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Tag: Olusegun Agbaje

  • 2019: INEC employs 16,500 ad-hoc staff in Osun

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State said it had trained and employed 16,695 ad-hoc staff, in the state, for the forthcoming general elections.

    Mr Olusegun Agbaje, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state made this disclosure during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo on Thursday.

    Agbaje said the ad-hoc staffs were sourced from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Federal tertiary institutions and Federal Government establishments in the state.

    “Ten thousand, five hundred and ninety four corps members; 3,360 students of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, 1,295 students of Federal Polytechnic, Ede and 1,446 federal civil servants will be engaged for  February and March elections.

    Read Also: PDP alleges INEC plans to rig

    ” The ad-hoc staff employed would serve as Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) during the elections,” he said.

    Abgaje said that the training of the ad-hoc staff had been concluded, adding that the commission followed electoral laws and guild lines in selecting credible and dependable officers for the elections.

    He said that apart from the ad-hoc staff, 332 Supervisory Presiding Officers, 363 Collation Officers and 38 Returning Officers had also been trained for the election.

    He, however, called on the electorate who registered for the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) but yet to collect them, to ensure they do so before the deadline for collection.

    NAN

  • 1,254,467 PVCs collected in Osun, says REC

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Osun State, Olusegun Agbaje has disclosed that 1,254,467 Permanent Voters’ Cards have been collected by the eligible voters in the state.

    He said the PVCs collected so far represented 75.50 per cent of the total figure of 1,681,930.

    Making the disclosure while holding separate meetings

    with religious leaders and political parties’ leaders at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office along Gbongan road in Osogbo, Osun State capital, the REC said the balance of 427,463 PVCs (25.42%) are yet to be collected.

    He called on residents of the state to go to where they have registered for collection of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), saying they have up till Monday January 21 to do so.

    However, the INEC boss, who warned that the PVCs will not be given in proxy, enjoined the prospective voters to keep their voter’s cards safely “because it going to be the tools for you to elect the candidates of your choice and no other identification document will be be accepted in place of the PVCs.”

    He continued: “Accordingly, those that are yet to collect their PVCs are advised to cash in on this opportunity to do so because only those that are with their valid PVCs are going to be allowed to cast their vote during the general elections.”

    Educating electorate on how to guard against vote voiding, the REC advised the electorate to apply finger print only in one box which according to him corresponds with the party symbol of their choice.

    Read Also: Group urges youths to collect their PVCs

    He also warned voters against violence before, during and after the polls.

    The INEC boss, who denied given PVCs to All Progressives Congress (APC) as alleged by some political parties, said some politicians’ attitude of wining by all means was a major challenge the commission is facing.

    According to him, wining at all costs attitude by the politicians had led them to deploy all sorts of illicit means such as vote buying, use of thugs to disrupt election process, raising of alarm and dissemination of fake news to whip up unnecessary sentiments.

    He said: “If we must get rid of all these wicked forces that have continuously threatened the credibility of our elections in Nigeria, the political class must change its ‘do or die’ attitude to good conduct in politics.”

  • Osun Guber Poll: INEC releases timetable

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released timetable for the September 22 Osun governorship poll.

    Briefing journalists on Thursday at the INEC Office along Gbongan road, Osogbo, the state capital, the commission new Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, said the release of the timetable was in line with the provision of the Electoral Act.

    According to him  411,438 Permanent Voters Card out of 1,407,235 registered voters in 2015, are yet to be collected.

    The REC, who disclosed that notice of election would be June 23 and commencement of public campaign by political parties June 24, said the conduct of party primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from the primaries would be between June 24 and July 23.

    Agbaje said August 22 would be the last day for the submission of nomination forms by political parties, adding that campaigns would end on September 20.

    Promising a free, fair and transparent election that would be acceptable to the people of the state, he advised stakeholders to support the commission in its effort to conduct a credible election.

    He said: “We have the mandate to provide a level playing ground for all players and we expect in return the cooperation of all stakeholders. To the press, we expect you to join hands with the commission to maintain equity and justice before, during and after the process.

    “On our part, we promise to operate an open door policy and ensure the entrenchment of all the core values and standards of the INEC with zero tolerance for electoral fraud.

  • INEC releases timetable for Osun Guber polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun has released the timetable for the conduct of the state’s Sept. 22 governorship election.
    Presenting the timetable to newsmen on Thursday in Osogbo, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, the newly appointed Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) said election activities would commence on June 23 with the release of “Notice of Election’’ by INEC.
    Agbaje said political parties would commence public campaign on June 24 while candidates for elections and their parties would have the opportunities to obtain forms at INEC headquarters from June 25.
    The REC said that party primaries and resolution of disputes arising from the primaries would hold from June 24 to July 23.
    “The last day for withdrawal of candidate(s) and replacement of withdrawn candidate(s) by political parties would be August 8 while the last day for the submission of nomination forms would be August 22.

    Read Also:  INEC ‘has not created 30,000 illegal polling units’

    “The last day of campaigns will be Sept. 20, while the election proper will hold on Sept. 22 as provided in section 178 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),’’ he said.
    Agbaje said that as parts of the commission’s roadmap for the election, Continuous Voter Registration (CRV) had been extended at the 332 wards in the state from April 11 to April 16.
    He said those who were newly captured would undergo Automatic Finger Identification System (AFIS) before their names would be ratified and added to the present list of registered voters in Osun.
    The REC reassured that the PVC for registered voters in the state would be distributed before the governorship election on Sept. 22.
    Agbaje said that 411,438 PVCs were yet to be collected in the state.

  • INEC to stop PVCs’ distribution on Aug. 4

    INEC to stop PVCs’ distribution on Aug. 4

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has said it will stop distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on August 4 to concentrate on the governorship election.

    State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, yesterday made the disclosure at an interactive session with Christian and Muslim leaders.

    He said the interactive session was part of the commission’s efforts towards ensuring peaceful poll.

    Agbaje, who said the importance of the religious leaders in the conduct of any election could not be over-emphasised, urged them to counsel their followers, especially the youths, on the need to be peaceful before, during and after the election.

    The REC gave an assurance that the commission would distribute Permanent Voter Cards on the 26th and 27th of this month to those that registered during the recent continuous voters’ registration exercise.

    He said training has started for supervisors, presiding officers and their assistants, promising that all electoral materials would be moved to all local governments a day before the election to give room for early commencement of accreditation in each polling unit.

    He debunked the insinuation that the commission had authorised some people to collect pin numbers of their PVCs, saying anybody caught perpetrating such act would be handed over to the police.

    The INEC National Commissioner deployed to supervise the election, Ambassador Muhammad Wali, described election as a religious duty and solicited the cooperation of the religious leaders towards ensuring credible election.

    Wali, who said the commission had no interest in whoever wins the election, noted that the process lined up was capable of ensuring credible polls.