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Tag: Independent National Electoral Commission

  • INEC express concern over uncollected PVC’s nation wide

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday expressed deep concerns over the non-collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) by eligible voters across the country.

    The commission said over 17 million PVCs were yet to be collected with about eight months to the elections.

    National Commissioner of INEC supervising Delta, Cross River and Akwa-Ibom states, Dr. Muhammed Mustafa Lecky made this known in Asaba-Delta State during a meeting with representatives of registered political parties in Delta State.

    Lecky said about seven million PVCs were not collected from the 2014/2015 registration exercise, adding that since the commencement of the Continuous Voting Registration (CVR) exercise in 2017, over ten million PVCs are ready and waiting for their owners to collect.

    “The commission is greatly concerned with the burden of uncollected PVCs, this is worrisome because it has an effect on the commission’s logistics planning.

    “In Delta State we have about 300,343 uncollected PVCs, both for the 2014/2015 exercise as well as the 2017 exercise. I am therefore calling on you to mobilise and educate your people on the need to collect their PVCs as the burden of collection is on the owners of the cards,” Lecky charged the politicians.

    He said the commission has taken a step further to ease the stress involved in the collection process by moving into wards for owners to have easy access.

    Read Also: INEC chairman shuns court summons

    Lecky said although the number of registered political parties in the country at the moment is 67, the number may increase to 80 before the elections, disclosing that there are over 100 political associations seeking to be registered and recognise as political parties.

    Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mrs. Rose Oriarian-Anthony bemoaned the lack of physical structures for state chapters of political parties, and urged defaulting parties to put structures in place as the commission will be embarking on another round of verification exercise.

    “Well every one of us here know that it is given for any party registered in the state to have a physical structure with full complement of party executives at the state capital as it is obtainable at the Federal Capital, Abuja where the secretariat of each of your respective political parties is situated. It is my hope that those who are yet to comply have done so, since our last meeting as there will definitely be another round of visits in due course,” she said.

  • Ekiti 2018: Uproar as party supporters disrupt INEC stakeholders’ meeting

    IGP, INEC boss, monarchs watch show of shame

    A stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the governorship election in Ekiti State ended abruptly as it was disrupted by party supporters.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, traditional rulers, diplomats and other dignitaries watched the show of shame in disbelief.

    Governorship candidates, party leaders, traditional rulers and other dignitaries left the venue amidst a charged atmosphere as party faithful, mainly People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) members shouted at one another.

    The parley which was held at Great Eagle Hall, Ikere Road, Ajebamidele, Ado-Ekiti, went on smoothly until organizers invited comments and questions from party representatives.

    The row was sparked by comments made by the PDP representative, Dr. Samuel Omotoso, who raised concerns over alleged attacks and arrest of members of his party in some communities in Oye Local Government Area.

    Omotoso, member of the House of Assembly, accused the APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of boasting that he would be declared winner the Saturday’s poll “whether he loses or not.”

    He also accused security agencies of partisanship in the build-up to the election which he said would not provide an atmosphere for a free and fair election.

    The lawmaker’s refusal to adhere to the two minutes allotted angered supporters of other parties, especially the APC faithful who became restive with the constant mentioning their candidate’s name by Omotoso.

    The audience, who wanted representatives of other parties and other stakeholders to be given the chance to address the gathering, urged organizers to stop Omotoso for using more than the time allocated.

    Read Also: INEC registers 10m new voters

    Apparently uncomfortable with the allegation against Fayemi, the APC members raised their voices to shout Omotoso down but the PDP members responded by chanting their party slogan.

    The PDP members who appeared to outnumber their APC counterparts inside the hall surged forward and started shouting “Eleka Ibo,” “Eleka Ibo” hailing their candidate who is also the Deputy Governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.

    As the PDP members surged forward, policemen and other security operatives inside the hall formed a ring around the high table where Yakubu, Idris and other dignitaries sat.

    As the party members’ unruly behavior continued, the Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Obas who is also the Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju took over the microphone and urged party members to be orderly.

    They defied the monarch and continued the row but the candidates led by left the hall one after the other leaving only PDP members who continued their shouting.

    First to leave was the Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN) candidate, Chief Adebisi Omoyeni who was followed by Accord candidate, Chief Abiodun Aluko, Labour Party (LP) candidate, Dr. Sikiru Lawal, Fayemi, Olusola and others.

