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Tag: Inec

  • INEC reviews 2019 general elections in Ebonyi

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Ebonyi has commenced a state level post-election review workshop of activities during the 2019 general elections.

    The one-day workshop which was held at the state Headquarters of the commission in Abakaliki on Monday, had key INEC staff, ad-hoc staff and other key stakeholders in attendance.

    Prof. Okechukwu Ibeano, INEC National Commissioner for Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states, said that in spite of successes recorded in the 2019 general elections, the commission still recognised that the exercise was with challenges.

    Ibeano commended members of staff for their commitment, hard work and perseverance throughout the election period which made the commission to achieve its target.

    He described the 2019 general elections as the biggest ever conducted on the African continent.

    He said: “It is clear that the magnitude of work that we have just concluded is second to none on this continent.

    “You are looking at an election that involve over 150,000 voting locations with a population of over 84 million with about 1.2 million election officials that participated in different ways.

    “The officials that took part in the election are about three times the entire population of Armed Forces of West Africa, hence the election was like mobilising the entire armed forces of West Africa.

    “So, this is a huge engagement that we have just concluded and this is why I think we should start by first congratulating ourselves.”

    Ibeano said that despite the challenges experienced during the elections, it did not in any way affect the commission from achieving a credible election.

    He, however, added that the commission would not fail to recognise that the 2019 general election was not a perfect one, stressing that the only way to continue to improve on the conduct of elections was to look back while moving forward.

    He said that the purpose of the workshop was to provide a platform for evaluation by looking back at the elections, identify those things that worked well and those that did not work well in order to prepare for future elections.

    Read Also; We lack power to deregister parties, says INEC

    “This workshop is therefore a root and branch evaluation of the 2019 general elections and it is a comprehensive review involving staff across board.

    “This is the first of its kind because in the past such reviews involved only the Resident Electoral Commissioners, administrative secretaries, national commissioners and other staff at the national headquarters.

    “But, as you can see, this state level review workshop does not only involve staff at the state headquarters, it also involves staff at local government area offices, INEC ad-hoc staff, among others,” he said.

    Earlier, Prof. Godswill Obioma, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ebonyi, said the review workshop would promote better electoral processes in the future.

    He said that discussions at the workshop would be all inclusive, urging participants not to be deterred by any personal distractions.

    “We will break into sections as the workshop progresses and the idea is to ensure that we gather and garner as much as possible, conversations from various levels of our interventions,” Obioma said.

    He further urged participants to be open, frank, objective and to narrate their experiences on say the field in order to bring out the best from Ebonyi.

    He added that the post-election review would enhance the role of electoral officers, improve the electoral process and broaden the capacity of electoral officers to deliver on their mandate.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 40 participants are in attendance while a communique is expected at the end of the workshop.

  • We lack power to deregister parties, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it lacked the constitutional power to deregister any of the existing 91 political parties in the country.

    The INEC Federal Commissioner in charge of Nasarawa, Kogi and Kwara States, Malam Muhammed Haruna, made this known on Monday in Lokoja while declaring open a post-election review meeting on the last general elections.

    Haruna said that the clamour by Nigerians for a reduction in the number of registered parties could only be done through an amendment of the Constitution.

    He agreed that the provisions in the 1999 Constitution that state that parties must be national in outlook and have headquarters in Abuja had led to unexpected problems but explained that INEC was helpless.

    The Commissioner advocated a consensus among stakeholders to resolve the issue, explaining that constitutional amendment was the only way out.

    Haruna identified logistics as the major challenge the INEC encountered in the process of conducting the last general elections, saying that steps would be taken to prevent a re-occurrence.

    On the just-released European Union Observers’ report on the last general elections, the Commissioner said all the issues raised in the report were outside the purview of the INEC.

    Read Also: Election tribunal: All hope is not lost – Obi insists

    He said that the review meeting was organised to identify success factors in the elections with a view to consolidating and sustaining them and to share knowledge among staff and key stakeholders.

    Also speaking, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kogi State, Prof James Apam, admitted to security lapse during the last elections in the state.

    He said efforts would be made to correct this and other identified areas of failure before the Nov. 16 Governorship election in the state.

  • 2019 polls: Violence, major challenge in Anambra- INEC

    Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that violence was the major challenge in the conduct of 2019 general elections in the state.

    Orji made the disclosure during the INEC review meeting of the 2019 General Elections held on Thursday in Awka.

    The REC said the commission recorded violence in Orumba North, Anambra East, Idemili North and Ogbaru Areas of the state which constituted a hindrance.

