The Nation Newspaper

Tag: National Assembly elections

  • 6,000 security personnel ready for election in Zamfara — Police

    The Zamfara Police Command and other security agencies in the state have deployed 6,062 security personnel ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Muhammad Shehu, disclosed this in a statement in Gusau on Thursday.

    Shehu said “the deployment is part of the police and sister security agencies commitments to ensure peaceful conduct of the 2019 general elections in the state”.

    “Out of the 6,062 deployed security personnel, police have 4,391 officers while other sister security agencies deployed 1,671 personnel to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the state”.

    He said all the 2,516 polling units across the 147 wards of the 14 local government areas of the state would be effectively covered by the security personnel.

    He, however, said that the command made adequate security arrangements to ensure effective protection of all election centres, materials, personnel and monitoring teams/observers deployed to the state.

    “The command has also made adequate provision for confidence building patrols on the major highways and flashpoints to ensure overall protection of lives and properties before, during and after the polls.

    “All the police personnel and other sister security agencies deployed for the assignment were properly trained and briefed to acquaint themselves with the rules of engagement of the polls.

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    “The Command under the Commissioner Celestine Okoye enjoins political actors and their supporters in the state to play the game by the rules for peaceful conduct of the elections,” he
    added.

    He urged members of the public to be law abiding and cooperate with the security authorities by giving timely and credible information on activities of disgruntled elements.

    “The command appeals to the media to continue to collaborate with security agencies by informing members of the public a verified and authentic happenings regarding the conduct of the elections.

    “We wishe the general public a peaceful and successful conduct of 2019 general elections in Zamfara state and Nigeria as a whole”, he said (NAN)

  • 30,000 operatives, gunboats for Saturday’s elections in Lagos

    About 30,000 security operatives will be deployed across Lagos State for Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu said yesterday.

    The operatives, comprising policemen, officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the military and other paramilitary agencies, have their roles spelt out in an operation order by the police for the elections.

    This followed a meeting with heads of various agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

    Also, the police have said they will deploy gunboats to riverine communities to protect voters against attacks from militants and other miscreants.

    There have been concerns by residents of Ijedodo, Ijegun, Ishawo, Epe and other riverine communities plagued by militants and miscreants who usually capitalised on the inaccessibility of the areas to operate.

    But Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu yesterday assured the residents of their safety and security before, during and after the elections.

    The police chief said gunboats would be deployed in the areas for constant waterway patrols.

    Reacting to a text message from our correspondent on how the command intended to cover voters in riverine areas, Muazu said they have been captured in the operation order.

    He said the areas would be properly manned and patrolled by operatives of Marine Police.

    “Our operation order covers the riverine areas to be properly manned and patrolled by the Marine Police. We have serviceable gunboats for this purpose,” Muazu said.

    The Nation gathered that over 5,000 of the operatives were drawn from the NSCDC, 1,750 from FRSC while the military and other paramilitary agencies sent in their men and materials for the success of Saturday’s elections.

    Confirming the deployment of soldiers for the elections, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Maj.-Gen. Musa Yusuf, told our correspondent that troops from 9 Brigade, 81 Division Garrison and all officers and soldiers in army formations and training centres within the division would be deployed for the elections.

    He said: “I am deploying the whole of 9 Brigade and 81 Division Garrison. I am also bringing soldiers and officers from all the Army training school headquarters in Lagos.

    “Soldiers and officers from all the formations and units around the 81 Division will participate. Our assignment is provision of security to make sure the environment is free and okay for people to go about their normal businesses, including coming out to vote and going back to their homes without being molested and without any problem.”

    Also, FRSC Sector Commander Hygenus Omeje said his men would ensure compliance of restriction orders across highways as well as work with sister-agencies in intelligence gathering and crowd control at polling units.

    NSCDC’s State Commandant said over 5,000 of his men would be deployed for the elections, adding that they were prepared and working in synergy with the police and other agencies.

    A statement by police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP) said security personnel were expected to wear the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) identification tags to cover the electoral processes.

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    He said: “However, the police, being the lead agency in internal security management, will coordinate other security and law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of the electoral laws, the preservation of law and order as well as safety and security of human and material resources deployed for the elections.

    “In addition, the command has set up a joint operations room with the following dedicated lines through which members of the public can draw the attention of the police to distress situations or any untoward event in their locality.

    “The numbers are: Control 1: 08127155132 and 07035068242

    Control 2: 08127155150 and 08065154338: Control 3: 08127155071 and 08063299264.

    “The police commissioner assures Lagosians of tight security before, during and after the elections. He encourages the residents to come out without fear of intimidation and exercise their franchise.

