Tag: Nigeria Decides
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Kwara polls met accepted standards- Observers
Accredited Election Observers have adjudged the February 23 and March 3rd elections in Kwara state to meet with the accepted standards in line with the Electoral Laws.
They therefore urged all the candidates and political parties to accept the results as true reflection of the wishes and decisions of the electorates.
The observers added that the elections took place under a conducive and peaceful atmosphere across the entire state.
State team leader and secretary of the observers, Richard Adebayo and Olaniyan Matthew hailed the “Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for considering it necessary to conduct the 16 local government election in the state and providing a level playing ground for all political parties.”
They recommended “the government and electoral management body should engage committee of civil society groups on intensive civic voter’s education, sensitization and mobilization ahead of every election. This will go a long way to ensuring voters participation in elections.
“The political parties should engage in civic voter’s mobilization as proactive way of campaign. Priority should be given to the difficult terrains and hard to reach local government areas and communities in the state in terms of distribution of election materials to ensure quick and timely commencement of elections in such areas.
“Political parties should ensure a wide presence of their party agents in all the polling units for effective party representation during election.”
The team also applauded the electoral umpire “for wonderful
preparation in providing all needed logistics and materials on time which actually encouraged the success of the election; the security agents are hereby applauded for providing a secured and peaceful environment for the elections.”
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Surrender with honour, Dogara tells Bauchi gov, Abubakar
Speaker Yakubu Dogara has expressed dissatisfaction over the Bauchi gubernatorial election, which was declared inconclusive on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sen. Bala Mohammed was leading his closest rival, Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Dogara stated INEC chairman Prof. Mahood Yakubu, an indigene of Bauchi, has a question to answer from the people who he claimed had been deprived of their mandate.
“I want to say that the Chairman of INEC, who is from Bauchi State, just like all of us has a question to answer.
‘’ They say charity begins at home. Will he sit down in Abuja and watch a presiding REC deprive PDP of their mandate.
‘’Will he sit down and sleep in peace when he sees that that the position of his own people has been held by agent of the commission over which he superintends?
“That is the question that Prof.Mahmud Yakubu my name sake will have to answer and the people of Bauchi are watching.
‘’We want to see whether he will cast his vote with the people of Bauchi State or those who are seeking to oppress the people of Bauchi State.”
It would be recalled the collation officer of Tafawa Balewa local government area, Mrs. Dominic Anosike, had earlier said she was forced under duress to announce the result at the collation centre by some political thugs, who she alleged unleashed violence at the centre in Tafawa Balewa.
The Speaker, while addressing a press conference in Bauchi on Monday together with his PDP counterpart, Sen. Mohammad Bala and other PDP chieftains over the cancelled result of Tafawa Balewa, argued it was thugs belonging to the APC that invaded the collation centre.
He also urged Gov Abubukar to surrender with honour, saying it will be an unprecedented shame for him who had twice called him a light weight politician to now seek for votes in his constituency in a supplementary election.
“You have heard him say about twice that I as a speaker, I am a lightweight politician because I represent an area that is my constituency, that the highest votes that come from that area is 70000 and in the last 2015 election.
‘’He (Gov Abubukar) won his election with over 300, 000 votes that he doesn’t require a vote from my constituency to be governor.
“Now I want the media to ask him, will it not amount to any act of unprecedented shamelessness for him to now go to Tafawa Balewa, my constituency, with only 70,000 votes that he doesn’t require to go and campaign for their votes or illegally source for votes from them to make up and be the governor.
“If there is any honour on his part, having declared he doesn’t need one single vote from there, I think honour demands that he should surrender at this point that he’s lost the election.”
Mohammed boasted that his party had already won “it is left for the governor to start preparing his handover notes.
“Even the Presidency has interfered into our election, am not afraid to say it because reliable sources told us the INEC Chairman was called not to act on the election.”
Meanwhile, the APC while reacting to the allegations during a separate press conference, hailed INEC for declaring the result inconclusive saying that the decision of the commission was legal.
Chairman of the party Ahmed Uba Nana said: “It is what is supposed to be. If you look at it, a whole local government election cancelled.