    Orji also said that INEC faced logistics challenges in the state during the polls and suffered a major setback following the fire incident recorded a few days to the commencement of the elections that affected its materials.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that two container-loads of card reader machines got burnt a few days to 2019 elections in Awka head office of INEC.

    The INEC official said the review meeting which was done every four years after the general elections would afford the commission the opportunity to harvest individual experiences.

    “The 85 participants attending the event are people who participated in the conduct of the 2019 elections and it is expected that they present their personal experiences with a view to improving on future exercise,” he said.

    Orji appealed to participants to come up with ideas that would improve in the conduct of future elections in not only Anambra, but the country at large.

    Read Also; PDP, Atiku seek tribunal’s permission to inspect INEC’s server

    Dr Alex Agbaenyi a lecturer in the Political science Department of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka commended INEC for the exercise.

    He said the meeting would enable the INEC come up with solutions to such challenges like thuggery and bad electoral conducts by party agents which adversely affected the 2019 exercise.

    NAN reports that the meeting was attended by all INEC heads of departments in Anambra, the 21 local government electoral officers, assistant electoral officers, registration area officers and some INEC officials from Abuja national headquarters among others.

  • We didn’t reduce Buhari’s votes in Ebonyi, says INEC

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Professor Godswill Obioma has denied collecting N300m bribe for the purpose of reducing the votes of President Muhammadu Buhari in the Feb 23rd general election in Ikwo and Ezza South Federal Constituency.

    Professor Obioma stated this while reacting to allegations by the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) for Ikwo and Ezza South Federal Constituency, Chinedu Ogar that he was arrested by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP) for collecting bribe to reduce the President’s and other APC candidates’ votes in the area.

    The REC described the allegation as ridiculous noting that Presidential votes were declared as collated.

    He pointed out that altered and mutilated results which were being investigated had nothing to do with presidential votes but Federal constituency votes.

    Read Also; Buhari sends delegation to Ilorin on condolence

    “After the elections, we observed that results from two polling units in Ikwo and 20 from Ezza South were altered and mutilated before they were brought to our office after announcement of the results of that constituency.

    ” I promptly reported that matter to the Headquarters who directed me to invite police to investigate the source of mutilation. In the last three weeks or one month Police have been carrying out investigation regarding that, it does not concern the Presidential election results at all. Mr President’s votes were not mutilated at all”

    Professor Obioma explained that he was invited by SPIP following an allegation that PDP connived with some INEC staff to reduce votes of APC.

    He noted that he has responded to the allegations raised noting that the allegations had nothing to do with him as a person but INEC as an Electoral umpire.

    His clarification followed accussation by Mr Ogar that the REC and some INEC officials in the state collected bribes from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to reduce his votes and that of the President.

    Ogar who lost the election to PDP’s candidate, Laz Ogbe is challenging the results declared by INEC at the tribunal.

  • New Katsina NYSC boss to focus on corps members’ skill acquisition

    Newly Appointed State Co-ordinator for the Katsina State branch of the National Youth Service Corps scheme, NYSC, Mr. Yahaya Ahidjo, has resumed duties in Katsina with a promise to focus on promoting training and skill acquisition for youth corps members under the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Programme, SAAEP.

    Ahidjo, who previously served at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja in the Human Resource Department, also observed that the organisation’s mandate has been expanded from national integration to include partnering INEC on election duties, promoting polio eradication, acting as advocacy vanguards and the training of corps members on orientation programmes as well

    He said: “My focus is on skill Acquisition and training, so that they will not depend on white collar jobs, but on skills acquired from training which can make them self-reliant.’

    ”The NYSC is like a fuel filter; we trim, discipline and train the average youth corps member sent to us before resending them back to the labour market.”

    Read Also: NYSC boss wants corpers to be security conscious

    He promised to promote staff welfare and promotion, noting that he is taking over at a peak period expected to climax with the orientation of new corps members

    Earlier in a welcome address, the Director of Human Resources, Alhaji Muhammad Nakamba, assured the coordinator, on behalf of other members of staff’, maximum cooperation and support to enable him succeed.

    He said, “we are happy to hear that the management has approved our building extension project, we are six in number and shall work together and in full support.”

  • INEC and Imo West Senatorial election

    In a matter of days, the 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would be inaugurated. An exercise of such magnitude and symbolism in a democracy evokes joy both for the individual legislators and members of their constituencies.

