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Tag: Inec

  • INEC must not toy with APC’s victory, says Olafemi

    INEC must not toy with APC’s victory, says Olafemi

    Former acting governor of Kogi State and member of the All Progressives Congress Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Clarence Olafemi, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to create a crisis in Kogi State.

    He said INEC has not told the truth on why it declared last Saturday’s governorship election inconclusive despite the “clear victory” secured by the APC and the fulfilment of 95 percent compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act (as amended) in the process leading to the party’s “victory” at the governorship poll.

    Olafemi said it was strange that INEC would declare the election inconclusive when the number of persons adjudged not to have voted, if added to the figures polled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, cannot overturn his party’s victory.

    According to him, the INEC chairman has been misinformed by the 49,000 registered voters in the said 91 affected voting units instead of the actual PVC collection of 25,000, which represents the number of eligible voters in those areas.

    Said Olafemi: “The INEC position of having 49,000 inconclusive or cancelled election in about 91 units in 19 local government areas as basis for declaring the election inconclusive was at best done in error, because in all the 21 local governments mentioned and the units afftected, the total number of collected permanent voters card is 25,000, which, assuming it is added to the number of votes polled by the PDP, still makes them a loser.

    “And, this figure of 25,000 represents about five per cent of the total votes cast in the election, thereby leaving 95 per cent compliance with those already declared, and in the spirit of the Electoral Act (as amended), it is sufficient to declare a winner.”

    He urged INEC to immediately declare the APC winner of the election, saying the sad incident of party’s flag bearer’s demise must not be used as an excuse to deny it of its “hard earned victory”.

    Olafemi said: “It is a settled matter at the Supreme Court in the case of Rotimi Amaechi, that it is the party that contests election and not an individual and that is why the names and photographs of individual the candidates are not on the ballot papers.

    “And, since the APC still has a candidate in that election as the deputy, the party must not be made to forfeit the benefit of its success at the poll. Rather, the living running mate who participated in the election should be made to inherit the success, while the party shops for the deputy for him.”

     

  • Kogi poll an improvement on previous exercises -INEC

    Kogi poll an improvement on previous exercises -INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday’s governorship election was an improvement on previous exercises conducted in the state.

    Mr. Nick Dazang, Deputy Director of Publicity in the commission, said that though there were few challenges with regard to card readers’ performance, security, accreditation and voting processes were successful.

    He said that there were some minor challenges of the card readers malfunctioning but disclosed that mechanism were immediately deployed to correct them.

    “There was also an incident in Dekina where a ballot box was snatched even when voting had not started,” he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “There was also one ward, 27, at Anyigba, where ballot and result sheets were torn, otherwise, I think the election went well,” he said.

    Dazang said that the incidence of violence that was anticipated during the polls was not much when compared with the cases in previous elections in the state.

    “In the time past we had situations where our staff were abducted, people were killed.

    “There is no incident of violence at that level; we have not heard about anybody’s death or abduction.

    “There is an improvement compared to previous elections in the state which is considered to be volatile,” he said.

    Dazang added that efficiency of the card reader was above average on Saturday as the use of incident form was negligible.

    “There was one particular area in Dekina where our officials were not proficient in the use of card reader and we are investigating what happened.

    “Otherwise, I think generally, the election went on well; we have technical teams in all the 239 wards and in all the wards, we have ICT staff moved in to troubleshoot any challenges.”

    He said that the claim of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Gov. Idris Wada, that the card reads were not working and that there were inadequate incidence forms at polling units did not correspond with real situation.

    “I don’t think what he said tallies with what we have seen and what we have monitored.

    “The card reader was much successful; the incidences where we have that failure were very few,” he said.

    The deputy director added that in all the cases where there was card reader failure, there were sufficient incident forms.

    In the area were ballot box was snatched before the commencement of the election, Dazang said the snatcher wasted his time as it would not affect the election.

    “In any case, even if there were ballot papers and he snatched them, the ballot papers cannot be counted when returned.”

    He expressed satisfaction over the election process and said: “our mission is to always improve on what we have done before and there was improvement in terms of elections held in Kogi state over time.

