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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

  • 2019 election: Army backs electronic voting, collation

    The Army on Thursday in Abuja urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work toward using science and information technology to conduct subsequent elections to reduce human interference.

    Chief of Army Staff, Lt.General Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Brig-Gen John Ochai, former Brigade Commander of 22 Army Brigade in Dikwa, Borno, made the call at an Electoral Reform Roundtable in Abuja.

    Speaking on the theme: “Securing Nigerian Elections ‘’, Buratai said after the 2019 elections, the army conducted an inquiry into the complaints raised by the citizens.

    He said it came to a conclusion that any personnel found wanting would be punished accordingly, adding that the claim of the militarisation of the elections was not true.

    “I think it is going to the extreme to say that the elections were militarised because the military participation was based on constitutional provision which empowered the government to deploy the military in aid of civil authority.

    Read Also: Monarch to Army chief: call your men to order

    “Going forward, the way to go is science and technology and other innovative methods by INEC to make it necessary to provide the type of security needed to secure our elections.

    “For instance, if we adopt the electronic voting system, it will go a long way in reducing human interference and take people off polling units on Election Day.

    “The advantage is that, we will have more people voting especially those in Diaspora; the issue of collation of results should also be done electronically.

    “That way, the value placed on result sheets for which people get killed would be reduced just like in Benue where thugs laid ambush on the officials bringing the results,’’ he said.

    The chief of army staff said that if Nigeria’s elections would be secured, technology was the way forward, adding that more than 20 countries, including Namibia, were already practising it.

    He urged INEC to begin right away to plan other innovations ahead of the 2013 elections thereby reducing the activities of security agents in elections.

    Dr. Benson Olugbuo, Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, expressed the need to carry out electoral reforms to enhance credible elections.

    Olugbuo also said there was need to carry out the police reform since the law in use now was 43 years old.

    Mr Pascal Hollinger, Senior Political Advisor, Swiss Embassy, said the 2019 elections came and went, but Nigeria needed to look back and address the various irregularities done.

     

  • PDP fixes N20m nomination fee for Kogi, Bayelsa gov polls

    The national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed a N20 million fee for aspirants intending to contest the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

    The N20 million is exclusive of the mandatory Expression of Interest fee of N1 million for every aspirant.

    Briefing newsmen shortly after the party’s emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, however clarified that nominations for female aspirants remained free.

    The PDP charged its governorship aspirants in the 2019 elections only N5 million.

    Defending the upward review in nomination fees, Ologbondiyan attributed the development to the rising cost of printing the various electoral materials, high cost of conducting primary elections and other logistics.

    Sale of nomination forms for the two states will commence from June 24 to July 24, 2019; while submission deadline is July 31.

    Screening for aspirants for the election in the two states will come up on August 19, while the screening appeal panel will sit and decide cases on August 21.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 16, 2019 for the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

    Speaking during the NEC meeting, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the June 11 National Assembly leadership election.

    According to him, “PDP as the main opposition party was very uncomfortable that the level of corruption that preceded the emergence of the leadership is capable of undermining the desired robust legislative activities.

    “Having ‘purchased’ the leadership of the parliament, we expect the cabals to now fully take over and dictate the show at the legislature.

    “We have even seen the first sign of what is to come when the APC group in the Senate killed a motion to debate the June 12 speech of the imperial President.

    “Only a conquered parliament with credibility challenge can shy away from discussing a major address of a President just sworn into office, but that is a sign of what is to come when choosing legislative leadership is heavily monetized by a regime that claims to be fighting corruption.

    “The bazar that took place during the election of National Assembly leaders clearly gives a picture of the anti-corruption status and how the APC has become home for looters.

    “Just last week, Nigerians witnessed how some corruption charges involving APC chieftains were withdrawn from the EFCC and handed over to the Attorney General for final dropping”.

    The party chair expressed disappointment with some of PDP members in the National Assembly who openly endorsed the choices of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    Read Also: PDP says no nation can ignore China

    “Party loyalty demands that you stick to your party at any given situation. When personal interests clash with party interests, personal interests should drown into that of the party, that’s what real democrats are expected to do,” he said.

    Secondus also deplored the security situation in the country, particularly the ravages of the Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast and banditry, kidnapping and other organised crimes in different parts of the country.

    The party chair said, “In the area of security, as you all are very much aware, the threatening security situation in the country is not abating, rather it’s getting worse by the day.

