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Tag: National Assembly election

  • National Assembly reconvenes today

    National Assembly reconvenes today

    The Senate and House Representatives will reconvene today from the Sallah and end of first session break.

    Both chambers earlier adjourned plenary till Tuesday July 2, but Chairman of the Senate Committees on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, and Clerk to the House of Representatives, Yahaya Danzaria, confirmed that the National Assembly would cut its break by one day.

    Adaramodu, in a statement, said: “It’s our statutory resumption from the Sallah break. Senate has the constitutional power to regulate its sessions, and we believe we can gain one more legislative day to deal with national and constitutional issues, hence the bringing forward from the initial July 2.

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    “We hope to deal with issues concerning our further oversight on the Appropriations, clear hanging issues of constitutional and electoral concerns, and clear outstanding bills and motions, expectedly before our annual recess, later in the year.”

    Danzaria, in a June 24 memo, said: “Please be informed that resumption date from the ongoing recess has been rescheduled from July 2 to June 27. Accordingly, plenary will hold on Thursday, June 27, by 11am.

    “Kindly make necessary adjustments to your schedules and ensure your timely presence for the resumption of legislative activities.”

  • INEC in early start in Imo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State, appeared to have solved the issue of late arrival of voting materials that marred the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    As at 7.30am, voting materials have arrived majority of the Polling Units in Owerri and other parts of the state.

    At National School in Amucha, Njaba Council Area of the state, INEC officials were had already set up by 7.20 am and were waiting for party agents and voters to commence voting proper.

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    Also at Central School in Eziama Obire in Nkwerre Local Government Area,  INEC officials were already seated with voting materials by 8.15am.

    Although voting is yet to commence at the various Polling stations visited by our Correspondent but all the voting materials and INEC officials had arrived.

     

  • Moghalu commiserates with victims of electoral violence

    The Presidential Candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has expressed sadness over the loss of lives from violence during the Feb. 23, Presidential and National Assembly Election.

    Moghalu, who symphatised with the families of all who lost their lives as a result of the violence, tasked President Muhammadu Buhari on inclusive governance.

    “I am very saddened by the loss of lives to various acts of violence during the Feb. 23, presidential election and elections into the National Assembly.

    “My heartfelt condolences go to the families that lost loved ones and I pray that those injured will recover soonest,” Moghalu said in a statement on Friday.

    The candidate also decried the alleged operational failures of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of the elections, the massive vote buying and vote rigging through various methods and the violence that characterised the polls across the country.

    According to him, these have brought the credibility of the election to question.

    He alleged that the supporters of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were complicit in the malpractices.

    Moghalu said: “The number of votes tallied for my candidacy by the INEC did not represent anything close to the electoral strength of that candidacy.

    “These false numbers were the result of brazen theft of our votes and the suppression of our voters.

    “It appears, however, that the strong determination of many of our citizens to reject the APC at the ballot box far outweighed the desire for real change in our polity and governance in 2019.

    “Though we did not win this election in terms of overall numbers of votes, the presidential election result is an indication of where our society is at present; 2019 is the last gasp of the old political order that has robbed Nigeria of real development.

    “I trust and believe that this situation will change by 2023.”

    According to him, as Nigeria moves forward as a country, fundamental reform of its electoral system is needed if its democracy is to have any real meaning.

    “Elections as they are organised and executed today in Nigeria are a travesty.

    “We need to reform the systems of registration, voting and collation of votes by making the processes more transparent through better use of technology.

    “As of today, these processes are tedious, inefficient and prone to risks and performance failures such as those we have experienced.

    “We also must stiffen punishment and enforce accountability for electoral offences. Nigerians in Diaspora have continued to remit billions of dollars home every year for this.

    “Our fellow citizens living abroad must be able to vote from overseas as from 2023. Immediate action to achieve this goal is required once the present elections are over.”

    He said that President Muhammadu Buhari, who INEC announced as the winner of the 2019 presidential election, owed Nigerians an inclusive, competent government that could heal the land and take millions of Nigerians out of crushing poverty.