    “The state is noted for volatility and violence but that violence did not take place. Of course, there were few challenges but not the kind of violence we anticipated.”

    He added that the improvement was a mark of rigorous voter education carried out by INEC and other stakeholders as well as the appreciation of the efforts by voters.

    “I think that people have seen the need to do the right thing,” he said.

     

  • INEC cancels elections in Ayingba over ballot snatching

    INEC cancels elections in Ayingba over ballot snatching

    The Independent National Electoral Commission in Kogi has cancelled the election in one unit in Itaja Ward in Ayingba in Dekina LGA after hoodlums snatched a ballot box in the unit.

    It was gathered that accreditation was still ongoing when hoodlums attacked the unit and stole sensitive materials.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner, Halilu Pai, who confirmed the incident, said security agents managed to bring the situation under control.

    He said that INEC had decided that voting activities at the unit remained cancelled and the outcome would not count at the end of the day.

     

  • INEC hails ‘peaceful election’

    INEC hails ‘peaceful election’

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expressed satisfaction yesterday with the peaceful conduct of the governorship election in Kogi State.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mr. Halilu Pai, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja, that the election was successful and peaceful.

    Pai, who spoke shortly after the conclusion of voting attributed the success to the perfect arrangements put in place by the commission in collaboration with critical stakeholders like the parties, security agencies and the civil society.

    The resident electoral commissioner also lauded the voters for their positive attitude to the election which, he added, was largely responsible for the successful conduct of the polls.

    He said that the preparations for the election were guided by the experiences of the commission in the last general election, saying that the smooth and timely arrival of materials and electoral personnel underscored the success achieved.

    Pai said that the collation of the results from the 3,018 polling units at the 239 wards in the state had also commenced.

     

  • Disregard Kogi poll results on social media – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday urged Nigerians to disregard the Kogi State governorship election results posted on social media, saying the figures were inaccurate.

    The commission on its Twitter handle – @inecnigeria –  warned against reliance on such figures.

    “INEC wishes to state that results of Kogi governorship election being posted on social media are inaccurate and should be disregarded #KogiDecides.

    “Official results will subsequently be announced and the winner of the election declared by the INEC returning officer,” the commission tweeted.

  • Kogi: Our fears, by Situation Room

    Kogi: Our fears, by Situation Room

    The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of 70 civil society groups monitoring governorship election in Kogi State, Friday expressed concerns over the welfare of security personnel deployed for the election.

    It said it observed that some of the policemen deployed from various states were kept waiting for hours before re-deployment, with some of them loitering aimlessly.

    Besides, it also feared that the huge security deployment could become a state-motivated instrument for voter intimidation in saturday’s election.

    It said nothing short of a free and fair election will be accepted to Nigerians.

    “The electoral environment is charged no doubt, and there have been various allegations across the aisle on plans to rig the election.

    “Situation Room takes note of these developments and calls on all stakeholders, especially political parties to approach this election with responsibility and utmost respect of democratic standards.  We cannot afford to fail Nigerians,” the coalition said.

    In its preliminary statement on the election Friday, the group said it was hopeful that security operatives would conduct themselves responsibly and adhere to civil and responsible terms of engagement under the rule of law.

    Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu, who addressed the press on the coalition’s behalf, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver a first-class election.

    He said: “Preliminary observations by the Situation Room indicate that voters across the state are highly motivated and mobilised to cast their votes. There are also security concerns during the elections.

    “We are reasonably satisfied with the deployment and conduct so far of the security personnel to the state to ensure a safe, secure and peaceful election tomorrow.

    “The Situation Room, however, hopes that, drawing from its experiences in previous elections that this deployment would not lead to state inspired voter and process intimidation and suppression.

    “However, the Situation Room is hopeful that the entire security machinery will conduct themselves responsibly and adhere to civil and responsible terms of engagement under the rule of law.”

    The Situation Room expressed concerns about the arrangements made for the welfare of the tens of thousands of armed security personnel drawn from other parts of the country.

    It also wants those with special needs, such as nursing mothers, the elderly, those with physical challenges and pregnant women to be given a special attention during voting.