    Earlier, the IGP Idris disclosed that a total number of 4, 390 combined forces of soldiers and other paramilitary will be deployed to complement the 30,000 policemen that have been drafted to Ekiti to monitor the election.

    Idris added that Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations), an Assistant Inspector General of Police and five Commissioners of police will be in charge to give directive and ensure that the election is conducted under conducive atmosphere.

    The nation’s police chief warned political leaders and their supporters to refrain from arming thugs, saying whoever arrested will be prosecuted in line with the rule of law and laws guiding the conduct of elections.

    Idris said: “We want all party supporters to refrain from all acts that can precipitate violence at the polling booths such as canvassing for votes, wearing of party insignias, dissuading voters from voting for candidates of their choices, loitering and blaring of siren on the day of election.

    “We will also not tolerate ignoring of restriction of movement orders by the police. Don’t see election as a matter of life and death.

    “Let me state that police will not hesitate to deal with anybody no matter how highly placed found flouting electoral laws.

    “Let me call for the collaboration and support of the entire sister agencies and the INEC officials. Police officers have been warned to be of good conduct during and after the election.

    “If you notice any misconduct on the part of any police, do not hesitate to report to the senior officers on the ground or contact me directly.”

    INEC boss Yakubu said the commission decided to distribute the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to the ward level to motivate the electorate to collect to be able to exercise their franchise rights.

    He said: “For transparency, all uncollected PVCs will be brought to INEC office in Ado Ekiti and warehoused for safe keeping until a new date is fixed to resume the PVC collection.

    “However, since the Anambra State Governorship election held in November 2017, we have introduced an additional measure of transparency.

    “I wish to reassure that our officials are under strict instruction to remain neutral. We have also accredited credible foreign and local observers to monitor this election.

    “We are confident that with the arrangements we have put in place, Ekiti State Governorship election will be another good example of free, fair, credible and peaceful election and a further affirmation of the maturity of our democracy.”

    Also affirming that the election will be credible, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti, Prof AbdulGaniy Raji, said a total of 913, 334 have been registered by the commission out of which 667,064 had collected their PVCs.

    Raji said the commission still has a total of 246,270 unclaimed PVCs that were yet to be collected by owners.

  • Ekiti: We are not under threat, says REC

    Says no room for rigging with structure on ground

    20,000 security personnel to be deployed – CP

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the commission is not under any form of threat in Ekiti state ahead of next Saturday governorship election.

    630,000 out of the 913,334 registered voters are expected to elect the next governor of Ekiti state in an election where 35 political parties are contesting.

    Ekiti state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Abdulganiu Raji told newsmen at the end of the 2nd regular quarterly consultative meeting with security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja that INEC is good to go as far as the Ekiti election is concerned.

    He also said that there is no room for rigging in the election given the kind of structure that has been put in place by the commission.

    “So far, as we are concerned in Ekiti INEC, personally I don’t have any threat against me, I am comfortable, I did mentioned when we had a meeting last Wednesday that I am among my people, am feeling at home, there is no threat.

    “We are good to go in Ekiti state. All my staff, we are all in good mood and we want to thank the people of Ekiti state, so far. Even if there issues at all, it is not with INEC.”

    He further stressed that security agencies have always been handling whatever security issues.

    Read Also: NIS debunks arrest of Ekiti-bound foreigners

    On the preparedness of INEC, he said, “As far as INEC Ekiti state is concerned, we are fully ready. In fact if you get to Ekiti state now, apart from the operational works, all our offices are wearing a new look. We have distributed all the non-sensitive materials to all our local government.”

    Besides, he said INEC personnel that will be deployed have been trained and ready for deployment.

    Abdulganiu also revealed that Monday stakeholders’ meeting will be chaired by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

    “So everything has been put in place in Ekiti state. The only thing left is that we are waiting for is the cooperation of the people of Ekiti state,” he added.

    On the insinuation that the election may be rigged, Ekiti REC said that the word rigging should be wiped off from the country’s electoral system.

    “I don’t know what you want to rig again with the kind of structure we have put in place in INEC. That is what we have been explaining to the people of Ekiti state.”

