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Tag: Inec

  • 85% PVC collected Kogi – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that 85 percent of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for registered voters in Kogi State have been collected.

    Head of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) at the Kogi INEC office, Alhaji Ahmed Biambo Bagudu disclosed this in Lokoja, during the North Central ‘Zonal Implementation Meeting on Women’s Participation in the 2019 Election,’ organised by INEC in collaboration with the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWFT).

    He said that INEC is prepared for the conduct of the general election, adding that non- sensitive materials have been received and were being deployed across the state, while sensitive materials will be in the custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), until 48 hours to elections, before deployment.

    The Chief Executive Officer of NWFT, Mufuliat Fijabi, said that the programme was aimed at encouraging greater women participation in the forthcoming elections across the North Central geopolitical zone.

    She said full participation of women in elections in Nigeria was important, because women constitute the bulk of the voting population, adding that their coming out to vote would add value to Nigeria’s drive towards an inclusive democratic process.

    She said: “All efforts should be made to ensure that women come out, and to also educate women, that election day is not a time to stay back at home to do domestic work. Women have a great role to play through their votes on election day.”

  • Constituent seeks disqualification of Reps Minority Leader Ogor over alleged forgery

    The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has been approached for a perpetual injunction to disqualify the member of the House of Representatives, representing Isoko Federal Constituency, Hon Leo Ogor, contesting the general elections.

    In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/10/2019 and filed by one Peter Enaruke against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ogor as the first, second and third defendants respectively, the court was asked to disqualify Ogor, who is the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, for alleged falsification and forgery of documents.

    The court papers also sought to restrain both the PDP and the INEC from fielding Ogor as a candidate and entering his name to be on the ballot when the election for the House of Representatives comes up on the 16 of this month.

    The plaintiff claimed that the dates of working experience filled in the 2018 INEC form C.F. 001 and the educational qualification with dates in the 2014 INEC form C.F. 001 and certificates submitted by Ogor, the 3rd defendant for the 2019 general elections were false information and forged certificates.

    “A declaration that by the virtue of the mandatory, constitutional and statutory provision of section 6(6), 36, 106(c) and 107(I)(h) of the 1999 constitution (As Amended), the 3rd defendant, who swore on oath vide his 2014 INEC form C.F. 001-affidavit in support of personal particular of persons seeking election to the House of Representatives, Isoko North/South Federal Constituency of Delta state, that he allegedly obtained his primary school leaving certificate from 1969-1974 (as against his later affidavit in his 2018 INEC form C.F. 001 wherein he stated that he obtained his primary school leaving certificates, at least as respect his educational qualification with dates in the said 2014 INEC form C.F. 001.

    “A declaration that by the virtue of the mandatory, constitutional and statutory provision of section 6(6), 36, 106(c) and 107(I)(h) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), the 3rd defendant, stood automatically disqualified ab initio from contesting the forthcoming 2015 general elections into the House of Representatives, Isoko North/South Federal Constituency of Delta state, held February, 2015 or any other date thereabout on the platform of the 1st defendant or any other political party, the 3rd defendant has perjured and presented false information and forged certificates, at least as respect his working experience with dates in the said 2018 INEC form C.F. 001 and his educational qualification with dates in the said 2014 INEC form C.F. 001”, the papers stated.

    Read Also: Leo Ogor back in the House

    The plaintiff, therefore sought, among other things, an order setting aside or nullifying the nomination of Hon Ogor as the candidate of the PDP.

    “A perpetual injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants either by themselves, agents, privies, surrogates or any other person(s) whosoever from parading, presenting, recognising, projecting, forwarding, accepting, or dealing with the 3rd defendant in any manner however as the candidate of the 1st defendant in contesting the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

    “A perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd defendant either by themselves, agents, privies, surrogates or any other person(s) whosoever from parading, presenting, recognising, projecting, forwarding, accepting or suffering his name to be forwarded to the 2nd defendant or dealing with the 1st and 2nd defendants in any manner however as the candidate of the 1st defendant to represent the 1st defendant in the forthcoming 2019 general elections”, the application demanded.

  • Breaking: INEC extends collection of PVCs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has extended the collection date of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) till Monday 11th.

    Announcing the extension, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu also said the staff will be at their duty post even at the weekend to ensure that all registered voters get their PVCs.

    Besides, he said the time of collection has also been extended till 6 pm.

    The commission has also directed that all staff across the country be deployed for the purpose.

    Read Also: INEC rules out shift of election dates

    He also said that uncollected PVCs after the extended date will be recalled and deposited at the CBN till after the general elections.

