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Tag: Inec

  • INEC configures card readers for Ondo poll

    INEC configures card readers for Ondo poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would commence configuration of card readers for the November 26 governorship poll in Ondo state on Thursday.

    The Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Mr Nick Dazang, made this known on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Dazang, who did not give the number of the card readers to be configured, said that the device to be deployed would cover the number of polling units and voting points in the state.

    “There will also be an extra number of card readers to serve as a backup for unforeseen or technical challenges,” he said.

    He added that the commission would on the day of election deploy teams of technical staff to address any challenge with the card reader.

    Dazang said that the commission was already implementing every other plan that would ensure the success and credibility of the election, adding that implementation of some of the plans had been completed.

    The completed ones, according to him, include training of Electoral Officers /Assistant Electoral Officers, Local Government Area Training Officers and the deployment of non-sensitive election materials.

    “We have also concluded the training for security personnel, supervisory presiding officers as well as presiding and assistant presiding officers.

    “The commission will also commence a two-day training for Collation/ Returning Officers from Nov. 21 to Nov. 22,’’ he said.

    On the distribution of election materials, Dazang said that the commission had already distributed non-sensitive election materials in the state, while that of sensitive materials would commence next week.

    “As part of the activities to ensure that the election is peacefully conducted, INEC will be holding a stakeholders forum on Thursday in Akure.

    “The forum to be addressed by the Chairman of INEC and the Inspector-General of Police will address key issues and concerns on the conduct of the election,’’ he said.

    Dazang, however, urged electorate and other stakeholders in the state, especially leaders and candidate of political parties, to cooperate with INEC towards ensuring that the election was credible and peaceful.

    “The conduct of credible and peaceful election is not the sole responsibility of INEC; it requires the collaboration of all stakeholders,” he said.

    Ondo state is made up of 18 local government areas, 203 registration areas, 3,010 polling units with a total of 1, 660, 055 registered voters.

  • INEC trains 301 Ad-hoc staff

    INEC trains 301 Ad-hoc staff

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), at the weekend, conducted a three-day training for its 301 Supervising Presiding Officers (SPOs) for the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.

    The event, held at the Federal College of Agriculture (FECA) in Akure, the state capital, was also to debunk the allegation by a party that the commission is recruiting its ad-hoc staff from Lagos State.

    Addressing the participants, the Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Olusegun Agbaje, said the SPOs have been selected from INEC and federal establishments in the state.

    Agbaje, who was represented by INEC’s Administrative Secretary Kabiru Omosanya, said the trainees will supervise all the 309 polling units and 446 voting points on Election Day.

    He noted that each participant is expected to monitor a maximum of 10 polling units.

    Agbaje added that the commission has trained its Electoral Officers (EOs), Assistant Electoral Officers (AEOs) and security officials on their roles on Election Day.

    According to him, “this is to show the people that INEC is committed to conducting free and fair poll in Ondo State.”

  • Wike, INEC and Rivers rerun election

    As the new date for the Rivers State rerun election inches closer, some political actors in the state have started reigniting signature inflammatory rhetoric. The state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, in particular has put forward conspiratorial theories on purported  plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  to manipulate the election results in favour of his party’s opponent.

    Many are not too surprised about this claim – a claim they view as antics of politicians based on their seeming incurable penchant to deploy everything in their arsenals to win at all cost in every elections. Nonetheless,  the unsubstantiated allegations and brazen attacks  being thrown at INEC on daily basis by these actors since the announcement of December 10 as the new date for the rerun election continues to bleed the heart.

    Why will people be casting aspersion on the credibility of INEC just for a singular aim of achieving their selfish political agenda not minding the negative effect  such actions will have on the electoral umpire as one the major organs that is sustaining democracy in the country? The Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC has left no one in doubt of  its unwavering commitment not to renege on its pledge to ensure that  all elections conducted under its watch are not only free and fair but also credible. That was why I was shocked  to the marrows of my bones recently when I heard that Wike accused the electoral umpire of  colluding with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the rerun election. Interestingly, the APC also accused INEC of working with Wike’s party to rig the election.

    Though Wike and his co-travelers in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are not wrong to raise alarm over the syndicate that was recently bursted for printing fake election result sheet for the  rerun election, pointing accusing fingers to INEC  was not only out of place but was also a well calculated plot to  rubbish the image of the electoral umpire. The posers  any sane mind should ask those accusing  INEC  for this ugly development are many. Does INEC  really need to churn out fake election materials to manipulate result? If INEC truly wants to rig the election, why will it do that when it can produce any amount of original materials it deems fit for any election?  Has INEC released the sensitive materials for the election, which is always done few hours to the election, to know if there is any correlation between the fake and original materials? Has investigation been concluded on the issue to really know the face behind the syndicate?