    “In fact, the hopelessness in the security situation is underlined in the recent statement of the military hierarchy early this week trying to blame the soldiers for the continued Boko Haram incursions. This is after they had severally declared the Boko Haram sect to be technically defeated.

    “The killing of soldiers and civilians by Boko Haram terrorists in the North East and the bandits in the North West has continued unabated.

    “A few weeks ago, angry youths in Katsina, the home state of the President, had to dump the bodies of 18 persons killed by the bandits in government house for the government to bury and taste the pain of burying.

    “How else can a people whose government cannot provide basic things like security demonstrate their anger and frustrations.

    The truth remains that under the watch of President Buhari and APC, Nigeria and her citizens have been degraded and people are no longer proud of their country”.

     

     

  • NCS Situation Room: we’re not proud of 2019 elections

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it withdrew about 70 Certificates of Return from those it issued them initially and re-issued them to other persons following various court judgments.

    This is as the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room said there was nothing to be proud of in this year’s general elections conducted by INEC.

    INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, spoke on Wednesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    He said one of the biggest challenges the commission faced was the large number of pre-election matters, which are still pending in various courts of law.

    Okoye spoke at an electoral reform round-table organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Kofi Annan Foundation.

    He said: “As at today, the commission has 809 pre-election matters while we have just 800 post-election matters. So, the implication is that we have more pre-election matters than post-election.

    “As at Tuesday, the commission had withdrawn and reissued over 70 Certificates of Return that were previously issued to those who were elected into various state and national assembly positions.

    Read Also: Ripples over EU report on 2019 elections

    “There are more that we are still withdrawing and more that we are still re-issuing. Some of these things arose from the not too transparent party primary elections that were conducted by the various political parties.

    “It is really a source of concern that up till today, there are still a number of cases arising from pre-election matters in courts.”

    Okoye noted that the commission was looking at whether the fourth alteration to the Constitution of Nigeria would properly address the issue of pre-election matters.

    The INEC commissioner said this is because the fourth alteration gave the court, first instance, a total of 180 days to determine cases and issues arising from pre-election matters.

    “But 180 days from the period of the conduct of party primary elections and the end of substitution period dovetailed into the conduct of elections and even beyond.

    “This more or less distorts what the commission’s activities and also puts it on edge in terms of knowing which political parties would be on the ballot and which would not,” he said.

    The INEC commissioner said the commission was looking at a situation where the litigation period could be shortened.

    Okoye, who also spoke on the number of political parties, said political associations waiting to be registered are more than the existing ones.

    The INEC commissioner added that if they are registered, Nigeria would have over 200 parties in 2023 elections.

    “So, I think we need to have a national conversation to see whether we really need the number of political parties in existence in the country or not,” Okoye said.

    He called for necessary reforms to make the commission deliver its mandate to Nigerians.

    The European Union (EU) Ambassador Ketil Karlsen said the union made recommendations from its election observations not to castigate Nigeria but to instigate reforms to strengthen the electoral process.

    Karlsen said that four years is not a long time to begin electoral reforms and urged the nation to consider a wider form of reform to enhance inclusiveness especially of women.

    House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Idris Wase reiterated the ninth National Assembly’s commitment to electoral reforms to strengthen the nation’s democracy.

    “We will partner together with all stakeholders for the purpose of improving our laws, we will begin now and not wait till the end of our tenure to start it,” Wase said.

    The group’s Coordinator Clement Nwankwo said any election that lacks legitimacy will also lack international acceptance.

    According to him, the essence of the round table was to look at the last elections critically and take corrections, where necessary.

    “Both foreign and local observers have filed their reports on the last elections. The intention of the observers is to highlight the merits and demerits of the electoral process with a bid to moving forward…”

     

  • Witnesses: INEC cancelled Akpabio’s results

    Witnesses have told the election petition tribunal in Akwa Ibom State that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cancelled collated results compiled from their units and wards.

    They also alleged that INEC produced voters’ register which were not used on election day.

    Seven witnesses who testified on Senator Godswill Akpabio’s petition, told the three-man panel, that they were amazed to hear that collated results obtained from their units and wards were cancelled after they were announced at the polling units and wards.

    They added that the petitioner, Akpabio, won convincingly in all the units and wards that results were collated and announced.

    The Ward Agent in Okon Ward 8, Essien Udim council, said he was shocked to hear that the results which he signed at the collation centre were cancelled by INEC in Uyo. He insisted he only heard about the cancellation in the court.