    Meanwhile, the management of INEC is in a closed door meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to review activities for the February Presidential and National Assembly polls scheduled for next Saturday, 16th February, 2019.

     

    Details shortly…

  • I remain SDP presidential candidate – Duke

    Former governor of Cross River, Mr Donald Duke, says he still remains the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and would present himself for the Feb. 16 poll.

    Duke said this in a statement on Friday in Lagos, while reacting to the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to withdraw from the election and adopt President Muhammadu Buhari as its preferred candidate.

    “Regardless and for the avoidance of doubt, I Donald Duke, remain on the ballot and the candidate of the SDP as recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    “This unfortunate saga is as a result of an aspirant who lost at the party primaries on Oct. 6, 2018, fair and square, does not query the conduct of the primaries but rather resorts to bigotry, querying my suitability to contest for the presidency on grounds that I come from the wrong part of the country.

    “The Federal Court of Appeal has put this matter to rest. The office of president does not belong to any party and therefore not for a party to zone,” he said.

    Duke identified internal management of party affairs as the bane of the nation’s democracy.
    He said his decision to run for the presidency was to afford the electorate a credible alternative.

    “My decision to run on an untainted political platform rather than on one which I was a founding member is grounded on a desire to afford our electorate and indeed our nation a clean break, options and alternatives to her current gladiators.

    “For the SDP NEC to thereby endorse the APC or any other party, is rather unfortunate and betrays in my opinion, the desire of the vast majority of our party members and Nigerians credible alternatives to our nation’s leadership.

    “I need not say more, suffice that I remain on the ballot and thereby still present myself as a candidate for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Duke said.

    Read Also: Gana rejects Appeal Court affirmation of Duke

    The SDP NEC had on Thursday announced the party’s withdrawal from the presidential race while adopting Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, for the poll.
    It explained that the decision was based on the protracted legal issue facing the party.

    “We cannot campaign, we cannot do anything because of the protracted legal issue and we feel that it is impeccable to technically withdraw from the presidential election.

    “We want to focus on the National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assemblies election for which we have fielded candidates across the country.

    “We are therefore adopting Buhari, the APC Presidential candidate, as our preferred candidate for the Feb. 16 election,” it said.

  • INEC rules out shift of election dates

    •May extend PVC collection deadline  •IG bars police escorts for VIPs on election days

    THERE are no plans to postpone the general elections scheduled for February 16 and March 2, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday.

    INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians and the international community that no election will be postponed.

    The INEC boss spoke on a day the United States (U.S) said it has no preferred candidate.

    Its Consul-General in Nigeria, Ambassador John Bay, who was in Bayelsa State yesterday, said that the U.S. was only interested in free, fair and credible elections.

    There are pending legal tussles from the primaries organised by political parties suggesting that INEC may have to postpone some elections.

    But Prof Yakubu told stakeholders at a meeting organised by INEC that the commission will not be swayed into postponing any of the scheduled polls.

    He noted that the commission has been dragged to court for 640 times and received 540 applications for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of documents.

    Yakubu promised that the commission under his watch will continue to obey all court orders, assuring that it would not be deterred in the discharge of its functions.

    He said: “Court cases arising from the conduct of congress and primaries have risen to 640. INEC has been dragged to court 640 times, we have received 540 requests for certified true copy of documents. We have received 186 petitions over the conduct of congresses and party primaries.

    “It is the policy of INEC to obey court orders. People ask if the judgments from these courts are decided close to elections if INEC will postpone the elections, INEC will not postpone any elections but we will make contingency arrangements in case some of the orders come close to elections.”

    The INEC chairman also assured the stakeholders that he would “never fail Nigeria and Nigerians.”

    Stating that Smart Card Reader (SCR) will be deployed in the elections, Yakubu expressed surprise that many Nigerians complained of not collecting their PVCs at the centres.

    He reiterated that the commission printed the total of 14.2 million PVCs after voters’ registration adding that those cards were ready for collection.

    The INEC chair, therefore, said the commission would meet with a view to possibly reviewing the deadline for collection.

    He said: “Let me assure the nation and the stakeholders that smart card reader will be deployed in the 2019 elections. The next big issue for us is the voter register and the availability of the PVC.

    “We have heard so many complaints by citizens that they have been to collection centers but we are surprised to hear that in some centres they were told to come back that the cards were not printed.

    “We have 14.2 million new voters, the commission printed 14.2 million cards.the commission is going to meet today (Thursday) and where it is necessary, we will review the arrangements for the collection of PVC.”

    He urged the transport companies to ensure that polling units receive the electoral materials at 7:30am while voting should commence at 8am.

    According him, priority has been given to the elderly, visibly pregnant women and the physically challenged persons to vote at the polling units or voting points.

