Tag: Inec

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced dates for the conduct of governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.

In a statement signed by the national commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, the commission said that the governorship election in Edo state will take place on Saturday, September 21, 2024, while that of Ondo state would take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

While the tenure of Godwin Obaseki as governor of Edo state would expire on November 11, 2024, that of Arakurin Rotimi Akeredolu would expire on the 23rd of February 2025.

According to the statement, party primaries for the Edo governorship election is expected to take place between February 1 and 24, 2024, while that of Ondo is to be held between April 6 and 27, 2024

Similarly, the final list of candidates for the Edo election will be published on April 23, 2024, while the final list of candidates for the election in Ondo will be published on June 18, 2024.

The statement read in part: “As provided in Section 178 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), election into the said offices shall hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the tenure of` the last holder of the office.

“The latest date for Election to the office of Governor, Edo State, is 12th October 2024 while that of Ondo State is 24th January 2025.

“Similarly, Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 requires the Commission to publish Notice for the Election not later than 360 days before the date of the election.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, the Commission issues the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Edo and Ondo State Governorship elections as follows:

“EDO STATE: The Governorship election will hold on Saturday 21st September 2024.

“Party primaries will hold from 1st – 24th February 2024 while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will start at 9.00 am on 4th March 2024 and close at 6.00 p.m. on 24th March 2024.

“The final list of candidates will be published on 23rd April 2024 while the campaign in public by political parties commences on 24th April 2024 and ends 24 hours prior to Election Day on 19th September 2024.

“ONDO STATE: The Governorship election will hold on Saturday 16th November 2024.

Read Also: INEC plans mock accreditation in Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa

“Party primaries will hold from 6th – 27th April 2024 while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will start at 9.00 am on 29th April 2024 and close at 6.00 pm on 20th May 2024.

“The final list of candidates will be published on 18th June 2024 while campaign in public by political parties commences on 19th June 2024 and ends 24 hours prior to Election Day on 14th November 2024”.

The statement said a detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the two elections have been uploaded to the commission’s website and social media platforms.

It added: “By this ample notice as required by both the Constitution and the Electoral Act, the Commission appeals to political parties and candidates to note the activities in the Timetable for strict compliance.”

Stakeholders at a meeting in Imo state have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to address late arrival of materials and other bottlenecks surrounding collection of permanent voter cards to enhance credibility in the forthcoming governorship election.

Mr. Samuel Ozonna from the Civil Society Organization called for more sensitization of citizens to enhance participation.

He said though the organization has always been mobilize eligible voters to collect their permanent voter cards, it was observed that some INEC personnel were not always on seat to issue the pvcs.

The President, Imo State Council of Presidents-General, Mr. Chigozie Omuruka commended INEC for the successes recorded in the last general election.

Mr Omuruka called on the commission to ensure that only accredited agents of political parties were allowed access to result collation centers to avoid undue interference.

Read Also:134,000 PVCs uncollected in Imo, says  INEC

Mr. Stanley Igbo from Action Alliance called for adequate training of ad hoc staff, noting that some of them were not familiar with their roles during the last elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State, Professor Sylvia Agu explained that the meeting was to interface with political parties, civil society groups, security agents, town union bodies and religious bodies on ways of ensuring a free fair and credible election;

He added that the commission had embarked on capacity building of its staff and measures were being taken to avert some of the hitches experienced during the last elections.

A group under the aegis of the Pan Nigeria Democratic Alliance (PNDA) has raised the alarm over plans by a frontline candidate in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State to deploy fake policemen as well as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials to supervise the process before and after the conduct of the polls.

The governorship election in Bayelsa is scheduled to hold on November 11, 2023.

In a statement issued on Saturday on behalf of the body by the Convener, Chief Olaitan Adewale said the candidate (name withheld) is engaging in acts capable of undermining the integrity of the polls.

In the statement which reads in part, Adewale said, “A frontline candidate and old political war horse (whose antics has not changed )in the November governorship election in Bayelsa State to compromise the electoral process by using fake policemen  to hunt opposition figures before and during the poll. “That same politician only recently concocted a baseless petition to the office of the Inspection General of Police who defied the sovereignty of Bayelsa State by deploying some policemen from Abuja to occupy Nembe Bassambiri without even recourse to the state chief executive or the state police command.

“We are aware of the fact that that swats team is being kept and fed by that same desperate politician who recently boasted that with the militant’s one of whom is his deputy behind him, the results will be written and announced.”

Read AlsoYou’ve lessons to learn from tribunal judgment, APC chieftain tells INEC

The group also alleged that it has information from credible sources that the same governorship candidate is working round the clock to recruit retired and serving Resident Electoral Commissioners and Administrative Secretaries across the country and other categories of electoral workers to perfect massive rigging of the election.

The candidate, the group gathered, is dropping the name of Mr. President to intimidate electoral staff in order to compromise some staff of the INEC to do his bidding and manipulate the electoral process.

“We are appalled by the desperation of this governorship candidate who wants to circumvent the process at all cost. He is planning to sew a police uniform for his thugs to harass and intimidate opponents. Not only that, he is recruiting INEC officers into his payroll  and wants to compromise even genuine ones to do his bidding and manipulate the process in his favour.

“We implore the President to ensure that those taking criminal steps to undermine democracy in Nigeria are not supported or allowed to take us back to the dark days of rigging elections they should rather be dealt with. As for the governorship candidate and his supporters, they should know that it is  not only the people of Bayelsa State that are watching the trend of things, but that the whole country and the international community are not left out,” the group.

“Recently, we all have seen how not allowing the will of the people to prevail in elections has led to a gale of coups in some African nations, which president Tinubu  who is the chairman of ECOWAS is doing everything possible to restore democracy in those countries. Bayelsa is bigger than the personal ambition of an individual and we won’t allow anybody to toy with the future of the people of the state,” Olaitan said

He added that the people of the state are ready to defend their votes and would be supported by all lovers of democracy in the country and the world at large.

Mr Bola Babarinde, a former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), South Africa, has advised INEC to use lessons learned from the Wednesday’s tribunal judgment to improve on the conduct of future elections in the country.

Babarinde gave the advice on Saturday in a congratulatory message to President Bola Tinubu on his victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court(PEPC).

He urged the electoral body to use the few lessons learned from the tribunal verdict to conduct free and fair governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa.

While celebrating Tinubu’s victory at the tribunal, Babarinde called on the president to be magnanimous in victory, and listen more to criticism and suggestions from citizens for good governance.

He said the peak of the tribunal process was the judgment that struck out the petitions of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party candidates for lacking in merit.

“The culmination of the whole election tribunal process is the judgement that struck out the petitions of the PDP and Labour Party candidates while declaring President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the election,” he noted.

Babarinde said that since the petitions had been won and lost, Nigerians should put the nation first by bringing ideas on board irrespective of political affiliations to make the country great.

The APC chieftain suggested that the Tinubu’s administration should rename the fuel subsidy palliatives as social responsibility palliatives for the vulnerable people should be managed by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

“There must be subsidies on some basic items that affect the lives of the vulnerable and poorest of the poor in Nigeria.

Read Also: Tinubu’s tribunal victory vindicates INEC – AYCF

“Deployment of accurate data and digital innovation is key to accurate delivery of this good governance devoid of reckless corruption as it would be better managed for effective distribution and impact.

“This period should be a sober reflection period for our leadership to show some austerity in their lifestyles and sincerity of purpose in making sure they identify with concerns and plight of Nigerians.

“To show they are also sacrificing as their fellow citizens in the efforts towards repositioning the country during this period of economic reforms,” he said.

(NAN)