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Tag: Inec

  • INEC begins distribution of sensitive materials in Imo

    …stakeholders express worry over late commencement

     

    The distribution of sensitive materials for the Presidential and National Assembly elections started in Imo State at about 1.30pm on Friday.

    Stakeholders expressed worry that the delay in the commencement of the distribution of the materials may affect the conduct of Saturday’s election.

    But the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Francis Ezeonu, assured that voting will commence at scheduled time on the day of election.

    Read Also: In Imo, a crackdown on hardened criminals

    He said that the materials, despite the initial delay will arrive at the polling stations by 8am.

  • Rivers APC wants INEC boss jailed for contempt

    The All Progressives Congress ( APC ) and its governorship candidate in Rivers state, Pastor Tonye Cole wants the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu sent to jail for contempt for allegedly refusing to obey an Appeal Court order of stay of execution.

    Director, Strategic Communications for the Tonye Cole Campaign Organization, Prince Tonye Princewill said in a statement in Abuja that the INEC boss has already been served contempt proceedings to come and explain to the court why he has refused to comply with the order of court.

    Princewill said a delegation from the APC in Rivers state has served contempt proceedings on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission for not being independent enough.

    According to him, Yakubu is to appear in court to explain why he should not be sent to jail for disobeying subsisting court orders and excluding APC in Rivers state.

    He said “proceedings were served yesterday because INEC has shown us that it is no longer independent. How else can you explain the speed they acted after a judgement by Justice Omotosho that said we should not only be removed from the ballot, but we should also be barred from campaigning? People should learn to fear God.

    “Now that same Justice Omotosho order has been stayed, yet two weeks later, we’re still waiting for our rights to be restored and INEC is comfortable that. To make matters worse, the Supreme Court last week threw out the appeal against the stay judgement. So what is still holding INEC? They cannot exclude us. But if they do, they will face the legal consequences. We can either do this election once or they will conduct it twice. The law is on our side.”

    Read Also: Rivers APC: Supreme Court to rule on other three appeals

    He commended Rivers people for showing restraint and implored them to come out and vote as who becomes President is who determines the leaders in the state, saying “do not be distracted by INEC. If they do not put us on the ballot, that election will be repeated. It will not be an election. But the Presidential is not in doubt. All states must put in their quota towards victory. That includes us too here in Rivers state.

    It will be recalled that despite several pleas and multiple court orders, INEC has continued to stay mute on the matter of Rivers state, offering no details as to why the numerous judgements in favour of the APC have not been abided by, whereas judgements in favour of the PDP are more readily attended to.

    It appears that forces unseen have an interest in not seeing APC in Rivers state thrive.

    This no doubt is not the end of the matter.

  • List of presidential candidates unbelievable – Banda

    The number of presidential candidates in Saturday’s poll is unbelievable, Former President of Zambia, Rupia Banda has said.

    72 candidates will be vying for the seat of the president of the country. Likewise, 109 seat in the upper chamber and 360 in the lower chamber are up for grab in the Saturday elections.

    Banda is the head of the The number of presidential candidates in Saturday’s poll is unbelievable, Former President of Zambia, Rupia Banda has said., (EISA) which has since deployed 30 international observers for the general elections. He spoke when he led a delegation of EISA to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

    The former president noted that Nigeria was too important to the West African sub-region, the entire continent and the entire international community which informed the special interest in her electoral process.

    He said the agenda of EISA was to observe the process and make appropriate recommendations that would further deepen the democratic process in Nigeria.

    He said: “The importance of Nigeria to Africa and indeed to the world cannot be overstated so we are very honoured to be here in order to observe and to see how the elections will take place.

    “A team of about 30 people will be deployed to various parts of this great nation. We look forward to observe this successful and peaceful election as it takes place this weekend.

    Read Also: Buhari’s address to the nation

    “We know how complex the size of the country and the size of the population of Nigeria is. Therefore we wish Nigerian people under your leadership, Mr. Chairman very successful elections.

    “We wish you well on what you have put in with the election population. The many Presidential Candidates is unbelievable. In our country if I tell the people of Zambia how many members on the list of the Presidential election is almost the number of the whole Parliament in our country so we know how complicated it is.”

    In his response, Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, assured them of adequate security in the course of their assignment in the country.

