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Tag: Inec

  • Kogi, Bayelsa elections: IGP assures INEC of security

    Kogi, Bayelsa elections: IGP assures INEC of security

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, has assured the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the preparedness of the Police to provide adequate security during the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Acting ACP Olabisi Kolawole in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The statement said Arase gave the assurance during a courtesy visit on the Acting Chairperson of INEC, Mrs. Amina Zakari in Abuja.

    It said the visit was aimed at cementing the existing relationship between the police and the commission in ensuring the actualisation of its mandate.

    The statement further said that the IGP had directed Police Commissioners nationwide to ensure adequate security at INEC offices and election tribunal sittings.

    In her remark, Zakari reiterated the commission’s readiness to work with the police in ensuring successes at the upcoming elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.

    In another development, the IGP has given State Commissioners of Police a one-week ultimatum to report on their compliance on withdrawal of Policemen attached to unauthorised persons.

    It also directed them to give a report on the compliance to the reduction of Police personnel to political office holders within same period.

     

  • INEC begins CVR in Kogi, Bayelsa today

    head of the governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the two states.

    The registration, according to the commission, would begin today and end on September 7.

    The governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states will hold on November 21 and December 5.

    The CVR will take place at the local government area level. It will also begin daily (during the scheduled six days of the registration) from 8a.m. to 4p.m.

    INEC, in its in house bulletin, said: “The six-day exercise will afford three groups of eligible registrants to register to vote.”

    The commission explained that the registration is for those who were eligible but did not register before the 2015 general elections.

    INEC added that it is also for “those who are eligible but whose names are not in the Voters’ Register” and “those who have attained the age of 18 years since the last Voter Registration exercise”.

     

  • Tribunal cautions INEC against disregarding order

    Tribunal cautions INEC against disregarding order

    The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal for Anambra has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against disregarding orders made by it.

    The tribunal chairman, Justice Nayai Aganaba, gave the warning during the hearing of a petition filed by Mr Ifeanyi Ibezi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) against the election of Mr. Obinna Chidoka of PDP.

    Ibezi is challenging Chidoka’s victory in the March 28 election in Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of the state on grounds of alleged electoral malpractices.

    The tribunal expressed displeasure over the failure of INEC to respond to its subpoenas.

    “I am not happy with the way and manner INEC officials treat orders of the tribunal.

    “Once a subpoena or any court order is issued, those concerned should respect and respond to the directive to avoid clogging the wheel of justice,” the chairman said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a bailiff, Mr Peter Obuesi, had during the hearing of the petition, informed the court that he served the subpoena to officers at the INEC headquarters but they refused to receive it.

    Obuesi said that INEC officials insisted that the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Edwin Nwatarali, had given a standing order that he would personally collect all court orders.

    However, the bailiff said he could not serve the REC as he had travelled out of the state.

    Meanwhile, Counsel to Chidoka, Mr Osita Nnadi (SAN), had applied for the subpoena to enable INEC to tender some electoral materials used for the conduct of the poll in the area.

    Following the failure of INEC to appear in court, the tribunal adjourned the petition till Tuesday for continuation of hearing.

     

  • Oyo tribunal: INEC to present 160 witnesses

    Oyo tribunal: INEC to present 160 witnesses

       One hundred and sixty witnesses are to testify at the Oyo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Ibadan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lead counsel, Yusuf Ali (SAN), said yesterday.

    Sikiru Sanni, who held the fort for Ali, said the witnesses would be selected from the 33 local governments to prove to the tribunal that INEC conducted free, fair and credible election.

    The Accord candidate in the April 11 governorship poll, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, challenged the declaration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.

    He joined the APC, Dr. Rufus Akeju, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and the commission as co-respondents.

    Chief Richard Ogunwole (SAN) represented the first and second petitioners. Olumuyiwa Aduroja (SAN) and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) were counsel to the first and second respondents, while Ali led a team of lawyers for the third and fourth respondents.

    He prayed the court to adjourn the case till tomorrow to enable him gather his witnesses.

    The lawyer said: “We have substantial witnesses to present to this tribunal within the five days allotted to us. We promise to utilise the time allotted to us judiciously.”

    The lead counsel to the second respondent, Chief Akeredolu, who ought to present his witnesses yesterday, closed his case without presenting any witness.

    He said: “We are not presenting any witness because we have light evidence presented by the petitioner’s counsel. We will not want to waste the time of this panel by presenting any witness.”

