The Nation Newspaper

Tag: National Electoral Commission (INEC)

  • Ugwuanyi coasts to victory in Enugu

    A coalition of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) – accredited foreign and local observers and notable leaders in Enugu State have commended the successful conduct of yesterday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state, describing the exercise as “peaceful, free and fair”.

    This came as results trickling in from polling units across Enugu State indicate the state governor and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and House of Assembly candidates of the party are coasting to victory as the PDP leads with wide margins.

    Ugwuanyi, who voted at exactly 9:35am, after trekking from his residence to the polling unit, said that “in all we do in Enugu State, we give God due glory, honour and adoration and by the special grace of God this election will end in praise.”

    Speaking on behalf of the observers, shortly after Ugwuanyi cast his vote at his Amube Ward II Polling Unit, a foreign observer from Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Rotarian Titus A. Alagba, stated that the election was in conformity with the INEC rules and regulations and thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi for “providing the peaceful atmosphere for this free and fair election”.

    Also speaking, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who spoke to journalists after voting at his polling unit in Ukehe Ward I, disclosed that the election “was very peaceful, very orderly and it typifies the peaceful character of our state.

     

    The former governor of old Anambra State and chieftain of the PDP, Senator Jim Nwobodo, who was accompanied to his polling unit by his wife, Pat, added that the exercise “has been peaceful.” Nwobodo expressed optimism that “PDP will win with a landslide in Enugu State”.

    On his part, the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, (Anglican Communion) Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, commended Gov. Ugwuanyi, INEC and the security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the exercise, maintaining it was “orderly, very much peaceful, free and fair”.

  • 2019: INEC retrieves sensitive materials from LGs to CBN in Lagos

    The National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State, on Sunday said it had retrieved all sensitive materials for the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections earlier distributed to the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

    INEC Spokesman in Lagos State, Mr Femi Akinbiyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, that all sensitive materials had been retrieved and kept in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under security watch.

    He said that the sensitive materials, which comprised ballot papers and result sheets, had been distributed at the three senatorial districts before they were later moved to the 20 LGAs.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had attributed the postponement of the elections to logistic and operational problems.

    Akinbiyi said that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police had monitored the exercise in some local governments.

    “The instruction from the INEC headquarters was that all sensitive materials should be moved back to the CBN and the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State was in Ikeja today to supervise such movement.

    “The movement across the state was done under tight security,” he said.According to him, all card readers earlier deployed to each local government area have been returned to the INEC office in Yaba for reconfiguration.

    The INEC Public Relations Officer added that all ad hoc staff had been paid their training allowances for the postponed elections.

    The Governorship, State Houses of Assembly, and FCT Area Council elections were also shifted from March 2 to March 9.The INEC state chairman said that the postponement would afford the electoral body the opportunity to address the identified challenges in order to maintain the quality of Nigeria’s election. (NAN)

  • NASS ready to reconvene if necessary-Saraki

    Chairman of the National Assembly and President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, says the parliament is ready to reconvene if there are pressing national issues requiring the legislature’s attention.

    Saraki said this while fielding questions from journalists at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

    There have been calls from the presidency for the assembly to reconvene to approve funds for the 2019 general elections as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 24.

    The presidency is also saying that there other urgent matters needing the lawmakers’ attention, which if not treated, could affect the country adversely.

    The assembly commenced its annual recess on July 24 to resume on Sept. 25 in line with its calendar.

    Saraki, however, said it was difficult to understand why the nation would shutdown because the National Assembly was on recess.

    He said that the assembly adjourned two days before the scheduled date but ensured that the Electoral Bill was passed.

    Saraki said that the bill was the only pending issue before the assembly and that it was passed before the lawmakers commenced recess.

    On the request for more funds for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he said it was amazing that people were not asking what INEC was doing that they did not submit their request until the lawmakers embarked on recess.

    He said from January through June, the lawmakers were on ground and that nobody from the Executive made any request of additional funds for the INEC.

    Saraki said that in the interest of the country, the leadership of the assembly would meet with INEC “and if there is need to reconvene, the legislators will”.

    According to him, the plan of the assembly before security agents barricaded its entrance on Tuesday, preventing it from holding a meeting was to the urgent issues.

    He said that the assembly “wants free and fair elections and allegations claiming that the institution is trying to sabotage INEC are not true”.

    On the blockade at the Assembly Complex, Saraki said it was at times like that that the legislature played its role in fighting for democracy and the rule of law.

    He said the assembly would continue to ensure that security agencies played their roles which were “to protect us and not to attack us”.

    The president of the  Senate said in cases where security agents went out of the ambits of the law, the legislature would take necessary actions that would ensure that they were called to order.

    “This is why I commend the acting President for what he did. That action is long overdue; not just the DSS DG, a lot of the security agencies are doing things that are not in line with the Constitution.

    “Several times we have summoned heads of security agencies to appear before the National Assembly in line with the Constitution but they do not.

    “They should be sanctioned in the same way the DSS DG has been sanctioned. In Benue, security agents escorted eight members of the State House of Assembly to impeach the Governor, aiding illegality.

    “The Executive knows what to do; we are saying that any security agency that acts against democracy should be sanctioned similarly and that is our position,” he said.

    On the absence of All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers at the complex at the time of the siege, Saraki said that lawmakers who arrived the complex in the morning and were denied access were told that there was a list of legislators that would be let in.

    He alleged that the plan was to only allow certain APC senator to gain access, adding that that was why those whose names were not on the list were denied access.

    Saraki explained that the reason the APC legislators were not on ground in the morning was because they were holding a meeting somewhere else before coming to the complex.

