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Tag: Inec

  • INEC reads riot act to staff

    INEC reads riot act to staff

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned its staff to live above board or be made to face the wrath of the law.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner of Cross River State, Mr. Mike Igini, gave the charge on the heels of a case filed by Akonjom Nsed Ayip against the INEC and Igini challenging his dismissal from service.

    INEC through its Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee had administratively determined the matter in Abuja. The outcome of the findings was the subsequent dismissal of Mr. Akonjom on August 20th, 2013.

    Igini said that prior to the decision to dismiss Mr. Akonjom, the latter had been enmeshed in all manner of controversies which earned him several queries as well as suspension from duty as communicated by the Commission to him in a letter dated 17th May, 2013.”The disciplinary actions were borne out of acts that could undermine the integrity of the commission with respect to his duties in the 2011 elections and on grounds of his dealings with external bodies in a private capacity. Actions, which no doubt, undermined the integrity and public trust on the Commission.

    “The actions of the commission were also based on the fact that Mr. Akonjom held a very sensitive position as Head of the ICT Unit which is key to the Voter Register,” Igini said.

    Akonjom, who has gone to the National Industrial Court in Calabar, is seeking, among other things, that the Court should declare his dismissal as null and void; reinstate him; order the Commission to promote him to the rank which he would have been but for the dismissal; as well as order the payment of all his salaries, allowances or emoluments which he would have been entitled to but for the dismissal.

    While reiterating INEC’s commitment to discipline, Igini said the current INEC administration, under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, has continued to advise staff against unruly behaviour capable of bringing the Commission into disrepute.

    “At all times and as we approach the 2015 elections, the commission will continue to admonish and send parking all those found taking compromising positions that could undermine the thrust of the commission’s duty to implement the electoral roles fully, fairly and impartially in order to sustain our democracy.”

  • The polity

    The polity

    •The President must take the lead in ensuring that the polity is not set ablaze as stakeholders plan for the next general elections

    The year before general elections has always been one to determine how things go. As the clouds gather before it rains, so do telltale signs appear just before the electorate exercise their rights to elect their leaders.

    2015 is the major election year, but this is the year for Nigerians to join states where the sovereign will of the people prevails. It is a year when the government and the institutions saddled with the task of ensuring that the people decide the way forward will prove whether they can deliver without fear or favour.

    Two major elections are to be conducted within the year – in Ekiti and Osun states in the South West. Besides, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will have another opportunity to prove it has no hidden agenda. It will be compiling and presenting another voter register. Would the biometric features on the cards be activated? Would the commission get the logistics right after the fiasco in Delta Central and Anambra, in 2013?

    There are also the security agents that are usually brought into the fray to harass voters. How professional would they be in the Ekiti and Osun polls? Has anything changed since they were last deployed for electoral duties? Then, how mature are the political parties in selecting their candidates and generally conducting their affairs before and after polling?

    It is to be noted that the government has much say in deciding the direction things go. If by the body language of the President the country is told that only free and fair elections would be acceptable, the heat in the polity would go down and the institutions encouraged to perform their tasks creditably. But, where the institutions of state are used as appendages of the ruling party; other contenders are told to find other means of contesting for power. In that wise, violence erupts and storms threaten the national health.

    So far, President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to deny a bid to continue his hold on power. This may be his constitutional right but it has become a source of friction on the political scene. He has demonstrated a tendency to allow the politician in him override his duty as a statesman and father of the nation. In this wise, the general quest for peace, progress and development is defeated and the prediction that national unity could be undermined is once again brought to the fore.

    One method the President has consistently used in recent times is silence in the face of crises. Whether there is a raging storm in Rivers State, he says nothing to douse tension and call those known to take orders from him to order. In his party, when key actors are at war, he pretends to be neutral when he is believed to be located at the centre of the strife. This has not helped matters. It is not presidential. A President should rise to the occasion and lead the search for solutions to problems.

    We call on President Jonathan to change his tactics. We urge him to be more decisive in acting in the interest of this country and begin to see things less from the parochial and partisan prism. How he handles the political crises rocking the country this year and reacts to preparations for 2015 may well decide his place in history.

    We also call on the major opposition parties to handle the realignment of forces with maturity. They should not aim merely at coming up with a contraption hurriedly assembled with a view to winning elections. What the people want is an alternative to the ruling party. In character, programme and operations, the opposition parties should carefully convince the electorate that they represent a movement to rescue the country.

    The people, too, should not present themselves as helpless. At and before the polls, they have to be more active and tell politicians what they want.

