total number of rejected votes as 3, 119 and total number of votes cast 140, 006

  • Take over prosecution of election offenders, Falana tells INEC

    National Chairman, People’s Alternative Front (PAF), Femi Falana (SAN) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take over the prosecution of the electoral offenders arising from the 2019 elections.

    Falana, in a letter dated February 22 and addresses to INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, this has become necessary to prevent official impunity.

    He recalled that members of the political class have rejected the popular call for the establishment of Electoral offences Commission/Tribunal in an attempt to shield electoral offenders from prosecution.

    He said the request was sequel to confirmation that “hundreds of criminal elements were arrested by the Police and other security agencies while attempting to disrupt the Presidential/National Assembly elections held throughout the country on Saturday, February 23, 2019”.

    He also noted that prior to last Saturday’s elections, “scores of other criminal suspects had been arrested during the political campaigns of the political parties for breaching the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended”.

    “Going by past experience, the prosecution of the electoral offenders will be taken over by state attorneys-general who will turn round to file nolle prosequi for the termination of the cases due to political pressure from the ruling party in each of the affected states”, he noted.

    Falana argued that the suggestion by PAF to INEC to take over the prosecution of electoral offender is backed by section 150 of the Electoral Act, 2010 which has vested the commission with the powers to prosecute any person who violates the provisions of the electoral act.

    “Like other prosecutorial agencies of the Federal Government the INEC should request the Inspector-General of Police to deploy some trained police investigators to the Legal Department for the purpose of coordinating the investigation of the cases.

    “Upon the conclusion of the investigation of the cases INEC will proceed to file charges against the indicted electoral offenders in the appropriate courts”, he stated.

    He reminded the commission that  a number of young lawyers were mobilised to assist the INEC in the prosecution of the electoral offenders who were arrested during the 2011 general election.

    Although majority of the electoral offenders were successfully prosecuted the policy did not continue due to the change in the leadership of the INEC.

    Falana therefore suggested that the policy be revived by the INEC without any delay.

    “Otherwise, the detained armed thugs who engaged in the cold murder of unarmed voters, ballot snatching, burning of ballot papers etc during the election will soon be freed and allowed to continue to sabotage the inchoate democratic process in the country”, he warned.

  • PDP insists on results from polling units

    …alleges plots to alter election results

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted on the official release of results already delivered at the various polling units for its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    A statement last night by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, cautioned that Nigerians will not accept any figures except what was declared and collated from the polling units.

    The PDP further alleged that the Buhari Presidency has been mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and dispatching officials to change results in Rivers, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kogi, Bauchi, Cross River, Borno, Yobe and Edo states among others, in a frenzy to allocate fictitious figures for President Buhari.

    “Pathetically, the Buhari Presidency is also threatening the South-East state governors to change results and carve a 25% for Mr. President, a scheme that has already failed.

    “In Bauchi state, we are aware of the plots to move thump-printed ballot papers and fabricated results from Bauchi to Dass Local Government Area to upturn PDP’s victory in the results already delivered and announced at the polling units in the area.

    “This is why the electoral officials have been delaying moving the results for final collation and announcement. If this plot fails, the APC plans to void the results for Dass.

    “In spite of all these, our party assures Nigerians that the hope for a new government led by Atiku Abubakar, is already manifest.

    “Our agents and indeed, Nigerians, already have the results as delivered at the polling units and are not ready to accept anything to the contrary. President Buhari and the APC should therefore quietly come to terms with the fact that they have been defeated.

    “The PDP therefore cautions INEC to respect the laws and electoral guidelines by upholding and declaring results from the polling units as expressed by Nigerians on Saturday”.

  • LG Funds: Group charges Buhari to probe Governors over misuse of allocation since 1999