    “In the same vein, the police chief warned political thugs and other miscreants not to make any attempt to disrupt the electoral process as the command will deal decisively with anyone who breaches or attempts to breach the public peace.”

  • Breaking: Fire guts smart card readers at INEC office in Anambra

    Barely four days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, fire on Tuesday gutted two containers housing Smart Card Readers for the conduct of elections at INEC headquarters in Awka, Anambra.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that men of Anambra Fire Service were still battling with the fire as at the time of filing this report.

    Combined personnel of the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Security (DSS) were on ground to ensure there was safety and orderliness around the vicinity.

    Confirming the fire, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, the Independent National Electoral Commission Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra, said he was yet to ascertain the extent of damage.

    Orji said the sensitive materials affected were smart card readers meant for the general elections.

    “I don’t have the details of how the fire started; all I know is that there was a fire incident involving the containers that house some of our sensitive materials.

    “We have to do an assessment before we can ascertain the extent of damage, we have been storing equipments in that facility since 2011,” he said.

    NAN reports that this incident is the second in the South East as INEC office in Isiala Ngwa, Abia was penultimate week gutted by fire by unidentified persons. (NAN)

  • Lagos APC, PDP warming up for National Assembly elections

    The Lagos State senatorial contest is going to be a battle between some ranking senators and those who want to unseat them. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines their chances in next year’s elections.

    CANDIDATES of the various parties seeking to represent Lagos State at the National Assembly are not leaving anything to chance in their bid to receive the endorsement of the electorate in next year’s general elections.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Femi Akinbiyi, has indicated that 22 candidates are contesting for the Lagos West senatorial race, 15 candidates for Lagos Central and 13 for Lagos East.

    It is likely to be a straight battle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with the fringe parties merely making up the numbers. This position was underscored when some of the fringe parties threw their weight behind the Lagos State governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the 2019 election.

    Some of the fringe parties fielding candidates include: the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Labour Party (LP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Kowa Party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA).

    The APC has an edge in the contest, because its candidates for Lagos Central and Lagos West, Senators Oluremi Tinubu and Adeola Solomon Olamilekan respectively are ranking senators, while the candidate for Lagos East, Bayo Oshinowo, is seeking to make his debut at the National Assembly. The electorate would be more comfortable with the candidates of the ruling party, because they are more familiar with the antecedents and performance of the party.

    The PDP, on the other hand, has some points to prove; the main opposition party would try to show that it is no longer the underdog. The party will like to prove that its winning of some seats at the House of Representatives and the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015 is not a fluke.

    Those who the PDP are looking up to perform wonders at the 2019 polls include Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, Lagos Central Senatorial District; Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Lagos West; and Princess Abiodun Oyefusi, Lagos East.

    Analysts say the PDP performance will not be impressive beyond its present status, because most of those who won the 2015 election as lawmakers have defected to the APC, particularly at the Lagos assembly.

     

    APC

    Oluremi Tinubu is a ranking senator. Her contributions to her constituency have been remarkable. She has sponsored many bills, initiated various developmental projects. She has also been championing the quest to secure a special status for the state within the federation, through legislation, to further accelerate the development of the Centre of Excellence.

    The lawmaker has gained a lot of mileage through her regular town hall meetings, where she empowers members of her constituents. Today, many jobless youths have their personal businesses, some of them trained in vocations skills which they are equally using in putting smiles on the faces of their dependants.

    Political analysts say the senator will beat any opposition candidate hands down in the Lagos Central because, apart from what she is doing to better lives, she also relates well with party members in a motherly way; paying attention to their complaints and addressing them as they come. Most members call her ‘Yeye’, mother of the people.

    Senator Olamilekan will be contesting for Lagos West for the second time. He has established himself as a lawmaker who knows when to engage the reverse gear. Observers say his chances of winning in the 2019 election are bright.

    At some point, he aspired to become the governor of Ogun State, but dropped the idea when people of his constituency urged him to come back to complete jobs that are pending.

    Olamilekan who is popularly called Yayi is a grassroots politician. He is very close to the people and ensures that their needs are well catered for. Right from when he was at the Lagos State House of Assembly, the lawmaker has been distinguishing himself in parliamentarian duties.

    He was instrumental to the enactment of the law that strengthened the Lagos Internal Revenue Service. That law plugged the loopholes in revenue generation. He also sponsored and successfully pushed the passage of bill that repealed the Colonial Audit Act of 1956 and re-enacted the Audit Act of 2014 which led to the establishment of Federal Audit Service Commission.

    The chubby and flamboyant Lagos West senator is a crowd puller during any political gathering and other events in the state. A loyal party man, he is always attentive to what party leaders are saying. His campaign offices traverse 10 local governments and local council development areas.

