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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission

  • INEC gets pass mark over conduct of 2019 polls

    A coalition of civil society groups said on Monday that desperation by politicians and massive deployment of security operatives contributed to the lapses witnessed during the 2019 election.

    It also declared there was institutional conspiracy to sabotage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) preparation for the election.

    In its report made public on Monday, the coalition faulted attempts by politicians to put the blame of the hitches witnessed during the elections solely at the doorsteps of the electoral body.

    The report, which is a summary of the various reports on the 2019 election by the coalition of CSOs, led by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), claimed there was institutional conspiracy by the political class and actors to sabotage INEC’s preparations and processes.

    The report identified vote buying, violent attacks on perceived opponents, intimidation and abduction of INEC officials, snatching and destruction of ballot boxes and papers, to burning up of INEC offices and electoral materials as some of the ways the political class ruined the election.

    The report stated in part: “The politicians, their agents, and thugs constituted the greatest menace in the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    “From brazen acts of vote buying, violent attacks on perceived opponents, intimidation and abduction of INEC officials, snatching and destruction of ballot boxes and papers to burning up of INEC offices and electoral materials in Plateau, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Benue and Abia states, the political parties and politicians showed their desperation for power.

    “The resultant losses of lives and properties in such places as Lagos, Rivers, Kogi, Plateau and so on, and the widespread violence that attended these were recorded by our observers as perpetrated by politicians and their political thugs.

    “The recruitment of thugs by the political class from one part of the country to another before the elections evidenced by the arrest of young men travelling en masse at Uyo was as never seen in the history of our elections.

    “The violence that followed the elections was as a result of the hate speeches by the political class at campaign rallies and the conduct of some of the party primaries that ended in violence.

    “Most political party agents seen on the field did not have proper identification tags from INEC the parties printed their own tags for their agents.

    “It has become a recurrent problem of the political parties not following the guidelines for party agent’s accreditation.”

    The report said under such aforementioned circumstances, there was little the INEC could do since it doesn’t control the security apparatus and other relevant institutions such as Nigeria Air Force and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which are key stakeholders in the electoral process.

    Read Also: Nigeria not ripe for electronic voting, says INEC

    “What happens when politicians suborn state institutions to sabotage INEC and its carefully laid out plans and preparations at the last minute, which was exactly what happened leading to the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly election that was supposed to be held on Saturday, February 16, 2019?

    “Some ad-hoc staff became suborned by politicians, considering that they are not permanent staff of the Commission and with a lot of them susceptible to the temptation of immediate gratification for a day’s work without consideration for the consequences,” a segment of the report stated.

    On the role of security agencies during elections, the report stated that in many places, the security personnel deployed for the election turned a blind eye to breaches by overzealous party agents and their thugs.

    It states in both elections, the number of security agents deployed per polling unit was inadequate and in terms of their response to incidences that occurred in their Polling Units, they were grossly inefficient.

    Speaking while presenting the report Acting Executive Director of CTA, Faith Nwadishi commended some INEC staff for their courage and refusal to be bought over by politicians.

    She said: “Of course, we did not expect that the political class would accept INEC’s exercise of its independence without a fight, but what shocked Nigerians was the extent they could go to undermine INEC.

    “The brazen manner the security services were used to intimidate INEC officials in their offices and on the field were terrible.

    “Yet, INEC officials nationwide refused to be intimidated by threats and violence unleashed on its officials and ad-hoc staff.

    ‘’Indeed, INEC’s brave conduct may have saved our nation from conflagration because it was obvious that elements of the political class, including elements of the ruling class, were bent on mayhem if they didn’t get their way.”

    The highpoint of the event was the presentation of award of excellence to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Enugu state, Emeka Ononamadu, for distinguishing himself during the 2019 General Elections.

    The event also witnessed the presentation of certificates of service to CTA observers.

  • 2019 Polls and the Akwa Ibom Charade

    Though the 2019, general elections may have come and gone, history would no doubt record, the exercise as a peculiar one.

    This may not be unconnected with the negatives that overshadowed the intent of the elections nationwide.

    Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had given the world assurances that the election would be free, fair and credible.

    This was aside the chest – thumping by the electoral body that it was ready for the elections as scheduled. Indeed, nobody had cause to doubt INEC in view of the fact that the nation was conducting its most expensive election in history.

    Even INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu told the world that the commission had enough funds to undertake the poll.

    Alas, the world was taken by surprise when INEC told a shocked world that it had postponed the Presidential election scheduled to hold February 16 to 23.

    Curiously, the announcement was made long after Nigerians had gone to bed with the hope of exercising their franchise the next day.

    Read also: Akwa Ibom APC seeks tribunal’s relocation to Abuja

    This was no doubt due to the fact that Nigerians had put their hope in an electoral umpire in dire need of help.

    Even President Muhammadu Buhari who had landed in his home town of Daura to vote was peeved by the development, as he assured the nation that a probe would be launched into the incident after the polls.

    Two weeks after, when the Presidential Election held, INEC’s inefficiency was again laid bare before the world.

    From Lagos to Kano, Rivers, AkwaIbom, Bauchi, Ondo and many more, it was complaints galore over different impediments arising from faulty card reader machines to poor voter’s turnout, late arrival of materials and many more.

    When the governorship election eventually held, things went from bad to worse across the states.

    On the said date, INEC ad-hoc staff staged an early morning strike to protest non- payment of their allowances among others, leading to late take off of the polls.

