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Tag: Maria Arena

  • Fears over Obasanjo’s link with foreign poll observers

    There is anxiety in political circles over the composition of some of the international observer missions deployed in the country for the general elections. The presidential election is slated for Saturday.

    The popular thinking is that former President Olusegun Obasanjo may have been influential to the composition and emergence of some of the chairmen of some of the observer groups.

    The ex-President, who is backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is suspected to have sold an agenda to these observers, based on a  perception of what a source described as a “willy-nilly” regime change.

    Some of the groups are suspected to be in the country to “work to the answer” by prejudging the election as “not free, fair and credible” — a perception that has been debunked.

    But it was gathered that the Federal Government is “paying keen interest” to their activities.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accredited 144 observer groups, including 116 domestic and 28 international teams.

    The foreign groups are:  African Bar Association;  African Parliament of The Civil Society; African Union; British High Commission; Democrat Union of Africa; ECOWAS; Elections Cameroon, Republic of Cameroon; and the  Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.

    Theere are also Embassy of France; Embassy of Japan; Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Embassy of The Republic of Korea; European Centre for Electoral Support; European Union; German International Agency;  High Commission of Canada;  and the International Foundation For Electoral System.

    The International Human Rights Commission; International Peace Commission; International Republican Institute; the National Democratic Institute; the Network for Solidarity; and the Empowerment and Transformation for All were also accredited to cover the elections.

    Other international observers are Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation; Pan African Women Projects;  Pan African Youth Training and Enlightenment Centre;  Queen Zara Foundation for Human Resources Development; The Commonwealth; and the United States Embassy.

    Some of the observer groups are being led by some ex-leaders, including  ex-Tanzanian President Dr. Jakaya Kikwete (Commonwealth Observer Group); former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (African Union);  ex-Liberian President Ellen  Johnson-Sirleaf (ECOWAS); and Maria Arena (the Chief Observer, European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Nigeria).

    Ms Arena is a member of the European Parliament from Belgium. Kikwete is “a well known friend of Obasanjo” a source said, adding: “He was regular at the Ota Farm House Dialogue in the eighties. They even worked together at the African Union on the NEPAD programme.

    Obasanjo is also believed to be close to Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf. “We all know Nigeria’s role in Liberia during the Obasanjo Presidency,” the source said, pleading not to be named because he is not permitted to talk to the media.

    Another source spoke of an intelligence report that some of the observer groups are in Nigeria to work in line with “pre-determined agenda” of their countries. Besides, the source noted that it was wrong for some ambassador to be moving round the country on “election tourism” without the foreign minister’s permission.

    The Federal Government had last week raised the alarm that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) was planning to send a delegation to some western capitals.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The security report available to the government indicated that some foreign observer groups are already biased and they are in the country to act out a script already written for them.

    “Some countries already accused of interfering in the internal affairs of Nigeria have exerted much influence on the observer missions to discredit the poll.

    “These groups have prejudged the election as not free, fair and credible. This is going to be their ultimate verdict, irrespective of what the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) does.

    “The most disturbing in the security report is the fact that some chairmen and members of these observer groups have links with a former President who is suspected to have influenced their choices for a purpose.

    “A few of them had been visiting the ex-President in the past and some were even helped to power through the international goodwill of the ex-leader.”

    The intelligence source added that some of the observers may have been playing into the hands of those plotting “an electoral stalemate and drag Nigeria into a political crisis to put an interim government in place”.

    “They are ready to do whatever they can to get President Muhammadu Buhari out of power.”

    Responding to a question, the source said the surveillance on some observer groups showed that they were violating the code of conduct put in place by INEC.

    On its website, INEC says: “All accredited observers shall abide by the code of conduct for election observers, which is available for download on the INEC website (www.inecnigeria.org).

    “INEC reserves the right to cancel and withdraw the accreditation of any organisation if its members or agents breach the code of conduct.’’

    But some missions have already assured Nigerians that they will be impartial.

    The  Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, Dr. Jakaya Kiwete, on Monday said the mission will be impartial in its assessment of the elections.

    He said the group will  issue an interim statement on its preliminary findings on the first set of elections on February 18.

    He said the18-man team of observers was  drawn from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

    They were deployed to observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and the results management processes.

    This is the sixth time a Commonwealth Observer Group will be observing elections in Nigeria since 1999.

    Kikwete, a former President of Tanzania,  made the clarifications  in a statement in Abuja against the backdrop of anxiety over the roles of the group and others.

    He  said: “Our Group was constituted following an invitation from the Independent National Election Commission, drawing together 18 eminent persons from across the different regions of the Commonwealth, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

    “We come in our own individual capacities, bringing a wide range of expertise in the areas of election administration, political development, law, human rights, civil society, gender, youth, as well as media.

    “As a group, we are here to observe the organisation and conduct of the election process as a whole, and will form an impartial and independent assessment of its credibility.