    He stressed that the process has a full proof against rigging, explaining that the authentication and verification from the voter register, and the smart card readers accreditation transmitted to headquarters of INEC both in Ekiti and National headquarters in Abuja, while the election is going on, will make it impossible for anyone to rig the election.

    Also, the Commissioner of Police for Ekiti state, Mr. Bello Ahmed said over 20,000 security personeel will be deployed for the election.

    The police force he said will be contributing about 16,000 of the personnel, while other security agencies will make up the remaining number.

    On measures put in place, Ahmed said that all the likely false points in the state have been identified and a robust security measure put in place.

    He said, “We have done trait analysis, all the flash points, all the individuals involved and everyone that is inimical to peace, not only during the conduct of this election but the entire generality of Ekiti state have been identified and we have put in a robust security arrangement to checkmate them.

    “With regards to personnel deployed, on the part of the police, we have over 16,000 that will be involved, and a total of over 20,000 police and other security personnel that will be involved towards this coming election.”

  • INEC registers 10 million new voters

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it registered no fewer than 10 million Nigerians in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with security agencies under the auspices of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) on Friday in Abuja.

    Yakubu said that the people were registered between April, 2017 when the CVR commenced and end of June, 2018.

    He said that total number of registered voters in the country would increase to 80 million when the figure from the CVR was added to existing 70 million voters.

    “As at June 22, 2018 fresh registration is 9,922,619, PVC Collection, 576,346; request for transfer, 489,354 and request for replacement of PVCs, 766,435.

    “What this means is that since the commencement of CVR on April 27, 2017, about 10 million Nigerians have been registered and this will be added to existing register of 70 million voters.

    “This means that as we approach 2019 general elections, Nigeria will have voter register of at least 80 million.’’

    Yakubu said that INEC was committed to transparency in the conduct of elections and the declaration of results.

    Read Also: INEC to deploy 11,000 ad-hoc staff

    He said that one of the things the commission had consistently been doing was to issue copies of elections’ result sheets to agents of political parties at that level.

    He said that following stakeholders’ demand for transparency in the electoral process, INEC responded by displaying result for each polling unit immediately after counting of ballot for public information.

    “Having found this as a useful way of enhancing citizens’ mandate protection, we took it a step further by introducing the EC60E.

    “The form is a large poster reflecting the result in each polling unit as recorded on the EC8A shared with agents of political parties.

    “The poster is pasted at each polling unit immediately after the counting of ballot papers.

    “Consequently, citizens now know the outcome of voting in each polling unit and can track the processes of collation leading to the final declaration of results.

    “These posters were effectively deployed in all elections since the Anambra State Governorship election in November, 2017. We shall deploy them in all forthcoming elections,’’ the chairman said.

    He urged the security agencies to help and ensure that the Form was pasted at polling units after the declaration of election result in the units.

    He appealed to the agencies to remind the polling officers to paste the result at each polling unit “where there is an inadvertent omission to paste it’’.

    Yakubu also urged agencies to continue to provide peaceful environment for conduct of elections across the country.

    “As we approach the 2019 general elections, we also need your support, especially in securing the environment for us to conduct elections.

    “I will like to thank the security agency for the things that you have done to secure the environment.

    “I will like to appeal to the security agencies to continue to exploit the same neutrality to see that our elections are getting better.

    “We want Ekiti to surpass Anambra and I believe we can do it and I am confident in the security agencies that we can do it.’’

    In his response, National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-Gen. Mohammed Monguno (retd), pledged that necessary security support would be given to ensure success of Ekiti governorship election and 2019 general elections.

    Monguno, who was represented by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mrs Peace Abdallah, expressed confidence that INEC would continue to conduct credible elections.

    “It is not in doubt that INEC has always shown not just by words but action, that as we look forward to Ekiti and future elections, especially 2019 that Nigeria elections will continue to be commendable.’’

    NAN

  • INEC will do its best ahead of 2019 – Yakubu

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would continue to do its best to ensure that registered voters collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of 2019 elections.

    Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the assurance in an interview with our reporters on Monday in Abuja.

    Yakubu recalled that over seven million PVCs were not collected from the 2015 general elections.

    “We have been trying our best but so far only a little over 500,000 cards have been collected nationwide.