    Olamilekan also uses town hall meetings to connect with the people. He believes that power resides with the people and tries to justify this in his dealings with them. During festivals, the lawmaker felicitates with leaders and ordinary members of his constituency.

    Oshinowo is currently a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He contested the APC primary against incumbent Senator Gbenga Ashafa and secured the party’s ticket at the latter’s expense. Observers say the fact that Oshinowo defeated the incumbent senator in the battle for the ticket indicates that he will win at the general election.

    The politician is very popular not only among the party bigwigs, but among the rank and file of the party. On many occasions, the Oshinowo demonstrated that he is a grassroots mobiliser in view of the loud ovation that follows his appearance at events.

    He was recognised as the most supportive lawmaker by the Lagos State Polytechnic Students’ Union in 2013.

    Analysts say Oshinowo has what it takes to win the election, because he has proved that during the APC shadow polls.

     

    PDP

    On the PDP platform, Onitiri would be slugging it out against Senator Tinubu for the Lagos Central seat. Nevertheless, the politician is not giving up. So far, three groups have thrown their weights behind him. These include: Council of Lagos State Indigenes, Eko Foundation and Omo Eko Pataki. They have promised to mobilise the people to ensure he is elected to the National Assembly.

    Onitiri was unanimously selected by the PDP leaders in Lagos Central. Among those who endorsed him was former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Kofo Akerele-Bucknor. In selecting him, among other aspirants, the PDP leadership said it is necessary to field credible candidates like Onitiri, if its desire to win at the general election is to be realized.

    In the Lagos West race, Rhode-Vivour will confront Olamilekan. Addressing residents of the constituency in the build up to the election, he said he has come to liberate the district from the dominance of the APC. He added that the PDP would make life better for residents of the constituency.

    He said: “At the National Assembly, I will fight for infrastructure development bill that will fund the repairing of federal roads in Lagos. We must decongest Lagos and reduce the number of trucks on our roads.

    “Our dream can never be achieved in isolation; only by working as a community can we create a Lagos that we all hope for. I am proud to be the flag bearer for the PDP on the senatorial ticket.”

    Rhode-Vivour has promised deliver, if given a chance by the electorate.

    As for the Lagos East race, it promises to be less turbulent for the PDP, given that Oyefusi would not be confronting an incumbent. She would face Oshinowo who is taking his first shot at the National Assembly election.

    Oyefusi will be counting on the support of women in her constituency. She said women have excelled in many areas of lawmaking and administration. She added: “I am coming to contest in order to help strengthen the laws of our nation, our democratic process and to make direct laws that will actually impact Lagos East people.

    “As women, we know how to impact and relate with our people and that is not a case of gender, but equality. Right now the best economy in the world is being headed by a woman and most of the changes in the world have been driven by women.”

     

  • Tribunal to retry Ondo APC petitions

    Tribunal to retry Ondo APC petitions

    Following the ruling of the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo state capital that set aside the verdict of the National and state Houses of Assembly Tribunal which originally dismissed the two petitions of the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidates, the State Assembly Tribunal has fixed Friday for continuation of the pre-trial of the petitions.
    In a petition no EPT/Ak/HA/7/2015,the APC candidate for Ilaje Constituency 11,Gbenga Edema is challenging his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Coker Malachi on the outcome of the April 11 State Assembly poll in the constituency.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared the election inconclusive because of alleged irregularities.

    APC’s lawyer, Charles Titiloye confirmed the service of hearing notice of the petition scheduled for High Court Eight, Akure, the state capital on Friday, September 15.

  • Casualties of Oyo National Assembly polls

    Casualties of Oyo National Assembly polls

    The presidential and National Assembly elections in Oyo State have come and gone. But, the results may have drawn the curtains on the influence of sure gladiators in the politics of the state. Oyo State Bureau Head, BISI OLADELE, examines the rise and fall of the power brokers.

    Ten top politicians in Oyo State woke up on Saturday, March 28, 2015, they must have offered thanks to God for sparing their lives to witness another day that they believed their stars would shine again. They looked forward to a day of laughter, a day of celebration and promotion in their political career.

    But, by the time darkness fell, all the power brokers spread across major political parties, except the All Progressives Congress (APC), got a shocker of their lives. The results from the local governments stunned them beyond belief because they were in favour of APC candidates.

    In Ibadan, the state capital, where former governor Rashidi Ladoja and his Accord party members and supporters hoped to confirm their strength as the party and candidates to beat, the party came in second or third positions in many of the senatorial and House of Representatives polls. In fact, out of the 14 House of Representatives, the party did not win a single seat. It also performed so poorly in the senatorial election that it did not win any of the three seats.