    Lead counsel to the third respondent (INEC)   Ifeoluwa Otediran said INEC cancelled the results in 17 of the 20 pulling units in Okon Ward 8 because the voters’ resister used for accreditation were not ticked, and INEC believed that there was no accreditation of voters.

    But the witness said: “My Lord, it is not true. There was accreditation and our names were ticked in my Ward before we were allowed to vote, and the same thing was done in other polling units which our party agents told me about. There was no cancellation in my presence. I was a ward collation officer for my party.

    Read Also: Akpabio: God will expose Igini’s sins

    Testifying on INEC form EC8B1 for code 06 (Odoro Ikot Ward 6) of 05 registration area, a  witness said he was surprised to hear, for the first time inside the tribunal, that results in the 10 polling units in his ward were cancelled. According to him, voters’ register presented to him in the tribunal was different from the one used during the election.

    “My Lord, these documents tendered here are different from the one INEC brought to the polling units in Ward 8, Odoro Ikot, Essien Udim council on election day. It is a surprise that INEC gave us photocopied documents. I am surprised that there were original documents. “Our names were ticked on the voters’ register they gave to us, but it is shocking that our names are not ticked in this one here at the tribunal,” the witness said.

    The same scenario played out in Ukana West Ward 10 and Ukana East Ward 9; both agents discovered at the tribunal that all collated results in 7 and 10 polling units in the two wards were cancelled by INEC without their knowledge.

    The testimonies, according to legal analysts, revealed how some INEC officials conspired to cancel the results of Senator Akpabio to reduce his votes and declare his opponent winner of the election.

    Lead counsel to the petitioner S.I. Ameh was granted June 19 and 20 to present all his witnesses to continue their testimonies.

  • Atiku: I’ve no plan to protest over INEC server

    There is no plan to lead a protest should the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) rule against my bid to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant him access to information on the Commission’s central server, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said on Sunday.

    Atiku, who was the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 presidential election, debunked reports that he was planning to lead a protest should his request be declined by the panel.

    The former vice president Atiku his party are challenging President Muhammadu Buhari victory of at the tribunal where they have prayed the tribunal to compel INEC to grant them access to information relating to the presidential election on the Commission’s central server.

    The electoral umpire told the tribunal on June 13 that it has no server for Atiku and the PDP to inspect.

    Read Also: June 12: Threshold in our national life – Atiku

    In a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, the PDP candidate yesterday described the report in circulation to that effect as the handiwork of mischief makers.

    According to Atiku, the said report was meant to mar his “spotless pro-democratic record”, with the view to laying the groundwork on false charges against him.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement circulating in a section of the media, to the effect that Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019 presidential election and Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007, plans to lead a street protest in the event that the election petition tribunal rules against him and his party on the issue of a server for the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    “I wish to emphatically state that such a statement did not emanate from Atiku Abubakar or his privies. It is the work of mischief makers who want to mar his spotless pro-democratic record and lay the ground work for their threatened actions against him on false charges of being a threat to national security.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar believes in the Rule of Law and in the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In his almost four decades in politics, he has never taken action or spoken words against democracy and will not start now.

    “Atiku Abubakar and his team have confidence in God and thus call on those bent on mischief to have the fear of God and retrace their steps.

    “Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. The culture of fear being created now cannot rein in our democracy. Nigeria and Nigerians have a consistent history of outlasting tyranny and will continue to do so by the grace of God.”

     

  • EU report sparks fresh APC, PDP spat over INEC’s server

    The controversy over a server containing the presidential election’s results has refused to go away.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has no such server.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) aligns with INEC at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, which it urged to reject the request by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to access the “server” from which it claimed the results were generated.

    European Union (EU) observers corroborated INEC’s stand in their report, which they released at the weekend.

    To the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, the EU Report has vindicated the ruling APC that the electoral umpire did not generate results from any server. Okechukwu spoke yesterday in Enugu.

    In the report, the EU EOM scored key actors in the elections low – a position the PDP hailed.

    The actors knocked by the EU in the final report on the 2019 poll are: INEC, major political parties and security agencies.

    Okechukwu, who is also a chieftain of the APC, said he was glad to hear the Deputy Chief of the EU Observer Mission, Hannah Roberts, agreeing with the reality of relying on results that were released by INEC.

    Okechukwu said: “Some of us have been vindicated, as our position has been that INEC did not generate the 2019 general elections result from a server.

    “We have maintained that it’s trite in law that one cannot build something out of nothing; accordingly, we agree with EU election observer mission’s denial of knowledge of the existence of the so called server used by INEC to conduct 2019 general elections.”