    “We will continue to do whatever we can to ensure that the cards were collected ahead of the next general elections,” he said, adding that the commission was emphasizing on collection than distribution.

    According to Yakubu, we are emphasizing on collection because we want the true owners of the cards to collect them rather than by proxy with the possibility that the cards may end up in wrong hands.

    On whether the commission would patronize domestic printers in the printing of ballot papers for 2019 elections, he said “the first priority of INEC has been to patronize indigenous printers.

    “Since the 2015 general elections INEC has conducted elections in 180 constituencies and in none of these constituencies were the sensitive and non-sensitive materials printed out of the country.

    Read Also: INEC will not count prayer points, says Alex Ekubo

    “As a matter of course, for sometimes now the commission does not engage foreign printers directly. We engage Nigerian printers who may have partnership with printers outside the country.

    “So, our priority is to patronize Nigeria printers and Nigerian service providers; that policy remains unchanged.’’

    The chairman said that INEC was working with the security agencies charged with responsibilities to provide security for elections to ensure peaceful exercises in 2019.

    “The security agencies have assured and reassured us that they will provide security for the general elections.’’

    He also disclosed that the commission had benefited tremendously from the implementation of the recommendations from stakeholders.

    These, according to him, include recommendations from domestic election observers, media, civil society organizations and international observers, including African Union, European Union, Commonwealth and ECOWAS.

    Yakubu said that one of the implemented recommendations was simultaneous accreditation and voting on the day of election.

    “We have been implementing those recommendations, particularly those that can be implemented by the commission.

    “Remember there are three categories of those recommendations – those that can be implemented by pricking our policies, those that can be implemented through amendment of framework for conducting elections, and those that can be implemented by executive actions.

    “We have taken actions on all the three stages,’’ he said.

    On the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti, the chairman said that INEC was committed and focused on delivering credible polls in spite of all accusations.

    “I want to assure the good people of Ekiti that the election will not only be free and fair, but that only their votes will determine who becomes the next governor of the state,’’ he stated.

    He said that the commission had been preparing for the election in terms of recruitment and training of ad hoc staff and deployment of logistics.

    “We have delivered all the non-sensitive materials to Ekiti and we are tracking everything.

    “We are prepared for Ekiti the same way we are prepared for all other elections.

    “We are confident with the level of preparations that we have made for the election and we will have a good outcome,’’ Yakubu stated.

     

    NAN

  • INEC registers 9.7 million new voters

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it registered 9.7 million new voters between April 27, 2017 and June 14.

    INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu stated this on Wednesday at the INEC Youth Votes Count Campus Outreach at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

    The event was organized in collaboration with the European Union (EU) in commemoration of Europe Day 2018 and the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES).

    Mahmood, who delivered the keynote address, launched an INEC voter registration centre at the varsity as well as the Voter Education Volunteer Provramme (UNILAG) chapter.

    He said: “From the 27th of April last year till to the 14th of June this year, we registered 9.7 million new voters in Nigeria. The majority of them are young people. So, you have the power to change. There cannot be proper elections conducted in this country without young people…”

    He said the antidote to security challenges at polling centres is active participation by the electorate.

    According to Mahmood, ‘nobody will take a gun where they know they will be challenged but when people abandon polling units, it becomes easier for merchants of violence to disrupt the process.”

    The event also Head of EU delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Ketil Karlsen; Project Coordinator ECES, Rudolf Elbling; Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Lagos State, Sam Olumekun.

    Read Also: 80m voters ‘ll decide 2019 polls—INEC chair

    Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde actor/comedians Bright Okpocha, alias Basketmouth, Ayo Makun alias AY, Helen Paul alias Tatafo led a panel of discussants at the event.

    Karlsen urged the youth to take advantage of their numerical strength and own the electoral system in Nigeria.

    He added: “What I would really like to assemble is the strongest partnership ever between the European Union and Nigeria and strongest partnership ever between the European Union and the youth of Nigeria.”

    Jalade-Ekeinde urged youths not to be afraid to “waste our votes” on the candidates of their choice.

    She said: “The point is not whether or not the candidate of your choice wins but the point is to put the numbers behind them to give them the needed confidence to try again. Come 2019, we should be ready to waste our votes even if it is just to make a point and disrupt the status.”