    In Akwa Ibom state, apathy was a major tool deployed by the people to express a vote of no confidence to protest the glaring partiality of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, (REC), Mr Mike Igini who from day one had aligned himself with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    In fact, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had told the world that it was uncomfortable with Igini superintending over elections in the state months before.

    This was to no avail as the electoral body’s hierarchy in Abuja looked the other way despite this glaring injustice.

    Even when the APC chairman in the state, Mr. Ini Okopido raised a weighty allegation in a petition, that Igini told him point blank in a telephone conversation that this party will never win in the state, this was never investigated.

    Said he “in a recent telephone conversation with the undersigned,(Ini Okopiodo), APC state chairman, Mr Igini threatened that the APC will never win election in Akwa Ibom state no matter how big and massive our total rally is. He told me he would ensure the PDP is declared winner, no matter what happens”

    Hear him again “we have evidence that Igini has handed over uncollected permanent voters cards (PVCs) to officials of Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo. These uncollected PVCs are in thousands”

    In other climes, a thorough investigation of such petition would have been carried out, but mum was the word from the Mahmud Yakubu-led INEC.

    Even when other political parties under the aegis of forum all registered political parties in Akwa Ibom State through their chairman, Kingsley Akaiso, corroborated the APC Chairman’s claims, INEC refused to budge.

    Akaiso who is also the chairman, Fresh Party said “in the political process in the state, INEC has portrayed unbridled partisanship through the selection of its ad-hoc staff, some of whom are drawn from the employees of the commission, contrary to extant practices and institutions requirement.

    “Through connivance with the state government, all the ad-hoc staff of the commission is made up of loyal members and supporters of PDP.

    “In addition, the commission has acted as though it were part of the Government House, Uyo. Inspite of our representations to the head office of the commission in Abuja, nothing has been done to allay our concern that INEC office in Akwa Ibom state is not a fair umpire and cannot deliver a free, fair and transparent election because it is partisan and in bed with the ruling PDP government in the state. This anarchy must be looked into”

    With the pictures painted, it was therefore unsurprising that Akwa Ibom state recorded the least voter turnout in her recent history as only about 600,000 turned out to vote despite the fact that no fewer than two million PVCs were collected.

    Worse perhaps was the fact that despite wide spread cases of faulty card reader machines in the state, manual voting was the order of the day.

    This was contrary to assurances by INEC that nobody would be allowed to vote if not captured by the card reader.

    No doubt, this gave INEC in the state a window to partner with its allies in the PDP to seize the moment by using the opportunity to their advantage.

    Even after the election, there are panicky measures been employed to cover the tracks in order not to further expose the charade that played out during the elections in the state.

    Already cases of vehicles loaded with thumb printed ballot papers said to have been found in the forests came up and this must be investigated and the culprits brought to book.

    This is the least anyone would expect in view of the fact though APC was declared winner at several collation centres, with such eventually changing in favour of PDP, even as electoral officers of such places were suspended, including that of Ikot Abasi, for no just cause by Igini.

    Even in Obot Akara, home stead of former Akwa Ibom Deputy Governor Chris Ekpeyong where elections could not hold, results of a non-existent election was declared.

    Most annoying were, the vituperations of former Prelate of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, Rev. Sunday Mbang who used to stand up for  what is right and just in the past, but not unexpected in the circumstance.

    This is a sad reminder that the pulpit is no longer a place of grace as merchandise has suddenly taken over the church in these days of yore.

    However, the beauty of it all is that the APC in the state has not embraced violence in any form as a way of fighting the carefully scripted fraud in the name of election.

    That it has toed the constitutional option in its attempts to right the wrongs as provided for in our constitution is a welcome development. This, it must continue to do since whatever has been stolen from the people by the way of their mandate can still be retrieved using the instrumentality of the law.

    The APC, nay the people of Akwa Ibom State must therefore rise to the occasion by seizing the opportunity to retrieve their mandate through legal means instead of resorting to any form of violence.

    Like the famous Poet, Ngugi Wa Thiongo wrote in one of his poems “the raving clouds shall not be long. They shall not be long victorious”

    Umohinyang, social commentator and political analyst wrote in from Lagos.

  • Getting security right for elections

    The just-concluded elections were largely peaceful in most parts of the country. But in Rivers State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended collation of results till between today and Friday, following escalated violence. How can Nigeria get security right during elections? ROBERT EGBE asks.

    Less than two months to the 20th anniversary of the Fourth Republic on May 29, the country is coming to terms with the aftermath of probably its most competitive elections in recent times.

    As things stand, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will control 14 states, All Progressives Congress (APC), 20, and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) one, by May 29, when newly-elected officials are sworn in.

    The winner of the Rivers State governorship poll is not yet known. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended the process there because of violence.

    It has said it would conclude the collation of results between today and Friday.

    Like in the past, the integrity of the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections, and the March 9 governorship polls in 29 states, have become the subject of debate.

    The losers and the opposition are accusing INEC of compromising the process.

    Some politicians, including PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar,  blamed their loss on electoral malpractices.

    Atiku lost to the ruling APC’s Muhammadu Buhari by nearly  four million votes.

    However, despite initial apprehension caused by INEC’s last-minute postponement of the polls by one week, local and international observers rated the elections as largely successful.

    The United States (US) congratulated Nigeria on a successful presidential election.

    In a statement titled “Nigerian Election Results”, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo praised “Nigerians who participated peacefully in the election.”

    Pompeo added: “We note the assessments of international and domestic observer missions affirming the overall credibility of the election, despite localised violence and irregularities.”