    According to him, “what amuses one is the paradox in the PDP canvass that in one breath, INEC conducted elections transparently in Adamawa, Bauchi, Imo, Oyo, Zamfara etc, where it won and in another breath, manipulated the results in axis it lost.

    “Methink, it’s wrong to gloss over the truism that President Muhammadu Buhari has a 12 million vote-bank, which had been on display in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.

    “Therefore, Facebook Sever or Twitter Server, the hard fact is that Buhari has cult followership, which is only comparable to that of Malam Aminu Kano or Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sarduna of Sokoto, both of blessed memory, in the North.

    “Nobody can erase this hard fact,’’ he said.

    On the EU report’s pointing out systemic failings seen in the elections, voter apathy and call for fundamental electoral reforms, Okechukwu noted that Buhari had promised a holistic reform of the electoral system.

    He said: “I’m in league with statement emanating from the presidency that Buhari will work with all Nigerian citizens, state institutions, civil society, the media and other experts to make sure that there will be proper electoral reforms.

    “Let me plead with INEC to gradually commence the introduction of e-Voting (Electronic-Voting) in the off cycle state elections, as preparatory ground for full implementation.

    “We must remind ourselves that there was a time when one eminent citizen said that telephone is not for the poor, but today the groundnut hawker in his village has smart phone. We must commence e-voting as a matter of urgent national importance”

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP yesterday commended the EU on its final report.

    The party made the commendation in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, who lauded the union for stating the facts on the elections.

    He said that the fresh revelation in the EU report vindicated the position of PDP on the elections.

    Read Also: Elections: Large number of political parties creates logistics problem, says INEC

    The statement reads: “Nigerians are still in shock over the revelations by EU of how about 2.8 million votes were deliberately ‘cancelled without sufficient accountability’ and how several returning officers gave no reason for the cancellations.

    The PDP said more shocking was the distortions and “a large discrepancy of 1.66 million more registered voters, as announced by INEC on January 14, compared to those announced by state returning officers during the collation of presidential results.”

    Ologbondiyan alleged that returning officers were unable to reconcile result figures.  He said that the EU report exposed how ballot boxes were compromised, how essential materials were missing, how “voter register was not always ticked as required” and how “manual authentication procedures were not correctly followed”.

    “The report on result forms did not reconcile how result forms were not publicly posted, how “result forms and smart card readers were not packed in tamper-evident envelops as required,” he said.

    “Moreover, the report has further reinforced the confidence of millions of Nigerians in our collective expectation of justice in the quest to retrieve our stolen presidential mandate at the tribunal.

    “The PDP condemns such crime against our nation, in sabotaging the sanctity of our electoral processes to frustrate the choice of Nigerians in a presidential election, must be brought to book and made to face the wrath of the law.”

     

  • EU election observers vindicated us, says VON DG

    Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VOA) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu has declared the report of the European Union Observer Mission (EUEOM) on 2019 general elections has vindicated the APC.

    He told reporters in Enugu on Sunday: “Some of us have been vindicated, as our position had been that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not generate 2019 general elections result from server.

    “We had maintained that its trite in law that one cannot build something out of nothing; accordingly we agree with EU Election Observer Mission denial of knowledge of the existence of the so called server used by INEC to conduct 2019 general elections.”

    Okechukwu said he was glad to hear the Deputy Chief of the Observer Mission, Hannah Roberts, agreeing with the reality of relying on results that were released by INEC.

    “What’s amazed one is the paradox in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) canvass that in one breadth INEC conducted elections transparently in Adamawa, Bauchi, Imo, Oyo, Zamfara etc, where they won and in another breadth manipulated the results in axis it lost.

    Read Also: PDP shopping for excuses for failure, says VON DG

    “Methinks it’s wrong to gloss over the truism that President Muhammadu Buhari has a 12 million vote-bank, which had been on display in 2003, 2007, 20011, 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.

    “Therefore, Facebook sever or Twitter Server, the hard fact is that President Buhari has cult followership, which is only comparable to that of Malam Aminu Kano or Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sarduna of Sokoto, both of blessed memory, in the North. Nobody can erase this hard fact.”

    On the report where the EU Election Observer Mission pointed out systemic failings in the polls and the relatively low levels of voter participation and call for fundamental electoral reforms, Okechukwu replied: “I am in league with the statement emanating from the presidency that President Buhari will work with all citizens, state institutions, civil society, the media and other experts to make sure that there will be proper electoral reforms.