    According to him, this calls for a very different approach to create jobs and improve actual economic productivity and living standards.

    “A new, philosophically and conceptually grounded approach to economic management that goes beyond mere economic growth statistics to real economic development and structural transformation remains an urgent priority for our country.

    “Our struggle for a better and well governed society, a productive and inclusive economy that breaks the backbone of poverty, and to restore Nigeria’s leadership role in the world continues.

    “I on my part will remain engaged in that struggle over the long haul,’’ Moghalu added. (NAN)

  • I don’t believe in rumour, I’ll wait for INEC result, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari would rather wait for the result that will be declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rather than rely on rumours.

    He was dismissing the various results being posted on social media platforms in the aftermath of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly election.

    The President, who spoke on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from his Daura country home in Katsina, said he would wait for the final result declaration by INEC.

    Buhari left Abuja on Friday for Daura, Katsina State, in order to exercise his civic responsibility.

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    Asked his reaction to news  from across the country, he said: “I don’t want to depend on rumours, but we will rather wait for INEC to announce the results.”

    On his message to Nigerians as they await the release of the results, Buhari said: “Well, l hope that Nigerians will appreciate that it was this government which made sure that they were allowed in security and peace to cast their votes for whichever party and candidates they wanted.”

    The Co-Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TInubu expressed optimism that ruling party will win.

  • President urges Nigerians to shun violence rumour

    To President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians have a date with history tomorrow.

    In a nationwide broadcast this morning, the President urged Nigerians to disregard rumours of violence but troop out en masse to perform their civic duty during the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly election.

    He urged the electorate to elect a government that will move the country to loftier heights.

    Buhari said: “As your President, I hereby ask all Nigerians with voting cards to participate in defining the future of our nation by exercising your democratic rights tomorrow. I urge you to go out and vote.

    “I say this because elections are the cornerstone of representative governance. And voting constitutes the highest and best expression of the sovereign will of the people to choose the government that best represents them.

    “It is only upon the freely expressed will of the people that government truly dedicated to the welfare, rights and interests of the people can be founded.

    “You will be able to vote in an atmosphere of openness and peace, devoid of fear from threat or intimidation. Tomorrow is an encounter with history in which you, the people, shall affirm your collective belief in our national greatness and in our future.

    “I ask that you embrace and hold on to the importance of the moment soon to be upon us. Honour your civic duty as voters by going to the polls tomorrow to vote for the government of your choice, for the government that will lead Nigeria toward its finest destiny.

    “As citizens there is no greater duty than this and no greater honour. Tomorrow, I know you will once again make Nigeria proud of its people.”

    The President urged Nigerians not to be discouraged by anyone from exercising their rights as citizens and voters tomorrow.

    “To vote”, he said, “means that they believe in Nigeria and the excellent things the future holds for the nation and its people.

    “No matter our political leanings, we all believe in Nigeria, in the noble principles for which it stands and in the values we strive for our beloved nation to uphold.

    “All who are able, must vote so that we may better perfect this democracy and continue to build the greater nation we seek. Do not be afraid of rumours of violence and unrest.”

    According to him, the security agencies have worked diligently to ensure that adequate security measures are in place.

    Identifying democracy as the most beneficial way to select a nation’s leaders, he said that it is far from the easiest thing to achieve and maintain.

    He said that it requires a combination of patience, tolerance, compassion, diligence, wisdom and hope.

    Buhari said: “These traits exist in us the Nigerian people. Because of who we are, democracy has the chance to flourish in this land.

    “Thus, I commend all of you for your patience and peaceful conduct so far during this electoral season and especially during this intervening week following the postponement of the February 16 elections.

    “Many were worried and thought the worst might happen. You proved them wrong by showing that you are a great people with an abiding love for peace, democracy and the unity of our country.

    “According to the daily INEC public briefings given this week, the Electoral Commission says it is ready and fully prepared to conduct the election in a free, fair and transparent manner. I believe INEC realises the profound and weighty duty that rests upon it.”