    Similarly, the West African Network of Election Observers (WANEO), a coalition of Civil Society Organisations, in its March 28 report, stated: “The elections were generally free and fair across the country although there were a few challenges experienced across the country.

    “That there is a need to improve the electoral process further, especially as it relates to the uniform application of the Electoral Act.

    “That network welcomes the comments and contributions of other international observers like the ECOWAS teams, European Union and Commonwealth.”

    Localised violence

    Before the polls, INEC and law enforcement agencies, including the military, assured Nigerians of a violence-free election.

    However, like Pompeo noted, there were clusters of cases of electoral violence in some states, including Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Kano, Oyo, among others.

    In Adamawa, there were reports that some APC members were attacked by the youth of Nassarawo Jereng at the collation centre for Nassarawo/Binyeri House of Assembly election on March 24.

    The rescheduled election was to fill the vacuum created by the death of the APC House of Assembly candidate for Nassarowo/Binyeri constituency two weeks to the general election, which was marred by voter apathy and skirmishes at the collation centre.

    However, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Usman Abubakar Tilli, who led the AIG, Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, and other security agents to supervise the polls, said he was satisfied with conduct of the electorate.

    In Akwa Ibom, which has a history of violent polls, 18 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), deployed by INEC as ad hoc staff, were reportedly kidnapped, after which 14 others were later released, leaving four.

    In Kano, some stakeholders also claimed that the supplementary governorship election won by the incumbent Abdullahi Ganduje of the APC, was blighted by incidents of violence, voter intimidation and ballot box snatching.

    Kano was one of the five states where supplementary governorship elections were conducted, where results from the March 9 initial ballot were declared inconclusive as the margin of victory was less than the cancelled votes.

    The other states were: Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto.

    But the state which stands out for its proclivity for heightened political tension and violence is Rivers.

    Rivers’ history of electoral violence

    Since the return of civil rule in 1999, Rivers  has been one of the states with elevated levels of political conflict, particularly for state polls.

    A 2015 report by Niger Delta Partnerships Initiative (NDIP), titled “Conflict prevention in Rivers State in the aftermath of election violence” noted that nearly 40 people lost their lives in the 2015 governorship  elections in Rivers.

    The NDIP, relying on data from INEC and P4P Peace Map, said Rivers “experienced the country’s highest levels of violence during the 2015 governorship elections, resulting in the deaths of political party rivals, their hired security agents and police officers.”

    To forestall a recurrence of such violence, INEC and the security agencies took extra precautions in this year’s polls.

    The Police, for instance, deployed 15,544 men to Rivers State for the February 16 presidential and national assembly elections.

    According to the Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Belel, it was to beef up security and ensure a smooth conduct of election.

    Notwithstanding the increased security, the state still witnessed several acts of violence, including killings at Abonnema, Andoni and Obio/Akpor during the March 9 elections.

    In Abonnema, an INEC ad-hoc electoral officer, Ibisaki Amachree, was shot dead.

    An ex-official member of the APC, Hon. Ignatius Fubara, was said to have been tied up and beheaded in Ward 8, Ajakaja.

    A former Andoni Council Chairman, Emilia Nte, was also allegedly abducted by the same militants. His whereabouts remain unknown.

    An APC chieftain, Mowan Etete, was said to be holding a meeting with his elder brother and a nephew on the day of the election when militants stormed his house, killed them and dragged Mowan’s body around the streets of Asarama.

    Even the military was not spared.

    Two soldiers – Captain Adams Salami and Corporal Adeosun Adebayo – who were among victims of the reported invasion of a collation centre in Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat, by armed thugs dressed in military uniforms, are still on hospital beds.

    Narrating his ordeal, Adebayo accused the Rivers State Government of violence.

    He said: “I was deployed in Obio/Akpor LG collation centre and the crowd was too much. So, we had to reduce the crowd.

    “It was then that the policemen in the governor’s convoy started mobbing us and hitting us with their weapons. I could not figure out the reason, because nobody asked anybody any question. The policemen were hitting us with the butts of their riffles.”

    Three agents of the African Action Congress (AAC), who were affected by the incident – Dr. Lawrence Chuku, Chikordi Dike and Chief Alex Wele – also claimed that the governor led over 200 thugs to abduct and beat them up.

    They further claimed that the thugs dropped them off the governor’s vehicle and went with the Local Government Electoral Officer (EO), a woman, the result sheets and other electoral materials.

    But the Rivers State Government, through its Commissioner for Information and Communications and Director of Information and Communications of the PDP Campaign Council, Emma Okah, denied the AAC agents’ claims.

    Wike, Awara trade blames

    At a stakeholders’ meeting oragnised by INEC in Port Harcourt, last Saturday, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and the state’s governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, clashed over the violence during the polls.

    Awara, an indigene of Kula-Kalabari in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers, accused Wike and INEC of doctoring results of the ‘bloody’ governorship and House of Assembly elections of March 9 in the state.

    Awara said: “If the violence made the March 9 elections not to be credible, according to INEC, where did the commission get results for the 17 LGAs, of Rivers’ 23 LGAs in the INEC’s possession? At what point did the elections become violence-free, for the commission to now have results for 17 LGAs? Why has INEC refused to release the results of the 17 LGAs it claimed to have and the remaining six LGAs it wants to do supplementary election?”