    “Let me as well plead with INEC to gradually commence the introduction of E-Voting in the off cycle state elections, as preparatory ground for full implementation of Electronic Voting.

    “We must remind ourselves that there was a time when one eminent citizen said that telephone is not for the poor but today the groundnut hawker in his village has smart phone.

    “We must commence E-Voting as a matter of urgent national importance.”

  • Okorocha: INEC to meet on court judgment

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it will meet to do the needful on the judgment concerning the release of the certificate of returns for Rochas Okorocha.

    The Commission in a statement noted that as a law abiding institution will obey all court orders.

    The statement which was signed by Mr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, stated that “the Commission will meet as soon as practicable to do the needful”.

    As a law-abiding institution, the Commission will continue to obey judgements of all courts of competent jurisdiction.

    “However, the Commission’s overriding consideration is the safety of its ad-hoc staff, Electoral Officers and Collation/Returning Officers and is worried that if electoral impunity is allowed to flourish, any individual can harass, intimidate and put the Commission’s officers under duress, procure a favourable declaration and be rewarded with a Certificate of Return,” he stressed.

    Read Also: Okorocha didn’t hand over to me, says Ihedioha

    He also revealed that the commission “has been served with the Order of a High Court of Imo State, presided over by Hon. Justice Njemanze, directing the Commission not to issue a Certificate of Return to any of the candidates that contested the Imo West Senatorial District election. The Order from the High Court of Imo State was issued on 23rd May 2019 and the suit has been further adjourned to 26thJune 2019.

    “The Commission is aware that the judgement delivered by the Federal High Court, Abuja is the latest in time and determined the rights of the parties in relation to the subject matter of the Certificate of Return, in respect of the Imo West Senatorial Election. ”

    He however noted that “the Commission is currently undertaking State level reviews of the 2019 general elections and all the National Commissioners are either in or heading to their States of Supervision to coordinate activities relating to the said review. “

  • INEC Server: CPA warns against Needless Controversy, says EU report exonerates INEC

    The Centre for Public Accountability CPA has warned against the attempt to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into what it termed as a needless controversy, over recent debates, surrounding the commission’s response to the request for an access to its servers, by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2019 Presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Atiku and the PDP had approached the Presidential election petitions tribunal asking that it compels INEC, to grant him access to the results transmission server, used by the commission, during the presidential elections.

    Speaking at a Press Conference in Lagos today through its Executive Director and Senior Program Officer, Olufemi Akindele and Umar Faruq respectively, the group said it wish to add its voice and raise some fundamental points, on the emerging controversies, related to the ongoing events, at the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal, especially as it concerns, the political parties, it’s role as election observers and that of the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
    CPA said it is imperative to remind Nigerians, that the last few days have witnessed heated debate, within and outside the tribunal, therefore attracting not only the attention of Nigerians, but also other stakeholders within the electoral chain. It should be noted that the main petitioner to the tribunal, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar did amongst other issues, approached the tribunal, requesting access to the result transmission server, deployed by the INEC, during the conduct of the 2019 presidential election. In making the request, the Atiku/PDP asked the court to order INEC to grant them access to the server, as part of the basis for confirming that the party and its candidate won the election.
    In response to this demand by the PDP, the INEC through its counsel said the application for access to a server has attracted needles controversy over what is a simple matter. Without touching on the merit of the case which is subjudice, much of the comments in the public domain on the issue are generalizations, some of them mischievous, made without appreciation of the context of litigation over a narrow and specific issue.
    Recall that the request for access to the INEC’s server began with a witness statement on oath by the Atiku/PDP which refers to information from a specific server alleged to belong to INEC. The server is identified by a Physical/Mac Address 94-57-A5-DC-64-B9, a Mac Address being the unique identifier of a hardware such as a server, and running on Microsoft Product ID 00252-7000000000-AA535 which is claimed to be exclusive to INEC.
    It was on this basis, that the petitioners then applied for leave of the Tribunal to compel INEC to allow it to inspect the said server. Thereby making the application a request for ACCESS TO A SPECIFIC SERVER.
    “Our assessment, going by the above reality, is that INEC’s response to the tribunal, which has now become a major subject of these controversies, is that the SPECIFIC SERVER in question neither exists in, nor belongs to the Commission, and cannot therefore grant access to what it does not have.” the group further said
    The group also advised that “rather  than resorting to needless controversies, the Atiku/PDP and others who have joined the raging debate, should clearly analyse the relevance of INEC’s Legal team response to their SPECIFIC demand, and not misconstrue it,  to mean a blanket denial that the Commission SERVERS or that INEC has no servers at all. Resorting to such may be misleading, especially to the unsuspecting populace who are keenly following developments, at the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal.”
    “We should also remind ourselves, that INEC as an umpire, is not under any obligation to assist a petitioner or defendant, in establishing its case, outside the basic obligations it has, under our laws. The truth remains that the onus is on the petitioners to prove their allusion and establish their claims, and not for INEC to do.”
    CPA also said it will be unjust for INEC, to produce anything or evidence, that it doesn’t have, especially when it is contained in  a definite statement made under oath, about a specific equipment which is unknown to INEC.
    On the recent report on Nigeria’s 2019 elections by the European Union, CPA said it has thoroughly examined the recent report of the EU and it is impressed to know that the EU in the report, confirms that the election witnessed an improvement by the Commission, above its previously conducted elections in the past.
    “As democrats, we uphold our strong belief in the right of petitioners to pursue their case against the outcome of the election, to a logical end, but our concern is that such should not be done at the detriment of the sanctity of our electoral institution as represented by INEC.”

