The Nation Newspaper

Tag: INEC STAFF

  • Alleged bribery: EFCC wants judge to withdraw from INEC staff trial

    Alleged bribery: EFCC wants judge to withdraw from INEC staff trial

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday asked Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos to withdraw from the trial of two Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) employees accused of receiving bribe.

    Christian Nwosu and Tijani Inda Bashir were accused of receiving N30million bribe from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to rig the 2015 general election results.

    They were arraigned along with Yisa Adedoyin, who pleaded guilty to receiving cash payment of N70, 050,000.00 from the ex-minister.

    Alison-Madueke is also named in the charge, but is said to be “at large.”

    Adedoyin was convicted following a plea bargain with EFCC in which he agreed to pay a fine of N10million and to forfeit his illicitly-acquired assets.

    Nwosu pleaded guilty at first and entered a plea bargain with EFCC, but Justice Idris rejected the agreement on the basis that it was not severe enough.

    It was agreed that Nwosu would forfeit the assets he acquired with the money and pay N500,000 fine.

    After rejecting the plea bargain agreement, Justice Idris gave Nwosu the option of changing his plea to not guilty, or accepting a heavier sentence, including N10million fine as provided in the law.

    When the defendants were re-arraigned, Nwosu changed his plea to not guilty.

    EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, said on Monday that based on Section 270 (15) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the judge ought to return the case-file for re-assignment.

    The section reads: “Where the defendant has been informed of the heavier sentence, the defendant may withdraw from his plea agreement, in which event the trial shall proceed de novo before another presiding judge or magistrate, as the case may be.”

    Oyedepo said should the trial continue before Justice Idris, the judge could later be accused of bias and violating the law.

    “I urge my lord to remit the case to the Chief Judge for re-assignment to another judge,” the prosecutor said.

    But, Nwosu’s lawyer, Victor Opara, said since the judge had rejected the plea bargain agreement, it amounts to there being no plea bargain.

    Besides, he said Nwosu had pleaded not guilty to a “new” charge, adding that transferring the case to a new judge would be a waste of time.

    Opera undertook not to raise the issue of bias at any point in the proceedings, including on appeal.

    Justice Idris adjourned till May 24 for ruling on the matter.

  • 2,452 INEC staff for Etsako federal constituency election

    2,452 INEC staff for Etsako federal constituency election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo said the commission had deployed 2,452 ad-hoc and INEC staff for the Etsako federal constituency election into the House of Representatives.

    The election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, Jan. 28.

    Mr Oscar-Lee Amaechi, the Administrative Secretary of the commission in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin that the staff had been trained and were prepared for the election.

    Amaechi said there were a total of 308 polling units in Etsako federal constituency.

    “We have 12 wards in Etsako West; 10 wards in Etsako East and 10 wards in Etsako Central local government areas.

    “Information about the election had been passed across to all political parties. We have published a notice to that effect.

    “Six political parties are participating in the elections. We have three male and three female candidates participating in the election across the six political parties,” he said.

    Ameachi listed the six the political parties as, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD).

    Others are, Mega Progressive People Party (MPPP), New Patriotic Party (NPP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    According to him, only youth corps members and INEC staff will be used as polling officers in the poll.

    Amaechi further explained that the commission had held a security meeting with the security agencies in the state and that they had promised to provide security during and after the elections.

    He said non-sensitive materials had left the commission’s office about a week ago, and that sensitive materials were about to be dispatched from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Benin, to Etsako federal constituency.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Etsako federal constituency seat in the House of Representative became vacant following the Election of Mr Philip Shaibu as the Deputy to Gov. Godwin Obaseki.

    Shaibu was the member representing Etsako federal constituency in the House of Representatives before he became the deputy governor.

     

  • #EdoDecide: PDP caucus alleges APC, INEC of conspiracy to rig

    #EdoDecide: PDP caucus alleges APC, INEC of conspiracy to rig

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and some personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are conspiring to rig Wednesday’s governorship polls in Edo state, the caucus of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives has alleged.

    Compromising INEC staff, issuance of sensitive materials including result sheets before elections and alteration of card readers, among others  are the means to be employed to carry out the rigging, the leader of caucus, Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta) said at a briefing Tuesday.

    “INEC surreptitiously and in conjunction with APC compiled names and list of INEC staff and persons sympathetic with APC to superintend over election to skew same in favour of APC.

    “Thus, INEC staff earlier listed for the elections was all replaced majorly with people from a particular section of the country, claiming that most people from the South-south are pathetic to the PDP.

    “There was an arrangement to issue sensitive materials such as results sheets and incident forms to the APC before the election to enable them originate fake results and submit same with the assistance of security men.

    “Some top APC members were arranging with ICT experts and some INEC officials to alter the card readers to be used for the election to give an inaccurate figure, which was not generated from the legitimate accreditation in the field.

    “Additionally, INEC unlawfully agreed with some security agencies to move collation centres to police station, saying the action was to give the APC, who are ill-prepared and indeed not capable of winning any free and fair election in Edo State, the covering to bring in compromised results for the Returning Officers to announce,” he said.

    Ogor, who was accompanied by several members of the caucus, said the APC in the State, in conjunction with some security agencies have consistently harassed PDP members in the various local governments of the state ahead of the election.