    Rivers not violent, says Wike

    Wike said: “I do not agree that Rivers is a violent state. Rivers State has never and it will not be a violent State.  Why are they raising too much alarm? What causes violence? Why is there violence each time there is election? The only way to have peaceful elections is when the security agencies refuse to interfere or manipulate any process.

    “How did people die? When INEC would go and collate results and people would resist and when people resist, they will shoot them. Rivers is not a violent state. It is most unfortunate that people would leave their state, come to another state, instead of them to make sure what obtains in their state obtains here, they do not want it, they want to cause problems for us.

    “With all due respect, the Garrison Commander (Brig.-Gen. Adeola Kalejaiye) is here. Throughout my political career, of not less than 30 years, I have never experienced the type of roles the army played. We must tell people the simple truth.”

    Can election violence be prevented?

    In states such as Rivers, is it possible to have violence-free polls?

    A 2016 report by the Electoral Integrity Project, an independent academic project based at Harvard University and the University of Sydney, found that many African countries face systemic threats to their elections which regularly compromise the process.

    Such threats include: multiple serious technical flaws and violations of political rights, imprisonment of rival leaders, suppression of voting rights and inaccurate electoral registers.

    Others are: “Ruling parties dominate the airwaves. Free speech is muzzled. Thugs threaten voters. Campaigns are awash with money. Ballot-stuffing fakes the count. Electoral officials favor the government. Dispute resolution mechanisms are broken.”

    The annual report compares the risks of flawed and failed elections, and how far countries around the world meet international standards.

    It gathered assessments from over 2000 experts to evaluate the integrity of all 180 national parliamentary and presidential contests held between 1 July 2012 to 31 December 2015 in 139 countries worldwide.

    It, however, scored Nigeria an above average 53 out of 100 points in terms of the country’s potential for electoral integrity.

    What should be done?

    What should be done to make elections safe and credible?

    On March 29, Justice Sa’ad Moh’d of the Gombe State High Court convicted a councillor in Bolari East Local Government Area, Gombe, Ishiyaku Garba, of vote-buying.

    The judge convicted the councillor on the three counts and sentenced him to one month in prison with an option of N100,000 fine on count one; one month in prison on count two with an option of N50,000 fine and one month in prison on count three with an option of N20,000 fine.

    The prison terms are to run consecutively.

    The court further ordered that the sum of N295,000 recovered from him should be forfeited to the Federal Government.

    Garba was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on three counts  bordering on bribery.

    The EFCC arrested the convict at Bolari Polling Unit 0077 in Gombe State during the presidential and National Assembly elections, where he was sighted sharing money.

    ‘Go tough on troublemakers’

    Lagos lawyer Mohammed Fawehinmi advised the government to go tough on persons causing electoral violence and other electoral malpractices.

    He urged the government to prosecute them, like the EFCC did against Ishiyaku Garba.

    Fawehinmi said: “Just as the President made a pronouncement last year that security officials should deal with anyone attempting to snatch ballot boxes or cause violence.”

    “The Electoral Act now should reflect a more stringent approach to electoral violence by law enforcement agencies. I think they should be given more powers. There should be punishment for people who cause electoral violence. Of course, people who steal ballot boxes should be punished.”

    “There should be summary prosecution for such people, people who cause electoral mayhem, it should be very severe, I think with this electoral violence will reduce. If a politician knows he is going to serve 25 years imprisonment, no parole, nothing, I think he will sit up and all these killings will stop.

    The lawyer also advocated a change in Nigerians’ orientation about elections as well as the adoption of electronic voting, among other suggestions.

    “I think we still need re-orientation when it comes to elections, because whenever there’s a football match, there’s no dichotomy of either Muslim or Christian, northerner or southerner; we all rush to the stadium and watch. But when elections come, that’s when killings start.

    “At the same time, I think we should start thinking of electronic voting. The world has left us behind.

    ‘Modernise voting, collation process’

    Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) Senior Legal/Programme Officer Collins Okeke believes modernising Nigeria’s voting and collation process is one way to improve elections and electioneering, as recommended by the 2008 Justice Mohammed Uwais report.

    Okeke noted that Nigeria operates a semi-electronic voting system, whereby registration of voters is done electronically but voting and collation of results are done manually.

    He observed “The use of card reader machines for authentication of voters has not significantly improved the credibility of the election process.

    “The collation of election results is also done manually.

    “It is incrementally done at polling booths, electoral wards, local governments, states and federal for the presidential election. This process is ridiculously slow and cumbersome.

    “In the 2019 presidential elections, it took INEC a total of four days to conclude the process of voting and collation of results. This created tension and a lot of anxiety.

    “There is an urgent need to modernise the voting and collation process by introducing electronic voting. Electronic voting will drastically reduce the time it takes to vote, collate and release election results.

    “It will, to a certain level limit the involvement of persons from accreditation to result release and increase voter participation. A voter can register in one part of the country and vote in another.

    “The Uwais Report recommended a gradual introduction of electronic voting. The report was submitted in 2008. Eleven years after, Nigeria is ready for electronic voting.”

  • Kudos, knocks for rerun elections

    A coalition of 18 local and international observers has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to collaborate with the police to prosecute electoral offenders.

    The leader of the coalition, Dr. Ibrahim Baba, of the Centre for Intervention, added that punishing a person or group of persons found to be involved in electoral offences would serve as deterrent to others.

    Baba said: “We give kudos to the security agencies for maintaining the highest level of professionalism before, during and after the conduct of the supplementary election.”

    The group, however, called on the winners and losers to respect the rule of law and caution their supporters to remain peaceful and law abiding.