“The margin was nothing to write home about if you compare it with the registered voters, it is clear.”
The APC chairman accused the PDP of crying foul unnecessarily saying, “If you have somebody who is used to committing an offence, he will run to the police station first to absolve himself.
“The collaboration officer had Tafawa Balewa alleged that she was put under security threat and that she wrote the result under duress.
“I want to call on the security agencies to probe it and whosoever is found guilty should face the wrath of the law.”
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IBB lauds peaceful elections
Retired Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, former Military President, has commended Nigerians for their orderliness and peaceful conducts during the 2019 general elections.
Babangida disclosed this in statement by Malam Zubairu Abdulra’uf, his media aide, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Sunday.
He urged all Nigerians to be the vanguards of peace for the development of the country through democratic processes.
Babangida, who has been away for three months on a medical vacation abroad, returned to the country on March 9.
He was received on arrival by former Head of State Gen. AbdulSalami Abubakar, his son Muhammad Babangida and other family members and friends.
In 1987, nearly two years after assuming power as military leader, Babangida spent weeks in the American Hospital in Paris, France, obtaining treatment for a condition known as radiculopathy.
Radiculopathy “is characterized by pain which seems to radiate from the spine to extend outward to cause symptoms away from the source of the spinal nerve root irritation.”
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400 candidates contest House of Assembly election in Borno
No fewer than 400 candidates are contesting in Saturday’s State House of Assembly election in Borno, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The candidates were fielded by 41 political parties for the 30 state constituencies.
NAN also reports that some 32 of the 41 registered political parties fielded candidates to contest in the state governorship election.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, told NAN that the commission had screened over 400 candidates for the State House of Assembly election.
Ibrahim said that the candidates those from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the major opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The REC said that the commission had attained 100 per cent in its preparations for the elections.
He called on the candidates and their parties to support the commission by mobilising prospective voters to be orderly and peaceful during the election.
Some of the major contenders in the governorship race include Prof. Babagana Zulum of APC; Alhaji Muhammad Imam PDP, Rufai Monguno of the Independent Democratic Party (IDP) and Abubakar Bawa of Action Democratic Party (ADP).
While Dr Ahmed Dikwa is contesting the election under the platform of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), retire Cpt. Ibrahim Mshelia is of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Aliyu Alhaji is of the Action Alliance (AA).
Other contestants are from the Social Democratic Party (SDP); National Rescue Movement (NRM), United Peoples’ Congress (UPC), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Democratic Peoples’ Congress (DPC).
NAN recalled that 104 senatorial and 244 House of Representatives candidates fielded by various political parties contested the Feb. 23 National Assembly elections in the state.
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Polls: 323 arrested nationwide for electoral offences – IGP
The Inspector General of Police ( IGP ) Mohammed Adamu has disclosed that no fewer than 323 suspects have been arrested for electoral offences across the country.
The suspects he said, following various electoral offences committed in the last Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Read Also: IGP condemns attacks on police officers
The Police chief also revealed that the Force lost two of its personnel during the election while several others were attacked and assaulted.
The IG noted that a Police Team will liaise with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute electoral offenders.
Details shortly…
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Re-election: AU congratulates Buhari
The African Union (AU) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election in the Feb. 23 presidential election.
In a statement on the AU Commission’s website on Friday, the Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, welcomed the successful conduct of the presidential and national sssembly elections in Nigeria.
He stated that “following the announcement made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Feb. 27, AU congratulates President Muhammadu Buhari for winning the presidential election.
“The union wishes President Buhari and the people of Nigeria success in efforts to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous country.”
Mahamat reiterated the conclusions of the AU Observer Mission and other international observers on the election process as largely peaceful and orderly and in conformity with Nigeria’s legal framework.
The chairperson said the largely peaceful conduct of the elections marked another important step in the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria.
Read Also: Leah’s mother congratulates Buhari, asks him to free her daughter
He commended INEC for the conduct of the elections, and all the political actors and the Nigerian people for their high participation and maturity.
He also called on stakeholders to continue “in this exemplary spirit’’ and refer to existing constitutional and legal framework and other peaceful meansto resolve any dispute that may arise.