    The President urged Nigerians to have faith that INEC will this time rise to the occasion.

    He said: “We must cast aside doubt and have faith that INEC will rise to the occasion. We must believe and encourage INEC to fulfill and honour this responsibility it owes to our country.”

    Buhari also assured the international, domestic monitors and observers of their safety and freedom of movement needed to perform their important functions.

    Lauding the domestic monitors and observers for their contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, the President also thanked the international groups for their friendship and concern for the nation.

    “We appreciate their efforts in encouraging us to further entrench and strengthen our democracy,” he said

     

     

  • Titans face tough National Assembly battle in Oyo

    Candidates of the various political parties are facing a tough National Assembly election in Oyo State. Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the three serving senators and other political titans are in the race, giving no room for any of them to relax, writes Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE.

    THE race for National Assembly seats in Oyo State is congested and cloudy. Well-known names are on the stage to wrest power from the three serving senators and 14 members of the House of Representatives.

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi leads the pack of flagbearers. A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajimobi is contesting for the Oyo South senatorial seat against the incumbent Sen. Adesoji Akanbi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). A former commissioner for Trade, Investments and Cooperatives, Dr Kola Balogun, is also jostling for the seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), though his ticket is still being contested in court by a former deputy governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi. In the Action Democratic Party (ADP), which has been made popular by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, Dr Fola Akinosun is in the race against Ajimobi and others. The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), which is currently under the leadership of Sen. Rashidi Ladoja, is fielding Nureni Adisa for the Oyo South race.

    The Oyo Central race is equally a tough one. The incumbent lawmaker, Monsurat Sunmonu of ADC is slugging it out with former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin of the APC, Temitope Sugar of the ADP, Chief Bisi Ilaka of the PDP and the ZLP’s Mumuni Olaniyan.

    In Oyo North, a former House Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola of the PDP is up against the incumbent, Dr Fatai Buhari of the APC, Adeleke Adebayo of the ADC, Bashiru Lawal of the ZLP and Ahmed Salawudeen of the ADP.

    The candidates have been having sleepless nights, traversing the length and breadth of their constituencies to persuade voters to support them. It is particularly tough, because some of them are either incumbents or former legislators from whom many constituents have benefitted. While the former ones are going round with confidence over what they achieved for the constituency in the past, the incumbents are riding on the crest of their ongoing and recent empowerment projects. Yet, new entrants are also relying on the impacts their political leaders have made on the constituencies in the past, ethnic factor or party popularity.

    However, the influence of money seems to tower above all the other factors, as the electorate still distrust politicians, believing that whatever they can extort from them during electioneering campaign is their major profit for supporting them. This fact stares the candidates in the face and gives them no room for complacency as the rescheduled election draws near.

    By implication, the voters are embracing all the candidates with open arms, to exploit them before voting for the candidate of their choice. So, determining who earns whose vote remains the greatest headache of the politicians. They seem to be at loss about whom to trust, but are carrying on with the campaign in good faith.

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    In all of these, however, Ajimobi in Oyo South and Sen. Buhari in Oyo North appear to be more sure-footed in their quest, compared to the other candidates, because they remained in their original parties. Since Ajimobi contested and won on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011 along with Sen. Buhari and others, both of them have remained in the party, which later transformed to the APC. Both of them are incumbents contesting in their original party. The machinery of the governing party both at the state and federal level is sure to work for them. The power of incumbency will also help Sen. Sunmonu and Akanbi and many other ADC House of Representatives candidates in certain ways.

    When contacted, however, Sen. Buhari shrugged off permutations. He said he was carrying on with his campaign with a strong hope of victory, because he has never been far from his constituents. He said: “Election is just an exercise. It comes and goes. But I am always with my people, listening to them and representing their interest. So, whether it is election or any other exercise, my people know who I am, and I know who they are. Our bond is tight. So, there is no room for suggestions of failure.”