    The coalition called on politicians to refrain from disseminating false information and channel their electoral complaints and grievances through established legal processes.

    It congratulated the people of Kano State for their, “resilience, dedication, steadfastness towards this great democratic venture.”

    Concerned citizens urge losers to shun violence

    Kano Concerned Citizens Initiative (KCCI) yesterday urged aggrieved politicians to shun violence and seek legal redress.

    The chairman of the group, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who was presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), in a statement, said: “ Now that the results of the complementary election are officially declared by INEC, those who experienced disappointment over the outcome should take the opportunity of the adequate windows provided by the laws go redress any type of wrong.

    “We urge that those opportunities be used. So, there is no whatsoever for anybody to resort to illegalities as means of seeking redress.

    “Greater responsibility in ensuring that peace reigns in Kano lies on the shoulders of those who are declared winners. They must shun vindictiveness in whatever in whatever form.

    “They must embrace all Kansas as one family and treat all as equals so as to pursue and agenda for development, as such, the need to be magnanimous in victory.

    “We, however, acknowledge and appreciate Governor Ganduje in this regard who has already made a call for peace to reign in Kano State.”

    He also hailed the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi 11 for his persistent calls for peace to reign in Kano throughout the election period.

    It was license to violence, says Obi

    The vice presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 election, Mr Peter Obi, has described last Saturday’s governorship supplementary election in Kano as scandalous and the height of brigandage.

    The conduct of the election, Obi said, was akin to giving official licence that could motivate Nigerians into violent acts and thereby destroying the country’s youths.

    In a statement yesterday by his media office, Obi said: “What all democratic watchers saw in Kano State rerun election, amounted to licensing our youths for violence, and setting a very dangerous precedent.

    “We are now institutionalising thuggery and rigging as process of coming into power, which is very dangerous precedent for our country”.

    The main opposition chieftain added that, “proceeds in the name of results from what happened in Kano make the entire electoral process ridiculous and shameful”.

    “They owe Nigerians and election observers a lot of explanations on what happened,” Obi said.

    Obi also questioned the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for hurriedly recognising and acknowledging election results from a process “where machetes carrying miscreants took charge of the process”.

    Obi, whose party lost the election to President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC), described as regrettable the unnecessary loss of lives.

    He cited the case of another election in the same category, where a Professor was shot in Benue State, in the course of performing electoral duties. “It’s most painful”, he said.

    Making reference to India, Obi said if India, with over 800 million voters, can conduct election without losing such “caliber of people”.

    Plateau polls peaceful, say domestic observers

    Civil Society Organisations in Plateau State and the Coalition of Domestic Observers have described elections in Plateau State peaceful.

    The CSOs and observers made their observations known yesterday at a news conference at the state secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Jos, the state capital.

    The leader of the group, Godwin Okoko, said: “Our observation was collated from the reports of our members stationed at various polling units spread across the 17 LGAs of the state.

    “Generally, elections on the Plateau were the most peaceful, orderly and fair from our assessments.

    “We commend CSOs, security agencies, the media, observers groups, religious groups, traditional institutions, political parties and other stakeholders for their conducts during the elections.

    Read also: Why I defected to PDP, by AAC governorship running mate

    “We also commend the electorates for their involvement in the process and peaceful conducts before, during and after the elections. As we look forward to a more peaceful, transparent and credible future elections, we use this medium to once more appeal to the Plateau State Government to ensure the strengthening of peace and security structures in the states through the promotion of peace and strengthening of community cohesion structures, provision of good governance, inclusive participation, accountability, increase youth empowerment programs, employment opportunities and youth/women development.

    “We also appeal to the Governor-elect, Simon Bako Lalong, as a leader of the state to begin the healing of wounds, closing of gaps, division and polarization through the processes of reconciliation irrespective of party affiliation We also encourage all good sons and daughters of the state to give a supportive hand to the Governor-Elect towards a stronger, developed, peaceful and united Plateau State.”

    EU observer team knocks security

    The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) has faulted the security arrangement for last Saturday’s supplementary polls.

    EU deployed observers to the five states where supplementary elections were held for the governorship position.

    A statement by the EU Electoral Mission reads: “On 23 March, extensive electoral security problems were observed, particularly in parts of Kano where polling became inaccessible to EU observers in some areas. The environment was intimidating and not conducive to voters’ free participation in the election. Party leaderships locally and centrally did not appear to take any steps to rein in supporters and prevent evident violence, intimidation or other misconduct. Throughout the day, INEC did not comment on electoral disturbances, despite its overall responsibility for the election and security arrangements.

    “In Nasarawa local government area (LGA) in Kano, which accounted for approximately one-third of all registered voters for the supplementary governorship election, EU observers witnessed organised intimidation of voters. For example, groups of youths with clubs and machetes patrolled the streets, and people with party agent tags harassed voters. During collation in Kano, EU observers saw that several INEC polling staff had been attacked. Large groups of men with weapons were not contained by the police.

    “Due to intimidating crowds and disturbances, EU observers in Kano could not access or continue observation in polling units in Dala and Nasarawa LGAs. The electoral process in Kano was further compromised by the harassment and obstruction of citizen observers, and journalists from BBC Hausa, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and TVC. This compromised scrutiny of both polling and collation of results in the affected areas.

    “Isolated violent incidents also disrupted voting and counting in other states. In Bauchi, EU observers witnessed around 50 people with clubs disrupting counting in one polling unit. In Benue, election materials were burnt, resulting in the cancellation of polling affecting 13,000 registered voters, and a collation officer carrying result sheets was shot in the leg.”