    “The Commonwealth Observer Group will consider the pre-election period, polling day itself, as well as the post-election period. Our main task is to assess whether the elections have been conducted according to the national, regional and international standards to which Nigeria has committed itself, including its own laws.

    “On election day, we will observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and the results management processes.”

    The group will submit a final report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General and, thereafter, share with the Government of Nigeria, INEC, political parties, Commonwealth governments, then make it public.

    The group expressed hope that its presence will confirm the unwavering solidarity of the Commonwealth with Nigeria as the country conducts the elections.

    The group however encouraged all citizens to “play their part in ensuring peaceful and credible elections this weekend.”

    The Head of EU EOM, Maria Arena, said: “It is a great honour for me to lead this important EU Election Observation Mission to Nigeria. I am hopeful that our observation will provide a meaningful contribution to the electoral and democratic process in Nigeria.”

    In a statement, the EU EOM said: “The EU only deploys an election observation mission when it is invited to do so by the authorities of a country.  The EU has been invited to observe all of the general elections in Nigeria since 1999. Thus, this is the sixth time the EU is observing elections in Nigeria.

    “The Independent National Electoral Commission invited the EU to deploy an observation mission for the 2019 general elections.

    “EU election observation missions give commentary and analysis, and make recommendations about the electoral process. EU election observation missions are impartial, do not interfere in the electoral process, and operate according to a strict code of conduct.”

    But the Buhari Media Organisation( BMO) has cautioned Kikwete against being used by Obasanjo former President.

    Rea also: EU adds Nigeria, Saudi to dirty-money blacklist

    A statement  by the Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary of BMO,  Cassidy Madueke, the group said: “Many Nigerians are worried that the head of the Commonwealth observer group may be swayed by Obasanjo’s skewed pre-election position that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not have the integrity to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

    “This concern, we know, is as a result of the long-standing friendship between the two former Presidents which began long before Kikwete became the head of the Tanzania government in 2005. But we are encouraged by the values that the Commonwealth holds sacrosanct, and the fact that the head of the election observer team has a track record as a peacemaker, especially in the Great Lakes region of East Africa.

    “So we hope that Kikwete would resist the pressure that will surely come from former President Obasanjo who believes that he has a divine role to determine the winner of the Presidential election.”

  • 2019: EU tasks INEC, security on transparency

    The European Union ( EU)  election observation mission to Nigeria has demanded transparency and accountability from all institutions in the elections involved in the conduct of the general elections.

    Chief of EU Observer, Maria Arena, stressed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies must not only be neutral but must be seen to be neutral.

    Arena, who briefed reporters on activities and mandate of the EU electoral mission to Nigeria, also charged political actors to work with integrity.

    While noting that EU attaches great significance to the elections, she, however, stressed EU main concern is in the process and not the outcome of the elections.

    According to her: “We are here in the spirit of cooperation with Nigeria. We stand ready to deliver an impartial, objective assessment of the electoral process. If I have to key final messages, they are these:

    “The transparency and accountability of all the institutions involved in the elections are absolutely essential for public trust and confidence in the process. Thus we hope that INEC and also the security forces will provide clear real-time information on what they are doing and actions they have taken.

    “INEC and the security forces need to be seen to work neutrally in all their actions from the leadership down.”

    She added: “I hope that state bodies and political parties all play their part in promoting a fair and peaceful process before, during and after Election Day.

    “This means working with integrity for the sake of the nation, promoting a calm response to any problems or frustrations.”

    Reacting to criticism of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo on the capacity of the electoral body, the EU Chief Observer said such was expected in political atmosphere but cautioned politicians on their utterances.

    “But we will be cautious in our comments ahead of the elections and monitor the situation without bias,” she stressed.

    She also explained the need for political actors to trust the institutions (INEC), especially when they are going to be working together.

    For the general elections, Arena said EU will be deploying 11 election analysts and 40 long-term observers.

    The observers, according to her, will be spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, covering twenty cities.

    In the last 48 hours of the arrival of the mission, she said they have met with relevant stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, religious organisations and security apparatuses, among others.

    Read Also: INEC to political actors: we’ll not be dragged into meaningless debate

    She further explained that the election observation mission is “completely independent of EU delegations and we will assess Nigeria’s commitment to electoral laws and international best practices.”

    The mandate according to her is “only to collect information concerning the electoral process and then publish our findings and make recommendations.

    “We are not interested in the outcome of the elections; we have no interest in seeing this or that candidate or party win.

    “We are here to observe if the electoral process was conducted in a transparent and credible manner.“

  • INEC uncovers plan to use food vendors for vote-buying

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it had uncovered plans by some political actors to use food vendors around polling units for vote-buying in the forthcoming general elections.

    Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he received a delegation European Union (EU) Observation Team, led by Chief Observer, Mrs Maria Arena, on a visit to INEC on Monday, in Abuja.

    Yakubu said that in INEC’s determination to improve elections and ensure that votes counted, the commission had taken steps to address the disturbing trend of vote-buying by politicians.