    While I am not in any way holding brief for INEC, it is important to remind Nigerians that even the APC in Rivers State has  also  in number of times accused the same INEC  of favouring PDP in the state . This shows that INEC is unbiased and does not take instruction from politicians. Some elections recently conducted across the country which saw  to the emergence of  winners from different political divides testified to this. The  senatorial election conducted in Kogi State were won by PDP; same as Bayelsa gubernatorial election, while APC won the governorship in Edo and Kogi states.

    That  is why I have always dismissed with a wave of hand those who accused  INEC of delaying the Rivers rerun election to favour a political party. To put the record straight, before  Senator Ike Ekweramadu’s motion  on the non-conduct of election in Rivers State which resulted  in  the Senate threat to stop plenary if the election is not conducted by December 10,  the electoral body had earlier fixed the date for the rerun for the sme date. In fact, Ekweremadu’s motion had intended to slam an immediate ultimatum on INEC if the election is not conducted before end of November, which prompted the chairman of Senate committee on INEC, Senator Abubakar Kyari to inform the Senators that the commission already told his committee that it would conduct the Rivers election on December 10!

    It is  unfortunate that instead of blaming politicians for delaying the election, all sorts of invectives are erroneously being poured on INEC  for allegedly orchestrating the delay  in spite of the commission’s readiness for the elections. Many have also gone as far as saying that if election can be successfully conducted in ‘Boko Haram-torn  Sambisa forest’ what is stopping INEC to delay elections in Rivers State.

    The answer to this is simple, Boko Haram goal is to carve out a territory for itself, hence they are not interested in what goes on in the nation’s political system. On the other hand, in Rivers State, political actors always go to the  trenches in any election to win by force. They use all measures; they divide to conquer, supplying arms and money to unemployed youths who are used and dumped after the election. They instigate people to fight and kill each other because of election, in order to be able to achieve their objectives. The consequence of this has been damning. In the March 28 rerun election in the state,  seven people were  said to have lost their lives in the state, including a youth corps member, Okonta Samuel, and two soldiers.

    Political actors in Rivers State should learn from the September 28, Edo State gubernatorial election  that was totally devoid of violence; it is no doubt a testament to the competence of  INEC  in guaranteeing credible and conclusive polls when political actors and other stakeholders play according to the rules.

     

    • John, a public affairs commentator, writes in from Lagos
  • INEC denies recruiting ad-hoc staff from Lagos

    INEC denies recruiting ad-hoc staff from Lagos

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday denied a report that it is recruiting ad-hoc staff from Lagos State ahead of the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.

    The report, which was credited to the State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abayomi Adesanya, alleged that the commission was doing this to favour the governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Chief Olusola Oke.

    But a statement by INEC’s Head of Department Voters Registration and Publicity Olabimpe Awoniyi said there was no time the commission recruited its ad-hoc staff from outside the state.

    INEC noted that it has just scheduled its training of supervisory presiding officers for Friday and Sunday. Presiding officers and their assistants will be trained between November 18 and 20.

    The commission urged parties, their candidates, the public and particularly the press to verify their facts before publicising them.

    Also, INEC said the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) expected from the Continuous Voters Registration (CRV) earlier conducted in 2015 and 2016 are now available for collection.

    It added that the distribution would start on Friday and end next Tuesday.

    “Registrants in six units of Use/Emure registration area in Owo Local Government Area; four units of Agbabu registration area in Odigbo Local Government Area; and units of Idoani II registration area in Ose Local Government Area will collect their cards at their various polling centres.

    “They should note that only three days, that is Friday to Sunday, are allotted for the collection of the cards at the polling centre after which the commission will revert to the registration areas for the last two days of distribution.”

  • INEC seeks probe of Rivers’ ‘fake poll result sheets’

    INEC seeks probe of Rivers’ ‘fake poll result sheets’

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for thorough investigation of the production of fake result sheets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    The legislative rerun elections in the state have been fixed for December 10.

    Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi said yesterday: “The commission has heard the news about the arrest of nine people with fake result sheets in Port Harcourt.

    “INEC wants to appeal to security agencies that the culprits should not just be arrested, they and their sponsors should be prosecuted.”

    It was reported that the police in Rivers had arrested a syndicate involved in the printing of fake result sheets purportedly to be used in the rescheduled rerun elections.

    The report added that the director and personnel of the printing press, Help-Mate Consult, in Port Harcourt, allegedly involved in the printing of the fake result sheets were arrested by the police.

    Oyekanmi said INEC had no relationship with the printing press and its arrested director on the production of the fake results sheet.

    He denied the allegation that the production of the fake election result sheets was with the connivance with INEC and a political party to rig the December 10 election.

    “INEC will never connive with any political party to do such a thing to destroy the credibility of our elections.

    “Our system is too strict and complex for anybody to successfully do such a thing. It is not easy to break into the process,” he said.