    Basketmouth, AY and Tatafo urged young adults to go beyond merely complaining but get their Permanent Voter Cards and exercise their franchise either by contesting for office or voting.

    UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who spoke earlier urged the students to seize the opportunity provided by the event to “participate in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise,” and collect their permanent voter cards.

    “This voter education campaign for students of tertiary institutions must be applauded,” Ogundipe added.

  • FG withholding Paris club refund to starve Ekiti – Fayose

    Warns INEC against using ‘Edo formula’ in Ekiti

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately withholding the release of the Paris Club refund to states purposely to prevent Ekiti from using the money to pay arrears of workers’ salary before the July 14 governorship election.

    Fayose also warned the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), against stopping the collation of elections results midway, as it was done during the governorship election in Edo State.

    The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, said Ekiti State and other states had been cleared to get the refund, but the FG refused to release it to the states because of Ekiti election as it did in Kogi.

    The governor said, “if it is released to other states without the inclusion of Ekiti, people will suspect the FG of playing politics with it.  The FG used that tactics in Kogi to assist the APC candidate to win.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Fayose will be caged on election day, says Fayemi

    “I am using this forum to inform Ekiti people that the FG is punishing and depriving them of their entitlement because of politics. The FG thinks that if I am not able to pay the four months salaries owed the workers, they will vote for APC.”Ekiti people are not fools, they know that the Fayemi administration plunged the state into debt. Fayemi left two months’ salary unpaid and N1.2bn is being deducted every month from Ekiti allocations to service the debt.

    “So far, N35.34bn has been deducted from allocations coming to Ekiti to service debts owed by Fayemi administration.”If I have N35.34bn, I will not owe workers and I will be able to take care the needs of the people. Ekiti people are not fools and will not again accept APC. They know that the Fayemi administration is the cause of the unpaid salary.

    “In 2003, during my first term, I inherited  debt from the AD – led government under Niyi Adebayo, I cleared the debt and when I was leaving the government in 2006, I left N10.4bn in government treasury. This is for you to know that APC is a bad manager of state finances.

    “I want to appeal to the INEC to be a good umpire, live to its name as Independent body. Election should not be stopped midway or counting stopped midway because PDP is winning and APC is losing. Edo formula will not be accepted in Ekiti. People are known to resist cheating and they will defend their votes.”

  • INEC decries low participation of women in politics

    …Women occupy 5.8percent of political offices

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has decried low participation of women in political processes.

    The Commission said despite the fact that women constitute 48 percent of the population, only 5.8 percent  of them hold political offices.

    The Commission also revealed that since the commencement of CVR in 2017, only 1,362,293 women have registered compared to men who have 1,560,823 registration.

    This was disclosed in Abuja yesterday at the North Central zonal workshop on enhancing women’s participation in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and Collection of  Permanent Voters Cards  (PVC).

    Giving details of women participation, INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Antonia Okoosi-Simbine said: “Despite the fact that women constitute 48 percent of Nigeria voting population, they occupy only 5.8percent of the political offices in the country.

    “In 2015, eight female senators and 20 House of Representatives members were elected and six female Deputy governors who had joint ticket with male gubernatorial candidates were elected.

    “Similarly, only one female contested for the office of President while four presidential candidates had females as their vice.”

    Read Also: 563, 051 PVCs collected in Ekiti, says INEC

    She further said: “Contenders for the upcoming Ekiti State governorship election shows that ten of the 35 political parties fielding candidates have females as Deputy governorship candidates while none of the parties put a female forward as governorship candidates.

    “Globally too, statistics for gender parity indicate that 2015,  out of 188 countries,  Nigeria was 152 in the Human Development Index in Gender inequality and 118 out of 192 countries in 2017.

    “Going by this statistics therefore, a lot still needs to be done by all stakeholders to ensure that the situation improves during the 2019 general elections.”

    On factors responsible for the low participation, Prof Okoosi-Simbine said: “Be it politics, education and other sector; women generally lag. Some of them are affected by domestic duties,  some are affected by poverty, while some are concerned about taking care of their children, health issues and others.”

    Also speaking, the Project Director of European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), David Le Notre said Civil Society Organisations need to do more to improve the level of participation.