    He said that the steps included modification of the administration of polling units to make it difficult for voters to expose their marked ballot papers on day of election.

    He said that the commission had also introduced partial ban on the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices by voters while in the voting cubicles.

    “We are also introducing the rolling and flattening of ballot papers by voters on day of election.

    “We are training our election duty staff, in addition to voter education and sensitization, on this new innovation. We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the sanctity of the ballot.’’

    The chairman explained that political actors planned to use food vendors “around polling units with large voter populations as collection points for cash-for-votes as well as other forms of material inducement to voters on election day’’.

    “We are aware of this trick. It will not work,” he, however, said.

    Yakubu also denied the claim that INEC had outsourced the recruitment of election duty staff to partisan actors.

    He said that the Commission had established clear criteria for recruiting its ad hoc staff and Collation and Returning Officers, which, according to him, has been the practice over several electoral cycles.

    “In addition, there is a clearly established system of vetting all election duty staff before they are engaged.

    “Therefore, the claim that the Commission has outsourced the recruitment of election duty staff to partisan actors is the usual allegation on the eve of elections and should be disregarded.

    “With 25 days to the 2019 General Elections, the Commission’s attention is firmly focused on the conduct of credible elections. We will not be distracted into a fatuous debate.’’

    Yakubu stated that complaints arising from the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were being addressed.

    “We are committed to ensuring that all voter cards are made available for collection by registered voters who should collect the cards in person.

    “There will be no collection by proxy.”

    Read Also: We are not under pressure to rig – INEC

    He said that the commission had enhanced the functionality of the Smart Card Reader that would be used for the elections.

    “Clause 10 of the Regulations and Guidelines recently released by the Commission make the use of Card Readers mandatory. It is an offence to accredit a voter by any other means.”

    Yakubu described the EU as one of the long-standing partners of INEC in deepening Nigeria’s electoral democracy, through the EU-Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN).

    “We have implemented all the recommendations made by the EU Mission in 2015 that are within the powers of the Commission to do.

    “These include simultaneous accreditation and voting system which we introduced on Jan. 9, 2016 and used it to seamlessly conduct off-season elections into 194 constituencies.

    “We have similarly introduced the continuous registration of voters. Over a period of 16 months, from April 27, 2017 to Aug. 3, 2018, over 14 million new voters were registered,” he said.

    He assured the EU that INEC preparation for the 2019 general election was on course.

    Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Arena, had said that EU would deploy 40 observers to all states of the federation during the elections.

    Arena added that the EU would also have its Parliamentary observation mission on ground during the exercise.

    “We will issue two preliminary reports after the elections. We will work strongly with all the stakeholders of this country.

    “We will also have the final reports two months after the elections, with recommendations.

    “We really appreciate the work that INEC has done with the previous recommendations after the 2015 elections,” Arena said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yakubu also received a delegation of the ECOWAS Observers Mission led by former Chairperson of Electoral Commission, Ghana, Ms Charlotte Osei.

    Osei said that the mission was to let INEC know that ECOWAS would be deploying long-term and short-term observer missions for the elections.

    She added that the mission would focus on legal, media, operations, gender and disabilities during the elections.

    NAN

  • EU urges politicians to be wary of utterances

    The European Union Election Observation Mission in Nigeria 2019 has urged politicians to be conscious of their utterances as the general elections approached.

    The Chief Observer of the mission, Maria Arena, made the call while fielding questions at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

    She added that the mission would monitor developments such as vote buying during the elections.

    “As politicians we really have to be conscious of what we say because we have to trust and give trust to the institution with whom we are going to work with. This is important. There is a limit to what we can do.

    On vote buying, she said that the mission would observe what happens on the field, saying “we already have people on the field and they will be observing the situation.’’

    Arena added that the mission was not in the country to interfere with the Nigeria electoral processes but to monitor the compliance of the election with national and international laws which Nigeria had signed to.

    `It is important to understand that Nigeria election is election for Nigerian people and they are managed by Nigeria institutions.

    “What we do is observing if all these are done in line with national and international practice and make our observation reports.’’

    Arena said that EU Election Observation mission was in Nigeria for the sixth time, adding that democracy for EU was something important, not only in Nigeria but across the globe.

    “We are doing this observation mission not only in Nigeria, we have a lot of observation missions in Africa, Asia, Latin America because we have values and we want to share these values.

    “We are also here because we were invited by Nigeria authority and we are proud to be invited by Nigerian authority for the sixth times. ‘’

    Arena also disclosed that the mission would also monitor the use of the media including how the social media was used during the poll.

    On whether the mission had it concerns about insecurity in deploying members of its team, Arena said that the security of its members was important.

    “We work with Nigeria authority to guarantee the security of observers, even in the North East,’’ Arena said.

    The Deputy Chief Observer, Hannah Roberts, said that members of the EU 40 long term observer would monitor election in different locations including the North East.

    Roberts explained that EU mission had strict methodology being used for elections monitoring across the globe.