    But for the good people of Imo West senatorial district, there is no joy, not even a whimper of mirth. And that’s because they would have no senator representing them in the hallowed red chamber. The election that would have produced their senator turned gruesomely violent. Cases of ballot-snatching, raw and ruthless brandishing of the most dangerous weapons by persons alleged to be agents of the then governor of the state and a contestant at the polls, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, were writ large.

    Those of us who witnessed the show of brute force erroneously tagged election are still at a loss why the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, did not summarily cancel the election. The event of Saturday, February 23, 2019 with particular reference to the Senatorial election was a huge joke and a parody of logic and commonsense.

    It is both worrisome and disturbing that after the testimony of the Returning Officer, Prof. Innocent Izuchukwu Ibeawuchi of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, that he was manhandled and forced to declare the result by then Governor Rochas Okorocha and his collaborators under duress and extreme life-threatening circumstance, INEC has failed to invoke the relevant aspects of the Electoral Act to put a closure to the senatorial election.

    May I remind INEC that the video of what happened to Prof Ibeawuchi and other adjunct officers including the electorate who participated in the election has trended and it is already rife in the public space. It is therefore inconceivable that despite such overwhelming manifestation of violence targeted at installing Okorocha winner against the popular will and wishes of the people, INEC would still stay hedgy in doing the right thing; to wit, nullify the election which result was declared under duress.

    This writer commended INEC when it cancelled some results in Lagos, Rivers and Bauchi on account of violence. It is apposite and proper that the same measure of redemption be applied in Imo West where electoral violence was egregiously manifest in the course of the senatorial election. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander. That’s fairness, nothing more!

    For the avoidance of doubt, Section 129 (4) of the Electoral Act states, “Any person who snatches or destroys any election material commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment.”

    The Act further states that anyone who directly or indirectly engages in electoral violence shall be liable to three years in prison or a fine of N1 million.

    If INEC considers that what happened during Imo West senatorial election did not offend this section of the Electoral Act, what about Section 131 (1) which states: “A person who – Threatening directly or indirectly, by himself or by another person on his behalf, makes use of or threatens to make use of any force, violence or restrain;

    (b) inflicts or threatens to inflict by himself or by any other person, any minor or serious injury, damage, harm or loss on or against a person in order to induce or compel that person to vote or refrain from voting, or on account of such person having voted or refrained from voting; or

    (c) by abduction, duress, or a fraudulent device or contrivance, impedes or prevents the free use of the vote by a voter or thereby compels, induces, or prevails on a voter to give or refrain from giving his vote, (d) by preventing any political aspirants from free use of the media, designated vehicles, mobilisation of political support and campaign at an election, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of three years.”

    The above section of the Electoral Act best captures what transpired before, during and after the senatorial election. It was an open show of shame. Men in uniform and other arms-bearing recruits hijacked what was supposed to be a civil process shorn of brigandage and savagery. The shocked electorate were intimidated by the maximum and brutal display of force by agents of a sitting governor. Those who mustered the courage to challenge the barbarians were hushed up, some beaten while others were openly humiliated by the brutes with their weapons of destruction. Such parody of election should not be allowed to stand. The conduct of some security personnel in the case of Imo West senatorial election is far from complimentary. It mirrors the unprofessional conduct of some security men in Rivers State which prompted INEC to cancel the Rivers election and order a re-run in some areas. The people of Imo West senatorial district deserves similar treatment from INEC.  The same manner INEC reviewed elections in Rivers, Lagos and others states and nullified the elections in some places on account of the perfidious and vicious conduct of some politicians and their agents, it should review the Imo West election. It amounts to a mockery of democracy. It diminishes the pristine values of democracy which include the freedom of the people to freely elect their leaders without interference. The Imo West senatorial election failed to uphold these values.

    The electoral umpire has been resolute, insisting it will not issue Certificate of Return to Okorocha whose agents upstaged the election and compelled the Returning Officer to declare the then governor winner. INEC is right. Recognising Okorocha as winner is an endorsement of electoral violence and abuse of electoral process. It means that tomorrow any contestant can procure victory by abducting, coercing and forcing the Returning Officer in his or her election to declare  him or her winner. If we reduce election to such charade, then we have done irreparable damage to democracy.  INEC must stand its ground.

    Those who cite the law, that INEC has no power to withhold the certificate of return once the result has been declared miss the point. You cannot quote such section of the Electoral Act in isolation. Framers of the Act did not impute that the simple act of casting ballot, counting ballot and announcing result would be reduced to a Gestapo stunt as we witnessed in the case of Imo West senatorial election. The video is everywhere and it showed a terrified and rattled Professor besieged by armed men and was being dictated to what to do, how to coin the language to suit their predetermined outcome.