    The EU electoral team also accused the leading political parties of interference in the electoral as noticed in Kano, Benue, Plateau and Sokoto.

    It’s stated, “Party agents were seen interfering more in the process than on the previous two election days. Some polling units in Kano were dominated by controlling party agents and supporters. Of the 40 polling units that EU teams could fully observe, agents were present in all and in five cases were seen interfering in the work of polling officials, in Benue, Plateau and Sokoto. EU observers in all five states also saw party agents trying to influence voters, assisting voters or voting on their behalf. Supporters and agents were sometimes present in polling units in excessive numbers, resulting in overcrowding. EU observers also saw vote-buying in Sokoto by both the leading parties, and indications of vote-buying in Kano. Citizen observers also reported party agents involved in vote-buying, and bribery of polling staff and police.”

    On the overall conduct of the polls, EU Mission noted improved logistical arrangements on the part of the electoral body.

    “INEC improved logistical arrangements with most polling units observed open within half an hour of the official opening time. In the 40 polling units that EU teams could fully observe, procedures were mostly followed. Smart card readers were used to accredit voters in all polling units observed. However, manual accreditation procedures were not always correctly followed if card readers failed to authenticate fingerprints. The secrecy of the vote was not always sufficiently protected in nearly one-third of polling units observed.

    “The collation process was finalised in Bauchi, Benue, Plateau and Sokoto within 24 hours, but in Kano it was suspended for several hours due to concerns over the safety of lower-level collation staff. For security reasons, collation of results in two of 29 LGAs in Kano had to be undertaken at the state collation centre. Similarly, ward collation had to be undertaken at one LGA in Bauchi. Adding to transparency of the process, the media provided live coverage of state-level collation. EU observers visited 12 collation centres and observed party agents present in all. EU observers noted that overall collation procedures were followed and the process was generally transparent,” EU stated.

    The EU EOM will continue to observe the results and petitions’ processes, and will remain in Nigeria until early April.

    The Chief Observer, Maria Arena, will return in June to present the mission’s final report, which will include recommendations for future electoral processes.

    Kwankwaso, PDP instigating violence in Kano, says Buhari group

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) yesterday accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of instigating violence in Kano.

    The Chairman and Secretary of the group, Niyi Akisiju and Cassidy Madueke, in a statement in Abuja, said the party set the tone for the outbreak of violence with a threat that the state would be plunged into violence if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) victorious.

    BMO said: “Some of the gory pictures posted online were found to have been from a bar brawl in Ghana while at least one showing a machete sticking out from an individual’s shoulder was actually a special effect shot by a make-up artiste.

    “Yet another set of gory pictures were taken from previous Jos crises, all in an effort to discredit an election that the Coalition of INEC Accredited Observers said was largely peaceful.”

    The group expressed dismay that a former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso was at the centre of the call for public disobedience in the state at a time when former Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakkko was in Sokoto urging aggrieved APC supporters to be calm after PDP candidate and incumbent Governor Aminu Tambuwal was declared re-elected for a second term in office.

    “Nothing could be more shocking than seeing a high-profile politician like Kwankwaso, a two-time Governor, a Senator  and a one-time defence minister, who had on more than one occasion aspired to be president of the country making comments on national TV that could best be described as inciting public disorder.

    “Even while the election was still on, he was reeling out incidents of violence based on social media posts in an interview on Channels TV and he is on record to have told his supporters before Saturday that there was no way PDP could lose the election.

    “But somewhere in Sokoto, another former governor, who is also a Senator, did not make any inciting comment even after the APC gubernatorial candidate Ahmed Aliyu lost the election by a slim margin of 342 votes.

    “Rather, he called for calm and promised to challenge the outcome of the election at the tribunal. That is what is expected of true statesmen instead of a call for ‘unprecedented crisis’ like PDP leaders did in Kano”, it said.

    The pro-Buhari group also acknowledged the statesmanship exhibited by President Muhammadu Buhari, not only during the run-up to the March 23 election, but also during the process.

    “In the midst of all these, we are impressed by the dignified and impressive neutrality of President Buhari who did not take any extra-constitutional measure to tilt the electoral scale in favour of his party especially in the states that he won with overwhelming majority on February 23.

    “That is the main reason the re-run was a tight contest between the contending candidates in Kano and Sokoto.

    “We challenge leaders of the opposition to mention at least one PDP-era President who did not interfere with the electoral process during supplementary elections, with a view to ensuring victory for his party’s candidates.”

    Kano rerun: Remain calm, PDP urges supporters

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday urged its supporters to remain calm and law-abiding as they await the outcome of the election petition tribunal.

    The party, in a statement by Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the spokesman of its governorship candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf, rejected the result of the election.

    According to the statement, “the PDP in Kano is proud to be distinctly civil and uniquely peace-loving. We condemn this fraud in its entirety. We have decided to take legal action through the Election Petition Tribunal with overwhelming evidences that has been gathered, and Insha Allah, soonest the mandate of the good people of Kano state shall be reclaimed.

    “However, we urge the good people of Kano state and particularly our teaming supporters to be patient and remain calm. Kano state is our only home. We have no other place better than this noble state and no blood of any citizen is worth shedding.”

    PDP accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies of joining forces to rig the election in favour of the APC.

    The statement further stated that, “in the political history of Kano, we have undergone the most horrific elections ever where the ruling APC and Kano State Government deployed all mechanisms to orchestrate violence against the citizens.