    Le Notre who was represented by Cathy Latiwa said: “Women constitute about half of the population and an important segment that must be carried along in every facet of development.

    “Women participation enriches democracy and makes it more responsive to the aspirations of the people. It is however unfortunate that women participation in the political process has been limited.

    “Fewer women than men have been voted into political offices despite the fact that majority of voters are women.

    “Nigerian women have the lowest representation of 5.9 percent in the National Assembly when compared to most other African Countries like Uganda with 34.6percent, South Africa 43.2 percent, Ethiopia 27.7percent and Cameroon 20.1 percent.”

    Le Notre while encouraging women to be more active said the ongoing CVR provides women with the opportunity to participate actively in the political process.

    Speaking on the importance of getting the PVC, the Commission’s Deputy Director in charge of Gender, Mrs. Blessing Obidegwu said report available to Commission shows that since the commencement of the CVR in April 2017, men have registered more than women.

    She said: “The last three quarters of 2017 indicates that women are trailing behind their male counterparts with only marginal improvement.

    “Gender distribution for 2017  CVR was 57 percent for men and 43 for women in the first quarter of 2018, women improved marginally by 4.6percent to attain a ratio of 46.6percent against men’s 53.4percent.”

  • 2019: Changing face of Oyo governorship race

    The political cloud is gathering in Oyo State ahead of the 2019 general election. While the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to blow the whistle to kick start campaign for the general election, gladiators in the state are already at each other’s throat over who will succeed outgoing Governor Abiola Ajimobi, just as permutations continue to change almost on a daily basis, writes Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    COUPLE of months ago, Governor Abiola Ajimobi highlighted the veracity of the ongoing struggle for the governorship seat when he said not less than 34 governorship aspirants are seeking to succeed him. At that time, a few of the aspirants were already looking like possible candidates of their various parties. In fact, within the ruling APC, there were already talks about an alleged Ajimobi’s anointed candidate, who some observers said looks good to clinch the ticket.

    But today, the entrance of some other aspirants into the race for the gubernatorial ticket of the APC has not only upset permutations, it has also introduced fresh intrigues into the contest. The recent declaration by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and immediate past Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in charge of Operations, Adebayo Adekola Adelabu, that they will be seeking the APC ticket, has forced some leading aspirants to return to the drawing board.

    While many analyst are insisting that Adelabu will not dump a job like the plum seat of Deputy Governor of CBN for a governorship race if he is not certain of winning, others are saying Alao-Akala, given the current cordial relationship he enjoys with Ajimobi and the leadership of the ruling party in the state, will not join the governorship race without some certainties.

    Incidentally, while speaking during an interview with journalists, Alao-Akala alluded to the fact that Ajimobi is aware of his aspiration when he said ‘the governor cannot claim to be unaware of my governorship ambition.’ Adelabu on his part announced his entrance into the race with a declaration that he is ‘starting the onerous task of nation building from my immediate constituency, Oyo State where I have resolved to play an active role in politics.’

    The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not without its own drama. At the beginning of talks between the party and erstwhile leader of Accord Party (AP) in the state, ex-Governor Rasheed Ladoja, the permutations in many quarters were centered around Ladoja’s likely candidacy on the platform of the PDP. Expectedly, frontline aspirants on the platform of the PDP resisted his defection back to the PDP, his old party.

    But the struggle changed when Ladoja hinted that he may not be seeking the PDP governorship ticket. This was further re-enforced when he sought to be the national chairman of the party. Some PDP gubernatorial aspirants, who hitherto were opposed to his defection, became some kind of allies and associates. Till today, many aspirants are in the race because Ladoja is likely not going to contest.

    In addition, observers of the politics of the state say the chummy political relationship between Ladoja and Engineer Seyi Makinde, another frontline aspirant on the platform of the PDP, is another important factor in the analysis of how the general election will be won and lost. Before now, the camps of the two politicians have engaged in fierce supremacy battle following Ladoja’s defection to PDP.

    But Makinde laid that to rest weeks back when he affirmed Ladoja as the leader of the PDP in Oyo State. “Some people said I am dragging the leadership of the party with Senator Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja; it is not so. He is still the leader of the party in the state and my leader in Oyo State. What we want to do is to send APC away in 2019. After that, we will call ourselves and move forward,” he said.