     

     

  • Faulty card reader cannot invalidate election – Court

    The Court of Appeal in Lagos has held that a faulty card reader cannot be a ground for invalidating an election.

    The court held that the Electoral Act (2010) as amended does not recognise the malfunctioning of a card reader as one of the factors that can lead to the nullification of an election.

    This, the appellate court held, is because the Electoral Act predates the introduction of the card reader.

    The Court of Appeal stated this in a verdict on a cross-appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging parts of the Governorship Election Tribunal’s verdict in the case of Jimi Agbaje versus Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and others.

    APC had filed the cross-appeal based on two grounds. In the first ground, it said the tribunal erred in law when, having held that Paragraph 14 of Agbaje’s petition challenged Ambode’s nomination, went ahead to hold that it was a valid ground.

    The party said any complaint about a pre-election issue falls within the jurisdiction of the Federal or Lagos State High Court, therefore, the tribunal ought to have declined jurisdiction.

    The party also asked that Agbaje’s petition be struck out because its paragraph 13b which complained about faulty card readers did not qualify as a ground to challenge the April 11 election.

    The Court of Appeal, in a judgment by Justice Obande Festus Ogbuinya, resolved the first issue in Agbaje and PDP’s favour, and the second issue in APC’s favour.

    A copy of the judgment, delivered on August 26, was obtained by our correspondent on Monday. Other justices on the panel were A. J. Abdulkadir, Mohammed Danjuma, Emmenuel Agim and Saidu Hussaini.

    Agbaje, the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambode and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) were the cross-respondents.

    The appellate court held that both the High Courts and the tribunal have concurrent jurisdiction over the issue of a candidate’s qualification/disqualification.

     

  • Acting INEC chair, others for women’s forum

    Acting INEC chair, others for women’s forum

    The Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Hajia Amina Bala-Zakari will speak tomorrow at the 2nd edition of SheForumAfrica at the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja.

    Other speakers are publisher of Today’s Woman, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, founder/Director at The Contact Project, a global Enterprise, Jennifer K. Lynne and Vice President – Women in Politics Forum, Sharon Ikeazor. Others are Angela Ajala, an astute Educational Entrepreneur/Administrator; Aisha Attah, a Personal Development Consultant; Dr. Ify Monye, a Primary Healthcare  and lifestyle medicine expert , Lola Adele-Oso, Executive Director of Act 4 Accountability UK, an African diaspora organisation, and Terri Pardonu – host of the popular ‘WE WOMAN’ radio talk show.

    In a bold and novel demonstration of the commitment to bridge the generational knowledge gap, SheForumAfrica 2015 features a number of young panelists representative of various age brackets among them, Rinsola Abiola; Adaora Asala, the dynamic MD of Easy Taxi Nigeria, Lois Auta, Mandela Washington fellow and founder Ceedar Seed Foundation and  Fatima Musa Aliyu.

    Also in the line-up are Hajia Saudatu Mahdi of WRAPA, Dr. Christianah Kwabe, a GP with Asokoro General Hospital, Chioma Kanu, a gender exponent/Programme Manager, CISLAC; Laura Ajoiyi, a Legal Practitioner, and Amina Salihu, foremost gender activist and Chairman Board of Trustees, HADIS Foundation.

    The keynote presentation on the topic: “Being a Voice not an echo: Synergising for Sustainable Impact” will be delivered by  frontline broadcast journalist, author/trainer, motivational speaker and life coach, Mrs Eugenia Abu.

    The maiden edition of SheForumAfrica held last year with participation from two countries.

    According to conference host  and founder of the Friendraiser Community, Inimfon Etuk, “the conversation this year across the Forum’s 4 Panels will reflect the road travelled by the average African woman, with a priority on demystifying persisting stereotypes that keep women at the bottom of the ladder, especially in the areas of health, basic education and the ability to function optimally in the enlarged entrepreneurial space”.

    The theme for SheForumAfrica 2015 is “Risk the unusual – make it happen”.

     

  • Tribunal dismisses Okowa, PDP’s applications to stop INEC subpoena

    Tribunal dismisses Okowa, PDP’s applications to stop INEC subpoena

    The Delta State Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, Thursday dismissed motions filed by the three respondents in the petition, challenging a subpoena order granted by the tribunal, which was served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC in the April 11 election, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, is challenging the declaration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the poll.

    Emerhor was billed to call in witnesss by Tuesday, but it was stalled following three fresh motions filed by counsels to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the PDP and INEC shortly before the trial was to begin.