    He called on the team to be free to offer criticisms when necessary as he noted that EISA’s recommendations after the election would go a long way to deepen the electoral process in the country.

    Yakubu also Commended EISA for supporting democracy and the democratization process not only in Nigeria but other African countries.

    “It is once again our pleasure in Nigeria as we conduct election this weekend to welcome yet another team for peer review, this time around from the Continent led by such an eminent person as His Excellency Rupia Banda.

    “We are always encouraged when people of your standing in the Continent come and observe what we do in Nigeria. We look forward to your important recommendations while assuring you that at the end of the day, we will give consideration to your reports and the recommendations in strengthening our processes and procedures.

    “EISA has been supporting democracy and the democratization process not only in Nigeria but elsewhere as well. It has led successful missions to Sierra Leone and Liberia in July 2017 ahead of their elections and EISA provided resource persons.

    “We look forward to your report and recommendations after the election. It will help us to strengthen the process in Nigeria.

    As we open the polling units on Saturday, feel free to move around and make your observations available to us. We are open to criticisms. All the observers are our guest, we assure you of adequate security.“

  • Be professional, INEC tells election observers

    Dr Rufus Akeju, the Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, on Thursday advised election observers in the state to exhibit the highest level of integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties during the general elections.

    Akeju gave the advice while briefing accredited election observers and party representatives in Akure.

    The REC noted that an election monitor has some level of lawful authority over the conduct of elections and officials unlike observers.

    According to him, a monitor is a duly authorised personnel of INEC while an observer is independent and writes reports to his organisation and the commission.

    Akeju said that the clarification was imperative to avoid occurrences that could result in misunderstanding and confusion during the elections.

    “Under no circumstance should observers handle election documents in the polling station or physically assist the voting or counting process,” Akeju said.

  • Zamfara: Agbakoba questions AGF’s letter to INEC

    A former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has urged Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami (SAN) to withdraw the letter asking the Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC ) to postpone election in Zamfara State.

    The AGF asked INEC to postpone the election to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) field candidates in the state.

    INEC barred APC from fielding contestants for failing to meet up with the deadline for submission of candidates.

    Agbakoba argued that if anyone was to make the postponement request, it should be the APC, not the AGF.

    He said: “I am shocked by your letter to INEC on the above subject. You are the Attorney-General of the Federation and not the Attorney-General of INEC.

    “INEC is an independent institution and cannot take directives from the Federal Government.

    “If there is need for the postponement of the Zamfara State election as indicated in your letter, the proper person to request the postponement is the APC.

    “In any case, Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act 2010 which your request is based on have nothing to do with postponement of elections.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has at various fora undertaken that the Federal Government will not interfere with INEC. Your letter puts that commitment to question. It is my hope that this letter will be immediately withdrawn.”

  • Zamfara: PDP faults AGF on letter to INEC

    Calls for free, fair, transparent poll

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has faulted the Attorney General for the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami on his letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    In the said letter, Malami had advised INEC to postpone the general elections in Zamfara State, to accommodate a ruling of the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal, purportedly directing the electoral body to allow the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) field candidates for the upcoming elections.

    INEC had barred the state chapter of the APC from fielding candidates for elections for submitting names of its candidates after the expiration of the deadline prescribed by the Electoral Act.

    However, after series of legal rigmarole initiated by the leadership of the Zamfara APC, the Appeal Court purportedly gave the go ahead to the chapter to submit the lists of its candidates to INEC for the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled to hold on March 2.

    But in a swift reaction on Thursday, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus described the AGF’s letter to INEC as part of APC’s design to arm-twist INEC and the judiciary to take illegal actions in their favour.

    Addressing a news conference at the Legacy House, the party’s Abuja campaign office, Secondus said what the AGF was seeking is not backed by law.

    According to the party chair, the AGF is an interested party in this matter and thus has no moral right to advice INEC.

    Secondus said, “The inability of the APC to field candidates due to self-inflicted crisis when other parties did within the stipulated period for the election is not covered by section 38 & 39 of the Electoral Act 2010 which the AGF is relying on for his dubious advice.

    “I, therefore, call on INEC to follow the dictates of the law and continue in its plan to achieve a credible election”, adding that the 2019 general elections, more than any other in the past, provide an opportunity for the country to get on the right path.

