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  • PDP to INEC: declare Imo North senatorial result

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to direct the immediate announcement of the already collated results of the February 23, 2019 Imo North Senatorial election, as well as March 9 rerun poll, in which the PDP candidate, Hon. Ndubueze Patrick, is said to be in clear lead.

    The party cautions that the continuous delay in announcing the final result, after returns have been established at the polling units, wards and local government levels is already heightening tension in the state.

    A statement Friday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said its public knowledge that the results have been moved to INEC headquarters in Abuja following the alleged harassment of INEC officials in Imo state by agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Action Alliance (AA).

    The statement said, “From the collated results in the February 23 elections, the PDP won in all the local governments in Imo North before polls in two local governments; Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano were cancelled and scheduled for rerun.

    READ ALSO: Lagos PDP to INEC: Don’t involve NURTW members in elections logistics

    “Already, from the results declared, the PDP led in Okigwe, Onuimo, Obowo and Ihite/Uboma Local Government Areas with 21, 254, ahead of APC and AA, which scored 12,756 and 12,236 respectively.

    “At the March 9 rerun elections, when the AA and the APC realized that the PDP was winning, they resorted to mutilation and alteration of results, particularly with the collaboration of collation officers in Ehime Mbano, before the intervention of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who called for proper scrutiny of documents following protests by the people.

    “The PDP believes that the INEC had completed its investigation on the documents and results of the rerun election, which established our victory in that election.

    “The party therefore urges Prof. Yakubu to douse the tension in Imo state by directing the declaration of the final results and return our candidate, Ndubueze Patrick, who has been legitimately elected by the people of Imo North to represent them at the Senate”.

  • INEC plans to cancel declared results in Bauchi, PDP alleges

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged moves by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel results already declared in the March 9 governorship and state assembly elections in Bauchi State.

    Bauchi is one of the six states where INEC declared the elections inconclusive, following the cancellation of results in the Tafawa Balewa local government area.

    Others states where the election was declared inconclusive are Benue, Kano, Adamawa, Sokoto and Plateau. INEC had fixed Mach 23 for supplementary election in the six states.

    At a media briefing in Abuja Friday, spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, cautioned the electoral body alleged attempts to tamper with the returned results or cancel already tallied results in 14 local governments, as declared by INEC.

    The main opposition party further warned the INEC to be mindful of the already charged atmosphere in Bauchi and the level of awareness among the electorate, stressing that any attempt to touch the already announced results will attract “serious consequences to the conspirators”.

    READ ALSO: PDP takes protest to INEC

    “Our party already have full information of plots by certain known top ranking officials of INEC, who have been bribed with huge sums of money by the All Progressives Congress (APC), to widen the scope of result cancellation beyond Tafawa Balewa to 14 more local government areas and hike the number of cancelled votes from 70,000 to 184, 555.

    “To achieve this, INEC has been instructed by the APC to cancel already declared results in 230 polling units in 15 LGAs, in the state, cause confusion and pave the way for the APC to manipulate the March 23 supplementary elections.

    “Seeing that our party, the PDP, and our candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed, are inevitably coasting to victory, being that Tafawa Balewa is home to the PDP, the APC is instructing INEC to cancel elections in more local governments where it plans to manipulate the processes and allocate fictitious results for the APC at the March 23 polls.

    “The PDP states that such a wicked plot cannot stand, as the people of Bauchi state have fully rallied themselves for a firm resistance”, Ologbondiyan said.

    The opposition spokesman said the PDP was already in possession of a leaked document from the Bauchi INEC office, which exposed details of the plot against the people of Bauchi state.

    Continuing, the PDP said, “This plot further justifies our stance that even the cancellation of Tafawa Balewa results was orchestrated by the APC and INEC in the ignoble bid to forcefully rob the people of Bauchi state of their choice of the PDP candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed, as their governor.

    “It is public knowledge that by the results delivered at the polling units, Sen. Bala Mohammed was already leading with over 4,000 votes after results of 19 LGAs were collated and announced.

    “With Tafawa Balewa LGA, where the PDP scored 40,000 valid votes against the APC’s 29,000, it is clear that our party won the election with about 15,000 votes, only for the results of the Tafawa Balewa LGA to be cancelled by INEC for no just cause.

