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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

  • 2019 Elections: Air Force pledges support for INEC

    The Chief of the Air Staff, (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on Thursday said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) would provide all necessary logistic support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable it achieve success during the 2019 general elections.

    Air Marshal Abubakar said the Air Force has put adequate arrangements in place as done in 2015 to facilitate transportation of INEC sensitive materials to some designated locations across the country.

    The Air Chief who made the remarks while addressing Field Commanders and other Senior Officers during the 2nd Quarter Conference of the CAS at the Air Force Headquarters, Abuja, however warned officers and men of the Air Force to steer clear of partisan politics as the nation commenced preparations for the elections.

    He said the Officers and men of the force should remain focus in their constitutional responsibilities, stressing that as politics is in the air they should not be distracted either by political activities or social media comments.

    Read Also:2019 elections: Police vow to rid FCT of illegal firearms

    The Air Chief further noted that the aim of the conference is to review the progress attained in the NAF since the last Conference, adding that the meeting would afford the opportunity for the officers to critically appraise the performance of the Service in the past few months.

    Said Air Marshal Abubakar: “This Conference equally provides an avenue to listen and get feedback from various field commanders while also keeping them abreast of the policy direction of the Headquarters NAF.

    “I have held a similar Conference with the Air Warrant Officers and very Senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the NAF the previous day and the aim of the meeting is largely being to get a feedback from the personnel, as part of the bottom to top approach of the current leadership.

    “Let me remind the senior officers that the 2019 general elections were fast approaching and therefore caution that you should not allow yourselves to be dragged into partisan politics.

    “Even though you have the right to vote, exercise this right and do not be distracted from your constitutional duty of ensuring the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity and remain focused on any duty constitutionally assigned to you by the NAF.”

    Air Marshal Abubakar assured that the NAF would continue to operate in line with its constitutional mandate, promising that officers and men of the service would work towards ensuring that the sovereignty of Nigeria is not undermined by any group of individuals.

    The CAS said further: “Let me at this juncture assure that the Nigerian Air Force is willing to avail INEC its transport aircraft for the expeditious distribution of electoral materials during the forthcoming 2019 general elections as it had done in the past, should INEC require such services”.

    Air Marshal Abubakar advised the senior officers to take advantage of the lectures to be delivered at the conference by resource persons, noting that the conference was meant to fine tune their skills and update their knowledge on modern warfare.

  • APC convention: Court refuses to stop Lagos’ delegates 

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused a motion seeking to restrain the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Lagos State’s delegates for the June 23 national convention of the APC.

    Justice Babatunde Quadri, who read a ruling prepared by Justice Binta Nyako, said the motion for interlocutory injunction filed by a member of the APC in Lagos, Bunmi Tayo Church, was without merit and proceeded to dismiss it.

    Justice Quadri said it was wrong to grant the orders sought by Church when all those to be affected by the court’s pronouncement, who emerged from the last Ward, Local Government and state congresses of the party in Lagos, were not before the court and have not been heard.

    “This application cannot be granted because all the parties to be affected by the reliefs sought are not before the court. The application therefore fails,” the judge said.

    He proceeded to grant accelerated hearing in the substantive suit currently pending before Justice Nyako.

    Justice Quadri said he was asked by Justice Nyako, who was bereaved, to help read the ruling which she already prepared and signed.

    He said the Federal High Court’s Civil Procedure Rules, under Order 23 Rule 2,  allows that where a judge is bereaved, another judge can deliver a ruling signed by the judge handling the case, but bereaved.

    Church, whose substantive suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/ 583/18, is challenging the outcome of the last Ward, Local Government and State congresses of the APC in Lagos State, had sought the interlocutory injunctions pending the determination of the main suit.

    He urged the court, in the motion, to restrain defendants – APC and INEC – “from according recognition or giving effect to the results of the 1st defendant’s (APC) Lagos chapter’s purported Ward congress, Local Government congress and State congress pending the determination of the substantive suit.”

    Church equally prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining the APC from parading any person(s) or permitting any person(s) to parade themselves as being the persons elected by virtue of the 1st defendant’s Lagos chapter’s purported Ward, Local Government and state congress pending the determination of the main suit.