    “The challenge that we now face is one of expectation. Those entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the expression of the people’s will is made manifest, have time and again failed to demonstrate good faith. We expect better than we are getting,

    “A sick narrative has emerged, one of systemic and systematic rigging, manipulation of the true record of the voters register and a cabal you can no longer trust with the trajectory and growth of our democracy and nation.

    “This is the evidence of bad faith by those managing the election and the government of the day”, Secondus said.

    The party chair accused the electoral body of failing to clean up its register of voters before it published same, against the practice under previous INEC administrations.

    He also faulted the voting arrangements put in place by the electoral body whereby accreditation and voting will go on simultaneously.

    It’s a departure from arrangements in previous elections where voters were first accredited and allowed to vote only after the end of the accreditation exercise.

    According to the party chairman, the new continuous voting regime this was meant to facilitate multiple voting by APC members in their numbers.

    Also, Secondus alleged that the voter register compiled by INEC contained data of dead voters for whom Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) were printed and distributed nationwide.

    Quoting official government data, the party chairman said the gross death rate in the country stood at 12.5 per 1000 lives, adding that from available evidence, over 1,050,051 dead persons would vote in the upcoming elections.

    “The decision that dead voters will cast ballots has been taken by INEC and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The idea of ghost voters is consistent with the nature of this virtual President.

    “There has been a coordinated approach to register foreigners as voters, mainly from Niger and Cameroon. That is why INEC has established so many polling units along the borders with Cameroon and Niger. That is despite the fact that population data did not justify the move”, Secondus said.

    Read Also: APC, PDP in two-horse race: How the states may vote

    Speaking on Saturday’s presidential election, the party chairman cited multiple “intelligence sources” available to the PDP showing that the APC, in conjunction with INEC, through the ICT situation room, have concluded plans to manipulate the outcome of the election.

    He said, “By deliberately corrupting the INEC voter’s register to induce voter suppression in PDP strongholds and operations areas with the aim of disenfranchising at least four voters through corrupting of their four names on the voters register.

    “The strategy is to create artificial problems wherein at least four registered voters can be disfranchised in PDP strong hold areas. The target is to adequately limit the estimated members of PDP who would want to vote in their areas.

    “There is a deliberate ploy to disrupt Internet services and jam cell tower coverage ostensibly to prevent Nigerians from covering the elections via social media.

    “There is also confirmed intelligence showing that critical PDP players in this election are to be earmarked, arrested and quarantined to a particular location to give way for the elections to be rigged.

    “The other intelligence available to the party also shows that some uniforms of para-military and military operatives, particularly the Army and Police, have been produced in large numbers for use by civilians during the voting period.

    “To send faulty card reader machines to certain identified PDP strongholds and record a deliberate slow screening of voters to frustrate and discourage them.

    “They have packaged large sums of foreign currency to induce voters and security and INEC operatives.

    “We also have on good authority that all the electoral frauds via the ICT, which the APC has mapped out, are being coordinated by a highly placed government official (body bag) with the help of some foreigners inside an apartment in the government House and other locations in Kaduna state.

    “We have deep respect for our security personnel who are sworn to protect and defend our constitution and the integrity of our nation. President Buhari administration however, is determined to subvert the impartiality of our security agencies.

    “It has recently moved personnel to areas along the borders, where they will be employed to create violence, stuff ballots and aid non-Nigerians to vote in a predetermined manner”.

    Secondus also alleged extravagant use of money at APC campaigns through advertisements, billboards and the use of state media as an instrument of the party, adding that the use of public resources for partisan purposes is unprecedented.

    The chairman similarly faulted the decision by INEC not to transmit election results electronically, saying this was caused by the refusal of President Buhari to sign the law that would have made this possible.

     

  • Obey Appeal Court judgement on Zamfara, APC tells INEC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately enlist its candidates in Zamfara state for the general election which begins on Saturday in compliance with the judgement of the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal.

    The court had dismissed an appeal against the judgement of the High Court of Zamfara state ordering the commission to accept the list of candidates presented to it by the party.