    The testimony of the Returning Officer is enough evidence to cancel the election in the seven local government areas he listed where there were brazen cases of violence, ballot manipulation and barbarity. He did not only list the seven areas he also displayed petitions asking that INEC should not honour results from these areas. The words of Professor Ibeawuchi were unequivocal: “I am declaring this result under duress to save my life”.  He showed his swollen hand to the media. He repeatedly said he was dancing to the tune of then Governor Okorocha’s men because of his wife, his children and to save his head; a clear case of ambushment by Okorocha’s hitmen just to achieve an inglorious victory.

    It is heartwarming that an Owerri High Court has further restrained INEC from issuing Okorocha certificate of return. Our democracy must not be seen to profit from pre-meditated and sponsored violence otherwise future elections would be reduced to survival of the most violent. We must never replace the ballot with the bayonet. No matter the pressure, INEC should stand its ground. The so-called result being relied upon by Okorocha and his agents must be discarded and re-run election held. This is the honourable thing to do.

     

    • Nwobodo writes from Orlu, Imo State.

  • Why I changed my mind, Man explains withdrawal of suit against Gbajabiamila

    The man, who instituted the suit that sought to stop the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila from contesting the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th National Assembly, Philip Undie has explained his decision to withdraw the suit.

    Undie, in a letter to his lawyer, Ayodele Justice said his decision to direct the withdrawal of the suit, filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, because he was now better informed about the issues raised in the suit.

    The plaintiff had, in the suit, claimed that Gbajabiamila was not qualified to contest for the leadership of the House of Reps because of his alleged conviction by the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia in the United States of America in 2007 for fraud and dishonesty.

    In his letter dated May 27, 2019 and addressed to his lawyer’s law firm, Legion of Legal Consults, Undie said learnt that Gbajabiamila has been cleared of criminal conviction in the State of Georgia in the US.

    Undie added that he directed the withdrawal of the suit,marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2019, because he found that a Federal High Court in Abuja, had on May 22, 2018, made an order in favour of Gbajabiamila in a similar suit.

    Read Also; Speaker race: Plaintiff withdraws suit to stop Gbajabiamila from contesting

    The letter read, “I am writing to notify you of my intention to withdraw from the above referenced legal suit wherein I sought the disqualification of the 1st defendant (Gbajabiamila) from contesting the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

    “It is important that I honourably discontinue the suit following the emergence of more facts indicating that the 1st defendant, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila was cleared of criminal conviction in the State of Georgia or any other part of the United States of America in a letter dated August 20, 2010.

    “I am also in the possession of an order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, dated May 22, 2018, delivered by Justice Abdu-Kafarati in favour of Femi Gbajabiamila.

    “Kindly avail me details of my legal fees in accordance with our earlier agreement,” Undie said.

    Details shortly…

  • Breaking: INEC to convoke dialogue on electoral matters

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set in motion processes for convocation of national dialogue on electoral matters.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced this on Tuesday at the opening of the meeting between the INEC management team and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) of the 36 states and FCT.

    Yakubu said with the conclusion of the 2019 general elections, it is time to look at every area of election management in the county.

    Consequently, he said the commission will be meeting with the various stakeholders on the various issues that needed to be straightened.

    He said the convocation of the dialogue in earnest is very essential ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    Details shortly……

  • Bayelsa APC primary: X-raying Lokpobiri’s candidacy

    Since the blowing of political whistle by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, when it announced November 2nd and further rescheduled for November 16th, 2019 for the governorship election in Bayelsa State, many people have nocturnally and openly indicated their intent to have a shot at the race to Creek Haven, the Government House and seat of the Bayelsa State Government.

    It is an interesting race with lots of intrigues cutting across virtually in all the major political parties particularly that of opposition political party of the All Progressive Congress and its counterpart of the ruling People’s Democratic Party. It is a game of both pretenders and real contenders.

    One candidate that is not pretending but has clearly indicated his intent to have a shot at the race is current Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Heineken Lokpobiri, on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    Making known his intent to contest the APC governorship race in Bayelsa State is not only interesting game to watch like that of the epic film of Eddy Murphy- Coming to America but is also surprising to the party faithful within the APC fold, given his camaraderie relationship with the leader of the party and the first term governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva. No doubt Heineken October Lokpobiri, a two term senator, has the constitutional right to contest for the office of governor of his state.

    However, his political project has been widely received with mixed reactions among the political divide.