    As for Sen, Sunmonu and Akanbi, both are involved more in direct campaign than through the mass media. They also insisted that names and character of candidates will be a stronger factor in the rescheduled February 23 election. They are also upbeat of trouncing their co-contestants.

    But, as the PDP train moves round the state, its governorship candidate, Seyi Makinde, has been standing surety for all PDP candidates in the four elections. He wants people to vote for them based on his own credibility.

    Judging by the result of the 2015 elections, the party has a chance to do well in Oyo State. The choice of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate may also work in the party’s favour in the state. This is because the presidential and National Assembly elections are lumped together, voters who prefer one presidential candidate will most likely vote for the same party

     

  • Poll’s shift: Fed Govt orders payment of February salary

    The Federal Government yesterday ordered the immediate payment of February salaries to enable workers wishing to travel to vote in the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly election on Saturday.

    Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed broke the news to reporters after yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    According to him, the payment of February salaries to federal workers began on Tuesday.

    The early payment, he said is “to ease the burden off civil servants planning to travel for the elections”.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the election billed for last Saturday by a week.

    Many, who travelled to their voting destinations, were forced to return to their bases and there is fear among the populace that many will not return.

    The minister, who said the FEC discussed the issue, said that it also reviewed some of the palliatives put in place to help people return to cast their votes.

    He said the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), with a membership of about 50,000 and “who controls 80 per cent of petroleum sector distribution has agreed to cushion the effect of the postponement by reducing the price of pump price of petrol from N145 to 140 from February 21st to 25th”.

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    The minister said the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who has about two million members and operates motor parks in all the 774 local government areas across the country, has offered to provide discount to travellers using their motor parks.

    He said: “All these are aimed at encouraging voters who might have been disenfranchised by the postponement.”

    The minister also said that as part of the incentives, two airlines – Aero Contractors and Arik Air – are offering discounted fares to passengers.

    Aero, Mohammed said, is offering a 50 per cent discount to all travellers who present their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), at the point of purchase. Arik has slashed the price of their tickets to N16, 000 to all destinations across the country from February 18 to 11 March 11.

    Asked if FEC backed President’s directives to security agencies to shoot ballot box snatchers, he said “Absolutely. I mean if you want to intimidate voters to steal the mandate of the people, you should be able to face the wrath of the law.”

    Budget & National Planning Minister Udoma Udo Udoma disclosed that the Council was briefed about the fourth quarter report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), describing the report as encouraging.

  • Elections: FG declares Friday work free, excludes bankers

    The Federal Government has declared Friday, February 22, 2019 work free in preparation for the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Bello Dambazau (rtd), made the declaration on behalf of the government.

    The Ministry of Interior in a statement issued on Wednesday night by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Barr. Georgina Ehuriah, however, excluded bankers and those offering essential services across the nation.

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    “The Federal Government declares Friday, February 22, 2019 as work-free day. Those providing essential duties and bankers are excluded.

    “The work-free day is to enable citizens return to their polling units for the reschedule Presidential & National Assembly elections.

    “Security agencies have been directed to ensure safety of lives and property before, during and after the general election,” the statement added.

  • Update: INEC sets to announce outcome of meeting with stakeholders

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) crucial meeting with stakeholders, including international and local observers over today’s Presidential and National Assembly election has ended.

    The Chief Press Secretary to Mahmoud Yakubu, INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, told journalists that a decision has been taken and the commission will address them soon.

    Details shortly…

     

  • APC warns on campaign advertorial

    THROUGH its National Secretariat, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday dissociated itself with any advertorial publication after 11pm last night on the Presidential and National Assembly election.

    A statement by its spokesman Lanre Issa-Onilu reads: “The National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wishes to state that any 2019 Presidential/National Assembly election campaign advertorial and material disseminated in any media/public platform from 11pm Thursday, February 14, 2019 is not authorised by the Party.

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    “The APC has brought all campaigns to an end. The general public, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant institutions should please note”, Issa-Onilu said.