    The tribunal then adjourned till Thursday, August 20, to hear the fresh motion filed by the counsels to Okowa, the PDP and INEC, challenging the subpoena served on INEC by the petitioner.

    At the resumed hearing of the fresh motion on Thursday, counsel to the petitioner and the APC, Chief Thompson Okpoko (SAN), branded counsels to the three respondents as “meddlesome interlopers and rabble rousers”, whose applications were meant to cause confusion and stall the hearing of the petition.

    Okpoko, citing many judicial authorities, averred that both Okowa and PDP have no locus standi to file the fresh applications, as the subpoena was served on INEC who conducted the election, and should be able to show evidence that the election was conducted in line with laid down laws.

    He added that it was only INEC that could apply to set aside the subpoena, and averred that in this petition, the provision of law was not applicable.

    Okpoko, in his final submission, noted that; “these applications have one purpose: It is to stall the hearing of the petition and an attempt to defeat it by delaying the hearing of the petition. The application is borne out of rabble rousing. It is to cause confusion. They are meddlesome interlopers and trying to cry louder than the bereaved.

  • INEC begins procurement materials for Kogi election

    INEC begins procurement materials for Kogi election

    Acting Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs Amina Zakari, said the commission had begun the production and procurement of materials for upcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

    She made this known on Friday in Lokoja at the opening of a one-day stakeholders’ forum on the elections.

    Zakari, who was represented by Secretary of the commission, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, said that training of personnel for the conduct of the polls had also begun.

    She said that Continuous Voter Registration for persons who just attained 18 years and those who missed the last exercise would be conducted before the elections.

    She reiterated that only those who had permanent voter card would be eligible to vote in the elections, and urged political parties and other stakeholders to mobilize the people to come out for the exercise.
    “The commission will be fair, impartial and transparent and provide a level playing field to all contestants,” Zakari assured.

    In his presentation, INEC‘s Director of ICT, Mr Chidi Nwafor, said that collation of results of the election would be done electronically as part of efforts to enhance the election process.

    He said that application of e-software system would make it possible for collation of results right from the polling units.

    He said that the software was being deployed for the first time in the country with the coming polls in both states.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mr Halilu Pai, disclosed that 221 units of data-capturing machines had been deployed to headquarters of the 21 local government areas in Kogi for voter registration.

    He also said that 42 staff of the commission, who would participate in the exercise had been trained, adding that card readers would be used for the election.

    Pai restated the readiness of INEC to conduct a free and fair election, and urged other stakeholders in the state to join hands the commission to achieve a credible poll whose result would be acceptable to all contestants.

    In his peach at the event, the Attah of Igala, Idakwo Ameh Oboni, said that democracy remained the best form of government as it gave citizens the best opportunity to secure their freedom from poverty, misrule and corruption.

    He, therefore, urged INEC not to relent in its efforts at bringing sanity into the polity and urged political parties and other stakeholders to partner the electoral umpire to achieve that.
    While pledging to use his position to mobilize his subjects to participate in the continuous voter registration and the election, Oboni advised political parties and their candidates to eschew chaos and money politics.

  • Wike, PDP, INEC fail to stop hearing of APC’s, Peterside’s petition

    •Tribunal refuses allegation of petitioners’ fee default

    For the umpteenth time yesterday,  the Rivers State governorship election petitions tribunal rejected request to dismiss the petition filed by the All Progressives Party (APC) and its candidate at the last governorship election in the state, Dakuku Peterside against the outcome of the election.

    The Justice Mu’azu Pindiga-led  tribunal held, in two rulings yesterday, that the joint request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Nyesome Wike for the dismissal of the petition, was misplaced.

    INEC, PDP and Wike had, in separate motions argued on Friday by their lawyers, F. O. Orbih, Ken Njemanze and Emmanuel Ukala (all Senior Advocates) sought the dismissal of the petition on the ground that the petitioners failed to comply with the provision of Paragraph 18(1) of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act 2010 by not paying the stipulated fee of N100 for their application for the issuance of pre-hearing notices (Form TF 007)  to parties.

    They contended that by not paying the fee, the petitioners were yet to ignite the tribunal’s jurisdiction and are deemed to have abandoned their petition, leaving the tribunal with the option of dismissal.