    “We have noted so far, that like in previous elections, there seems to be scant regard for the overall wellbeing and welfare of these officers of the state.

    “The Situation Room nonetheless urges the state government to assure the electorate of their personal safety and urges voters to go out and peacefully cast their vote.

    “We call on INEC in its role as the Election Management Body to fully acknowledge and make special arrangements for people with disabilities, the elderly and nursing mothers to help them exercise their franchise. This can be effected by giving specific instructions to INEC officials at the voting units,” it said.

    It also warned against people spreading false rumors through the social media that could create unnecessary tension.

    “The Situation Room especially urges the digital public to be discerning in their reading of social media reports as experiences have shown that some of the reports may be replete with deliberate falsehood aimed at misleading the public.

    “We call on all stakeholders in the election process to live up to the expectation of Nigerians and especially call on INEC to deliver free, fair and credible elections in Kogi State.”

  • INEC distributes sensitive materials to 239 wards

    INEC distributes sensitive materials to 239 wards

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distributed sensitive materials to be used in tomorrow’s governorship election.

    A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who was at the INEC office in Lokoja yesterday to witness the distribution, noted that the materials were escorted to destinations amid tight security.

    It was also observed that the distribution of the materials was done in the presence of the representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties contesting the election.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Halilu Pai, who supervised the distribution, said the materials included ballot papers and result sheets.

    He said the materials would be taken to the INEC offices in the 21 local governments from where they would be shared among the 239 wards.

    According to him, INEC was ready to conduct a free, fair, credible and acceptable election.

    He urged the parties, security agents and other stakeholders to play their roles according to the rules.

    The REC assured the people that the fuel scarcity experienced in the state would not affect the process and outcome of the election.

    He said the commission had arranged with filling stations that would sell petrol tomorrow and that the stations had been prevailed upon to operate on a 24-hour basis, beginning from today.

     

  • EU, US embassy, AU, others to observe Kogi poll

    The European Union, the United State Embassy and the African Union will be among 50 observer groups to monitor Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State.

    Accredited observers thronged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Lokoja Thursday to collect their kits.

    Among the local accredited observer groups are the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, the Police Service Commission, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Election Working Group, Women Arise for Change Initiative, among others.

    Their foreign counterparts include the British High Commission, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute, which is behind the Transition Monitoring Group.

  • Kogi poll: INEC distributes sensitive materials to wards

    Kogi poll: INEC distributes sensitive materials to wards

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distributed sensitive materials that would be used in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State.

    A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who was at the INEC office in Lokoja on Thursday to witness the distribution noted that the materials were escorted out to various destinations amidst tight security.

    It was also observed that the distribution of the materials was done in the presence of the representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress and other parties contesting the election.

    The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Halilu Pai, who supervised the distribution, said that the materials included ballot papers and result sheets.

    Pai said that the materials would be taken to the INEC offices in the 21 local government areas of the state from where they would later in the day be shared among the 239 wards.

    According to him, the INEC is ready and committed to conduct a free, fair, credible and acceptable election.
    He urged political parties, security agents and other stakeholders to play their roles according to the rules.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner also gave assurances that the fuel scarcity currently being experienced in the state would not in any way impact negatively on the process and outcome of the election.

    He said that the commission had made arrangements with some filling stations that would sell fuel to all vehicles on election duty, and that the stations had been prevailed upon to operate on 24-hour basis beginning from Friday.

  • We’re ready for Bayelsa, Kogi polls, says INEC

    We’re ready for Bayelsa, Kogi polls, says INEC

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed readiness for the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections.

    The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, speaking in Abuja at the inaugural meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters and Political Affairs, said the people’s votes would count in the elections.

    Yakubu, assuring Nigerians on the readiness of the electoral body, said although a standard had been set by the ex-INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, more would be done under his leadership.

    He said: “INEC is ready for Bayelsa and Kogi polls. Whatever the people decide that is what we are committed to. We are committed to building on the success of the 2015 general election.”

    The INEC boss said additional 48,000 people had been registered, with their permanent voter cards (PVCs) ready and distributed.