    “Indeed, the good people of Kano state have witnessed a broad daylight robbery of their mandate by the enemies of democracy. It is with tremendous zeal and courage that we joined the 2019 Kano gubernatorial contest, believing in the impartiality of the umpire – the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies, being on a mission to restore the lost glory of our dear state from the hand of political predators who destroy every meaningful programme and policies set by the previous administration of Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.”

    INEC worked with PDP, Taraba APC claims

    The All Progressive Congress APC in Taraba State has said theý elections in the state did not meet the minimum standard for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections.

    The party said the elections were characterised and marred by massive rigging, non-usage of card readers, ballot box stuffing and snatching, outright allocation of votes, intimidation and physical harassment of APC agents.

    A resolution at the end of a meeting signed by the Chairman APC Taraba State, Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi, said ýelections did not properly take place in some local government areas, such as Wukari, Donga, Takum, Kurmi, Ussa and Zing, where APC agents were physically molested and chased away, while votes were fictitiously allocated in favour of PDP and imposed on the INEC Returning Officers, most of whom had already been threatened and compromised.

    He said: “Indeed, the Card Reader is not electronic voting but an indispensable part of the accreditation process without which no voting could take place. ýBoth the Returning Officer and the Collation Centre ought to have outrightly rejected all votes not produced through the card reader.

    “In virtually all the polling units across the state, PDP had in their possession, thousands of uncollected PVC’s including those of IDP’s and deceased persons, which they freely used to conduct multiple over-voting, in active support by INEC officials. PDP were also in possession of ballot papers, which they freely used in stuffing ballot boxes in some Local Government Areas like, Lau, Bali, and Sardauna Local Government Areas.”

  • ‘INEC should issue Okorocha his Certificate of Return’

    Observer groups have berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for withholding the Certificate of Return of Imo West Senator-elect, Rochas Okorocha.

    The groups noted that the electoral umpire is overstepping its bounds, saying it lacks the powers to stop any candidate after he or she has been declared winner.

    At a news conference in Owerri yesterday, Emmanuel Azuike of the Women Fest for Better Life Living Initiative, said the allegation of duress upon which INEC is relying to withhold Okorocha’s Certificate of Return can only be established by a court of competent jurisdiction.

    Read also: 500 Imo farmers to enjoy CBN’s input supply

    According to him, allegation by the Collation Officer, Innocent Ibeawuchi, was outrageous and criminal

    He said: “We were observers at Imo West for the Senatorial election, and we noted that the election and the entire processes were peaceful and credible. We were also at the Collation Centre at Orlu INEC office where the election results were received, and we saw that Rochas Okorocha won with a wide margin and the Retuning Officer, Prof Innocent Ibeabuchi, declared him winner.

    “The Retuning Officer, Ibeabuchi, was not under duress to announce the results whatsoever, not at gunpoint, knife point or any form of harassment. All security agencies, police, DSS, Army were there to protect him and everybody present in the collation room. For him to say he was under duress was a big lie and deceit of the highest order.

    “We, hereby, urge INEC to issue Rochas Okorocha his Certificate of Return as senator-elect of Imo West or we will go to court to compel INEC to issue the Certificate of Return.”

  • Democracy and duress

    It’s one thing to be declared the winner of an election; it’s another thing to be given a certificate of return to reinforce the declaration. Some election candidates who were declared winners don’t understand this. They think the declaration should be enough to get the certificate.

    It is interesting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is interested in how election winners were declared winners. Take the case of Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was declared winner of the Imo West Senatorial District election held on February 23. When the Returning Officer, Prof Innocent Ibeawuchi, alleged that he was forced to declare Okorocha the winner of the poll, the allegation changed the situation.

    Ibeawuchi had told reporters that he was held hostage from 7pm on February 24 till 11am the following day.  He was quoted as saying:  “I was compelled to announce the result which was inconclusive. I am a man of integrity and it is not true that the governor slapped me but I was held hostage by agents working for him. I was manhandled and I thank God I came back alive.”

    Of course, the professor’s claim that he had declared Okorocha winner “under duress” calls into question how the governor won the senatorial election. It is striking that there are others like Okorocha whose election victories are doubtful because the returning officers involved were allegedly forced to declare them winners.

    INEC’s National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, said the commission had received similar reports concerning the National Assembly poll in Oju/Obi Federal Constituency in Benue State, as well as the House of Assembly elections in Niger and Akwa Ibom states.

    He told reporters in Makurdi on March 22: “The commission has not given a certificate of return to anyone from Obi/Oju, the same thing with Agaye state constituency in Niger State. There is also another state constituency in Akwa Ibom. So as of today, there are four areas where declarations were made under duress and we said we will not give certificates of return to those individuals.”

    “Some of them are already in court,” Okoye added, which means the public should expect riveting drama when the returning officers and the election candidates concerned tell their stories in court. A certificate of return should not be in the hands of an election candidate whose victory was declared under duress. Democracy is not about duress.

  • Kano rerun: Prosecute electoral offenders, observers tell INEC

    The coalition of 18 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) national and international observers has called on INEC to collaborate with the police to investigate electoral offenders and apply measures to sanction any person of group of persons found culpable.

    The leader of the group, Dr. Ibrahim Baba of Center for Intervention who spoke on behalf of others, on Monday in Kano, noted any person or group of persons found to be involved in such electoral offences should be punished to serve as deterrence to others.