    He, however, said that the commission, having successfully conducted elections in Edo and other places, would do what it could to make the election free, fair and credible in Rivers.

    INEC had last week announced the plan to conclude the pending re-run election in Rivers on the December 10.

  • INEC sets dates for Rivers, Lagos, FCT

  • INEC ‘ll support Diaspora voting, says Yakubu

    INEC ‘ll support Diaspora voting, says Yakubu

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is in favour of Diaspora voting, and will continue to work with the National Assembly towards its actualisation, the  Commission’s Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said.

    Speaking at a meeting, with members of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non – Governmental Organisations, in Abuja, Yakubu said that Nigerians living abroad “have the right, like their compatriots living in the country, to exercise their franchise in all elections organised in the country”.

    However, for this to happen, he explained, the relevant sections of the constitution would have to be amended. Besides, some challenges that could emerge from allowing Diaspora voting, such as funding and the modalities to be adopted, would have to be tackled.

    The Chairperson of the Committee, Senator Rose Okoji Oko said the agitation by Nigerians in the Diaspora to be given the opportunity to exercise their franchise, and the favourable disposition of President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, former President Goodluck Jonathan, informed the Committee’s visit to INEC.

    According to her, the former President had endorsed the idea in 2010 during his visit to Gabon, while the current President also gave his support during his recent visit to Malabo.

    The senator, who once served as National Commissioner at INEC, affirmed that a total of 115 countries, 28 of which are on the African continent, currently have provisions for Diaspora voting.  She admitted that some Nigerians were against the idea “because of what they perceived as funding challenges, the current position of the law on the matter and some fears about the electoral system.”

    But that notwithstanding, she was of the view that despite the various challenges facing INEC in the conduct of various elections in Nigeria, the Commission “has not continued to conduct elections.” And for those who complain about what Diaspora voting would cost, she asked: “Is the amount so huge that we cannot afford it?”

    She said that while Nigeria did not need to copy what other countries had done, “the country needs to evolve its own unique policy.”  According to her, 79 countries currently allow voting to take place at their respective foreign embassies, while 16 others allow voting by proxy. “Nigeria can look at all these different procedures and then evolve its own unique method,” she observed.

    One of such methods, she said, is to determine if Diaspora voting could apply only to presidential or governorship election as a starting point. She insisted that it would be unfair to continue to deny Nigerians in Diaspora their right to vote, despite their enormous contributions to the country’s economy. She revealed that two – thirds of the $34 billion being projected to flow into sub-Sahara Africa this year “will come into Nigeria.”

    Responding, the INEC Chairman assured the senators that the Commission would continue to work with the National Assembly to make Diaspora voting a reality. He said: “INEC believes that Nigerians living outside the country should be able to vote. This is because they are citizens of Nigeria, they make considerable contributions to the economy, there is a sizeable number of them living all over the world – some have estimated that they are around 15 million – and Diaspora voting is consistent with global practice.”

    However, Prof Yakubu said under the exiting law, Nigerians living abroad who have the desire to vote must return home to register when voters’ registration exercise is being conducted and also to vote during actual elections.

    To change this position, he said, some amendments to the constitution would have to be effected. “The first step towards making Diaspora voting possible,” he told the senators, “rests with the National Assembly.” He, however, assured: “INEC is committed to Diaspora voting and will continue to work with the National Assembly on its actualisation.”

  • Reps urge INEC to conclude elections in Rivers, Anambra

    Reps urge INEC to conclude elections in Rivers, Anambra

    THE House of Representatives yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently conclude pending legislative elections in Rivers and Anambra states.
    The House also mandated its committees on Legislative Compliance and Electoral Matters to ensure compliance with the House resolution of June 23.
    It advised that INEC should conclude all elections in Rivers State and revert within two weeks with a confirmed date for the election.
    The committees are to revert to the House within two weeks with a confirmed date for the polls.
    The House resolution followed a motion brought under Urgent National Importance by Minority Leader Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta) and five other members.
    Ogor noted that INEC’s inability to conduct rerun in both states had denied the people their constitutional right to representation at the National and states’ Houses of Assembly.
    The lawmaker accused INEC of disregarding a December 2015 order of the Court of Appeal, which directed that rerun in Rivers State should be conducted within 60 days.
    He said: “But INEC has since consistently failed, neglected and/or refused to do so, apart from the one it conducted on March 9, in only four out of the 12 Federal (and few state) constituencies that rerun elections were ordered in December 2015.”
    Ogor said INEC under its former Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, successfully conducted peaceful elections in Borno and other Northeast states, which were under Boko Haram terrorist attacks.
    He said: “Yet, the present leadership of INEC has consistently neglected, failed and/or refused to conduct elections in only about eight local governments of Rivers state, citing security concerns.”
    According to him, the action has “led to a denial of the people’s right to participate in critical national issues which have come for deliberation, including national appropriation”.
    Ogor added: “While almost all states are adequately represented in the parliament, Rivers State continues to be unrepresented due to INEC’s deliberate neglect and refusal to conduct outstanding elections in the state.”

    Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila said there was need to safeguard the country’s democracy by conducting the elections.
    He said: “This country is underrepresented and there are obvious shortcomings in the constituencies where elections are not concluded.”
    Speaker Yakubu Dogara referred the motion to House Committee on Legislative Compliance and Electoral Matters for further legislative action and compliance.

  • ‘INEC not to blame for Ondo pdp candidate crisis’

    ‘INEC not to blame for Ondo pdp candidate crisis’

    Former House of Representatives member Hon. Bamidele Faparusi has absolved the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of blame over the recognition of Jimoh Ibrahim as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the November 26 governorship poll in Ondo State.

    Faparusi, who spoke with reporters in Ado Ekiti, said the polarisation of the party into Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi factions has passed an “electoral death sentence” on the former ruling party.

    The APC chieftain said it was the failure of the PDP to resolve the crisis bedeviling it at the national level that was responsible for the substitution of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede’s name with that Chief Jimoh Ibrahim. He said the APC has no reason to teleguide the electoral body over an issue that is predominantly constitutional.

    Faparusi said: “This is a constitutional issue. A judgement of the Federal High Court delivered by Justice Okon Abang in Abuja recognised the Ali Modu Sheriff faction, which presented Mr Ibrahim  and INEC acted in line with that verdict, which has not been reversed.

    “The APC didn’t instruct INEC to disqualify Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in Edo State, despite the fact that he was a strong contender; the APC didn’t instruct INEC to disqualify Governor Seriake Dickson when the election in Bayelsa was to be held. Why should our party now resort to such subterfuge?

    “When the Department of State Security(DSS)  arrested some Federal and Supreme Courts’ Judges for corruption-related cases, it was the same PDP that cried hoax that the APC was planning to kill the judiciary. But when it is now their turn, they started blamingthe judiciary.

    “These  accentuated the shenanigans and double standards of the PDP. Every discernible Nigerian know that it was the desperation  of some governors to hijack the party ahead of 2019 that caused  this division in PDP. So, accusing the APC of committing constitutional infractions in Ondo tantamounts to outright exhibition of ignorance and political naivety.”

    Faparusi appealed to the APC candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, to mend fences  with other gladiators over the crisis that emanated from the conduct of the primary where he emerged as the party flag bearer, saying the time to bring Ondo into the progressives fold is long overdue.

  • INEC right on PDP candidate, say Falana, Keyamo 

    INEC right on PDP candidate, say Falana, Keyamo 

    Frontline lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)to recognise the candidate of the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jimoh Ibrahim, is right.

    Last Thursday, INEC endorsed Ibrahim’s candidacy after an Abuja High Court declared him the authentic PDP candidate.

    The electoral umpire had earlier recognised the candidate of the Ahmed Markafi-led faction, Eyitayo Jegede.

    Falana said: “INEC has merely obeyed a court order.

    “INEC has obeyed an order of a court pursuant to a valid and subsisting judgment.

    “You want INEC to disregard the judgment?”

    He said it was wrong for the Markafi-led PDP to seek a restraining order from another court of equal status.

    He said: “Once there’s an order, you can only go and set aside the existing one.

    “You can’t go and start another one. That’s what causes conflicting court order.

    “You can’t go and initiate a process that will set one court in collision with another. It’s primitive. It’s not done in any civilised society.

    “If there’s a judgment against you, you go to that same court to set it aside.

    “You don’t go and file a fresh action in another court, and thereby set the courts on collision course, which may result in conflicting court orders.”

    He said since the Markafi faction had appealed the judgment, it should have waited for the party’s outcome.

    “There’s an appeal against the judgment of the Abuja court.

    “No other person can go to another court, a lower court, to set aside the judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction. It’s not done.

    “And I don’t blame the judges, like the judge in Akure, because nothing happened to those who gave conflicting orders in the PDP leadership crisis the other day. That’s why this mess has continued.”

    He urged Governor Olusegun Mimiko to discourage his supporters from protesting because he became a governor after a court pronouncement.

    He added: “You can’t take any step that will subvert the rule of law. What do they expect INEC to do? To disregard the order of a court because of sentiment and rely on expatiate order? No responsible organisation does that.”

    Festus Keyamo also supported Falana’s position, insisting that the electoral umpire followed the law.

    “There are conflicting orders. There’s no amount of emotion or protests that can change that. It’s a purely legal matter.

    “It doesn’t matter the presence of a political group. There are two conflicting orders. INEC is in complete order to effect any of the orders until the Supreme Court decides.”