Mahamat expressed optimism in the “peaceful conduct of the remainder of the elections’’ and renewed the AU’s commitment to continue working with the Nigerian authorities in support of the efforts and in furtherance of the continental agenda.
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Kalu: We’ve no issues with Abia North result, says INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has said that the commission has no issues with the result of Saturday’s National Assembly polls in Abia North Senatorial District.
Mr Bamidele Oyetunji, the Public Relations Officer of the commission in Umuahia, the Abia capital, said this in an interview with newsmen on Friday.
Bamidele said that the commission only had problem with the results of the National Assembly polls in Abia South Senatorial District, which were still awaiting declaration.
The clarification was coming on the heels of the agitation by Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the declaration of Chief Orji Kalu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, as the winner of the election in Abia north.
Kalu, who polled 31,201 votes was declared the winner ahead of the two other frontline contenders, including Ohuabunwa and Chief David Onuoha, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who scored 20,801 votes and 11,410 votes, respectively.
Read Also: Injured Lagos INEC official undergoes surgery
Ohuabunwa had alleged in a statement issued in Umuahia that the Returning Officer for the election, Dr. Charles Anumudu, did not declare anybody winner of the poll.
He claimed that the number of canceled votes, totalling 76,889, was higher than the margin of lead, put at 10,402 votes.
He said that the difference between the margin of victory and canceled votes was 66,487.
He therefore urged INEC to order for a rerun in the areas, where the election was cancelled.
But according to Oyetunji, “the commission has no problem with the result of the polls in Abia north.”
Also, the Head, Voter Education and Publicity Unit of the commission, Mr Achibie Chigozie, said that Ohuabunwa knew where to direct his grievances.
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Elections: US congratulates Buhari, Nigerians
The United States Government has congratulated Nigeria on a successful presidential election and President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election.
In a statement to The Nation titled ‘Nigerian Election Results’, Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo praised “Nigerians who participated peacefully in the election.”
Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), beat his main challenger Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by nearly four million votes in the February 23 polls.
Read Also: UPU greets Buhari, Omo-Agege on victory
The US also condemned “those whose acts of violence harmed Nigerians and the electoral process.”
The statement added: “We note the assessments of international and domestic observer missions affirming the overall credibility of the election, despite localized violence and irregularities.
“We also congratulate all the other candidates for their peaceful participation in the electoral process. We call on all Nigerians to ensure successful state elections next week.
“Going forward, the United States remains committed to working together with Nigeria to achieve greater peace and prosperity for both our nations.
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Accept defeat in good faith, Agbakoba tells Atiku
Popular lawyer Olisa Agbakoba has urged presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in last Saturday’s election, Atiku Abubakar to accept his defeat in good faith.
He told him not to contest the results in the court but cement his place as a statesman by working to galvanise the PDP and third forces for the political struggles ahead.
In a paper titled ‘2019 Presidential Election: Ethnic Consideration vs Governance Consideration’ on Wednesday, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said: “I understand the PDP is aggrieved at the outcome of the election and alleged massive irregularities.
“I urge former Vice President Atiku Abubakar not to approach the Election Petition Tribunal.
“He might have (been) moved backwards by his loss but he should not lose sight of the legacy and greatness that lie in front of him.”
Read Also: ACF to Atiku: concede defeat, congratulate Buhari
Urging Atiku to work with others to build a stronger political structure that can win in the next dispensation, Agbakoba said: “There is also a lot of work to be done in both political and electoral reforms. I request former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step into the shoes.”
He pointed out the presidential election was marred irregularities but argued it was better not to approach the election tribunal.
He said: “I can see how tempting it is to take the option of the Election Petition Tribunal. But that, in my view, is not the right decision.
“We look forward to a new Nigeria, strong and united; a new Nigeria that will not vote on the basis of ethnic and primordial sentiments.”
He lamented ethnicity played major role in the voting pattern, pointing out the APC and the PDP benefited from “primordial voting.”
“The excepted zone is the South-West, where voting occurred on the basis of issues.
“The significance and consequence of the 2019 presidential election are huge unless we are able to reverse it.
“2023 will follow the pattern of 2019 unless we do something about it,” Agbakoba said.