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Tag: Inec

  • Elections costly in Nigeria, says INEC chief

    Elections costly in Nigeria, says INEC chief

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner in charge of Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti states, Prof. Lai Olurode, has lamented the huge cost of organising elections in Nigeria.

    Olurode said the monetisation of elections makes political office seekers spend so much before winning, noting that the scenario may encourage corruption.

    The National Commissioner deplored a situation in which politicians sell their  property in a bid to finance their election.

    He spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, yesterday during the presentation of certificates of return to winners of the National Assembly election.

    Those who received their certificates of return are Senators-elect Mrs. Fatima Rasaki (Ekiti Central), Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti South) and Mr. Duro Faseyi (Ekiti North).

    House of Representatives members-elect Kehinde Agboola (Oye/Ikole),   Segun Adekola (Ikere/Ise Orun/Ekiti Southwest), Olamide Oni (Ekiti West/Inero/Efon)  Akin Awodumila (Emure/Gbonyin/Ekiti East), Thaddeus Aina (Ido Osi/ Moba/Ilejemeje) and Ayo Oladimeji (Ado/Irepodun Ifelodun) also collected their certificates at the ceremony.

    Olurode added that Nigeria cannot do without deployment of security operatives

    He said: “We are not yet there; you can’t do elections without deployment of a large number of security agencies to the field. It cannot continue to be like that.

    “The cost of organising elections in this country is quite huge compared to what the cost is in other countries.

    “America does not spend as much as an average lawmaker spends on an election in this country.

    “After spending all these money, where are you going to get it back from if not from the public purse?

    “It is so costly to do elections in the country because every process has been monetised.”

  • INEC reschedules Edo constituency’s poll

    INEC reschedules Edo constituency’s poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared inconclusive the House of Assembly election into Orhionmwon Constituency in Edo State.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mike Igini, who spoke on the matter yesterday in Benin, the state capital, said a rescheduled poll would hold next Saturday (April 18) in the constituency.

    Candidates for the poll are: Friday Ogierhiakhi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Roland Asoro of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Igini said the commission resorted to a rescheduled poll because election did not hold in many polling units.

    The REC said the actual winner of the poll could only be determined after the completion of outstanding poll.

    He noted that the margin of win by the leading candidate was far less than the number of people who had not voted.

    Igini said 4,813 voters in 12 units of four Registration Areas were qualified to vote in the rescheduled election.

    He said: “We are now at appraisal and retrieval level. We are in the process of documentation and review of our performance. There were challenges, but we achieved more successes than challenges.”

    The APC has won 20 seats while the PDP won three seats.

  • ‘INEC appointed Dickson’s brother as Collation Officer’

    ‘INEC appointed Dickson’s brother as Collation Officer’

    Political parties in Bayelsa State yesterday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of appointing the brother to Governor Seriake Dickson as a Collation Officer for the April 18 rescheduled elections.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Baritor Kpagih shifted the House of Assembly election in eight constituencies, citing insufficient electoral materials.

    But the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties, said INEC appointed Dickson’s brother and General Manager of the State Newspaper Corporation, Mr. Charles Tambo, as the Collation Officer for Kololuma-Opokuma Constituency I.

    On behalf of other parties, APGA’s candidates for Kolokuma-Opokuma I and II, Preye Ozoro and Ebire Tarabina, alleged that Tambo was appointed to enable the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hijack the results of the election.

    They accused the state government of planning to arrest opposition candidates and 15 of their frontline supporters before Saturday’s elections.

    The opposition candidates named some of their supporters allegedly marked for arrest by the government, using security agencies.

    They are: Kwesi Zikiye, Gesiye Isowo, Sylvanus Abila, Inemo Oruebimiekumo, Chamberlin Ikidi and Jackson Suokiri.

    Others are: Inemotimi Angalapele, Ibarakumo Ikosomi, Pereowei Agura, Victor Vianana, Ebikeme Okoringa, Akpoegberi Ogidiga, Ikuro Igarando and Alex Oruebimiekumo.