     

     

  • ‘Why I can’t be removed from office’

    ‘Why I can’t be removed from office’

    People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Bamanga Tukur has told President Goodluck Jonathan why he cannot be removed from office now.

    His explanation is informed by speculations about plans by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to sack him.

    Tukur, in a January 13 letter by his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, addressed to President Jonathan, said he cannot be removed because there was a valid subsisting order of a Federal High Court, Abuja, issued on April 25, last year asking the party to maintain the status quo.

    In the suit he filed for PDP against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Justice Adamu Bello ordered parties to maintain status quo by not taking actions that would lead to the removal of the then national officers.

    PDP, in the suit, sought, among others, a declaration that the tenure of the National Officers elected at the 2012 National Convention could not be truncated.

    This was after the INEC alleged irregularity in the election, saying that the nominations of the officers who were unopposed at the 2012 convention were invalid because they were affirmed by voice votes instead of “open secret ballot”.

    Tukur said he wrote Jonathan because he is the constitutional leader of the PDP and that it was reported that he (Jonathan) attended the BOT meeting where the plan to remove Tukur was hatched.

    The letter reads: “My attention has been drawn to reported proceedings of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party, which culminated in the decision to remove Dr. Bamanga Tukur from the position of Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.

    “This removal is to be achieved either by pressurising him to resign or by some vote of lack of confidence to be procured against him at a planned National Working Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party.

    “This letter is addressed to you because you are the constitutional leader of the PDP and it was reported that you were in attendance at the BOT meeting.

    “That order is still subsisting, valid and binding on the PDP and INEC till date and especially as at the time the BOT meeting decided to procure the removal of Dr. Bamanga Tukur.

    “The position of Nigerian Law is that anyone, though not directly bound by an order of court, who aids or abets the negation of such an order is liable for criminal contempt and all contemptuous actions taken by contemnors are null and void and liable to be set aside by the court.”

    Oluyede said he decided to write the president to forestall a breakdown of order and to prevent the PDP from falling into a booby trap.

    “In the circumstance, we find that the deliberation by the BOT on a plan to remove the National Chairman of the PDP and the decisions and resolutions reached at that meeting are null and void and anything built on it will be equally null and void.

    “More importantly, we must point out that INEC, which is a party to the proceedings in which the order was made, cannot recognise any new appointment or installation of a replacement for Dr. Tukur arising from the decision taken at the said BOT meeting or that of any other organ of the Party during the subsistence of the order for status quo.

    “This would mean that any nomination forms submitted or signed by such a replacement would be equally null and void. The ramifications of this chain of illegalities are easy to imagine.”

    The letter went on: “We have written, inter alia, to draw your attention to the taint this illegal process could be on an otherwise legitimate nomination process for the candidates of the PDP at the forthcoming general elections.

    “This can be avoided now by mere attention to detail and compliance with due process.

    “Due process in the circumstances dictates that any legitimate demand for the termination of Dr. Tukur’s tenure as National Chairman of the PDP be subjected to the procedure and processes prescribed by the Constitution of the Party for removal, only after the court has determined the pending action or otherwise vacated the subsisting order aforementioned.”

    Also yesterday, Tukur insisted that he could only be removed through a properly conducted national convention of the party and that until that takes place, he remains the legally-recognised national chairman.

    He dismissed reports that President Jonathan had asked him to resign, saying that the party’s constitution did not vest the President with such powers. According to him, the report was the handiwork of the opposition.

    Tukur said: “I am an elected national chairman. I have my certificate of return. I cannot resign. The convention brought me, so it has to take the convention that brought me for me to resign.

    “So, not even the President can ask me to resign. Remember that some members of the National Woking Committee (NWC) were asked to go recently because the election that brought them was flawed. So Mr. President can not tread that route again.”

  • Jonathan promises to complete priority projects

    Jonathan promises to complete priority projects

    •President greets Muslims on Eid-el-Mawlud celebration

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday promised to complete priority projects and overlook distractions ahead of next year’s elections.

    Dr Jonathan made the promises in his Eid-el-Mawlud message to Nigerians on today’s public holiday on the birth of Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

    Jonathan said his administration would support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

    The statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, reads: “Against the background of the increasing tempo of political activities in the country, as individuals, groups and parties jostle for vantage positions in the countdown to next year’s general elections, President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that his administration will not be distracted from working diligently to bring all of its priority developmental programmes and projects to a successful conclusion.

    “The President also assures the nation that his administration will continue to act on its belief that only free, fair and credible elections can make democracy in Nigeria truly meaningful and useful as a vehicle for development and progress by working with the INEC and all stakeholders to make the best possible preparations for the next elections.”