    Those in support of his ambition said there was nothing wrong to contest, citing the example of Governor Wike Nyesom of Rivers State from the Ikwere geo-political bloc who took over from RotimiAmeachi of same Ikwere political bloc, contrary to the local political zoning arrangement of Upland and Riverine politics that had existed in the old Rivers State from time immemorial.

    The pro-Lokpobiri group strongly believes it is time that zoning arrangement should be broken in the interest of merit and competence. This is coming in the midst of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson serving out his second tenure from the Bayelsa West Senatorial District where the Minister of State for Agriculture comes from.

    As erotic as the argument from the pro Lokpobiri group may sound, a critical x-ray of Lokpobiri’s candidacy under the platform of APC and if he is eventually given the standard bearer of the party, it has huge implications with bandwagon effects on the political fortunes of the party in what many described as an epic battle ahead.

    Arguments from the other side of the divide described Heineken Lokpobiri’s ambition as ”an ambition taken too far” in the face of the bare facts and the odds which stand against the party if he is given the APC ticket.

    One of the major planks of the argument advanced against Mr. Lokpobiri is that, his ambition runs foul of the widely accepted local zoning formula where key positions of the office of the governor, deputy governor and others are based on zoning according to the geo-political configuration in the state.

    According to one Ebiowei Amaitare, a kinsman of Heineken Lokpobiri, ”Senator Lokpobiri should stop painting Bayelsa-West in bad light as a greedy people. He should place the people’s interest, which binds them together, above his personal interest.”

    Those urging Lokpobiri not to contest may have their valid reasons. A critical view at Lokpobiri’s political rise shows that he has not on his own contested any fierce election. It has always been either by imposition as in the case of Alamieyeseigha days to the spoils of the harmonisation saga under Alaibe to another imposition through the instrumentality of state power under the Timipre Sylva government in 2011.

    It is a sheer product of political opportunism all through his political career, characterised by the averice of greed and ingratitude to his benefactors whom he had bitten in one way or the other.

    These are factors that may not only work against Lokpobiri as a candidate but will also spell a death knell on the political fortunes of APC in Bayelsa State. Another reason that analysts see as a minus for Lokpobiri is his alleged brand of politics of violence and sectarianism.

    It is an open secret that Lokpobiri’s associates with youths who are mostly disposed towards violence during and after election and alienates himself from the counsels of the wise, elders and elites.

    These are traits that have become a huge liability for Lokpobiri in the politics of Bayelsa State.

    The governorship election in Bayelsa State is not going to be an easy ride to the seat of power. The party must therefore go back to the drawing board and present a credible candidate for the choice of the electorates and not candidates that will give the party bandwagon effects.

    Aspiration is one thing and translating the collective aspiration to a reality is a different ball game.

    Senator Heineken Lokpobiri is no doubt an amiable personality on the face value, but wining an election of this magnitude is an onerous task. For now, in the light of the above, Heineken Lokpobiri need to forget about his ambition in the broader interest of the APC to win and liberate Bayelsans from the current shackles of oppression and grotesque mis-governance in Bayelsa State.

  • Zamfara: INEC meets on Supreme Court judgment

    Following the Supreme Court judgment that nullified the mandate of all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent general elections, the management team of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) met yesterday to consider the body’s next line of action.

    The electoral umpire could, however, not arrive at a decision and decided to postpone the meeting till today.

    The decisions taken at today’s meeting will be made public on Monday, according to the commission.

    Today’s meeting is billed to consider the judgment of the Supreme Court and take decisions on the basis of the outcome of the elections earlier held in the state.

    The apex Court had ruled yesterday that Zamfara APC did not conduct any party primaries, hence all the votes gathered in the elections were a waste.

    The court also ruled that the party that emerged as the runner-up in each of the elections should be declared winner.

    The planned meeting of INEC management team was announced yesterday through a press statement signed by Mr.Festus Okoye, a National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.

    Read also: 2019 polls: APC suffers reverses in Zamfara

    The statement reads: “Following the Supreme Court’s judgment delivered today, 24th May, 2019 on the governorship, national and state assembly elections held in Zamfara State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held an emergency meeting to consider the court’s decision.

    “The Supreme Court ruled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not hold valid party primaries as required by law.

    “It held that all the votes scored by the APC in the said elections are wasted votes and declared that the candidates of political parties with the second highest valid votes and the requisite spread should be declared as having been elected.

    “The Commission will meet again tomorrow, Saturday 25th May 2019, to further deliberate on the issues arising from the said judgment, while the final decision on the matter will be communicated to the public on Monday 27th May, 2019.”