    But yesterday, the tribunal upheld the argument by petitioners’ lawyer, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), to the effect that ?application for the issuance of pre-hearing notice was not part of documents for which a filing fee must be paid as prescribed in the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

    The tribunal also held that contrary to the argument by INEC, PDP and Wike, the APC and Peterside validly applied for the issuance of the pre-hearing notice (Forms TF 007 and TF 008) within seven days after the conclusion of exchange of processes by parties.

    “There is no defect in the pre-hearing notice. The tribunal therefore holds that the application filed by the 1st respondent (INEC) is hereby discountenanced and accordingly dismissed,” Justice Pindiga, who read the ruling, said.

    The tribunal’s decision yesterday is one of such decisions by the tribunal in series of applications filed in the past by INEC, PDP and Wike to prevent the hearing of the petition by APC and Peterside.

    The tribunal has however, fixed tomorrow for ruling on five motions filed by parties to the petition. Two were filed by the petitioners, two by Wike and one by INEC.

    In their motion filed on July 16, the petitioners want the tribunal to direct that all notices of preliminary objection already filed and yet to be filed by the respondents, should be raised in their final written addresses after the hearing of the petition.

    The petitioners, in the second motion filed on July 17, want the tribunal to order INEC to move all materials,  used for the conduct of the April 11 governorship election, to Abuja in view of their inability to inspect them in Rivers State.

    The petitioners have consistently accused INEC of working with the PDP and Wike to frustrate their inspection of the election materials despite a subsisting order of the tribunal made on June 11, directing INEC to allow the petitioners inspect the election materials.

    Wike, in his motion filed on July 11, is seeking order for stay of execution of the tribunal’s ruling of June 11 granting leave to the petitioners to inspect the election materials, pending his appeal against the ruling.

    In his second motion dated August 1, Wike is seeking order striking out all the witness statements on oath filed by the petitioners for not disclosing the full names and identities of the deponets

    INEC, in its sole motion filed on June 30, wants the tribunal to dismiss the petitioners’ reply to its response to the petition.

     

  • Tribunal: INEC tenders 70,000 documents in Isiaka, Amosun suit

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday tendered before the  Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta over 70, 000 documents used during the last April 11 governorship election in Ogun State.

    The electoral materials – some of which were packed in over a dozen “Ghana-must-go” bags, were ferried into the court premises in four Hilux Pick-Up vans marked (PRESIDENCY) FG 66 – U01, FG 67 – U01, FG 68 – U01 and FG 70 – U01.

    The documents were tendered based on court subpoena at the request of the state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Gboyega Isiaka.

    They were certified true copies of Voters’ Register Record; result sheets, incident forms and original copies of ballot papers used in nine local governments councils, where the results were being challenged by Isiaka.

    The local governments are Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South, Odeda, Ewekoro, Ifo, Obafemi-Owode Sagamu and Remo North.

    Isiaka is challenging the declaration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun as winner of the April 11 governorship polls by INEC.

    The INEC materials used for the polls were brought to the court by its Deputy Director, Head of Department, Electoral Operations in Ogun State, Samuel Ogunjemilua, who also tendered them.

    Ogunjemilua was asked to appear before the tribunal, following a writ of subpoena dated August 12, as applied for by  Isiaka’s counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN). The request was granted by the court.

    The subpoena ordered INEC to produce, bring and tender the documents used in areas where results are being challenged before the tribunal.

    A schedule of documents brought before the court showed results from 1, 626 polling units and 820 incident forms.

    Other documents included 70,024 sheets of Voter Register, 1,913 results sheets, including EC8A and EC8B, and others.

    Before the documents were tendered, the counsel for Amosun, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), opposed the documents being tendered by INEC official without swearing an oath.

    “If he is to tender, he is duty bound to comply with what he has been brought to court to do; nobody can take the court for granted,” Fagbemi argued.

    Counsel for APC and INEC – George Oyeniyi and Oluwadare Ogunnaike – aligned with Fagbemi.

    They posited that the subpoenaed should swear like every other witness before tendering any document.

    But Adetunji  Oyeyipo disagreed, citing the decision of the Court of Appeal in Olaniyan Vs Oyewole (2008) to buttress his position.

    But the tribunal chairman, Justice Henry Olusiyi, anchoring his ruling on Famakinwa Vs University of Ibadan and Akanno Vs. Nigeria Army, 2008, held that the subpoenaed should be taken for his title.

    He  added that he (the INEC official) is neither competent nor be compelled to be sworn or affirmed.

    The tribunal adjourned till today for the petitioner to tender more documents at subsequent sittings of the tribunal and for continuation of trial.