    The President urged Muslims to celebrate the Prophet’s birth with special prayers for greater peace, unity and progress in Nigeria.

    “Also, as this year’s Eid-el-Mawlud fortuitously comes just a day before the nation’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, President Jonathan urges all Nigerians, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to seize the opportunity of the eid to offer special prayers as well for officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces who continue to do their best to protect the nation’s territorial integrity and achieve greater security in all parts of the country.”

    Dr Jonathan said his administration would always count on the support and prayers of patriotic Nigerians for the success of his administration’s efforts to move the nation faster on the path to greater peace, unity, progress and prosperity.

    He said: “The President believes that a greater internalisation of the virtues of honesty, selflessness, charity, tolerance, good neighbourliness, justice, equity and fairness which the Prophet preached and exemplified will be of immense benefit to the nation in this regard.”

    He urged Nigerians to imbibe these virtues and values as they celebrate the Prophet’s birth.

    The President wished Nigerians a happy Eid-el-Mawlud.

  • Council poll: APC heads for Appeal Court

    Council poll: APC heads for Appeal Court

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has gone to the Appeal Court in Enugu State to challenge the dismissal of its motion to stop the January 11 local government election in Anambra State.

    The case was dismissed at the Federal High Court, Awka.

    The party, which earlier backed out of the election on the grounds of fake voter register and non-publication of the list of candidates, prayed for the following reliefs:

    An order compelling the first defendant (Independent National Electoral Commission-INEC) to reverse the voter register and display same for public scrutiny.

    An order of perpetual injunction restraining the second defendant (Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission-ANSIEC) from conducting the election scheduled for January 11 or at any other date until the the issues raised in the originating summons have been addressed.

    APC also sought an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the first and second defendants, their servants, agents or privies from conducting or organising the election on January 11 or at any date pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons dated January 6.

    The party’s Interim Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr. Chukwuma Agufugo, said in a statement in Awka yesterday:

    “You are aware that the registered parties in the state, with the exception of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), agreed at the Marble Arch Hotel, Awka, on January 6, not to participate in the election.

    “Events in the state on Saturday justified our position and the indigenes complied with our decision not to take part in the election.

    “Government and ANSIEC’s show of shame has vindicated us.

    “When our party opted out, we told Nigerians that starting from a bad voter register, to non-display of the three variants of register they intend to use and non-publication of the names of candidates, ANSIEC was poised to rig the election.

    “What was witnessed on Saturday- absence of electoral officials and materials in 90 per cent of the booths, late arrival of same in the few wards without result sheets, meant the selection process was concluded days before Anambra people were called out.

    “We wish to inform candidates, aspirants and opposition parties that we are heading for the Appeal Court to get this undemocratic misdemeanour corrected.”

  • ‘Anambra mistakes can’t undermine future polls’

    Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Prof. Adekunle Ogunmola has assured Nigerians that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would not repeat the mistakes it made in the last Anambra State governorship election in Ekiti and Osun states.

    Ogunmola gave the assurance at his Oyo home while hosting members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council.

    He said the commission has identified the causes of the mistakes and believes they are not general problems that can undermine the credibility of future elections.

    Lamenting that the situation was blown out of proportion, he identified the non-payment of workers’ allowances and the omission of names on the voter register as the problems in Anambra, “which were not effectively managed and led to the crisis”.

    Ogunmola said the commission was reassessing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the aim of improving it. He said efforts were also on to update voter registers.

    Ogunmola said INEC was working on modalities to ensure that its officials do not compromise credibility and fairness in future elections.

    Referring to the Anambra poll as a blessing in disguise, he said if the issues in the election had not arisen, the commission would have gone to rest believing it was fully prepared for the 2015 general elections.

    Promising that the Osun and Ekiti governorship elections would not go the Anambra way, Ogunmola urged voters to cross-check their names as soon as the commission displays the voter list, so that corrections can be made, if need be, before the elections.

    Oyo NUJ Chairman Gbenga Opadotun, lauded the working relationship between INEC and the media, stressing that journalists would continue to play a crucial role in democracy, particularly by enlightening voters on their rights and responsibilities.

     

  • Court upholds fiscal autonomy for Judiciary

    •Stops withholding of Judiciary allocations

    The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday stopped the Federal Government and the 36 states from withholding budgetary allocations of the Judiciary.

    Justice Ademola Adeniyi ordered that funds for the third arm of government be released to the heads of courts.

    He held as unconstitutional the withholding of Judiciary funds by the Executive, saying this constituted a threat to the independence of the Judiciary.

    Justice Adeniyi, who relied on sections 83(1), 212(3) and 162(9) of the Constitution, also held that the provisions should be complied with.