    The spokesmen said the government once arrested persons perceived to oppose the PDP and “unlawfully” detained them for two weeks in Yenagoa, the state capital, and Zone 6 in Benin, the Edo State capital.

    According to them, APC’s candidates for Kolokuma-Opokuma Constituency I, Mr. Taripredou Aketi and APGA’s Yenagoa Constituency I, Mr. Kingdom Blessing, suffered the same fate.

    They said: “Emboldened by its ‘Operation-arrest-and-detain-our-opponent’ strategy, the Bayelsa State Government has perfected plans to visit the same fate upon us and our supporters in Kolokuma-Opokuma.

    “The government also plans to flood Kolokuma-Opokuma on Election Day with thugs, fake military officers and policemen, essentially to cause violence and bloodbath with a view to generally intimidating our supporters from voting.”

    The spokesmen urged INEC to withdraw Tambo and replace him with a university lecturer who has no connection with the state government.

    They also urged the commission not to release any essential electoral material for Kolokuma-Opokuma to the government or its agents.

    The parties’ spokesmen appealed to INEC and security agencies to prevent Dickson from touring Kolokuma-Opokuma on the Election Day to avoid a crisis in the area.

    Kpagih acknowledged receiving a petition written by APGA candidates on Tambo’s appointment.

    The REC said Tambo’s name had been removed from the list of electoral officers.

    He said: “I am barely three months old here. I don’t know anybody. So, when I received the petition, I went to check the list and discovered that Charles Tambo’s name was there. We quickly removed it. So, the name is no longer in the list.”

    Kpagih urged the parties with complaints to approach him instead of dissipating their energy on petition writing.

  • Taraba: Atiku wants security officials replaced

    Taraba: Atiku wants security officials replaced

    Former Vice President of Nigeria and one of the national leaders of the APC, Atiku Abubakar wants all INEC and security officials who compromised last Saturday governorship election in Taraba state replaced in the rerun election in the state.

    The former Vice President who lauded the decision by INEC to declare the governorship election in the state inconclusive said elections in the country should not be militarized as the nation was not in a dictatorship, but democracy.

    Atiku said that all those implicated in the scam in the state be removed and replaced with new personnel for peaceful conduct of the rerun election.

    While expressing disappointment with the widespread reports of irregularities in some local governments of the state, he said “these irregularities included using armed personnel to intimidate voters.”

    He alleged that armed soldiers were attached to Senator Emmanuel Bwacha; Joel Ikenya, a current minister; as well as Senator Anthony Manzo, chief of staff to senator David Mark, adding that these soldiers engaged in brazen acts that violated the electoral act including ballot-box snatching.

    “Elections should not be militarized Nigeria is a democracy, not a dictatorship. Citizens should be able to go out and vote without fear of being threatened with nuzzle of a gun,” the former Vice President said.

    According to him, these election violations were noticeably perpetrated in Southern Taraba, specifically in Wukari, Takum, Kurmi and Donga local councils and also in the North, particularly in Lau and Yoro where Manzo hails from.

    Atiku noted that thousands of troops were deployed to these areas and electoral officers were heavily compromised.

    He said further “These people should not be allowed to go back during the rerun election. No troops should be allowed nearby”.

    Atiku also called on the Inspector General of Police to replace security personnel in Taraba with new teams from neighbouring Gombe, Bauchi and Adamawa, during the period of the rerun elections.

  • Abia guber re-run holds April 25

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abia state has scheduled the governorship re-run for the state for the 25th of April

    The re-run is to take place in the affected polling units and wards in 9 local government areas of the state.

    The local government areas affected are; Aba North, Aba South, Bende, Isiala Ngwa South, Isiala Ngwa North, Umuahia South, Bende, Arochukwu, Ohafia and Osisioma.

    In a similar vein, Saturday the 18th of April has been slated for a re-run into the Umuahia North state constituency which is the only house of assembly election left for INEC to make the result public.

    It will be held in three wards in Umuahia North state constituency, which has not been concluded.

    These re runs are due to the inconclusive elections in the affected areas, which has left the entire state in a political limbo since the governorship election was held last weekend.