    He said the meeting was inconclusive and it was adjourned to 11.a.m, adding  that if they had concluded, they would have been at the complex.

    Saraki said that members of other parties heard of the plot and decided to all turn up at the complex and that that was the reason APC lawmakers were not on ground.

    “We must protect this democracy, we must ensure the rule of law; if anybody is to impeached, the process in the constitution must be followed.

    “If you have the numbers, go ahead and do it but if you do not have the numbers as required by the Constitution, do not turn us into a banana republic, Nigeria has passed that, we want a country everybody would be proud of,” Saraki added.

  • Senate’s resolutions on Abiola illegal, says lawyer

    A popular Bayelsa-based journalist, Somina Johnbull, Monday, declared the recent resolutions of the Senate on late Chief MKO Abiola as illegal and unconstitutional.

    The Senate in reactions to the honour bestowed on Abiola by the Federal Government reached resolutions calling for the declaration of the results of the June 12th election and payment of all allowances and entitlements to the families of Abiola and the Alhaji Kingibe.

    But Johnbull after dissecting the provisions of the constitution as it related to the resolution said the Senate erred.

    He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the only body saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections and its mandate does not extend to elections that were held prior to 1999.

    The lawyer said only the National Electoral Commission (NEC) had the right to declare the results of the 1993 election since it was the body that conducted it.

    But he said NEC having been dissolved could no longer declare the results adding that its functions could not be exercised by proxy.

    He said: “It is the law that election results can only be declared by the agency charged with the responsibility of conducting the election. In Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is only charged with the responsibility of conducting elections under the 1999 Constitution.

    “The mandate of INEC does not extend to election conducted prior to 1999.

    “Secondly, the body that conducted the 1993 elections is National Electoral Commission (NEC). It is only that body that can declare the results of that election. It cannot be done by proxy. However, that body is now defunct and deemed non-existent.

    Read Also:Posthumous Award: PDP supports Abiola’s honour

    “Asking for the declaration of the results is akin to drawing a square circle”.

    Johnbull added that it was also a constitutional suicide to demand the payment of entitlements of Abiola and Kingibe to their families.

    Explaining his position, he said: “The second resolution passed by the Senate was that all allowances and entitlements of Chief MKO Abiola and Kingibe, as President-elect and Vice-President-elect, should be paid to their families.

    “With respect, salaries and allowances are entitlements for actual occupation of the office, and not prospective grants. Since Chief MKO Abiola was not sworn-in, how could he then be entitled to receive or be paid salaries and allowances, for an office, he did not occupy either de facto or de jure.

    “The resolution of the Senate is brazenly illegal and ought to be disregarded”.

    But he insisted that the recognition of Abiola and conferment of the highest national honour of GCFR to him, Kingibe and late Chief Gani Fawehinmi were legal and constitutional.

    Explaining further he said: “I am not a politician and would leave the political discourse for politicians. I am a lawyer and my intervention would be solely from a legal prism.

    “The conferment of National Awards in Nigeria is statutorily provided for by law. Which is the National Honours Act of 1963, which is an existing law and therefore applicable by virtue of Section 316 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “The National Awards Act is a short piece of legislation, containing three sections. Section 1 of the Act, establishes the award of titles of honour, Section 2 creates offences and Section 3 is the short title of the Act.

    “The National Awards Act provides for Warrants to be issued. These Warrants are subsidiary legislation and are made by the President (See Section 1(4) of the Act) and are in the mould of subsidiary legislation.

    “Pursuant to the above, five warrants have been made namely; the Honours Warrant, Honours (Armed Forces) Warrant, Honours (Police) Warrant, Honours (Prison Services) Warrant and Honours (Fire Services) Warrant”.

    He added: “The Honours Warrant was issued on the 1st of October, 1963 and creates two Orders of Dignity and four ranks. The Orders are Order of the Federal Republic and the Order of the Niger. While the ranks are; Grand Commander (which is the highest); Commander; Officer and Member of the Order”.

    He said it is the prerogative of the President to confer the rank on any person and the only limitation is that the rank be conferred on a Nigerian citizen as foreign nationals can only receive the rank in honorary capacity.

    He said there was no limitation that the rank could only be conferred on living persons.

    He said: “This is so because, being a rank of honour, there is nothing which precludes distinguished Nigerians, who in the opinion of the President are deserving of the honour, whether living or deceased.

    “This is more so as the conferment of the award is solely at the discretion of the President and cannot be reviewed by any person or authority.

    “Taking it further, no person can even question the suitability of an awardee as it is the President, who decides same. A known thief can be conferred and a man of heroics can be excluded. It is all the pleasure of the President. This is as far as the Honours Warrant is concerned.

    “The Honours (Armed Forces) Warrant was issued on the 20th of September, 1965. It covers members of the Armed Forces and what is conferred thereunder are not titles but medals.

    “The argument that it is only soldiers that ought to be honoured posthumously is under the Honours (Armed Forces) Warrant which is different and distinct from the Honours Warrant. What these deceased soldiers are conferred with are medals, not honours such as GCFR, GCON and the likes.

    “The attempt to conflate the provisions of the Honours (Armed Forces) Warrant and the Honours Warrant is misleading.

    “Chief MKO Abiola and Gani Fawehinmi, SAN were bestowed awards under the Honours Warrant. They were not issued with medals, which would have made the provisions of the Honours (Armed Forces) Warrant, applicable.

    “Based on the above, the action of President Buhari in conferring the awards is legal and beyond reproach”.