    But pundits say beyond the changes daily being introduced into the race by old and new aspirants alike, there are a number of other factors that are likely to continue to alter permutations in the race to determine who takes over from Ajimobi in 2019 until the two leading political parties elect their various gubernatorial candidates at their various primary elections.

    Rotation debate

    One of such issues, according to political observers, is the raging debate over an unwritten zoning arrangement that will see the governorship rotate among the various parts of the state. While it is obvious that zoning has until now, not been a major part of the governorship politics of the state, many notable personalities, especially outside the Ibadan area, are today clamoring that the position be zoned away from Ibadan.

    Speaking on the agitation for rotation, Prof. Adeolu Akande, said given the fact that parts of the state, like the Oke-Ogun area, have not produced a governor for the state before; it is important that the rotational formula be encouraged. He added that he is convinced that the next governor of the state will come from the Oke-Ogun, based on an earlier promise by Ajimobi.

    He also expressed confidence that Ajimobi would keep his promise of supporting an Oke-Ogun aspirant. “It is only fair to hold someone to his word. If somebody at the level of a governor can say two or three times that the Oke-Ogun area of the state will produce the next governor, I don’t think there is any basis for anyone to doubt him. He has put his honour and integrity on the line, so we should believe him,” Akande said.

    But legal luminary, Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) disagrees. According to him, zoning of governorship position in Oyo State is unnecessary. ‘There is a wide divide between morality and law. Democracy is anchored on the rule of law and not on sentiment. Apart from sentiment, I have asked this question before and no one has been able to give me an answer: who is an Ibadan man? Who is an Oyo man? Who is an Ogbomoso man? Let us face it; the Oyos are one, from Ogun to Kwara states.

    “Those who are saying otherwise are political, social and cultural illiterates. You may have chains of university degrees without being articulate. The late MKO Abiola’s father was from Ojoo in Ibadan. He was the Balogun of Ojoo in Abeokuta. He was later made Basorun of Ibadan. The Adedibus are cousins to the Alaafin. Ikire people in Osun State have their family compound in Ibadan. The next in line to the stool of Olubadan, Lekan Balogun, is the grandson of Alli Iwo, a former Olubadan. Shall we say he is no longer an Ibadan man? We are talking of Oyo State being ruled by Oyo people’ he said.

    Beyond the argument for and against zoning, there is also a raging debate over what the parameter for zoning should even be. While some are agitating for zoning on the basis of senatorial district in the state, many more are saying the traditional regions of the state should be the zoning yardstick. Consequently, the camp of pro-zoning agitators is equally divided, giving indications that the issue may be more difficult to resolve than many think.

    While the senatorial districts in the state are Oyo North, Oyo Central and Oyo South, the old regions are Ibadan, Oke-Ogun, Ogbomosho, Oyo and Ibarapa. As at today, only Ibadan and Ogbomosho regions have had the opportunities to produce governors for the state. Thus, the other three regions are agitating for a shot at the seat. Also, the people of Oyo Central, for instance, are clamouring for the opportunity to produce the governor based on the fact that the zone has never produced one since the creation of the state in 1976.

    Since the return of civil rule in 1999, Oyo North and Oyo South have been producing the governors. Late Lam Adesina, from Ibadan in Oyo South was governor between 1999 and 2003; Rashidi Ladoja, also from Ibadan, governed from 2003 to 2006 and Abiola Ajimobi, from the same Ibadan in Oyo South, has been in office since 2011. Oyo North had the opportunity of producing the governor between 2007 and 2011, when Adebayo Alao-Akala governed the state. Alao-Akala hails from Ogbomoso in Oyo North.

    Thus, the central senatorial district is yet to produce a governor and is determined to do so in 2019. But Oyo Central is a mixture of people from various traditional zones, unlike the south and the north. Of the 11 local governments in the district, four are from Oyo region, namely Afijio, Atiba, Oyo West and Oyo East; five are from Ibadan region. namely Akinyele, Lagelu, Ona Ara, Oluyole and Egbeda; while Surulere and Ogo Oluwa, the remaining two, are from Ogbomosho region.