  • Rivers elections: Observers demand arrest, prosecution of REC

    Rivers elections: Observers demand arrest, prosecution of REC

    Independent observers, under the aegis of the Coalition of INEC Accredited Election Observer Groups, have demanded the arrest and prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Rivers State, Dame Gesila Khan, over the fraudulent general elections.

    They also insisted the April 11 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers state did not hold about ten local government areas.

    The observers, led by Kalu Victor, Wednesday at a news conference in Port Harcourt, accused Khan, who hails from Bayelsa State as President Goodluck Jonathan, of  truncating the efforts of the President to give Nigerians credible and peaceful elections.

    They maintained that elections did not hold in Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Abua/Odual, Khana, Ahoada-East, Ahoada-West, Bonny and Etche LGAs of Rivers state.

    The observers said: “There was encouraging voters’ turnout for the elections across that state. There was no election when our teams visited at various times, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Abua/Odual, and Khana LGAs. We could not sight a polling unit where elections took place in the areas.

    “Voters were peacefully accredited in Ahoada-West, Ahoada-East, Bonny and Etche LGAs, but voting could not hold, as armed thugs in their good number were freely patrolling the areas, intimidating voters and carting away ballot boxes.

    “The election was marred by snatching and stuffing of ballot papers and ballot boxes respectively, and intimidation of voters by thugs, especially in Obio/Akpor and Omuma LGAs.”

    The independent observers also stated that the behaviour and conduct of the REC of INEC in Rivers state during the elections defined her as being partisan, which they described as a violation of her oath of office and the constitution of Nigeria, regarding her position.

    Khan, however, insisted that the March 28 and April 11 elections in Rivers state were free, fair, credible and peaceful.

  • INEC presents Certificate of Return to election winners in Edo

    INEC presents Certificate of Return to election winners in Edo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission Wednesday began the issuance of Certificate of Return to candidates who won the National Assembly elections in Edo State.

    Those who collected their Certificates of Return were Engr. Clifford Ordia (Edo Central) Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South) Ehiozuwa Johnson (Egor/Ikpoba-Okha) Joseph Edionwele (Esan West/Central/Igueben) Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama (Oredo) Patrick Aisowieren (Orhiomwon/Uhunmwode).

    Others absent at the certificate presentation were Francis Alimikhena (Edo North) Peterson Akpatason (Akoko-Edo) Sergius Oguns (Esan North East/Esan South East) Philip Shaibu (Estako) Pally Iriase (Owan) and Omosede Igbinedion (Ovia).

    Speaking at a brief presentation ceremony, a National Commissioner of INEC, Dr. Ishmael Igbani, advised aggrieved candidates and political parties to go to the election tribunal to seek redress over any grievances on the outcome of the National Assembly elections.

    Igbani noted that the commission was ‘very satisfied with the conduct of the elections. If anybody has missed feelings, there is a process.

    “The process should be followed. If you are not happy, you go to the tribunal.‎”

    He charged those returned elected to lead in accordance with the aspirations of the people of their respective constituencies.

    Senator-elect for Edo South, Matthew ‎Urhoghide praised INEC on the conduct of the exercise and promised to provide true representation ‎at national level.

  • El-Rufai receives Certificate of Return

    El-Rufai receives Certificate of Return

    Kaduna State Governor-elect, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Wednesday received Certificate of ‎Return from INEC, saying he has to work twice hard to make Kaduna recover the last eight years of stagnation and enable it meet up with it neighbours.

    He said, ‎he has no time to exult in his victory, as there is much to do to make Kaduna great again; therefore he has to swing into action immediately.

    El-Rufai in ‎his acceptance speech to Kaduna people after receiving the certificate amidst huge crowd at INEC headquarters reaffirmed his commitment to do his best to restore Kaduna to a state that works for its people.

    According to him, “We shall be doing so under serious constraints. Our state is heavily indebted at a time when oil prices are low. Our state has not seen significant development in the last eight years. We must work twice as hard with half the resources of the last eight years just to catch up with our neighbors. We must be disciplined, focused and prudent to do so.