    The INEC chairman reiterated that while magnifying glasses and brailles have been provided for the visually impaired to aid them to vote, form EC30 containing bold instructions on how the deaf should cast their votes are posted at every polling units as well as the voting points.

    He also stated that the list of returning officers would be vetted to ensure that partisan members of academic staff were not included.

    According to him, 148 observer groups comprising 119 domestic observer groups and 29 foreign observer groups have been accredited by the commission to monitor the polls.

    Also speaking on the preparations for the elections, the Acting Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Mohammed Adamu, noted that the security agency has identify the flashpoints.

    Also, as part of the efforts to address the issue, the IG said no VIP (Very Important Person) would be allowed to move around with police escort on election days.

    He warned that any policeman who contravened the rule would be arrested.

    “No escort of VIPs on election day, any policeman who contravenes this order would be arrested,” the acting IG warned.

  • Don’t disenfranchise me, Gani Adams tells INEC

    The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to disenfranchise him and other members of his family in the forthcoming general elections.

    The Yoruba leader spoke against the backdrop of the delay he reportedly encountered in collecting his permanent voter’s card.

    In a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, the Aare Onakakanfo said he had not receiveed his PVC, several months after registration.

    He said the delay was suspicious.

    “I think it is suspicious, and I feel bad that as I speak, I am yet to receive my PVC, including my wife’s and the rest of my family.

    “This is not good for us as Nigerians. It portends a grave danger to our democracy and the nation. Remember, the world is watching, especially at a time the elections are just a few days away.

    “I am saying this, not because I have any preferred candidate in the coming elections, but because it is my right and that of other Nigerians to vote and be voted for. I know many Nigerians would have been disenfranchised as a result of INEC’s failure to make the PVCs available to the electorate,” the statement said.

     

  • Pictures of underage voting not from Kano – INEC

    … Assures Catholic Bishops of free, fair, credible polls

    Eight months after receiving the report on alleged underage voting in Kano Local Government election, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the pictures were processed.

    Yakubu had in May, 2018 absolved INEC from any role in the incident when the report of its investigation committee was turned in. Though the full details of the report were not made public, the commission then pushed the whole blame on Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (SIIEC).

    The National Commissioner, Abubakar Nahuche led committee, which report was made public posited that Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (SIIEC) did not use the INEC voter register to accredit voters before the elections.

    Besides, INEC Chairman said the voters register were not in use in most polling units.

    He, therefore, concluded that the commission was not responsible for the alleged underaged voting, as it has not been linked with the presence of underage registrants on the voter register.

    But during an audience Thursday with members of the Administrative Board of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, as part of the nationwide consultation with stakeholders on the Commission’s readiness for the general elections, Yakubu said all the pictures had nothing to do with the Kano Local Government election.

    His words: “there was a composite picture on social media. When we saw it, we were surprised because, before the local government election,  the Commission had conducted a bye-election in the Minjibir State Constituency in Kano. In that election conducted by INEC, there was no single allegation of the prevalence of underage persons.”

    Besides, the INEC Chairman observed that each of the registered political parties got a copy of the Voters’ Register since 2011 and none of them had ever complained of the prevalence of under-age voters in the Register.

    He wondered:  “So, what happened in the local government election conducted by a different election management body, the Kano State Independent Election Commissions (SIEC)?”

    Prof. Yakubu continued: “We set up a committee to investigate it. We asked the committee to decompose the composite picture that circulated on the social media and then, we saw surprises. All the pictures (on social media) had nothing to do with the Kano local government election. Some were pictures of events that happened 11 years ago. The most interesting for me was the queue of young small boys at an Internally Displaced Camp (IDP) in Bornu state. They were given handouts.

    They cut the head and tail of the queue and it was presented as young persons voting in the Kano local government elections from the INEC register.  Now, even if you have underage persons, you cannot have a polling unit of exclusively for underage persons. We saw this and we responded. I addressed a press conference, and when the agitation continued that we should publish the entire report of the committee, we published it online in March 2018 and since then, we have not heard a single comment.”

  • Breaking: We’ll not postpone polls, INEC assures

    May extend PVC collection deadline

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has foreclosed any possibility of postponing the forthcoming general elections.

    INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians and the international community that no election will be postponed.

    There are pending legal tussles from the primaries organised by political parties suggesting that INEC may have to postpone some elections.

    But Yakubu noted that the commission will not be swayed into postponing any of the polls.

    He disclosed this on Thursday at stakeholders meeting organised by INEC.

    He noted that the commission has been dragged to court for 640 times and received 540 applications for the certified true copy of documents.