    The story was the same for the Labour Party (LP) led by a former governor and its governorship candidate, Adebayo Alao-Akala.

    Alao-Akala failed to confirm his popularity in Oyo, Ibadan, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones.

    Entering the election with the high expectation of winning all the seats in Ogbomoso land, produce the senator representing Oyo North District, as well as representatives in the zones, the LP only won a House of Representatives seat in Ogbomoso North/Ogbomoso South/Oriire  Constituency.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also won only one House of Representatives seat – Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere Constituency.

    The Social Democratic Party (SDP) did not win any seat in both chambers of the National Assembly.

    All the seats in Ibadan, Oke-Ogun and Oyo zones were won by the APC in a landslide victory that shocked the opposition parties.

     

    Losers:

    Senators Lanlehin and Adeseun

     

    The greatest losers are the two senators representing Oyo South and Oyo Central districts – Olufemi Lanlehin and Ayo Adeseun. The two senators defected from the PDP to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), prior to the 2011 elections. They picked the tickets, contested and won on the ACN platform, one of the parties that fused to form the APC.

    But, after spending about three years on the seat, without any threat to their positions, they defected from the APC to other parties, citing an unresolved internal crisis. While Adeseun returned to the PDP, Lanlehin defected to Accord.

    Their exit inflicted deep pains on members and supporters of the APC in and outside the state. But, Governor Abiola Ajimobi and other party leaders remained resolute in rebuilding the party.

    Both senators picked the tickets on the platform of their new parties, but they were routed by new candidates of the APC. While Lanlehin was defeated by Hon. Adesoji Akanbi, his brother from the same ward in Ibadan North West Local Government, Adeseun was defeated by the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Monsurat Sunmonu.

     

    Ladoja

     

    Prior to the election, Accord, which is led by Ladoja, was touted to be the party to beat. Having produced four members of House of Representatives and seven members of the House of Assembly in the 2011 elections, with Ladoja coming third in the governorship poll,  the Accord candidate had been seen as the governor-in-waiting by his supporters. But, the results proved them wrong as Accord could not produce a single lawmaker for both chambers of the National Assembly.

    So many politicians had rushed to join Accord in the last two years, based on the assumption that it was the party to produce the next set of elected officers. The development boosted its rating, profile and popularity across the state. But, the result dimmed the high hopes of Ladoja’s supporters.

    With an army of defeated candidates around the former governor, Ladoja is a loser in the new political equation and he may even find it tough to return to Agodi Government House as dreamt.

    Contesting for the third time at the age of 70 years, the possibility of a defeat may knock out Ladoja from the league of power brokers in the state.

     

    Alao-Akala

     

    The power broker experienced a great surprise in the election. With a massive home support and some followership in other zones, Alao-Akala went into the election to confirm his popularity. As a confirmation of his popularity, Alao-Akala picked the governorship ticket of the LP with ease at the eleventh hour.

    But, the poor performance of the LP showed the actual political strength of the former governor and his supporters in Oyo State.

    The result showed that some top politicians, including Alao-Akala, may have overrated their popularity in deciding to participate in the election, particularly as governorship candidates.

    Having committed a huge financial, human and material resources to the election, the results of the election has put his political strength and influence in a proper perspective. If he does not win the April 11 governorship election, Alao-Akala  may henceforth only be fully relevant in Ogbomoso politics more than the larger Oyo State politics.

    Other losers in the political equation include former chieftains of the APC, Chief Michael Koleoso, Dr Ismail Adewusi and Sharafadeen Alli, who left the party between last year and the election for LP and Accord.

    Though Koleoso announced his retirement from politics, it was generally believed that he left the APC, due to discontent, to join forces with Alao-Akala.

    With the exception of Koleoso who does not have age on his side, Adewusi and Alli may face a tough time finding their political strength back in the state.

     

    Winners

     

    The Oyo State people and Governor Abiola Ajimobi are the main winners in the new political trend. While the voters now have leaders of their choice, Ajimobi is rising to become the greatest politician in the state, sending other top power brokers to the back side of history.

    For producing three senators and 12 out of 14 representatives in a single election, Ajimobi has achieved an unprecedented feat in the history of the state. This is particularly so, given that most power brokers in the state refused to join him, but stood in the same election.

    Besides, the victory of the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, put him in a unique and comfortable position as the governor, if he succeeds in the April 11 governorship poll.

    Others winners include Akanbi and Sunmonu who are emerging as the new political leaders in their senatorial districts in the party that is controlling both the federal and state governments.