    The security report which was used as excuse to postpone the election would also be deployed as grounds to militarise Edo to ward off any anti APC voter, Ogor alleged.

    The caucus however appealed to the electoral umpire to live above board, saying, “We urge INEC as an independent and unbiased umpire to forestall these evil arrangements and uphold its integrity. The issues raised herein should be taken seriously and acted upon by civil society, the Nigerian public and the press to give credibility to the electoral process”.

  • INEC staff held hostage at Dickson’s local government

    INEC staff held hostage at Dickson’s local government

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said its staff deployed to distribute electoral materials at Sagbama local government area of Bayelsa State were being held hostage.

    Sagbama is the home local government of Governor Seriake Dickson who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election.

    INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, who was on a live programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), said staff deployed to convey materials to Sagbama were confronted by some gunmen.

    According to him, the staff had to take refuge at the local government headquarters adding that another team was held hostage as they made to distribute materials.

    He said security agents had been contacted to help rescue the electoral officials, “We are asking that a gunboat be sent to the place immediately. If necessary, they will have to be evacuated and brought back to Abuja.”

    But the Deputy Inspector-General of Police overseeing the election, Argungu Hashimu, said the police was on top of the situation.

    “We are taking care of everything,” said Mr. Hashimu, who is also a guest on the NTA programme said, “We are the ones on ground and we are doing our job.”

    Cases of violent attacks were reported on Friday around some parts of Bayelsa. The commissioner for Information, Esuene Kikile, had alleged that armed thugs attacked PDP leaders and supporters in Okpoma community in Brass local government areas.

    The Publicity Secretary of APC in Bayelsa, Nathan Egba, also alleged that gunmen attacked APC governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva and three journalists, including a correspondent of a newspaper, on Friday night in Odioma, Brass local government area. However, the journalists were rescued by soldiers.

    Mr. Egba, however, denied the alleged APC’s involvement in the reported attack on PDP supporters in Okpoma community, Brass local government area.

     

  • INEC staff caught with thumb printed ballot papers in Niger

    An adhoc staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was arrested on Friday night at Sambo ward of Rijau local government area of Niger State after two booklets of thumb printed ballot papers were found in his possession.

    The supervising presiding officer (name withheld) allegedly thumb printed the ballot papers in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate.

    A source said that soon after collecting the election materials due to him, the suspect returned to complain to the officers in charge of distribution that there was a short fall in the ballot papers allocated to him.

    His complaint triggered an argument between him and the distribution officers which attracted attention of other people.

    Some of them who had seen the suspect when he was thumb printing the ballot papers then spilled the bean.

    Searches for the missing ballot papers was ordered and were later found hidden in a car allegedly owned by a former minister from the state.

    The suspect was immediately arrested and handed over to the Divisional Police Officer of the town.

    Contacted on phone the head of Voter Education Unit of the Niger State INEC office, Malam Mohammed Wase, confirmed the incident but said it would be investigated to ascertain the brains behind it.

    A senior officer in Kontagora also confirmed the incident, explaining that the suspect and the matter would be transferred to the state headquarters as soon as preliminary investigation is completed.

     

  • INEC staff caught with thumb printed ballot papers in Niger

    INEC staff caught with thumb printed ballot papers in Niger

    An ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was arrested on Friday night in Sambo ward, Rijau local government area of Niger State, in possession of thumb printed two booklets of ballot papers.

    The INEC staff, a supervising presiding officer, Ibrahim Tanko was arrested with the ballot papers in favour of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate,  Mohammed Gado Nasko.

    A source in the town said the electoral officer after collecting all election materials went back to complain that there was a short fall in the ballot papers given to him.

    Unknown to Tanko, some people had seen him hiding the two booklets in a car purportedly owned by a former minister in the state.

    The suspect was immediately arrested and handed over to the Divisional Police Officer in the town.

    Contacted on phone, the head of Voter Education Unit in the state INEC office, Malam Mohammed Wase, confirmed the incident, saying investigation to ascertain those involved in the incident was ongoing.

     

  • 2015 Polls: Be above board, INEC tells staff

    2015 Polls: Be above board, INEC tells staff

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has charged corps members and other staff of the commission to be deployed for the conduct of the 2015 General Elections to be above board.

    The commission gave the charge in Benin City at a – two day refreshers training organized for the ad-hoc staff.

    The training is to prepare them adequately for duties to assigned to them in the March 28 and April 11, 2015 general elections.

    Addressing the corp members, a senior official from INEC headquarters in Abuja, Mr. Mustapha expressed the need to be transparent, while performing their duties with due diligence in order not to provoke any crisis.

    On his part, Mr. Muyiwa Adelekan, an official from the Edo State office of INEC implored trainees to be steadfast and committed to their assigned duties, in line with the Electoral Act.

    Mr. K. G. Olawale, the Electoral Officer in charge of Oredo Local Government Area urged the ad-hoc staff to exercise dexterity while discharging their responsibilities.

    Mr. Olawale encouraged them to shun violence and be of good conduct while interfacing with the electorate in order to give room for mutual understanding between officers and the electorate.

    The training which was conducted in two segments had both theoretical and practical sections, in which the ad-hoc staff were trained extensively on the do’s and don’t of the electoral process.