    A civil society group, National Democratic Front (NDF), has called on President Muhammdu Buhari to probe governors over embezzlement of local government allocations since 1999.
    Nigeria’s lowest tier of government had suffered neglect prior to President Buhari’s administration.
    Funds meant for the grassroots were squandered by fascist governors without fear and conscience.
    However, Mr Buhari recently put an end to this can of worms, obliging to directly pay their revenue into their accounts.
    While hailing the president’s bold move, the NDF has urged him to go a step further by probing how previous funds were expended.
    The National Democratic Front made this known in a press statement by Secretary-General Dr. Bolaji Abdulkadir on Monday.
    ” For us at the National Democratic Front (NDF), the development is a positive one that we find highly commendable. It is a step in the right direction and fits into the restructuring that citizens have been clamouring for as it restored the desired financial autonomy back to the third tier of government.
    “In the immediate ugly past when state governors held onto the financial resources of local government councils, their autonomy became non-existent and the people at the grassroots were consistently denied access to service delivery.
    “This control of the finances of the local governments by state governors had implications for democracy itself. For the state governors to continue controlling the finances of third tier of government they perfect an aberration whereby elections rarely take place at this tier of government that is supposed to be the closest to the people.
    “The councils became a place filled by lackeys and minions of state governors while some turned it into the social benefit offices for their extended family members and in-laws.
    ” We are therefore alarmed that state governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum are warming up to violate this financial regulation under the pretext that there is no constitutional provision for it.
    “We learnt that they have perfected series of illegal ploys to torpedo the regulation while putting up a civil front through the petition they sent to President Muhammadu Buhari. Sadly, the many false claims they put up in that ill-advised petition are not enough reason for them to continue feasting on local government allocation.
    “This desire to continue stealing funds meant for developing the grassroots is evil, wicked and callous.
    ” In view of the security challenges that had arisen out of their decimation of the local government system, our expectation is that state governors would have accepted the new financial regulation as a face-saving grace to end their perfidy. But it is now clear that they desire to keep feasting on the resources of the local governments, under-develop the grassroots and then cash in on the insecurity occasioned by the resulting poverty so that they can claim more security vote while pocketing other state resources with the claim that the security situation is not allowing them to develop their areas.
    ” There is a limit to which Nigerians can continue to tolerate a band of very few citizens, less than 200 in all, which have continued to rape the system and criminally enrich themselves. The demand they are making on President Buhari will rubbish his anti-corruption efforts if he allows them to have their way, which must never be allowed.
    ” Rather than allowing these criminal minded people hold Nigeria back in the Stone Age while other jurisdictions are developing their communities through the local government, we ask that President Buhari respond to their petition in a manner that will further liberate local governments from the clutches of thieves.
    “Mr. President should therefore order for a probe of local government allocations from 1999 till date. He should further direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to expedite investigation into all petitions related to local government funds, anyone named in such petitions should be interrogated and promptly arraigned before a competent court.
    “On this matter, NDF and Nigerians stand with President Buhari and will stop at nothing to ensure that the resources meant for the local governments truly go towards developing the grassroots. We must decisively make this the end of using money meant for development to buy cars for mistresses and concubines as birthday gift.”

  • Borrofice wins, Akeredolu’s men lose in Ondo

    The embattled Ondo North Lawmaker and Senatorial Candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Prof.Ajayi Boroffice has retained his seat at the Upper Chairman.

    He emerged victorious after polling 53,199 to beat the Action Alliance (AA) candidate, Dr Tunji Abayomi with 43,100 and Mr Segun Alonge scoring 34,490.

    Unconfirmed report said former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, may have lost the battle to represent Ondo Central senatorial district in the senate with the results being released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officers in some of the Local Government Areas that make up the district.

    Although the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the state,Dr Rufus Akeju has not announced the results officially, reports from the six Local Government Areas of  the central senatorial district showed PDP’s Ayo Akinyelure, who was at the Senate before he was defeated by incumbent Senator Tayo Alasoadura may likely take the seat.

    Mimiko contested under the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) after he dropped his ambition to contest the presidential election under the Labour Party (LP).

    Read Also: Boroffice supporters back Akeredolu

    The results of Ondo South senatorial district was yet to be announced as at press time but feelers said the candidate of the PDP, who is the former commissioner for Transport in Ondo state, Nicholas Tofowomo, was leading other contestants.

    In Okitipupa/Irele federal constituency, the PDP candidate, Mr. Ikengboju Gboluga polled 31,042 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr Albert Akintoye of the APC who polled 19,875 votes.

    The result was announced by INEC Returning Officer in charge of the federal constituency, Prof Enuwo at Stella Maris College in Okitipupa.

    Also, in Akoko North East/Akoko North West federal constituency, Olubunmi  Ojo of the APC polled 20,988 votes to defeat Mr Wale Ogunleye of the PDP who had 12,969 votes and the incumbent federal lawmaker, Stephen Olemija of the AA who had 10,979 votes.

    In Akoko South West/Akoko South East federal constituency, Ade Adeogun of the APC polled 19,047 to emerge winner while two of his closest rivals, Dr Victor Ategbole of the AA got 14,694 votes and Martins Abiloye of the PDP polled 12,907 votes.

    INEC Returning officer Prof Taiwo Abraham declared the result at Oka-Akoko.

    However, six House of Representatives seats are still awaiting official declaration by INEC Returning officers as at press time.