    National Legal Adviser of the party, Babatunde Ogala told newsmen after a meeting between the Deputy National Chairman, South, Otumba Niyi Adebayo the Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari and his Ekiti state counterpart, Kayode Fayemi that even if INEC was right in obeying only the pronouncement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which made no order, there is a judgement of a superior court now which the commission must obey.

    Ogala said “We all know the tragerary of the Zamfara matter where despite having a positive order of court asking INEC to accept the list of our candidates from a properly held, conducted, supervised and observed primary by INEC, it still said, in its opinion because there was a conflicting order of court of coordinate jurisdiction refused to accept our candidates.

    “Let me emphasis that the court in Abuja did not make any order. The only order was from the High Court in Zamfara. Some people in their wisdom, appealed the decision of the High Court in Gusau. That is the matter that now went on appeal and the Court of Appeal in Sokoto has now dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the Zamfara state High Court which upheld that the APC had a legitimate primary and that INEC should accept the list of our candidates.

    “Let us assume, though not conceding that INEC was right in saying it had two conflicting orders of court of coordinate jurisdiction and choose to accept the one that made no order as against the one that had a positive order, now we have a judgement of a higher court which has now affirmed the decision of the Zamfara state High Court compelling INEC to accept our list of candidates and we are hopeful that INEC will comply with the order of court and have our candidates on the ballot.”

    Asked if the party planned to hold any meeting with INEC on the issue, Ogala said “there is nothing like having to meet with INEC. What we owe who was a respondent in the matter is to forward a copy of the judgement of the Court of Appeal to INEC even though they are already aware, so that they will reflect the names of our already submitted candidates on the ballot for the elections”

    Also speaking, Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari said the people of the state were grateful to God for the judgement, stressing that INEC should follow the part of honour and obey the judgement of the court of Appeal.

    Yari said “I give thanks to God in whose infinite mercies, this judgement came up. If the judgement had been to the contrary, it would have been different. But the Court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the judgement of the High Court. You know what that means. We are happy with the outcome and we are here to work with the party to convey the enrollment order to INEC and to ensure that they comply with the order.

    “Even if the two judgments from the high court were conflicting, we now have the judgement of a superior court and we except INEC to comply and now follow the part of anarchy or go against the laws of the land. So, we believe strongly that INEC will comply.“

  • Breaking: APC members in Rivers block INEC headquarters

    … insist electoral commission must obey Court of Appeal ruling to relist party, candidates

     

    Thousands of protesting members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, from 8 a.m. today, blocked the main entrance of Rivers headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, insisting that the electoral commission must obey the ruling of Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt and relist the main opposition party in the state (APC) and its candidates.

    The aggrieved protesters, who were armed with placards bearing various inscriptions and chanting: “No APC, no elections in Rivers State,” were led by the party’s candidate for Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Oji Ngofa, who is Nigeria’s Ambassador to The Netherlands.

    INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Edwin Enabor, addressed the protesters and he informed them that the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) in Rivers, Mr. Obo Effanga, had not got to the office.

    Ngofa, however, insisted that he and other APC members would not leave, until their protest letter was personally handed over to the REC of INEC in Rivers, for onward transmission to the National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

    The protesters were still in front of INEC office, with the gate still blocked, as at press time.

  • AGF calls on INEC to allow Zamfara APC field candidates for elections

    The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, (SAN) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to allow the All Progressives Congress (APC) Zamfara, field candidates for the general elections.

    Malami, who doubles as the Minister of Justice, made the call in a letter to INEC dated Feb. 13, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The minister said that INEC could not foreclose the right of a political party to participate in elections without recourse to the Act.

    “My office received a petition from the firm of M. A. Mahmud, (SAN) & CO, in respect of the need to urgently consider Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act and extend the time for the APC Zamfara to field a gubernatorial candidate in the light of a Zamfara High Court judgment in suit No.ZMS/GS/52/2018.

    “The letter was requesting that the subsisting judgment in the suit be upheld and respected by INEC, as the Court of Appeal has upheld the appeal with No. CA/S/23/2019; thus effectively annulling the grounds upon which the purported cancellation of the APC Primaries in Zamfara by INEC was based.’’

    Malami, in the letter invited INEC to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal by admitting the results of the APC Zamfara primaries.

    He also invited INEC to comply with the provisions of Section 38 of the Electoral Act, which empower the commission to postpone the election for the governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.