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    In his affidavit supporting the main suit, Church, who claimed to be interested in contesting for the party’s Chairmanship position in Mushin Local Government in Lagos, said he would have realised his ambition and become a delegate, but for the unlawful way the congresses were conducted.

    It is his contention that the congresses conducted in Lagos were in violation of the party’s constitution, its guidelines for the conduct of Ward, LG and state congresses and the Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

    Church’s lawyer, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), had while arguing the motion on June 14, contended that, since the APC’s national convention was scheduled for June 23, there was need to preserve the res (subject) of the substantive suit.

    He said there was special issues to be tried in the main suit, which seeks among others, the determination of whether the congresses conducted in Lagos State should not be set aside, the party having allegedly flouted the nation’s constitution, its constitution and its guidelines for the conduct of Ward, LG and state congresses.

    Bola Aidi, who represented that APC queried the competence of the motion for interlocutory injunctions and urged the court to refuse it.

    INEC’s lawyer, Alhassan Umar, also urged the court to refuse the motion on the grounds that it contains similar prayers as those contained in the substantive suit.

    Umar argued that the plaintiff failed, in the entire of his entire argument, to disclose any legal right he seeks to protect or showed any serious issues to be tried in the main case.

    He added: “Where the facts in support of the interlocutory application are similar to those in support of the main claim or are entirely interwoven with the facts required to determine the case on the merit, a court of equity is enjoined to decline granting the interlocutory application.

    “Instead, the court is enjoined to order accelerated hearing of the substantive matter. This is so because the court, in doing otherwise, may fall into the unhealthy situation of deciding the same issue twice.

    “First, at the interlocutory stage and then, the ultimate decision at the end of the trial. Such a procedure will be prejudicial to a fair trial of the substantive case.

    “The law is that the court should avoid the resolution of complex and intricate issues at the interlocutory stage.

    “It is submitted that the plaintiff/applicant has not satisfied the requirements to enable the court exercise its discretion in favour of granting the reliefs sought on the face of motion for interlocutory injunctions,” Umar said.

     

  • Ban on political campaign still in force; INEC tells politicians

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned politicians in Kwara to stop erecting campaign billboards and posters as ban on political campaign is still in force.

    INEC Administrative Secretary in Kwara, Mr Paul Atser gave the warning in a statement on Tuesday in Ilorin.

    “The attention of INEC has been drawn to the emergence of campaign bill boards, posters and campaigns on the electronic media.

    “The Commission wish to reiterate that campaign either through bill boards, posters and on electronic media by aspirants and political parties now is ill-timed,” Atser said.

    According to the administrative secretary, political campaigns cannot start until 90 days to the day of election.

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    “Campaign in any form at this point contravenes Section 99 (I) of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) which provides 90 days before polling day for the commencement of campaigns in public by every political party,” he added.

    Atser said that there was time slotted for each political activity for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    “It must be pointed out that with the release of the time table and schedule of activities for the 2019 General Elections, there is a time-line for every activity leading to the election and this should be strictly followed,” he said.

    He advised political parties and their aspirants to desist from pasting posters and erecting bill boards, adding that failure to comply with the guidelines would attract sanctions.

    Atser appealed to eligible voters to register and ensure they collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to enable them vote in the forthcoming general elections.

  • 2019: ’empower INEC to conduct credible elections’

    Former United Nations under-secretary Prof Ibrahim Gambari yesterday urged the Federal Government to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free and fair elections in 2019.
    Prof Gambari, who is also the chancellor of the Kwara state University (KWASU) advised the youths not allow themselves to be use as political thugs.
    He said this in Malete, Moro local government area of Kwara state at the 6th convocation ceremony of KWASU.
    Said he: “As 2019 elections draw near, never allow yourselves to be used by anybody either as thugs or manipulation during elections. Rather get interested in who governs you and how the leaders are selected.
    “The government on their part must empower INEC to conduct a free and fair elections in 2019 and beyond. We must give our support while insisting on a permanent end to impunity and zero-tolerance of elections. Elections in 2019 in Nigeria must be the game-changer.”
    Vice Chancellor of the University Prof Abdulrasheed Na’Allah announced that the  1,126 graduated this year.
    Out of these are 30 first class products.
    Prof Na’Allah added that the school produced five doctoral degree holders.
    He added that 522 graduated with second class honours in the upper division, 588 second class in the lower division and 60 persons with third class degrees.

