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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission

  • 2019: We’re monitoring campaign closely – INEC

    …Expresses satisfaction so far

    ..Vow to arrest, prosecute perpetrator of Kwara violence

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has said that it is closely monitoring the ongoing campaign by various political parties and candidates ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The Campaign for the 2019 Presidential election officially commenced on Sunday 13 November 2018 as provided for by the Electoral Act.

    Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, made the disclosure Wednesday during the meeting of INEC management team with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 26 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Read Also:INEC Chair to Nigerians: we ‘ll conduct credible poll

    Yakubu in his opening remark said the commission was happy with the trend of the campaign, which has been on policies rather than personalities; hoping that the trend will continue that way.

    “The Commission is committed to closely monitoring the campaigns pursuant to our statutory mandate and to ensure compliance with the extant laws and regulations. We are pleased that the focus in the last few days since the commencement of the campaigns has been on policies rather than personalities. We sincerely hope it remains this way,” he said.

    The INEC boss who also used the opportunity to react to the Kwara state bye-election at the weekend, said vowed that the commission will arrest and prosecute those involved in the attack on its staff and destruction of electoral materials in the Kwara state at the weekend.

    Yakubu also said the commission will work with the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.

    He said: “On a sad note, the Commission lost four (4) members of staff in Kogi State and one (1) in Edo State to road accidents last week. Similarly, two (2) of our staff survived road accidents in Katsina State during the bye-election last weekend and one (1) election duty staff suffered a head injury following attack by hoodlums who destroyed election materials at a polling unit in Kwara State.

    “We are deeply saddened by these incidents. While we pray for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives and wish the injured a speedy recovery, we will work with the security agencies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the attack on our staff and vandalisation of election materials. ”

    Speaking on the window for political parties to substitute their candidates ahead of the 2019 elections, Yakubu said, “For Governorship and State Assembly elections, the submission of nomination forms closed on 2nd November 2018 while the last day for substitution and withdrawal of candidates is 1th December 2018.”

    He also reiterated that the Area Council elections in FCT will hold on March 2, 2019, along with the governorship and state Assembly elections.

    He also disclosed that the list of candidates for elections will be published in its Federal Capital Territory office and also at the six Area Councils on Wednesday, 21st November, 2018.

    Speaking on the meeting with RECs he said the meeting will provide opportunity for the electoral body to review the progress on collection of outstanding Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    He said, “At today’s meeting, we will also discuss with the RECs the progress made on the collection of outstanding Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by citizens as well as new modalities for a more efficient administration of the collection process. Similarly, the meeting will consider the recruitment and training of election duty staff, discuss the on-going review of the framework for voting by Internally Displaced Persons (lDPs), explore additional assistive measures in support of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process, examine additional ways to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot against the menace of vote-buying at polling units, appraise issues relating to electoral logistics and generally assess facilities and preparations for the General Election. “

  • 400,000 PVCs unclaimed in Rivers – Senate Committee

    The Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concern over more than 400,000 Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) unclaimed in Rivers INEC office.

    Sen. Suleiman Nazif, Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, made this known after an oversight function of the committee in Port Harcourt on Monday.

    Nazif is the PDP Senator representing Bauchi North Federal Constituency.

    He said that though INEC had shown readiness in terms of manpower and facility upgrade, low PVC collection rate in Rivers was a source of great concern in the forthcoming general elections.

    “We are here in Rivers to see first-hand how prepared INEC is ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    “We went round their offices and we saw the state of the card readers at the IT Department. We had a chart with the staff and they assured us that they were all geared up and ready for the 2019 elections.

    “We also requested to see the published register and we sought to know the response level toward PVC collection and we found out that over 400,000 PVCs had not yet been collected,’’ Nazif said.

    The lawmaker, however, said that the committee would cooperate with INEC toward ensuring that every person living and in the best state of health claimed his or her PVC before the election.

    Nazif said that though INEC was working very hard, it should do more in the area of distribution of PVCs across localities.