    According to a former physician to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. Olusegun Ajuwon, using senatorial district is unacceptable because “Oke-Ogun as a distinct segment of Oyo State is hereby announcing formally that for the governorship of Oyo State, it is our turn, come 2019. We believe, as the people of Oke Ogun, that the time has come to ask for and to get this coveted position of the executive governor of our dear state. There are reasons to justify this clamour for the gubernatorial power to shift to Oke-Ogun.”

    “If an Ibadan aspirant from Akinyele, Egbeda, Lagelu, Oluyole or Ono Ara emerges, it will still be an Ibadan man governing, not the district. And it will be an Ogbomoso still should the next governor hail from Surulere or Ogo Oluwa. That is why the zoning should be done on the basis of the old regions if we are to be fair. This and many more reasons explain why Oke-Ogun is particular about how the zoning should be done.”

    The gladiators

    A look at the array of aspirants across party divides, gunning for the governorship seat revealed that the forthcoming race promises to be fierce. The Nation also gathered that aside the many who have formally declared their interest in the race, a number of interested persons, within and outside the two leading political parties are still waiting for the appointed time to throw their hats into the ring of the governorship contest.

    In the race already is the ex-Chairman, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Barrister Sharafadeen Alli. He hails from Ibadan North Local Government Area. A former council Chairman, he served as Secretary to the State Government under Ladoja. He is seeking the ticket of the PDP for the 2019 election and his supporters within the party say he is the man to beat in the race.

    Senator Soji Akanbi, currently representing Oyo South in the senate, was once in the lower chamber. He aspired for the governorship in 2011 under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) but lost to Ajimobi. He is currently of the APC and he has left no one in doubt of his readiness to give the race his best effort. He enjoys the support of a good number of party leaders, especially in the southern senatorial district where he is seen as a performing lawmaker.

    Senator Femi Lanlehin, also from Oyo south is another PDP gubernatorial aspirant. He represented his district under the platform of the defunct ACN from 2011 to 2015 and earlier served as Special Adviser to ex-Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters. He was in the Accord Party with Ladoja and is still seen by many as the PDP leader’s 2019 governorship joker.

    Incumbent Deputy Governor, Moses Alake-Adeyemo, is also running on the platform of the APC. So is Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu and Senator Fatai Buhari, all of the ruling APC. A retired banker, Adeyemo was chosen as deputy to Ajimobi on the platform of the ACN in 2011 and was re-elected along with the governor in 2015 for a second term. He is from Oke Ogun.

    Akintola is from Iddo Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital. He once served as deputy speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and now want to be governor on the platform of the APC. Shittu hails from Saki in the Oke Ogun are of the state. He was a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state and had contested gubernatorial election in the state on the platform of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC).

    Buhari, currently a senator, is not seeking a return to the legislative chamber, but nursing the ambition of becoming governor of the state. He was the Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources during the first term of Governor AjimobiThere is also Seyi Makinde from Ibadan North East Local Government. In 2015, he ran a spirited and gallant race as the governorship candidate for SDP. But he is currently a chieftain of the PDP.

    Other aspirants include Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, a governorship aspirant on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD); former Finance Commissioner, Zacheaus Adelabu  from Oyo town;Temitope Olatoye, member of House of Representatives representing Lagelu/Akinyele Federal Constituency; Adeolu Akande, former Chief of Staff to Ajimobi; and Abiodun Akintunde, another former Commissioner in the state.

  • Senate concurs with Reps on Electoral Act amendment

    The Senate on Thursday concurred with the House of Representatives on the amendment to some provisions of the Electoral Act No 6, 2010.

    Part of the amendment approved a two-year jail term and N2, 000, 000 fine for commissioners or officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who, out of negligence, cause the postponement of an election over omission of name of party and their logo.

    The amendment further stated that also states that where an election is postponed due to omission of name and logo, the officer, commissioner in charge of printing the ballot papers and caused the omission, shall be liable to a fine of N2, 000, 000 or a jail term of two years or both.

    Read Also: Senate seeks release of 1993 election

    The senators noted that the amendment was meant to serve as a guide and deterrent to those who may be mischievous or negligent or derelict in such all important national assignment and event .

    Also, the amendment prescribed that returning officers, presiding officers and collating officers, as the case may be, shall be involved subject to the confirmation and verification of the polling agents and the aforementioned polling officials.

    Having been passed by the two chambers, the amendment is expected to go to a conference committee of the two chambers.