  • N17.258b judgment debt: Why court froze INEC’s accounts

    Facts emerged Friday why a Federal High Court in Abuja froze accounts owned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in banks particularly Central Bank, First Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA).

    INEC’s accounts in CBN, First Bank and UBA are: 002-01224-42021 and 002-01224-41032 domicile in Central Bank of Nigeria (including all funds held in both accounts).

    Others are: 2022050942 and 2022050904 in First Bank (with balances of N1, 578,696,848.84 and N600, 270,638.00); and 1005393548 in United Bank for Africa (with balance of N52, 000,000.00).

    The temporary freezing order was made by Justice John Tsoho upon an ex-parte motion filed by a Lagos-based firm – Bedding Holding Limited (BHL) – for a ganishee order nisi.

    The Federal High Court had on January 28, 2014 gave a judgment against INEC, its then Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and three others in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/816/2010, filed by BHL.

    Other defendants in the suit were Haier Electrical Appliances Corporation Limited, Zinox Technologies Limited and Avante International Limited, who were contractors to INEC, engaged to supply equipment that it deployed for voters’ registration prior to the 2011 elections.

    BHL had sued, accusing INEC, Jega and other defendants of infringing on its exclusive “Patent Rights “No: RP16642 and Copyrights Design No: RD13841 in and over Electronic Collapsible Transparent Ballot Boxes (ECTBB) and Patent Rights No: NG/P/2010/202 – Proof of Address System/Scheme (PASS) – Embedded with the Concept of the Coded Metal Plate.”

    The firm claimed that the inventions, which its exclusive patent and copy rights covered, were deployed by INEC and the other defendants “for the production of voters’ register for the 2011 general elections, among other elections, without its prior license, consent and authorisation.”

    In a judgment on January 28, 2014, then Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, agreed with BHL’s claims and granted all its declaratory and monitary reliefs against the defendants.

    Justice Auta ordered among others, that BHL “is entitled to 50 per cent of the total contract sum of N34, 517,640,000.00,(which is N17,258,820,000.00) being the minimum reasonable royalty accruable to the plaintiff for the production, procurement, supply, acquisition, importation, purchase, receipt, sale of the Direct Data Capturing Machine, laptops and/or any other equipment ancillary to, or associated with the process and application of the said products for the registration of voters and or the collation/compilation and production of the voters’ register for the 2011 general elections and any other elections by the defendants, without first seeking and obtaining the consent of the plaintiff.”

    BHL’s ex-parte motion for ganishee order nisi, granted by Justice Tsoho on May 24, 2018 was in furtherance of the execution of the January 28, 2014 judgment.

    Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who saw merit in BHL’s case, led a team of lawyers, including two other Senior Advocates – Assam E. Assam and Karina Tunyan – to argue the ex-parte motion on May 24, 2018.

    Olanipekun, while arguing the motion, told the court that BHL had, since January 28, 2014 when the judgement was given, notified the judgment debtors and written the AGF on the issue.

    He said parties to the judgment had held several meetings on the judgment, but which have remained inconclusive, a development that informed the motion aimed at executing the judgment.

    BHL, in a supporting affidavit, said mediation meetings held on two occasions, by parties to the judgment, under the chairmanship of the Solicitor General of the Federation/Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, “could not be concluded because the 1st judgment debtor (INEC) failed, refused and/ or neglected to attend subsequent meetings.”

    Although BHL”s motion for garnishee order nisi had all the six judgment debtors listed, it chose to proceed against only INEC and the AGF. It discontinued against Jega, Haier, Zinox and Avante.

    Justice Tsoho has adjourned to July 2 this year for the garnishee ( the 23 banks listed in the application) to show cause why the garnishee order nisi should not be made absolute (why the temporary freezing order should not be made permanent, compelling the banks to pay to the judgment creditor -BHL- the judgment sum).

  • INEC pledges effective participation of persons with disabilities 

    Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has pledged to be committed and work assiduously with partners to ensure the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process.

    Speaking at a meeting to validate the INEC Framework on access and participation of PWDs in the electoral process in Calabar, Yakubu, said over the years, the electoral body in Nigeria has had to deal with the issues of exclusion of PWDs in its plans and processes.

