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Tag: PDP kicks

  • Rerun: Tight race in Kano, Sokoto as Lalong leads in Plateau

    •Early results favour PDP in Bauchi, Benue
    •APC, PDP bicker as thugs invade polling units
    •High turnout in Adamawa, Plateau, apathy in Imo
    •APC wins House of Assembly seats in Lagos, Ekiti

    The race for the Kano Government House remained too close to call last night as the collation of results of the makeup election in 28 local government areas of the state got underway in Kano.

    Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was ahead of  Abba Kabir Yusuf of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the results  already declared before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) took a break at about  one o’clock   this morning.

    The exercise is scheduled to resume at 8am today.

    The contest  in Sokoto State was similarly tight between Governor Aminu Tambuwal of PDP and Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto of the APC last night with the challenger seeking to erase the 3,443 vote advantage of the incumbent.

    But Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and PDP’s flag bearer in Bauchi State, Alhaji  Bala Mohammed appeared to be coasting home to victory.

    As at two weeks ago when INEC declared the March 9 election in Kano inconclusive, Abba Kabir Yusuf of the PDP was leading with 1,014,474 votes while Ganduje had 98,7810 votes.

    Ganduje had narrowed the gap substantially at the end of voting yesterday.

    Moments after the commencement of voting in Kano  yesterday, the PDP acting chairman in the state, Rabiu Sulaiman-Bichi, called for the cancellation of the exercise across the 28 local government areas of the state, alleging that thugs had taken over the process.

    “Today this charade called re-run election was slated to hold in Kano and other states but unfortunately, what we have in Kano is nothing but a sham,” Sulaiman-Bichi told reporters.

    “Reports reaching us since yesterday (Friday) indicated that thugs have allegedly been mobilised to take over all the 208 polling units,” he added.

    The thugs, according to him, were brought from Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau and other neighbouring states and were ‘armed to the teeth’ posing as voters in the polling units in the localities.

    The chairman alleged that the thugs freely voted with PVCs that did not belong to them, while some posed as INEC staff.

    He said as a peace-loving party, the PDP had alerted security agencies in addition to writing a Letter of Caution to the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state on the situation.

    Soon afterwards, the PDP national publicity secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan joined in calling for the cancellation of the polls citing alleged disruption of voting and bloodletting by APC agents.

    All material facts on the supplementary election, Ologbondiyan claimed, showed that thugs violently took over polling units, attacked and chased away voters and engaged in massive thumb-printing and ballot stuffing for the APC.

    He also alleged that the police arrested the Commissioner for Special Duties, Muktar Yakasai alongside APC thugs while disrupting election in Yelwa in Dala Local Government area of the State.

    He said:”also, INEC is already aware of how APC thugs attacked voters in polling units in Gama area of Kano state during which four PDP members were feared killed and many more injured before they carted away ballot boxes for stuffing for the APC.

    “The PDP cautions INEC to note that in this circumstance, any results they come out with from this convoluted electoral process will be a sham and will surely be rejected by the people of Kano State.

    “It is completely reprehensible that the APC and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje would resort to violence and bloodletting as a means to attempt to hold on to power after they have been rejected by the people.

    “The PDP invites Nigerians to note that our party grew democracy for 16 years without watering the quest for power with the blood of the innocent as the APC has done in the 2019 general election.

    “The PDP therefore charges INEC to save the nation from crisis by cancelling the Kano Supplementary election, as failure to do so is not in the best interest of our dear nation.”

    INEC has nothing to count in Kano–Kwankwaso

    The PDP leader in the  State, Senator  Rabiu Kwankwaso hurriedly called his own  press conference to complain about the election.

    Kwankwaso who is the immediate past governor of the state and father-in-law of the PDP governorship candidate asked INEC to conduct a fresh rerun election in the state.

    He said there was no election yesterday as far as he knew.

    He said: “It is very sad that elections could not hold today because, by yesterday (Friday) evening, all the polling units in the rerun areas were overtaken by thugs. Very early morning today, elections were concluded in many polling centres.

    “And even more concerning is the role of the police under the leadership of DIG Anthony Obizie who actually backed up thugs under the leadership of the Kano state government. It is a very sad day for all of us and a very sad day for democracy.

    “There are very few places where elections took place, especially here in the city. But there was no election in the overwhelming places because they were overtaken by thugs. People were going around with ballot papers and result sheets, writing what they wanted and submitted them to the INEC officials.

    “Our prayer is that these elections should be cancelled and re-scheduled so that we can have better, free and fair elections in Kano. I don’t think by all standards, the elections here in Kano can hold water. It is unacceptable and I don’t think INEC can go ahead to count because there is nothing to count.”

    Police debunk reports of killings in Gama ward in Kano

    However, Police Deputy Inspector General Anthony Ogbizi Michael debunked social media reports of killings in Gama ward in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano during the supplementary election.

    “There was no such incident or arrest of some people in the any part of the state because the security arrangement was in order,” he said at a press briefing.

    “We have not witnessed any incident because voting went on in almost all the polling units smoothly.

    “There has not been report of any incident of thugs taking over polling unit. If thugs occupy any polling unit definitely INEC officials will not be there to conduct election.”

    He also said the police arrested 10 people for various electoral offences during the supplementary election.

    The suspects, according to him were arrested at various polling units where the elections were held.

    His words: “we made some arrest at the early hours of this morning. I may not be able to give the exact number of the people arrested. I cannot tell you whether they are black or white in terms of identity; but I can tell you that some human beings were arrested and they are detained, being interrogated.

    “They were arrested either found with sticks or in groups. We are arrested more than 10 of them. They are not party officials because you cannot identify them with PDP or APC membership cards.”

    DIG Ogbizi also affirmed that there was adequate security arrangement across the state during the exercise, adding that, “I think to me, the security arrangement was quite in order. We did not witness any ugly incident, except minor and isolated incidences which were quickly addressed. Voting went on in all the polling units.

    “The process of collating the result is on, some have now moved to the collation centres and there have not been any protest.”

    He dismissed allegation by the PDP that the police compromised during the election, pointing out that, “one, if thugs had occupied any polling unit, certainly, INEC would not have been comfortable to bring out their materials to conduct the voting process.

    “Voters that went to vote would not have been able to vote. Again, you know it is secret ballot, so we do not know which party or candidate the voters are voting for.

    “The results have not come yet. Police is never involved in the conduct of the election, we are involved in providing security for the smooth conduct of the election. So, to accuse the police wrongly, I think it is unfair.

    “We should refute that report on social media that some people were killed in Kano. Was the name of anybody killed mentioned? Where are the witnesses? If there are not, then what are you saying.

    “Now, we heard that people were killed, houses were burnt, the Commissioner arrested people—all these we heard, we need to verify all these things, and they are not true.”

    No serving commissioner was arrested, says Kano govt

    Information Commissioner Muhammad Garba denied claim that one of his colleagues was arrested by security agents during the polls.

    Garba, who spoke reporters, also described the reported loss of life due to violence in some polling units as white lies.

    Read also: Breaking: Gov Lalong declared winner in Plateau

    He dismissed such reports as mere propaganda by opponents of the government to discredit the conduct of the re-run elections after sensing defeat.

    Garba asked  Kano citizens to disregard  such  ‘fake news and propaganda’.

    Lalong coasting home to victory

    Results filtering in from some of the 40 polling units where  the supplementary election took place in Plateau State  showed that Governor  Simon Lalong was maintain his lead over his closest challenger, Jerry Useni.

    At the only polling unit in Shendam LGA – Gung -where Lalong hails from the APC candidate got 337 while Useni received 80.

    APC was also victorious in all the polling units in Mangu , the four polling units of Kanam LGA and  Bokkos local government area.

    Lalong led in five of the nine the 9 LGAs where the supplementary election took place.

    He was already ahead of Useni with over 40,000 votes in the March 8 inconclusive election.

    PDP sweeps most units in Bauchi

    Former FCT Minister Bala Mohammed looks set to displace  incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar  of Bauchi State with results from most of the 36 units where supplementary election took place putting him in a comfortable lead.

    During the March 9 inconclusive election, Mohammed was credited with 469,512 votes and Abubakar 465,453. The INEC first  cancelled the result of the election in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area on account of alleged  mutilation of collated result sheets at the local government collation centre only to reverse itself and opt  for supplementary polls in the area.

    Governor Abubakar however got a court injunction   restraining INEC from continuing with the collation in Tafawa Balewa local government. At press time, Mohammed appeared to have increased his votes margin to over 10000.

    Collation begins in Sokoto

    The Sokoto State Returning Officer, Professor  Fatima Mukhtar called for a break at about one o’clock this morning after the collation of results  from 18 LGAs .

    There are four LGAs left.

    Some of the results declared yesterday:

    Tambuwal LGA: APC – 1,392; PDP – 1,644

    Shagari LGA: APC – 242; PDP – 263

    Sokoto North LGA: APC – 2,212; PDP – 1,783

    Silame LGA: APC – 504; PDP – 834

    Gudu LGA: APC – 211; PDP – 176

    Illela LGA: APC – 632; PDP – 607

    Rabah LGA: APC – 1,411; PDP – 1319

    Wamakko LGA: APC – 417; PDP – 221

    Wurno LGA: APC – 904; PDP – 609

  • PDP kicks as Fed Govt advises U.S. against visa for Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will not get a United States visa – if the Federal Government has its way.

    The government yesterday advised the United States against granting visa to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate.

    To the government, issuing a visa to Atiku will amount to the creation of an impression that the US Government will be favouring a candidate over the other in the forthcoming 2019 poll.

    There are indications that Atiku’s visa application is still being processed by the US Embassy.

    The protest of the government came against the backdrop of the fact that Atiku was alleged to have visited the US Embassy in Abuja on Monday for fingerprints as part of steps towards issuance of visa.

    Addressing a news conference yesterday, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed advised the US Government to avoid dragging itself into Nigerian politics.

    He said in the last 12 years, there had been an ongoing Congressional investigation of alleged corruption against some individuals which had made it difficult for Atiku to visit the US.

    He said: “The issue of Atiku Abubakar and the grant of his efforts to secure a visa to visit the US. I must say that we are not at all in any panic. We will be honest in appreciating the fact that it is the prerogative of the US to grant a visa to anybody who applies.

    “However, the impression must not be created that the US Government is interested in one particular candidate over the other.

    “As you all will be aware, for more than 12 years, there has been a congressional bi-partisan investigation of corruption against certain individuals which had made it difficult for the former Vice President to secure a US visa.

    “I am sure you will all recall the Jefferson case and what they called the cold $90,000 in the fridge. This is not the making of this administration, it has been ongoing.

    “Our position is that if the former VP already has a US visa, we have no problem about it. What we warn the US Government against is not to give the impression that it is endorsing one particular candidate over the other. That is what is going to happen if, for instance the former VP is granted a visa.

    “We are not unaware – I think it is also in the public domain – that Atiku has engaged the service of some lobbyists in the US to facilitate the issuance of visa for him.

    “Once again, I say it is his own right to do so, but we want these countries country to be neutral on the 2019 elections and they should please be wary of taking any decision that will give the wrong impression that they are favouring or endorsing any candidate over  the other.”

    Atiku is believed to have gone to the US Embassy in Abuja on Monday for fingerprints as part of steps for the issuance of a visa to him.

    It was learnt that he might get his visa within a week or two depending on whether or not he enjoys any concession.

    A source said: “Atiku is almost completing his visa process. He was at the US Embassy on Monday for fingerprint vitals.

    “I think it is too late in the day for this administration to stop issuance of visa to the former Vice President.”

    Asked to comment on the resurgence of attacks on troops by Boko Haram, the Minister insisted the troops only suffered a setback but Boko Haram remained decimated.

    He said the setback would not retard the progress being recorded against insurgents by troops.

    He added: “I think we need to put issues in context. And I still say that despite the setback that was witnessed last week, our position that we have decimated Boko haram is still valid. You need to know where we were in 2015 and where we are today in terms of security.

    “Many of you were in Abuja pre- 2015 and you knew how even unsafe Abuja was. All of us were in Nigeria pre-2015 and we knew that Boko Haram was active in at least 10 states of the Federation where they chose where and when to act.

    “In 2015 when we came in, 20 out of 27 Local Government Areas in Borno State alone were under the occupation of Boko Haram. I am glad that a few of my colleagues followed us to Bama on the 5th of December 2015 and they saw what the situation was. We were in Maiduguri, Bama, Kauri and Konduga. And I still remember that in the 17-kilometre road between Maiduguri and Bama, there was no single vehicular traffic on the road.

    “Of the 6,000 plus structures in Bama, none was standing, they were all destroyed by Boko Haram. Actually, Boko Haram was not just occupying, they were in government in most parts of Borno State and four local governments in Yobe where they held court, they hoisted their flags, they collected taxes, they deposed Emirs and the Judiciary.

    “Today, not one inch of Nigerian territory is under Boko Haram. They have all been pushed out of Nigerian territory; they now operate from the fringes, from Lake Chad Island (Basin).

    “So, anybody who is well versed in insurgency will appreciate that what happened last week was nothing but a setback and I think it is not to say that the war against insurgency is not going well.

    “I want to place on record our appreciation to our gallant men and women who daily are sacrificing their lives for us; who daily are paying the supreme price for this country to be peaceful. And what is important is about the steps the government has taken.”

    The Minister said the Federal Government has taken steps to avert a repeat of the setback in Metele.

    He said: “It gladdens my heart  that on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari was in Maiduguri for the occasion of Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference. He seized the opportunity to express Nigerians’ gratitude and appreciation to the entire military and assured them that he will make sure they get equipment. He said that this is a must win war.

    Read also: Fayemi closes case at election tribunal

    “Today, as we speak, Mr. President is in Ndjamena as the chairman of the summit of heads of state and government of the Lake Chad Basin. As you are aware, the Multi-National Joint Task Force is made up of Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon with Benin Republic  and Central Africa Republic.

    “Insurgency is not a local issue; it is a global issue. And I am glad that Mr. President is in Ndjamena trying to rally support for the fight against insurgency. I think this setback does not mean that the war against insurgency is not being won.”

    Pressed to say in one sentence whether Nigeria is winning or losing the war against Boko Haram, Mohammed said: “We are not losing the war; we shall win the war.”

    On alleged clampdown on members of the opposition and some activists, Mohammed said the law should be allowed to take its course if they committed any infringement.

    He added: “I believe that being an activist or being in the opposition does not grant you immunity against arrest or prosecution. And the important thing in the case of Adeyanju and co. is that they have been charged to court. Let the court decide whether or not they have infringed on any law of the Federation.  I read it also. I think they are before a magistrate’s court and they are being charged under the Nigerian laws. I think at that point, nobody can comment on it.

    But I want to say that being in opposition or being an activist anywhere in the world is not immunity against arrest or prosecution.”

    In a swift reaction, the spokesman for the PDP who also doubles as the spokesman for the party’s presidential campaign council, Kola Ologbondiyan, dismissed the comment as a “lazy talk”.

    In a telephone chat with our correspondent yesterday, Ologbondiyan said: “Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the APC cannot dictate to America who to allow into their country. It is not in the place of Lai Mohammed to tell America who to admit and who not to admit into their country.

    “America is a sovereign country and they reserve the right on who to admit into their country. This is part of the government’s misplaced priority. It’s all lazy talk.”

     

     

     

  • PDP kicks as APC wins by-election for House of Reps

    Kwara State Governor Abdufatah Ahmed spoke yesterday on last weekend’s by-election.

    He said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr Muyideen Akorede, that reports from the four local government areas in which elections were held indicated wide-spread harassment, arrests and intimidation of PDP members and supporters by security personnel.

    He praised PDP members and supporters across the federal constituency for standing their ground and defying the threats posed by the security agents by coming out to exercise their franchise at the risk of harm and arrest.

    He said the heightened fear and intimidation orchestrated against PDP members and supporters and abetted by security agents led to voter apathy and poor turnout in the areas that are traditional strong-holds of fhe party.

    Kwara PDP Chairman Kola Shittu also described the election as a charade

    Shittu said some of the concerns raised by the party prior to the conduct of the election, which included alleged importation of thugs and heavy deployment of security personnel later manifested during the poll.

    He lamented that the poll was characterised by ballot box snatching, widespread irregularities and illegal arrest of members of the PDP before and during the election.

    Shittu called for outright cancellation of the election because it fell short of the expectations of the people of the constituency.

    He added that the brazen subversion of the will of the people, which the outcome of the election represented was an indication that the APC- led federal government was not ready to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2019.

    “The PDP condemns in strong terms the conduct of the by-election and also rejects its outcome, as it does not reflect the will of the people of Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Isin and Irepodun Local Government Areas.

    “The announcement of the candidate of the APC, Raheem Olawuyi, as the winner of the election by the INEC is daylight robbery, subversion of the will of the people and direct assault on the nation’s democracy.

    “Indeed, the election was a contest between the PDP and the security agents, as they both collaborated with the enemies of democracy, APC, to manipulate the electoral process and stole the mandate of the people.”

  • PDP kicks as security searches Atiku’s jet on return from Dubai

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) kicked yesterday against the search of its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s plane in Abuja.

    Atiku, who spent the last two weeks meeting with PDP leaders in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on election strategies, returned to the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Securitymen searched his jet.

    In a tweet, Atiku said the search was to intimidate him.

    He tweeted: “I arrived to Abuja this morning (yesterday) to a search by agents of the state, aimed at intimidating me and my staff”.

    “I am committed to building a Nigeria where no citizen is intimidated by agents of state who are paid to protect them.”

    In a statement, PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said the incident was carried out by a “deadly squad” in a “Gestapo style attack” on “orders from above”.

    The PDP said: ”While they did not find anything incriminating on our presidential candidate, this deadly squad violently tampered with certain personal documents and gadgets belonging to him, including some of his campaign documents.”

    “We invite the world to note that having failed to drag down our presidential candidate with spurious allegations and smear campaign, the APC has now resorted to state-backed violence against him and must be held responsible should any harm befall him or any member of his campaign team.

    “The PDP is for peace, but we will not accept this recourse to violence, which we believe is orchestrated to directly harm our presidential candidate, foist a siege mentality on the system and set the stage for series of coordinated violence, ostensibly to truncate a peaceful conduct of the 2019 general election.

    “The Buhari Presidency and the APC should bear in mind that this is an attack on our democracy and the collective sensibility of the overwhelming majority of Nigerians, across board, who have accepted the choice of Atiku Abubakar as Nigeria’s next President and they will vigorously deploy every means available in a democracy to defend him and our democratic process.

    “Today, Atiku Abubakar, as a presidential candidate, has the highest demography of supporters and volunteers across our nation and we will not hesitate to call them out in defence of democracy if another such attempt is made against our candidate.

    “Nigeria is not a conquered territory and anybody that wants to foist a totalitarian regime on our land will be firmly resisted

    “We invite President Buhari to recall that as a presidential candidate, he had occasions to travel out of the country and the government in power never besieged or harassed him in any way. His administration should therefore not introduce such violence in our democratic space.

    “The PDP counsels the APC and the Buhari Presidency to know that power belongs to God and that the time has come for Nigerians to choose a new President, for which they have collectively rallied around Atiku Abubakar and that their resort to violence, smear campaign, character assassination and rigging will not change this resolve.”