    “The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the states should act responsibly to avoid a constitutional crisis in this country by ensuring financial autonomy for the Judiciary,” he said.

    He held that the piecemeal allocation of funds to the Judiciary by the executive arms was also unconstitutional.

    The judgement followed a suit instituted by the Judiciary Staff Association of Nigeria (JUSUN).

    Justice Adeniyi said the workers had the right to ask the Federal Government and states to comply with the Constitution as they relate to funding of the Judiciary.

    The defendants included the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Federal Government and 36 states.

    JUSUN was dissatisfied with the way the Federation Account/Consolidated Revenue Fund were being handled, saying this affected their welfare.

    The judge upheld the plaintiff’s argument and declared that the defendants’ failure to pay the fund standing to the credit of the states’ Judiciary in the Federation/Consolidated Revenue Funds to the heads of courts was a violation of constitutional provisions and must stop.

    Justice Ademola ordered the defendants to comply with sections 81(3), 212(3) and 162(9).

    The judge made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from committing any further breach.

    He said the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) enjoyed independence of funding, adding that same should apply to the Judiciary.

    Justice Ademola ordered that the judgment be served on the accountant-general of the federation and the accountants-general of the 36 states.

    He also ordered that the judgment be served on the Senate president, House of Representatives Sspeaker and speakers of the 36 states.

    The auditor-general of the federation and the auditors-general of the 36 states are also to be served.

    The judge refused the plaintiff’s prayer for a declaration that the defendants were in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and the states’ fiscal responsibility laws.

    He held that the states were not under any obligation to implement the Fiscal Responsibility Act because it was a law made by the Federal Government.

  • INEC fixes February 22 for Taraba Assembly bye-election

    The Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC), in Taraba, has fixed February 22 for a bye-election to fill the vacant House of Assembly seat for Takum I constituency.
    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the seat became vacant following the death of the member representing the constituency, Mr. Haruna Tsokwa, on November 4, 2013.
    Until his death, Tsokwa, aged 47, was the Speaker of the Taraba House of Assembly.
    In a statement issued in Jalingo by the state’s INEC Administrative Secretary, Mr. Ahmed Baba, the commission said collection of nomination forms would start on February 8, while deadline for submission was February 15.
    “On February 16, 2014, INEC will publish personal particulars of candidates ahead of the elections on Saturday, February 22, 2014,” the statement said.

  • Elections: INEC rules out Anambra mistakes In Ekiti, Osun

    Elections: INEC rules out Anambra mistakes In Ekiti, Osun

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that it will improve on its election management this year.

    Speaking specifically on the forth coming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states later this year, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the commission is determined not to allow a repeat of the Anambra governorship election mistakes.

    Jega spoke on Wednesday in Abuja when he hosted the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, John C.M Groffen, at the commission’s headquarters.

    The ambassador cautioned against political instability in the country ahead of 2015.

    Jega, who acknowledged the various concerns raised about 2015, said the commission has learnt lessons from previous elections hence it was poised not to repeat those mistakes.

    According to him, “What happened in Anambra was unfortunate and it will not in any way represent what will happen in 2015. We learnt additional lessons from it and we are factoring it in our preparations for 2015.

    “We will have two governorship elections this year and we are doing all possible to ensure they are conducted smoothly, freely and fairly. We have mapped out detailed plans from previous elections.

    “We are aware that stable nation, will lead to improved economic growth. Our job is to use electoral process to ensure that elections are conducted with credibility and add to political and economic stability of the country.

    “I am pleased to inform you that prospects of the coming year are good because we have done extensive research and preparations since 2011. And we have made remarkable improvements into the process.

    “As we move to 2015, we are confident that it will be much better that 2011. Elections in Nigeria considering its size and complicity are very challenging but those challenges are not insurmountable. We have also learnt the hard way that sometimes in spite of our best efforts things happen which raise questions about our preparations.”

     

     

  • Yobe thwarts PDP’s 2015 calculations

    Yobe thwarts PDP’s 2015 calculations

    IT took a lot of courage and political savvy to conduct the local government election in Yobe State’s 17 LGAs in the closing days of last year. That Governor Ibrahim Gaidam was able to pull it off comes not only as a surprise to Nigerians, opposition party and ruling party alike, it effectively put paid to any plan by both the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disenfranchise the Northeast, a significant bulwark of the opposition.

    The PDP and the Jonathan presidency will now have to rework their calculations if they hope to retain the office they have won thrice, mostly dubitably. In 2015, the chances of holding elections in Yobe are much higher than it was when the state had not yet conducted its LGA poll.