    “In accepting my election as governor of Kaduna state, I pledge to do all that is humanly possible to move our dear state forward, beginning from today. As soon I am sworn into office and constitute a state executive council, we shall begin work to meet your expectations of positive change.” he said.

    While noting that he is aware of the people high expectation, which he described as justifiable, the Governor-elect solicited for patience, sacrifice and support to enable his government reform the state’s institutions to instill a culture of probity that insists on value for money, that ensures that government procurement occurs at the most cost effective level and encourages personal responsibility.

    “We will do whatever is humanly possible to fulfill the promises in our manifesto, the Kaduna Restoration Programme that we have published, circulated and discussed with diverse constituencies of the state. Our commitment to transparency will be manifest as we reform the public sector to be an efficient deliverer of services.

    “The APC takes seriously its responsibility to build a harmonious society in Kaduna State. We are committed to fostering a secure, peaceful environment that gives the confidence to all the residents of the state to make the most of their talents. We will uphold the rule of law and the equality of concern for all citizens. We intend to work with all communities in Kaduna state without fear or favor. We are all equal partners and stakeholders in this state. There will be no discrimination in Kaduna State on the basis of gender, ethnicity or religion. Appointments and nominations into the incoming cabinet and government will be primarily on the basis of integrity and determined strictly by competence, capacity and capability.

    “We shall be a listening government, and we shall be decisive in implementing our agreed agenda for change. We shall lose no time in reforming education and healthcare, local government, the public service and leading the processes that will create jobs and economic opportunities for our people.” he promised.

    While taking his time to express appreciation to the entire Kaduna State people for electing General Muhammadu Buhari as their President and him as Kaduna State Governor, El-Rufai particularly commended incumbent Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero who called to congratulate him even before the official declaration of the election result.

  • INEC issue Certificate of Return to Kogi National Assembly members-elect

    INEC issue Certificate of Return to Kogi National Assembly members-elect

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Wednesday issued Certificate of Return to winners from the March 28 National Assembly election in Kogi State.

    The INEC Commissioner in-charge of Kogi, Nasarawa and Plateau states, Dr Abdulkadiri Oniyangi did the presentation at a short ceremony in Lokoja.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) won the three senatorial seats. It also won five out of the nine House of Representatives seats, while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won three.

    Election in one federal constituency- Dekina I was declared inconclusive.

    The three senators that were presented their certificates of return are: Hon. Dino Melaye (Kogi West), Senator Mohammed Salami Ohiare (Kogi Central) and Abdulrahman Abubakar a.k.a Railway (Kogi East).

    The five APC winners in the House of Representatives election that received the Certificate of Return are Abdullahi Bello (Okene/Ogorimagongo), Lawal Idris (Ajaokuta), Hassan Omale (Ankpa/Omala), Buba Jubril (Lokoja/Koto-Karfe) and Kabiru Mohammed Ajana (Okehi/Adavi).

    The three PDP reps-elect that received their certificates of return are: Emmanuel Egwu (Idah/Ofu/Igalamela/Ibaji), Sunday Karimi (Yagba) and Tajudeen Yusuf (Kabba/Ijumu).

    Speaking on behalf of the National Assembly members-elect, Hon. Dino Melaye pledged their commitment to service.

    He added, “I want to say it that we are all going to be senators and House of Representatives members in our respective capacity, but we will work together for the collective interest of Kogi State.

    “We will not work as APC or PDP elected representatives, but as representatives of our people and show that change has truly come.”

  • Mark, Gemade receive certificate of return

    Mark, Gemade receive certificate of return

    Senate President, David Mark and Senator Barnabas Gemade Tuesday received their certificate of return as Senators-elect from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    An INEC National Commissioner, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku handed the certificates to them at the National Assembly according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, in Abuja.

    The statement reads in part: “Mark would be returning to the Senate for the 5th time on the platform of People Democratic Party (PDP) while Gemade who came to the Senate in 2011 on the platform of PDP, would be returning to the Senate the second time on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).”