    Baba added that following reports of election-related violence and intimidation, the overall political climate in the state during the rerun election remained peaceful and conducive for the conduct of democratic elections.

    According to him: “The collaborative relationship between INEC and Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCS), contributed to the generally peaceful atmosphere in the state.

    Read also: INEC resumes collation of Bauchi governorship poll result

    “We give kudos to the security agencies for maintaining the highest level of professionalism before, during and after the conduct of the supplementary election.”

    The group called on the winners and losers to respect the rule of law and caution their supporters to remain peaceful and law abiding.

    They called on politicians to refrain from disseminating false information and channel their electoral complaints and grievances through established legal processes.

  • INEC resumes collation of Bauchi governorship poll result

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it has resumed the collation of the Bauchi Governorship Election results, for the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area (LGA) which was earlier suspended.

    INEC on Monday, in a notice posted on its twitter hand media handle, @inecnigeria, said that the process would be completed on Monday.

    The notice read: “Following the striking out of the case instituted by the APC and its candidate Mohammed Abubakar against INEC and the order of injunction stopping the process, and collation of the Bauchi Governorship Election results, for the Tafawa Balewa LGA by INEC, has commenced.

    ” The suspended process will be concluded today with the state collation and declaration of result of the election.”

    The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, gave INEC the leeway to continue and conclude the collation of the results of the March 9, Governorship election in the Tafawa Balewa LGA of Bauchi State.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Inyang Ekwo set aside his earlier order of March 19, 2019, which stopped the collation of the results.

    Read also: 9th Assembly: Onyejeocha declares for Speaker

    After declining jurisdiction to hear the substantive case, the judge ruled in his judgment on Monday, “the defendant, INEC, should be allowed to continue its constitutional duty.

    “There is no legal impediment before the defendant to go on with the decision of the defendant, to execute its decision in its press release,” the judge ruled.

    The ex parte order was given, following an application filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Gov. Mohammed Abubakar, of Bauchi state.

    The governorship election is keenly between incumbent Abubakar of the APC and former minister, Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party.(NAN)

  • Ganduje thanks supporters for re-electing him

    Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has thanked the people of the state for re-electing him for a second term.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Ganduje, winner of the Kano State governorship supplementary election held Saturday.

    In the supplementary election held in 28 out of the 44 local government areas in the state, Ganduje  won by scoring 45,876 votes to  the PDP Abba Yusuf’s 10,239.

    State Returning Officer Prof. Bello Shehu,  announced that Ganduje scored a total vote of 1,033,695 while Mr Yusuf polled 1,024,713.
    ‎
    Ganduje , who made the promise in his re-election speech on Sunday night in Kano, called on all to join hands with him to build the state.‎

    He also said that ‎he would run an all inclusive government that will carry everyone along in the administration of the state.

    ‎‎The governor thanked the people for their believing in his capacity to lead them and for the peaceful conduct of the March 23 re-run election.

    The governor also promised not to fail the electorate.

    He also pledged to consolidate on his achievement and also embark on people oriented project.

    ” We going to complete all projects and initiate new ones and we are also open to new ideas and new vision,” he said.

    ‎The governor who thank God for the resounding victory urged the people of the state irrespective of their political inclination to join hands to move Kano forward.

    “I thank all who voted me, those that did not vote me and and those who did not vote at all.

    “Girl child education, agriculture, women and youth empowerment, healthcare delivery, peace and security will be my focus in the next four years.

    “I thank you for the fresh mandate and I promise to serve you better because the victory is not for me or my deputy, the victory is for the good people of Kano.‎

    “As we get ready to start our second term, I urge you to continue to maintain the peace we have so far enjoyed,” he said.

    ‎He commended INEC  for their professionalism and also thanked the electorate in the state for re-electing President Muhammadu Buhari.(NAN)

  • UPDATED: INEC declares Ganduje winner of Kano rerun

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Kano State Governor Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the just- concluded supplementary re-run poll.

    Declaring the winner of the election, the Collation Officer for the Governorship election in Kano, Prof. Bello Shehu announced the APC candidate polled 1,033,695 while that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 1,024,713 votes.

    He said that the registered voters stood at 5,426,989,accredited voters ,2,268,305,while the valid votes cast is 2,199,535,with rejected votes of 50,861,adding that,the total vote cast is 2,242,396.

    He added that the APC candidate defeated his immediate opponent of the PDP with 8,982 votes.

    According to Shehu, the winner was declared after the collation of result from all the 28 affected Local Government Areas where the supplementary elections were conducted on Saturday.

    He said: “That Abdullahi Umar Ganduje having satisfied the requirement of the law, has scored the highest votes, is hereby declared winner and returned elected.”

    He said the governorship election was earlier declared inconclusive following the high number of cancellation of votes as a result of violence and over voting.

    According to the collation officer, the total number of votes cancelled during the earlier election, which led to the declaration of the poll as inconclusive, was beyond the margin between the PDP candidate which was leading with 26,000 votes and that of the APC candidate.

    The PDP candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf, was declared to have 1,014,474, against the APC candidate Gov Ganduje who garned 987,819 votes before the supplementary poll.

    Votes cancelled during the governorship election stood at 128,572 which the collation officer said the electoral act has it that such election must be declared inconclusive.

    The PDP agent, who is also the party chairman, Suleiman Rabiu Bichi frowned at the exercise.

    He rejected the entire re-run election process, especially that of Gama in Nassarawa Local Government Area.

    The APC Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, described the election as another land mark victory for the party.