    Yakubu, who was represented by National Commissioner, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, said however, the last couple of years have witnessed tremendous efforts by the Commission to identity these gaps and mitigate identified challenges.

    “As a commission we are committed now, more than ever to meaningfully uphold and incrementally improve the gains made in the advancement of the rights of PWDs to accessible and inclusive electoral process.

    Read Also:INEC laments poor participation of women in elective process

    “It is important to note that this INEC Framework on Access and participation of PWDs in the electoral process is an internal work aimed towards strengthening the Commission as an institution that is inclusive in its human and financial resources as well as in its practice and process,” he said.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner of Cross River State, Dr Frankland Briyai, said the programme, coming at a time when the preparation for 2019 general elections is in top gear reaffirms INEC’s commitment to enhance the democratic process by ensuring that every eligible citizen of Nigeria including PWDs exercises their voting rights.

    “This is consistent with the commission’s vision of reducing inequality and exclusion in the electoral process. It is worthy of note that the commission has made significant achievements in assisting PWDs by providing magnifying glasses for albinos, electoral information on braille and so on during the 2017 Anambra Governorship elections and I believe that by the adoption of this operational framework today further guarantee the rights and privileges for PWDs can be achieved.

    “The efforts of the commission will no doubt boost the confidence of over 25 million people living with disabilities in Nigeria and they will all come out and exercise their right which is not only about votes but contributing their national quota to National development through building of a vibrant responsive democracy,” Briyai said.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini, said the meeting is to ensure that elections should be an all-inclusive process, where people with challenges are not excluded.

    “Come 2019 and beyond, every segment of the country eligible to vote should not be denied on account of challenges of disabilities. Because every human being at one time or the other would have issues of limitation in ability in terms of age, where you would not be able to do anything. The system should be able to support you to exercise the full right of a citizen,” Igini said.

    National President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria (JONAPWD), the umbrella body of all disabled people’s organization in Nigeria, Ekaette Judith Umoh, said the validation would address the barriers they face in participating in the electoral process.

    “This is a wonderful programme and we have been looking out for it for over two years now. We are here to validate a document, which has to do with access and inclusion of persons with disability in the electoral process. We are excited about it. It will open up the political space for PWDs in Nigeria and the framework is about addressing the barriers that we face as PWDs in participating effectively in the electoral process.

    “We face a lot of barriers in participating in the electoral process. There are various levels of barriers such as institutional, attitudinal, environmental and social barriers. So INEC has taken it upon themselves to address that.  So with this INEC disability framework, all the barriers that would have stopped us from participating effectively is going to be addressed here,” she said.

    Resident Electoral Commissioners from 18 states as well as other relevant stakeholders attended the meeting.

  • INEC distributes 111,302 PVCs, registers 127,743 fresh voters in Katsina

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Katsina state said so far it had issued over 111,302 permanent voters cards, PVC,   to voters who registered between April and December 2017 while on the other hand registered 127,743 fresh voters in the current civic registration exercise

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, who made the above disclosure yesterday in an address at a state consultative workshop organised in partnership with INEC Youth Strategy Development, added that the number for the newly registered, excludes those on transfers or lost their cards previously, corrected or defaced candidates

    He said’’ we still have 19 more days to go especially in the senatorial zones. Everyone who is issued a card is entitled to vote and be voted for ‘’

    Read Also:Senators trade tackles over confirmation of INEC nominees

    ‘’in the course of the campaign for civic voters registration exercise we engaged civic society groups, relevant stakeholders and the media to rally support and ensure the success of the campaign’’

    Earlier in an address at the occasion, the senior program officer for the association, Ibrahim Farouk, said the consultative forum was organised as part of effort aimed at providing collaborative, open and inclusive space for the young people in different political spheres of life

    Farouk also maintained that the meeting will also provide avenue for assessing youth participation and engagement in the electoral process

    The Senior Programme Officer further used the occasion to announce the plan to host state consultative meetings that will involve participants from 30 states and staff of INEC which will focus on youth participation and the opportunity for media organisations to share their experiences

    He said ’’INEC youth strategy is to be developed to articulate and coordinate youth programmes, increase civic participation in youths in the electoral process in a manner that appeal to youth and ensure inclusiveness’’

     

  • Senators trade tackles over confirmation of INEC nominees

    …Confirms Festus Okoye as National Electoral Commissioner

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The nomination of Mahmud was unanimously adopted by the senate.