  • Updated: INEC declares PDP candidates winner in all Zamfara elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) winner in the last general elections in Zamfara state.

    The commission declared PDP winner in all the elections save for one seat in the State Assembly.

    According to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the decision was based on ruling of the Supreme Court.

    He consequently declared PDP winner of the three senatorial seats and seven House of Representatives seats.

    The commission also declared PDP winners in 23 of the 24 seats of the Assembly with the remaining one seat going to the candidate of the National Rescue Mission (NRM).

    Yakubu announced these on Saturday at the end of the second marathon meeting of INEC management team.

    INEC had plans to make public its decision on the Supreme Court ruling on Monday but changed its mind at the end of Saturday’s meeting.

    Yakubu noted the commission considered other factors apart from just simple majority to declare Bello Mohammed Marawalle of and Mahdi Aliyu Gusau of the PDP governor and deputy governor- elect respectively.

    The Commission, he said, will issue Certificates of Return to the new winners on Monday 27th May 2019 for the governor and deputy governor elect, Senators-elect and House of Representatives –elect.

    In Abuja while the 24 State Assembly members -elect will receive their certificate of returns on Friday 31st May 2019 in Gusau.

    Read Also: Zamfara: INEC meets on Supreme Court judgment

    In his update on the matter, Yakubu said: “Following the judgment of the Supreme Court, the Commission has met in two emergency sessions and taken briefings from our lawyers and staff on the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment. While the legislative elections (Senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections) are straight forward to deal with because they entail first-past-the-post or simple majority of votes, the Governorship election is determined not just by majority votes but also spread in accordance with Section 179 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    “This means that we had to first discount the votes cast for the APC at the elections and then carefully rework the spread by Local Government Areas based on the new valid votes.”

    He further added: ” It is important to provide a background to the legal process that culminated in the Supreme Court decision on 24th May 2019.

    “You may all recall the Commission issued the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 general elections on 9th January 2018, over one year in advance.

    ‘’Among other activities, the conduct of party primaries was scheduled to take place between 18th August and 7th October 2018.

    ‘’Unfortunately, the APC did not conduct its primaries in Zamfara State within this stipulated time and the Commission duly informed the party that it would not be in a position to present candidates for elections in the State.

    ‘’Subsequently, various interested parties, including the APC itself, approached the court over the decision of the Commission. Just before the election, the subsisting court judgment at the time ordered the Commission to include the APC on the ballot for the Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections, which the Commission complied with.

    “However, since the elections were completed, a Court of Appeal judgment and now a Supreme Court judgment have determined that the APC did not conduct valid primaries for the elections in question.

    ‘’In its judgment delivered on 24th May 2019, the Supreme Court, having determined that the APC did not conduct valid primaries, said that the votes cast for the party in all the elections in question were “wasted” and ordered the Commission to recognize the runners-up as the winners.

    ‘’This judgment affects the positions of Governor and Deputy-Governor, three Senatorial, seven Federal and twenty-four State Assembly Constituencies.

    Yakubu also used the opportunity to appeal to political parties to learn from the Zamfara APC and ensure proper primaries in the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship polls.

    He said: “For the 2019 Bayelsa and Kogi Governorship elections by which party primaries are scheduled to hold between the 2nd and 29th August 2019.

    “I appeal to political parties intending to field candidates in the elections to adhere strictly to this and other timelines in the Timetable and Schedule of activities.”