    Yakubu promised the commission under him would continue to obey all court orders, assuring that it would not be deterred in the discharge of its functions.

    “Court cases arising from the conduct of congress and primaries have risen to 640. INEC has been dragged to court 640 times, we have received 540 requests for certified true copy of documents. We have received 186 petitions over the conduct of congresses and party primaries.

    “It is d policy of INEC to obey court orders. People ask if the judgements from these courts are decided close to elections if INEC will postpone the elections, INEC will not postpone any elections but we will make contingency arrangements in case some of the orders come close to elections,” he said.

    The INEC chairman also assured the stakeholders that he would “never fail Nigeria and Nigerians.”

    He stated that smart card reader would be deployed in the 2019 elections while expressing surprise that many Nigerians complained of not collecting their PVCs at the centres.

    Yakubu reiterated that the commission printed the total of 14.2 million PVCs after voters registration adding that those cards were ready for collection.

    He therefore said the commission would meet with a view to possibly reviewing the deadline for collection.

    “Let me assure the nation and the stakeholders that smart card reader will be deployed in the 2019 elections. The next big issue for us is the voter register and the availability of the PVC.

    “We have heard so many complaints by citizens that they have been to collection centers but we are surprised to hear that in some centres they were told to come back that the cards were not printed.

    “We have 14.2 million new voters; the commission printed 14.2 million cards. The commission is going to meet today (Thursday) and where it is necessary, we will review the arrangements for the collection of PVC.”

    He urged the transport companies to ensure that polling units receive the electoral materials at 7:30 am while voting should commence at 8am.

    Read Also: ‘INEC should postpone Rivers elections’

    According the INEC chairman, priority has been given to the elderly, visibly pregnant women and the physically challenged persons to vote at the polling units or voting points.

    The INEC chairman reiterated that while magnifying glasses and brails have been provided for the visually impaired to aid them to vote, form EC30 containing bold instructions on how the deaf should cast their votes are posted at every polling units as well as the voting points.

    He also stated that the list of returning officers from the nation’s tertiary institutions would be vetted to ensure that partisan members of academic staff were not included.

    The INEC boss said his commission had approved 148 observer groups comprising 119 domestic observer groups and 29 foreign observer groups.

    He explained that internally displaced persons in other states would only be allowed to vote in the presidential election.

    Also speaking on the preparations for the elections, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, noted that the security agency has identifed flashpoint areas in the country.

    He assured all that the police will bring such places to order.

    The IG said no VIP would be allowed to move around with police escort on election days.

    He warned that any policeman who contravened the rule would be arrested.

    “No escort of VIPs on election day, any policeman who contravenes this order would be arrested,” the IGP said

  • Edo denies bribing INEC staff with N.5m

    Edo State Government has denied allegation by the opposition People’s Democratic Party that it held meetings with newly recruited ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ).

    It also debunked allegations that it bribed INEC’s Electoral Officer with N500, 000 to release bulk Permanent Voter Cards to its candidates.

    Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the PDP’s allegations were signs of panic measures ahead of the elections.

    Osagie said officials of state government and leaders of the APC were currently on campaign to Owan Federal Constituency.

    He said the PDP leaders know the fate that await them on February 16 and March 2nd.

    His words, “As I am talking to you we are in Owan campaigning to the people. Who is now meeting with anybody in government house?

    Read Also: Edo flags off 740m College Road in Uhunmwode LGA

    “These are simple signs of panic. They know what fate that is ahead of them. They know they are going to lose the election.

    “All these things are lies. The people of Edo know the government working for them and they are going to vote for the APC.”

  • Breaking: Court sacks Sen Committee Chair, Umaru as APC candidate

    *Orders INEC to accept San- Musa for Niger-East Senatorial district

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept Mohammed Sani Musa as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Niger-East Senatorial District.

    Justice F. O. Giwa Ogunbanjo, in a judgment on Thursday, said Musa won the APC’s primary held on October 2, 2018 and not Senator David Umaru , incumbent Chairman of Senate Committee of Judiciary laying claim to being the candidate of the APC for the same position.

    Justice Ogunbanjo, in the judgment in suit marked: FHC:ABJ/CS/1120/2018, filed by Musa, upheld the argument of the plaintiff’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and granted all the reliefs sought.

    Read Also: Umaru tackles Bello on incessant travels abroad

    The judge noted that while Musa scored 29, 192, Umaru scored over 5,000 votes in the primary election.

    Among the granted reliefs included an order directing INEC to accept Musa’s name as APC’s candidate for Niger-East Senatorial District, and an order directing the APC to submit his name to INEC as its candidate.

    Details shortly…