    Saraki put the nomination to question for the second time.

    The result was a resounding ‘aye”

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Hoodlums abduct INEC official in A’Ibom

    ….Demand N10m ransom

     

    Hoodlums suspected to be cultists have abducted a staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), serving at the commission’s area office in Ukanafun local government area of Akwa Ibom state.

    The victim, one Otobong Sylvester Ukpong, an indigene of Iwukem village in Etim Ekpo local government area, was reportedly kidnapped Tuesday morning while going to work.

    Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred near the Government Primary School, Oruk Ata2 along the Ukanafun-Azumini expressway.

    The victim’s brother, Mbetobong Sylvester Ukpong, told reporters, “My brother was kidnapped at Uruk Ata2, in the morning hours of Tuesday, June 5, 2018, on his way to work in his office at Ukanafun Local Government Area office of INEC”.

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    Mbetobong explained that his brother, whom he explained, “is the last in the family”, was on a major mission to the office, despite crisis of insecurity in the area, to distribute Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) to the electorates.

    He said his brother’s captors have contacted the family, and are demanding N10 million as ransom. “They used my brother’s phone number to call the family to disclose their ransom before they release him, but the elders of the family have told them such demand is outrageous for a largely peasant family to pay”, he said.

    When contacted, the police public relations officer (PPRO), Odiko MacDon DSP told our correspondent that he was yet to be officially briefed by the Etim Ekpo Area Command on the incident.

    “Somebody called me from that axis of the state that a staff of INEC has been kidnapped, but as I speak I can’t confirm that information because I have not been officially briefed by the Etim Ekpo Area Command,” he said.

    It could be recalled that there have been series of killings and abductions in the area, the recent being the kidnap of two female students of Obong University, a private varsity in the area.

  • EKITI 2018 : Fayose  accuses APC, INEC of  plotting to rig poll

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of perfecting an alleged plot to rig the July 14 governorship election in cahoots with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Addressing reporters in his office late Tuesday night, Fayose alleged that APC and INEC had struck a deal to disenfranchise 50 per cent of the Ekiti electorate by “heavily preloading the smart card readers.

    He alleged that thousands of voters would be disenfranchised in Ikere-Ekiti, the hometown of the People’s Demoratic Party (PDP), Prof. Kolapo Olusola and Ado-Ekiti, the hometown of his running mate, Mr. Ayodeji Ogunsakin.

    Fayose claimed that the APC has been distributing what he called fake empowerment forms to lure voters.

    He said: “It has come to our attention that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has devised another sinister plot to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters in areas considered as strongholds of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), particular my where the PDP standard bearer comes from , which is Ikere-Ekiti.

    “The APC is working in collaboration with some unscrupulous elements in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete not less than 40 percent names from the Voter Register, using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) as a decoy and targeting Ado Ekiti, the State capital and Ikere Ekiti where the PDP candidate comes from.

    “The APC did not stop at this; they are currently distributing fake Empowerment Forms and cash to unsuspecting electorate, using a phony organisation, with the aim of deactivating Voters Cards, thereby disenfranchising thousands of voters.

    “They are also putting pressure on INEC to use Incident Forms as alternative to the Smart Card Readers, so as to be able rig the July 14 election.

    “It should be noted that the Incident Forms, being contemplated for Ekiti were  not used during the Anambra election.  The question is; what why the plan to use it in Ekiti?, ” he said.

    “To heighten their game, the APC in collaboration with INEC are planning to heavily preload the Smart Card Readers and also release ballot papers to their members for ballot stuffing to justify the preload.

    “We are concerned again by APC  plan to cause violence again the state, ahead of the election. “The whole world is therefore placed on alert on the desperate bid of the APC to circumvent the will of Ekiti people at all cost, not minding the danger it portends for democracy in the country. “I am a leading g opposition in this country, the APC is not campaigning, but they want to rig the election at all cost.

    “We are raising this alarm to save this country from major consequences in the buildup to the 2019 general elections because the planned rigging of the Ekiti State election will serve as a prelude to their planned rigging of the elections, which is capable of plunging the country into avoidable anarchy.

    “We call on the international community to in the interest of democracy in Nigeria, take interest in the Ekiti election and ensure that it is free,fair and credible.”