    Read Also: 238,309 PVCs still unclaimed in Nasarawa State – INEC

    He urged INEC to start pasting names of owners of unclaimed PVCs in affected localities to improve on collection response.

    Attributing high number of unclaimed PVCs in the state to relocation or death of some PVC owners, the lawmaker urged every eligible Nigerian voter to secure a Permanent Voter’s Card.

    “What surprised us most is that the recent PVCs produced a couple of months ago had been collected while the old ones remained unclaimed.

    “I think that owners of the unclaimed PVCs may have been posted out from the state. Some of them may be students, who got registered in their final year and may have graduated and left the area, while some owners may have passed on.

    “Whatever be the situation, 400,000 unclaimed PVCs in only one state is not a good sign of a progressive attitude toward election.

    “It is incumbent on all eligible Nigerian voters to secure their PVCs. It is a thing of pride to have a card that enables us exercise our franchise, ‘’ Nazif said.

    Concerning the status of the card readers, the lawmaker explained that he was satisfied with the storage and safety of the device in Rivers.

  • 2019: Delta Council boss sues for peaceful electioneering

    The Chairman, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr Michael Tidi, has urged the electorate to maintain peace and decorum in the forthcoming electioneering for the 2019 general elections.

    Speaking with newsmen in Warri on Thursday, Tidi said there was no need for violence.

    He called for cooperation and friendship during electioneering.

    “From Nov. 18, I believe the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will lift ban on campaigns and so many persons will be involved in the electioneering process.

    “Therefore, we should go about politicking with decorum; after all we are brothers and sisters at the end of the day,’’ Tidi said.

    The council boss also advised youths in his domain to eschew violence and other criminal acts that could lead to breakdown of law and order throughout the yuletide and beyond.

    He said that the thought of get-rich quick syndrome should be out of their minds and admonished them on legitimate means of livelihood.

    Tidi, who assumed duty in January, said that he would continue to provide the dividends of democracy to the people and urged them to remit their levies promptly.

    “In the yuletide period and beyond, we should eschew violence and any act that will lead to break down of law and order in Warri South.

    “The get-rich quick syndrome should be deleted from our minds so that at the end of the day, everybody will be happy, ‘’ he said.

    Tidi said his administration had introduced the use of scratch cards to facilitate the collection of levies and also ensure transparency and accountability in the processes.

    “We are blocking loopholes. Before now some money ended up in the hands of individuals and tax agents.

    “With the scratch cards, people now pay their levies to our designated banks, bring the card to the council for proper capturing.

    “This method has helped us in policy formulation, implementation and project execution because priority is given to areas where revenue is paid in the course of our responsibility as a government,’’ he said.

  • 2019: INEC uncovers 1,224 death persons in Adamawa register

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has detected 1,224 dead persons’ names in its Adamawa voters’ register for the 2019 general elections.

    Mr Kassim Gaidam, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, disclosed this during the opening of a two-day workshop for North East Zonal lmplementers on election monitoring and support, holding in Yola on Thursday.

    Gaidam said that the statistic was uncovered during the recent display of voters’ register for claims and objections.
    The commissioner said that the exercise was successfully conducted across the state.

    He explained that during the exercise, the commission recorded 2,113 claims and out of the 1,588 objections, 1,224 were reported death.
    The commissioner noted that during the exercise, 38,658 Permanent Voter Cards were collected across the state.

    Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, said that the election monitoring and support centre was one of the significant tools used by the commission in planning, monitoring and implementation of support provision to field officers for credible conduct of the elections.

    Yakubu, who was represented by his Special Assistant, Prof. Muhammed Kuna, said that the commission would use all resources at its disposal to ensure fair and free conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    Read Also: 2019 Delta Council boss sues for peaceful electioneering

    He explained that the workshop was to strengthen the commission’s capacities to monitor the mechanisms and activities put in place for smooth conduct of the 2019 general elections, among objectives.

    Also speaking, Mr Samson Fadare, the representative of European Centre for Electoral Support, said the EU was proud to support INEC’s laudable initiative that sought to ensure free, fair and smooth conduct of elections.

    “It will be recalled that European Centre for Electoral Support supported the conduct of the election monitoring support implementer workshops for the off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun in 2017 and 2018, among others,” Fadare said.

    He noted that the workshop was the second of its kind designed for zonal implementers and would be organised across the six geopolitical zones to educate and familiarise the functionaries of the commission across the nation.

    It was reported that the workshop was organised by INEC and supported by European Union.

    Five out of the six INEC resident electoral commissioners from North East with their top management staff were participants, excluding Bauchi State.

  • 2019 : Delta Council boss sues for peaceful electioneering

    Mr Michael Tidi, Chairman, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta has urged the electorate to maintain peace and decorum in the forthcoming electioneering for the 2019 general elections.

    Speaking with newsmen in Warri on Thursday, Tidi said there was no need for violence.

    He called for cooperation and friendship during electioneering.

    “From November 18, I believe the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will lift ban on campaigns and so many persons will be involved in the electioneering process.

    “Therefore, we should go about politicking with decorum; after all we are brothers and sisters at the end of the day,’’ Tidi said.

    The council boss also advised youths in his domain to eschew violence and other criminal acts that could lead to breakdown of law and order throughout the yuletide and beyond.

    He said that the thought of get-rich quick syndrome should be out of their minds and admonished them on legitimate means of livelihood.

    Read Also: Delta APC suit: Court adjourn yet again until December 5th

    Tidi, who assumed duty in January, said that he would continue to provide the dividends of democracy to the people and urged them to remit their levies promptly.

    “In the yuletide period and beyond, we should eschew violence and any act that will lead to break down of law and order in Warri South.

    “The get-rich quick syndrome should be deleted from our minds so that at the end of the day, everybody will be happy, ‘’ he said.

    Tidi said his administration had introduced the use of scratch cards to facilitate the collection of levies and also ensure transparency and accountability in the processes.

    “We are blocking loopholes. Before now some money ended up in the hands of individuals and tax agents.

    “With the scratch cards, people now pay their levies to our designated banks, bring the card to the council for proper capturing.

    “This method has helped us in policy formulation, implementation and project execution because priority is given to areas where revenue is paid in the course of our responsibility as a government,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • 2019: Five PDP defectors get return tickets, two lose out

    With the release of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, list of candidates for the various elective positions in 2019, it is confirmed that two out of the seven Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers at the Lagos State House of Assembly who defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, could not secure return ticket to the Assembly for 2019.

    Also three out of the 19 first term lawmakers in the 8th Assembly lost their bid to come back for a second term in 2019 having lost out in the party primaries.
    The two PDP defectors who could not make it are: the former Minority Leader, Mr. Akeem Bello representing Amuwo Odofin 2 constituency and Mr. Adedayo Famakinwa representing Ajeromi/Ifelodun 1 constituency.

    The three first termers who also lost out at the primaries are: Mr. Sola Giwa representing Lagos Mainland 2 constituency, Bello and Famakinwa.

    Read Also: PDP blasts senator for poor project execution

    Although reliable sources at the Assembly said that all the defectors were promised automatic return ticket the party’s decision to subject all the aspirants to direct primaries seem to have worked against that promise for Bello and Famakinwa who could not pull their weight at the primaries.
    Although Bello’s name was in the first list released by INEC, his name is however not in the latest list released by the electoral body Friday last week.
    It would be recalled that the 8th Lagos Assembly started with eight opposition lawmakers from PDP and seven of them later defected to the ruling APC and only five out the seven were able to secure return ticket to the Assembly that is if they win the election in 2019.

  • Buhari’s certificate controversy and integrity question

    It last, President Muhammadu Buhari finally gets his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate after weeks of brouhaha generated by the president’s decision to ask the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to find his school leaving certificate.

    Many said the President would have saved the nation the drama had he made efforts to get the certificate the day he knew he would be running for election again. But, he waited till the period the certificate would be required to authenticate his candidature in the coming general elections. This is not fair enough.

    For how long should the Buhari’s certificate brouhaha continue to dominate public discourse? Is Mr. President comfortable about this sordid development?

    The President came under heavy public criticism and this is justifiable, because Buhari failed to read the public barometer to know people are looking forward to debates on how present problems facing the country could be tackled. At that time when candidates are rolling out their programmes, Buhari allowed his academic certificate to become the issue.

    The President, for the umpteenth time, submitted an affidavit to INEC in place of his WAEC results. In the document, he claimed that his credentials were still with the secretary of the Nigerian army.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vilified the president for failing to tender his academic credentials. The major opposition party noted that the president’s failure to present his school certificates invalidated his claim of being a man of true integrity.

    A prominent lawyer, Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), also said the President was about to make the same mistake he made in 2015, when he said his certificate was with the military.

    Agbakoba was quoted to have said: “It is a fairly serious matter that the court would have to interpret. Any Nigerian concerned with upholding the constitution could take the matter to court and they won’t be considered a meddlesome interloper in the matter. Let the court decide.”

    Yinka Odumakin, spokesperson of Afenifere, did not mince word when he said Buhari should compel the military, as the sitting president, to produce his original certificate as demanded by the law of the land.

    Odumakin, while contending that it amounted to perjury for anyone to claim what he did not have in an affidavit, said: “We expect INEC not to process his presidential nomination form until he (Buhari) releases it (certificate). He can sign an Executive Order for the military to release it.”

    The claim that Buhari’s original or photocopies of his academic certificates not being in his care, but rather with the military, predates his emergence as Nigeria’s leader in 2015.

    The military further compounded the President’s certificate controversy when it openly refuted the claim that Buhari’s O’Level certificate was in its records.

    Former Director of Army Public Relations, Olajide Laleye, in January 2015, told journalists in Abuja that the Nigerian Army did not have copies of Buhari’s O’Level certificate or statement of results.

    He however, said that records of his entry indicated that the President obtained a West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961.

    Records available indicate that Buhari applied to join the military as a form six student of the Provincial Secondary School Katsina, on October 18, 1961. His application was duly endorsed by the principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to be suitable for the military.

    Buhari’s public comment about his academic certificate, certainly, was aimed at silencing his detractors and political enemies who had embarked on a mission to cast slur on his much-touted integrity.

    The President, during a press briefing in January 2014, disclosed that he took the WASC examination with registration number 820002. The then candidate Buhari said the duplicate copies of his academic certificates were with the military, but the original copies of his documents were missing.

    Days to the botched February 14, 2015 presidential election, a public interest group, the Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI) wrote letters to both the Nigerian Army and INEC, requesting for details of the credentials submitted by Buhari.

    Invoking the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, the group, in two separate letters, signed by its Executive Director, Deolu Oyinlola, then requested that the two institutions clear the air over the issue of Buhari’s certificates and credentials, by answering the key questions they asked in their correspondences.

    However, the event of last week where the registrar of WAEC personally presented the attestation of result to the President has put to rest the lingering controversy surrounding Buhari’s academic records. Those urging INEC to disqualify Buhari can now stop their agitations and face the real issues that concern Nigerians. Nigerians are hoping that INEC organise credible, transparent and peaceful elections, and ensure that the will the people prevail.

    It is incontrovertible that Buhari’s blundering failure to act in good conscience and produce his WAEC certificate to INEC questioned his credibility as a leader, and also impugned on his moral character. The earlier the President repudiates some of his political gaffes, the better for him and for his campaign. If there is any time his campaign of “Change Begins With Me” should have a meaning, it is definitely this period when he is going to the poll to show Nigerians that he still possesses the integrity that brought him to power in 2015.

     

    • Mahmud, a student, writes from Niger State

  • Parties in last-minute rush to submit candidates’ names

    It was a flurry of activities yesterday at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Collection Centre as Political parties engaged in last-minute rush to submit list of candidates for the states elections.

    INEC had fixed November 2 as the last day for submission for the March 2, 2019 polls, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

    The submission started on Monday with low attendance.