    He said this was in view of the fact since the Court of Appeal had upheld the primaries as valid, the APC in Zamfara would need a little time to catch up with its contemporaries in the election.

    “Granting them this concession is not necessarily a favour but a right that inures to all contestants under similar circumstances.”

    The AGF maintained that by the doctrine and principle of judicial precedence, the appeal superseded the Federal High Court’s position which foreclosed APC Zamfara from fielding candidates in the Feb. and March general elections. (NAN)

  • Mark, Ekweremadu seek free, fair elections

    Ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections, former Senate President, Senator David Mark, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security operatives to conduct the exercise in a manner that is fair and just to all parties and their candidates.

    Mark also asked all stakeholders in the Nigerian project to ensure that the elections are conducted within the ambit of the law insisting that the will of the people must be allowed to prevail.

    He cautioned those fanning the ambers of war to think otherwise “because there is no other country we can call ours but Nigeria”.

    Senator Mark expressed optimism that a peaceful conduct of the election is possible if everyone carried out his or her legitimate duty in a honest and orderly manner according to the rules of the game.

    He urged the electorate to vote for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in order to turn around the countries declining economy once again.

    Senator Mark in a statement by his media Assistant, Paul Mumeh, expressed optimism that the pains of a declining economy would be reversed for gainful employment and a prosperous nation if the PDP returns to power.

    He said the PDP has a defined road map on how to revamp the ailing economy and get Nigeria to work again.

    Senator Mark therefore urged the electorate to vote for PDP Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, its governorship, Senatatoral, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly candidates in the elections.

    Also Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (lNEC) and security agencies will take the either the blame or the praise of the elections.

    He reminded INEC and the security agencies that they would bear both the blame and praise in the conduct of the 2019 general elections, admonishing them to exhibit the highest sense of patriotism and professionalism.

    A statement by the media aide to Ekweremadu, Uche Anichukwu, said that the Deputy Senate President gave the admonition while speaking with journalists at the Enugu West People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) Mega Rally, which held at Agwu, Enugu State.

    Anichukwu quoted Ekweremadu to have said: “I believe that the INEC will be able to conduct free and fair elections if they follow the rules. They have said that several times. But they also have to understand that, as the President would say, the world is also watching us. At the end of the day, it is the INEC that will be on trial. It is their chairman that will be on trial. If anything goes wrong, he will be held responsible. If it goes well, he will take all the credit.

    “We have come a long way as a country. We have tried to freshen up our electoral processes through some legislative efforts. We have amended the constitution severally in order to get the best practices. But no matter the quantum of laws we have made, the important thing is for INEC to live up to expectations to get their people to do the correct thing whether you are ad hoc staff or you are a permanent staff of INEC. Ultimately they will answer for their conduct”.

    He added that it was also up to the security agencies to live up to their several promises of neutrality, professional conduct, and protection of INEC, electoral materials and voters.

    “We have heard their promises. We will give them benefit of doubt. But they must have to remember that in 2015, some people allegedly compromised their positions and many of them lost their jobs. To compromise yourself because of one politician that choses to be fraudulent is not worth it. Then, you would have compromised your career and family.

    “They (security agents) must realise that there will be a day or days after the elections. Whatever you do, you will also answer for your conduct.

    “Importantly too, I believe that the best judge of human conduct is your conscience. I appeal to them to be conscientious and professional because we are going to tell the story after Saturday in terms of who did what and eventually blames will come and praises will as well.”

    Ekweremadu tipped the PDP to record a landslide victory in Enugu, but called for vigilance.

    He said, “Because Enugu is basically PDP we are not expecting any problem. We just expect that people will move very early to the polling stations, stay there for the arrival of the voting materials, crosscheck the materials to ensure that all necessary materials are there, and then commence the process of accreditation and voting.

    “After voting they should remain there and wait until the end and of course to watch the votes collated and results announced before they leave. They will not only take copies, but also take pictures of the results and be able to circulate as widely as possible. With that I am sure that they will be able have control of what happens. Eternal vigilance”, he concluded.

    The mega rally turned a carnival as popular Nigerian musical artistes, including Davido, Flavour, Zoro, Quincy, Nigga Raw, among others thrilled the mammoth crowd and dignitaries such the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwunayi.