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Tag: Inec

  • Ex- INEC deputy secretary Osemeke dies

    Chief Steve Osemeke, a former Deputy Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is dead, aged 60, a family source said on Monday in Abuja.

    Mr. Ogochukwu Osemeke (Jnr), son of the deceased who made this known in a statement in Abuja, said his father died on June 24 during a brief illness.

    The statement said Osemeke held different positions before retiring as a deputy secretary of INEC in 2010.

    The statement listed some of the positions to include Director of Public Affairs and Personnel Management as well as the Administrative Secretary of the commission.

    The News Agency of Nigeria quoting the statement reports that the deceased also served as Chief Secretary to many governors.

    The statement said Osemeke was also a former Features Editor in the Nigerian Observer from where he rose to become the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the old Bendel State from 1982 to 1984.

    According to the statement, he is survived by his wife, children, grand children, brothers and sisters, among other relations.

  • Anxiety as INEC declares Imo rerun inconclusive

    There was tension yesterday in Imo State as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the House of Assembly rerun election for Oguta Constituency inconclusive.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Selina Oko, cited discrepancies in some of the polling units where ballot boxes were snatched by thugs as reasons for withholding the result, pending elections in the affected areas.

    But Governor Rochas Okorocha has congratulated the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Walter Uzonwanne, for emerging victorious in the election which was said to be fraught with violence.

    The governor, however, condemned the anti-democratic activities of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains, who he claimed had disenfranchised the people by writing election results in their homes.

    He described the outcome of the election as a clear indication that the people are embracing the change being championed by his administration, adding that the APGA-led state government would continue to embark on programmes that would impact positively on the lives of Oguta people.

    In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Chinedu Offor, the APGA candidate maintained a clear lead in the 11 wards where results were collated.

    “As INEC prepares to officially announce the result of the rerun, the results so far collated in 11 wards show that the APGA candidate is maintaining a comfortable lead over the PDP candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu.

    “The APGA candidate scored 9,595, his PDP counterpart has 7,584 from the 18,634 number of votes cast during the election,” he insisted.

    The state Chairman of APGA, Okoroafor Anyanwu, called on INEC to declare the results of the election, stating that: “The APGA candidate got the required number of votes to be declared winner, so the issue of declaring the election inconclusive is misleading.”

    According to him, “the total number of registered voters in Oguta Council Area is 61,830. The number accredited for the election was 19,528, the valid votes cast were 17,488 and 1,146 votes were rejected. With the above record it is surprising that INEC could not declare the result of the election.”

  • 2014 Osun governorship poll: INEC fires back at Omisore

    2014 Osun governorship poll: INEC fires back at Omisore

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday blasted PDP Chieftain in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, over his media campaign that the Commission has been defying a court order that its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Ambassador Akeju, should be removed.

    The Commission said contrary to Omisore’s claim, there is no subsisting court order against it on Akeju.

    The PDP in Osun State had gone to court seeking Akeju’s removal ahead of the 2014 governorship poll in the state.

    The party accused Akeju of being partisan towards the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Although a Federal High Court in Osogbo granted an interlocutory injunction restraining INEC from recognising Akeju, the same court later granted an application for a stay of proceedings.

    In a statement yesterday, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, advised Omisore to be guided by the law.

    He said: “Ordinarily, INEC, as a neutral umpire, would not want to take issue with political partisans of whatever inclination. But because the Commission’s silence may be mistaken by the unwary public as a proof of veracity of Senator Iyiola Omisore’s claim, it has become imperative to make clear that there is no subsisting court order against Ambassador Akeju as Osun State REC.

    “True, in a ruling on 23rd March, 2011 by the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Hon. Justice Babs Kuewumi gave an interlocutory order of injunction restraining INEC from recognising the REC pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Summons in the suit.

    “But the Commission’s lawyers lodged an appeal and filed a motion for stay of execution of the interlocutory order. This appeal is still pending before the Court of Appeal in Akure.

    “Meanwhile, Hon. Justice Babs Kuewumi, in another ruling on 31st May, 2012, granted the application for stay of proceedings pending the determination of the appeal made by the Plaintiff – the Peoples Democratic Party.

    “The position of the law as at today is that the order of injunction granted by the lower court is in abeyance pending the final determination of the appeal.

    “Let me reaffirm that INEC is a law-abiding organisation and does not defy valid court orders.

    “The Commission is guided by provisions of the law and strives to do the right thing always. Politicians, and indeed all Nigerians, are urged to be likewise disposed – for the good health of our democracy.”

  • INEC unveils election action plan

    Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega accepted that there could be some corrupt officials in the commission.

    He admitted that some INEC employer were culpable in the rigging and other electoral malpractices during elections.

    Senate Committee on INEC did not rule out the possibility of some changes in certain provisions of the Electoral Act, including the provision prohibiting Electronic Voting System.

    Jega spoke at a meeting of political Parties and stakeholders who converged on Abuja for the unveiling/Public Presentation of Strategic Programme of Action of INEC covering 2012 to 2016.

    The INEC boss was reacting to some bashing from some stakeholders present at the meeting. He said: “INEC officials are not immune to prosecution. In fact, since we came here, as a Commission we have prosecuted INEC officials, probably it was not well advertised but prosecuted INEC officials who have beenclearly found guilty of breaching established laws, rules and regulations and we have also quietly shown people the way out. There were many people that were indicted who were not faithful due to be doing criminal activities which clearly were incompatible with the objectives and responsibility that were supposed to be bring to this job. We have retired people. We have dismissed people and asked people to withdraw their services. We have done a lot quietly and it is not something that really should have been advertised in our view.

    “We made it very clear as a Commission when we came here and I think in one of the interactive sessions we had with staff of INEC and as a Commission, we made it very clear to them; said we are drawing the line. We said we were not looking for fault. We will not do anything wrong or ask anybody to do anything wrong and if anybody should do anything wrong, he will have him or her herself to blame. And that has been our guiding principle. It has helped tremendously.

    “No doubt, I must share with you that my own assessment to what has happened is that in INEC previously, certainly there were a few bad eggs who had done things and things they had done have more or less damage the image of the entire members of the Commission. It is really a terrible thing that has happened. And it is very, very clear that substantial majority staff of INEC are honest people doing honest job under very difficult circumstances. All they required was motivation and encouragement and inspiration from the conduct of those who are placed in positions of responsibility.”

    Chairman, Senate Committee of INEC, Senator Andy Uba who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Abdukadir Jagere, said that Democracy can only be said to have been sustained in Nigeria if INEC improves on the gains of 2011 general elections.

    This is why we want to deal with all the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, in a good time. Section 8 of the Electoral Act for instance needed to be tinkered with. Also section 13 that deals with transfer of voters, will have to be looked at because a lot of persons have moved from the North-East because of the security challenge and these people may never return.

    “We did not approve Electronic Voting because of the fear of the fact that we don’t have the infrastructure to support it. If you take it to where there is no electricity, it will not work. But we will do our best to make the laws more flexible to allow INEC issue guidelines on election matters, so as to see if we can implement the Electronic Voting system in phases, the way CBN is doing with cash less policy.

    “2015 will be a litmus test for this country, if we make it, then we would have stabilized as a democracy. If we can achieve anything, nor matter how little in 2015, we will congratulate INEC and congratulate ourselves.”

    INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Strategic Planning, Dr. Nuru Yakubu, said five years Action Plan seeks to achieve the over all mandate of INEC.

    The strategy also proposes what needs to be done for INEC to achieve its mandate over the years.’

    The five years INEC Programme of Action Plan features include:

    •To provide electoral operations, systems and infrastructure to support delivery of free, fair and credible elections

    •To improve voter education, training and research

    •To register political parties and monitor their operations

    •To interact internationally and nationally with relevant stakeholders

    •To re-organise and re-position INEC for sustained conduct of free, fair and credible elections

  • Senator faults funding of political parties by govt.

    Senator faults funding of political parties by govt.

    Sen. Andy Uba, Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, has faulted government’s funding of political parties, saying it will undermine the ongoing electoral reforms in the country.

    Uba, who said this in Abuja on Monday at the 6th lecture of the INEC’s Electoral Institute for Political Parties, noted that funding by government could make the parties “stooge’’ of government.

    According to him, instead, political parties should find ways to generate their own incomes as it is done in civilised nations.

    “Countries across the globe, you find political parties creating businesses and other legitimate means of generating money as this will make them to be financially independent.

    He said political parties depending on government for funding should be ready to take instructions from the government because “he who plays the piper dictates the tune’’.

    Uba said the time has come for political parties in Nigeria to become independent and design means of funding their activities.

    He said that nothing stops Nigeria from copying the America and Ghana system of political party funding to enhance party activities.

    The senator said the conduct of local government elections by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs) was becoming of a great concern to the nation.

    He noted that it had become apparent that there was no democracy in elections conducted by SIECs.

    Uba said that he was making some moves with other lawmakers to resolve the problem legislatively.

    Earlier, some parties’ chieftains had stressed the need for the Federal Government to resume funding of the registered political parties in the country.

    The chieftains, who spoke under anonymity, said that the existing political parties were not sufficiently solvent to be denied grants from the government.

    One of them stated that political parties were facing challenges in keeping afloat without regular financial support from government.

    He said that membership registration by the political parties did not attract special revenue for the running of their secretariats and other activities.

    Malam Buba Galadima, National Secretary, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was wrong for government to continue to fund political parties.

    He said the time had come for political parties to be independent of government.

    Galadima said all political parties must imbibe the act of self-reliance to encourage discipline among the virile political parties

  • INEC and challenges of new constituencies

    INEC and challenges of new constituencies

    Constituency delimitation is part of the agenda by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2015 general elections. AUGUSTINE AVWODE examines the imperative, challenges and prospects of the plan. 

    With a growing political consciousness among Nigerians,the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has a huge responsibility on its shoulders. Nigerians, more than ever, are demanding for free, fair and credible elections. This is a reality that is not lost on the electoral umpire. The 2015 general elections, remain a veritable opportunity to test INEC’s preparedness to give Nigerians something to cheer in the conduct of elections.

    Only last week, INEC chairman Prof Attahiru Jega, reiterated this reality by pledging, almost for the umpteenth time, that the body will conduct free and credible elections in 2015. The INEC boss spoke when he received in audience, the top management team of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), which was led by its Acting Director-General, Dr. Samson Shuaibu. The team had gone to INEC to explore areas of cooperation and collaboration in the next election.

    In Jega’s words: “We at INEC are aware of the enormous responsibilities that have been placed on our hands to produce a framework and deepen democracy in our country. We have been doing our best in that regard and we have benefited tremendously from the participation of all stakeholders and it is the partnership of all stakeholders with INEC that was responsible for the achievements recorded in the 2011 elections.

    “Since the 2011 elections, we have been doing our best to fine tune the procedures to engage all the stakeholders and ensure that we keep on improving the process. Our determination is to ensure that the 2015 elections remain much better than that of 2011,” Jega said.

    Part of the efforts to “fine tune the procedures” that will, ultimately, deliver a credible electoral contest in 2015, is the plan by INEC to embark on constituency delimitation. The objective is to create a fair balance of the voting population.

    Imperative of constituency delimitation

    In mid-March, INEC held discussions with representatives of about 20 political parties on its plan to embark on the delimitation of constituencies in the country ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Jega told his audience in his opening remarks that the commission had already worked out a plan for the exercise, and that it would strive to achieve it before the 2015 polls.

    “We have worked out a plan for the delimitation of constituencies, which we shall strive to do before the 2015 elections”, he told the gathering

    As a demonstration of its determination to carry out the exercise, INEC in collaboration with some government agencies, organized a two-day retreat in early May for stakeholders in Nigeria at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu.

    All things considered, a review of the existing delimitation structure, has become necessary because of demographic changes. After the Enugu retreat, INEC issued a communiqué in which it tried to justify the necessity for the plan.

    The commission noted that the current delimitation structure was done 17 years ago and that it was carried out by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) in 1996, under a military regime. Besides, the commission is statutorily empowered to conduct delimitation of constituencies after 10 years, or after a census. Also, the growth in population and demographic shifts warrants a review of constituencies.

    It argued that the current constituency structure has been severely criticised for “manifesting features that are at variance with international best practices, including mal-apportionments and other inequalities that challenge, in a fundamental manner, the principle of equal representation”.

    It pressed its position further by saying that “if the principle of one man, one-vote in a single member representative system, such as ours is to be indeed enthroned in our democratic culture, conscious and deliberate effort must be made to review the constituencies in order to eliminate, or at least reduce to a minimum level, the current imbalances that have been noticed”.

    The commission therefore agreed, at the retreat, that “to avoid the criticisms that have continued to dog the current delimitation, it would be wise and prudent to consider such good practices as administrative and traditional boundaries, cultural affinity, natural frontiers and physical features.”

    Challenges

    Desirable as it is, embarking on new constituency delimitation has its challenges. Jega, at the said retreat, admitted that the exercise would certainly face some challenges. He, however, assured that notwithstanding the challenges involved in the exercise, the electoral body would go ahead with it, for the sake of its positive effects in the development of the nation’s democracy.

    “There is no doubt that constituency delimitation, or review of electoral constituencies, is difficult and challenging. But given its importance in expanding the scope of popular participation in representative democracy, and in strengthening good democratic governance, strenuous efforts have to be made to overcome the anticipated challenges.

    “It is possible to successfully review and delimit electoral constituencies, as the experience of some of our sister African countries reveals. The commission is, therefore, determined to partner with all stakeholders to execute a transparent, rational and impartial delimitation of electoral constituencies”, he assured.

    Already, the electoral body has agreed to use the 2006 census figures for the exercise. It was one of the major recommendations at the end of retreat. But one of the major challenges INEC is sure to face is skepticism on the part of the public and tendency to manipulate the process by political actors. As if anticipating these challenges, the retreat agreed, that, to successfully carry out the exercise, “the commission must continually engage with stakeholders, with a view to building confidence and mutual trust and disabusing mindsets, likely to be imbibed by key stakeholders, particularly, politicians who have vested interests in the exercise.”

    Furthermore, INEC would have to ensure that the criteria for the exercise are “rational, transparent, impartial and non-partisan” while it “continues to carry its stakeholders along through continuous briefings, enlightenment, consultations, and voter education and public hearings”.

    Speaking with The Nation on Tuesday, former Governor of old Kaduna State Alhaji Balarabe Musa said the major challenge the electoral body would face is that of convincing Nigerians that the exercise would be credible and justice driven.

    “My first question is does it has the powers to do that, if yes, then it should go ahead. If it is the duty of another body to do it, it should do so faithfully. So, whether INEC or another body, it should do it faithfully; without regard to favouring anybody.

    “It should ensure that the delimitation process is transparent from the begining to the end and be subject to scrutiny by all stakeholders. Now, I want to also say that the commission must emphasise the importance of the exercise to the electorate, because, it is what will give all of us what we want, which is one-man-one vote.

    “It is only when there is the principle of equality, that the exercise can fully give expression to our desire to improve our electoral fortunes”, he said.

    Lagos lawyer Chief Fred Agbaje agreed with the commission, that it was expected to conduct a review of constituencies after every general election or after any census in the country. “You know that our population is growing so rapidly, most of those who were 17 years in 2011 are now 18 years plus. There are also, movements across the country. Generally, it is desirable and we should encourage it. But then, there are likely to be challenges. There may be lack of cooperation from the public. And this will be basically as a result of lack of enough education about the issue at stake. So, people will see it as opportunity to inflict all sorts of political injury on our young democracy. There is also the possibility of it being hijacked by the political class for their own end? On the other hand, it could be hijacked by the politicians to maintain the status quo ”, he said.

    Lagos State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Publicity Secretary Joe Ogbokwe said he is in support of the plan and believed, too, that many Nigerians would be in support of it, “only to the extent that it does not jeopardize 2015, and the realisation of a free and fair election. INEC must be prepared to do a clean and clear job.

    “If you ask me, I will say that is the duty they owe Nigerians; to give us a free, fair and credible election. And if it will not serve that purpose, count me and all Nigerians out. So, from the word go, the commission must start by embarking on massive education and mobilization, if it hopes to succeed”, he said.

    Prospects

    The prospect of a successful delimitation of constituencies is high as long as it enjoys the support of critical stakeholders. With the attendance of the last retreat in Enugu by the leadership of the National Assembly; Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs); representatives of the National Population Commission (NPC); National Bureau of Statistics (NBS); Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGF); National Space Research and Development Agency (BCDA); Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST); and experts from the academia, there is high hope.

    It has been observed that, one of the major flaws with previous efforts at review of constituency delimitation, has been inadequate engagement with major and critical stakeholders. But Jega assured participants at the Enugu retreat, that the commission’s new Delimitation Plan of Action, has provided for a robust programme of stakeholder sensitisation and engagement.

    As part of the confidence building and sensitisation agenda with critical stakeholders, the commission held a three-day retreat in Sokoto in April with the Senate and House Committees on INEC. Coming just a month after the parley with party chieftains in Abuja, the Sokoto retreat provided another opportunity to review the existing constituencies.

    The commission, Jega assured participants, will pursue the project with the same and even higher determination that has seen it overcome obstacles in the past.

    “Certainly, we in the Commission will be the first to admit that the route has been tortuous and arduous but we have attended to the challenges with courage, determination, focus, honesty and sincerity of purpose.

    “Indeed, it is all these (focus, courage, sincerity and transparency) and more, that we as a Commission are committed to bringing to this project in order to ensure a successful and generally acceptable review of electoral constituencies.

    “We will seek your input into proposals for reviews of guidelines and procedures, strategies for citizen sensitization and mobilization for effective participation in elections, strategies for continuous voter registration, plans for constituency delimitation, and so on.”

    But whether the commission will match its words with action, and so give Nigerians cause to smile when the 2015 elections are held and done, is left to be seen.

  • Why INEC must register APC

    Why INEC must register APC

    SIR: The news that some unnamed persons have surreptitiously submitted an application for the registration of a political party to be known and called the African Peoples Congress, which shares similar acronym with the authentic All Progressives Congress (APC), a new party being proposed by some opposition parties does not come as a surprise. It’s a throwback to the nihilist politics of the second republic. Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim (advocate of politics without bitterness) had formed the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) then and all of sudden, the great Zik came to seize the party from him. That was why Waziri left with his supporters and structures to form his Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP).

    But the Federal Electoral Commission then resolved the registration problems with aplomb to the satisfaction of all concerned. This is more reasons why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega and his men need to learn a lot of useful lesson from this. They should not allow themselves to be used to derail our hard-earned democracy.

    The uproar and imbroglio surrounding the registration of the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) is not a surprise for those who watch with keen interest. The ruling party, PDP, has smelt a rat that the coming of APC will wrest power from them and will be their undoing come 2015; that is why they seek to thwart the emergence of the party.

    The decision of the opposition parties ACN, CPC, ANPP and APGA to merge caught the ruling party napping and sent shivers down the spines of the reactionary forces holding down the destiny of this nation; they recognise that the hour of liberation is nigh.

    Therefore, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could go to any extent to upturn the effort of the APC from seeing the light of the day. Consequently, the shenanigan unfolding as regards the emergence of the parties with acronym APC is just a tip in the iceberg of the subterfuge the anti-democracy forces plan to unleash to make the APC a stillbirth. Nevertheless, the scenario is an eye opener for the proponents for the APC of the enormity of the task before them, signal for the authentic APC to brace up to face the hurdles. Also, it would afford them opportunity to know that they are on the right path.

    Jega is therefore advised not to allow himself to be used to truncate and thwart the legitimate aspiration of the APC. This is all because those who allowed themselves to be used for such objectives have become irrelevant irritant footnotes in the bosom of history. May God almighty give INEC the wisdom, knowledge and ability to perform their task and do what is just and right.

     

    • Ademola Orunbon

    Epe, Lagos State

  • APC submits registration request to INEC

    APC submits registration request to INEC

    The stage is set for the emergence of a mega opposition party.

    Proponents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have submitted their request for registration to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) fused to form APC.

    Besides the major parties, some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) are part of the merger.

    Spokesman for the APC Merger Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, yesterday confirmed that the party- in-formation submitted its request to INEC on Friday.

    He spoke to reporters after a meeting of the committee in Abuja.

    According to the former Foreign Affairs Minister, the request was signed by the national chairmen, national secretaries and treasurers of the merging parties as stipulated by the relevant registration requirement.

    “We were able to conclude work amicably on the choice of name, logo, slogan, symbol, constitution and manifesto.

    “The merging political parties held hitch-free conventions in Lagos, Abuja and Gusau,” Ikimi said, adding that there is no crack within the opposition coalition on the constitution of an Interim National Executive Committee for the new party. He said APC leaders were consulting on the membership of the executive committee.

    He said: “That (Executive Committee) is being discussed and it is being worked out and we need to consult further with our various parties in order to agree with those names. There are no disagreements and we as merging parties are working and we had a fruitful meeting this afternoon and we have made fundamental decisions.

    “One of the decisions is that we should now consult further with our various parties (on the names of those to lead the newly formed party). Each merging party and some sections of All Progressive Grand Alliance and the DPP have been mandated to report back to the leaders of their group on the matter. “

    Ikimi explained that APC had gone far in its merger and would not disappoint Nigerians who are eager for change.

    He gave an insight into how the merging parties worked to produce the name of the new party, its logo, the slogan, the symbol, the constitution and the manifesto.

    He added: “To this end, we have all subscribed to our new constitution and it defines, quite clearly, the leadership structure of the party.

    “This principle underscores equality and fair play among party members without prejudice.

    “We will, therefore, strive to guarantee transparency and internal party democracy particularly at this stage of registration.

    “We expect all of us involved in the process to also subscribe to and respect the fundamental principles. Everyone committed to providing our country this platform of change must be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice.”

    ACN National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohamed allayed the fear that INEC might not register APC because of non-submission of the list of its Executive Committee members.

    Alhaji Mohammed said: “On the list of the Interim Executive Committee, you will know in due course. Let me tell you one thing: nobody would stampede us and no amount of pressure would make us do what we know is not proper.

    “This is the first time such a merger is happening in Nigeria. We won’t be distracted because we know we are on right course.”

    Ikimi was accompanied by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau from ANPP and a former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Gadi from the CPC.

    Others at the meeting were Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha; a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Audu Ogbeh.

  • 2015 election will be better – Jega

    2015 election will be better – Jega

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has assured that the 2015 general elections would be better.

    He, however, said the success of the election is not that of electoral body alone but the work of all citizens.

    Prof. Jega also noted the importance of enlightened citizens in the electoral process.

    The citizens, he stressed have to be sensitized, educated and be mobilized to discharge that civic responsibility.

    He assured that INEC was committed to a thorough voter education and public enlightenment before the 2015 elections.

    Jega spoke on Monday in Abuja when he received the top management team of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) led by its acting Director-General, Dr. Samson Shuaibu who were on a courtesy call to the commission.

    INEC and FRCN are working towards exploring areas of synergy and collaboration in the next election.

    Jega said, “We in INEC are aware of the enormous responsibilities that had been placed in our hands to produce a framework and deepen democracy in our country. We have been doing our best in that regard and we have benefited tremendously from the participation of all stakeholders and it is the partnership of all stakeholders with INEC that was responsible for the achievements recorded in the 2011 elections.

    “Since the 2011 elections, we have been doing our best to fine tune the procedures to engage all the stakeholders and ensure that we keep on improving the process. Our determination is to ensure that the 2015 elections remain must become better that of 2011 elections.”

     

  • Abia lawmaker arraigned for alleged certificate forgery

    Abia lawmaker arraigned for alleged certificate forgery

    The member representing Umunneochi State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Prince Ikedi Ezekwesiri has been arraigned before an Umuahia Magistrate Court for alleged perjury.

     

    Ezekwesiri was arraigned on a five count charge of impersonation, forgery and false information among other charges.

     

    The lawmaker was alleged to have on Jan. 31, 2011 in the INEC Form C.F 001 preparatory for election into the State House of Assembly falsely declared to be a legal practitioner, an offence punishable under Section 192 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004.

     

    He was also alleged to have on the same date in a judicial proceeding in the High Court registry before the Commissioner for Oats given false testimony contrary to Section 117 and punishable under Section 118 of the Criminal Code Cap. C 38 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004.

     

    The prosecution said that the false testimony was to enable him contest for the state house of assembly election which he won to represent Umunneochi state constituency in the state legislative arm of government.

     

    Ezekwesiri,  a prince from Umunneochi was alleged to have fraudulently altered and mutilated the INEC Form CF 001 during investigation by the Nigeria Police by inserting the word ‘business man’ instead of ‘legal practitioner’ as earlier professed and presented same to the police.

     

    The prosecution said that the act was contrary to Section 468 of the Criminal Code and punishable under Section 465 of the Criminal Code Cap. C. 38 laws of the federation as applicable in Abia state.

     

    He was alleged to have fraudulently presented to INEC and the police during investigation, an LLB in Law degree certificate bearing Eze Ikedichi awarded with an honour in the 3rd Class degree instead of pass by the Abia State University.

     

    When the charges where read, the accused person pleaded not guilty to all the charges, while his lawyer, Bar. Okey Amechi (SAN) who appeared with over ten lawyers applied for the bail of the accused on self-recognition as a serving legislator.and house committee chairman on public petitions.

     

    Amaechi said, “This is a political issue and he will not jump bail which is the major reason for granting bail and he is the house committee chairman on public petitions”.

     

    The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Sampson Onyemuche, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who appeared with Mr Godwin Ijioma (DSP), said that the prosecution was not objecting to the bail application.

     

    Onyemuche said, “We however object to granting the accused bail on self-recognition, this is a criminal trial and we expect him to be given bail with a reasonable sum and surety in like sum and this is not the type of case protected by Section 308 of the Constitution”.

     

    In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs Elizabeth Kalu granted the accused bail on self-recognition and adjourned to July 17.