    However, as the closing hour drew near, major political parties besieged the International Conference Centre (ICC), INEC collection Centre to submit the list of candidates for governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

    At the time of filing this report, 38 political parties had submitted their forms.

    They include the PDP, All Progressive Congress (APC), African Democratic Party (ADC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), among others.

    United Progressives Party (UPP), Green Party, Accord Party, Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP) were also among political parties waiting to submit their forms.

    Our correspondent, who was at the submission centre, gathered that most political parties were at different stages of submission of their nominations forms.

  • 2019: ‘Only seven political parties have submitted lists of candidates’

    …To publish names of candidates latest 25 October, 2018

    ….Parties who present unqualified candidates liable to N 500,000 fine

    Only seven political parties have so far submitted the list of their nominated candidates for the 2019 general elections, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 24 hours to close of submission date, it was learnt.

    INEC had announced October 18th, 2018 as the last day for the political parties to submit their list.

    But as at 7 pm on Tuesday, only seven political parties have complied with the rule out of 89 that informed the commission about their primaries.

    The parties include: Youth Party, Hope Party, National Democratic Liberty Party, Change Advocacy Party, Peoples Progressive Party, Peoples Democratic Movement and the Democratic People’s Party.

    Section 31 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, states that every political party shall summit the list of their candidates not later than 60 days before the fixed date for a general election.

    It states, “Every political party shall not later than 60 days before the date appointed for a general election under the provisions of this Act, submit to the Commission in the prescribed forms the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, provided that the Commission shall not reject or disqualify candidate (s) for any reason whatsoever.”

    Section 31 (2) also further stated that each of the candidates form be accompanied by an Affidavit sworn by the camp dictates at the High Court, indicating that he has fulfilled all the constitutional requirements for election into that office.

    Findings also revealed that most of the political parties are waiting for the last day which is tomorrow before submitting their list.

    According to a source at the Commission, some of the parties were still trying to sort out some internal issues.

    The source said, “As you can see, our officials have been mostly idle since last week because only about seven political parties have submitted their lists. Even some new parties that don’t have up to 10 candidates across the country are also wasting time.

    “Once it is a day to the deadline or the last day, you will see how all of them will race down to this place, putting us under undue pressure.”

     Meanwhile, INEC is expected to publish the names and particulars of all nominated candidates at the constituency where they intends to contest the election within seven days of receipts of the list, according to Section 31(3) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. To this, the name of the Presidential candidates and their vice would be published in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    It states, ” The commission shall, within 7 days of the receipt of the personal particulars of the candidates, publish same in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.”

    Read Also: Okowa advocates alternative funding for INEC

    This, the Act pointed out is to make room for disclaimer, as stated in Section 31(5) “A person who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information given by a candidate in the affidavit or any document submitted by that candidate is false may file suit at the Federal High Court, High Court of a state or FCT against such person seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit is false.”

    Though, INEC has no power to disqualify any candidate, however, if the court determines that any of the information contained in the affidavit is false, the court shall disqualify the candidate from contesting.

    Besides, a political party which presents unqualified candidate is liable to a fine of N500,000 according to Section 31(8) of the electoral Act.

  • 171, 163 PVCs unclaimed in Akwa Ibom, says INEC official

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said 171,163 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) are still uncollected in Akwa Ibom State.

    INEC Administrative Secretary Lebari Nduh made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Uyo yesterday.

    Nduh said the commission registered a total of 2, 121, 126 million persons in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in state, lamenting that most of the PVCs were yet to be collected.

    “We registered 2, 121, 126 million people in the state in the CVR from 2016 till date.

    “But only five percent of PVCs have been collected, as 171, 163 people are yet to collect their own,’’ he said.Nduh noted that only 4, 208 people have collected their PVCs and urged the electorate to go and collect their PVCs so they can vote for candidates of their choice in the 2019 general elections.

    “PVC is very powerful, PVC is very important, with your PVC you can determine who get what, when and how,” he said.

    Nduh explained that the commission had published names of people whose PVCs were still in its custody, so they can come forward for collection across the state.