    “The PDP invites Nigerians to note that Tafawa Balewa result was cancelled by the state Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, who unilaterally ruled that there was no result for the LGA even when the Collation Officer, Mrs. Dominion Anosike, had informed the commission that there was no any incident of cancellation, violence or electoral malpractices at both the polling unit and ward levels.

    “Though the PDP vehemently rejects the cancellation of Tafawa Balewa, we stand with the people of Bauchi state, in the determination to go to the supplementary election on March 23 and reinforce our candidate’s victory in Tafawa Balewa LGA. This is in addition to the resolve to vehemently resist any attempt by INEC to tamper with already declared results in the other 19 local governments of state.

    “The PDP therefore urges the INEC fact-finding committee headed by a National Commissioner to be guided by the extant rules as established in court rulings that the polling units is a base of our elections and that once declaration has been made at the polling units and return of votes established, INEC no longer has powers to influence the results from such polling units.

    “Finally, the PDP counsels the APC to accept its defeat not only in Bauchi state but also in Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Kano as well as Adamawa states, and end its shenanigans, as such will amount to naught.”

  • Cross River: APC alleges killing of members

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State has alleged the killing of several of its members, who refused to be compromised, during the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections by agents of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led state government.

    The party, which made the accusation in a statement by its acting chairman, Sir John Ochala, rejected the results of the election, which saw the PDP emerge winners.

    The statement, made available to The Nation in Calabar read, “The All Progressives Congress Cross River State hereby informs the General Public that we dissociate ourselves from this rape of democracy in the name of Governorship and State House of Assembly  Elections.

    We are all witnesses to the day light robbery of our collective will and mandate, led by the PDP state government in active connivance with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security operatives.

    Despite the very responsible manner in which our teeming party faithful and supporters went about their civic responsibility, the PDP in desperation to perpetuate their evil agenda killed several of our members who refused to compromise and resisted the vote stuffing carried out by the PDP.

    READ ALSO: Confusion over judgment on Cross River APC

    “We call on all APC members and well-wishers to remain calm and go about their lawful duties without let or hindrance while the party leadership explores all avenues within legal limits to correct this aberration.”

    Also addressing reporters in Calabar, the governorship candidate of the Young Democratic Party (YDP), Emmanuel Undie, rejected the results saying there were no elections in the state.

    Undie accused the security agencies and INEC of colluding with agents of the PDP to rig the elections.

    He vowed to pursue all constitutional means to ensure the exercise is cancelled.

    “There were no elections in Cross River State. It was not free and fair, a lot of people were disenfranchised and there was no safety and security for the people. I personally saw SUVs filled with thugs with automatic weapons moving freely with government number plate numbers.

    “We witnessed carting away materials by thugs, multiple thumb printing. There were also swapping of result sheets; hence whatever happened in the field was an exercise in futility. People only went out to waste their time. The police, supposed to protect law abiding citizens, were aiding thugs against the citizens. The results were cooked up,” he alleged.

  • BREAKING: Supreme Court frees PDP, Oyinlola’s lawyer, Kalejaiye, disbarred for misconduct

    The Supreme Court has set aside the May 21, 2015 decision of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) which disbarred Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kule Kalejaye for engaging in professional misconduct.

    Kalejaye, who was once a lawyer to the Peole’s Democratic Party (PDP) and then Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was found by the LPDC to have engaged in an ex-parte confidential communication with the Chairman of the 2008 Osun Governorship Tribunal, Justice Thomas Naron, a decision he appealed.

    In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-man panel of the Supreme Court upheld Kalejaye’s appeal on the grounds that the trial procedure at the LDPC was flawed. Justice Centus Nweze read the lead judgment.

    Details later.

  • PDP set for supplementary polls in Kano, Bauchi, Benue, others

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed the readiness of the party for the supplementary governorship and state assembly elections scheduled to hold in six states on Mach 23.

    The affected states are Kano, Bauchi, Benue, Adamawa, Plateau and Sokoto where the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the March 9 elections inconclusive.

    Rising from an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja Thursday, the party nevertheless demanded that INEC release the results of the election in the affected states and make returns as appropriate.

    In a statement released after the emergency meeting, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan insisted that the party was in clear lead in the states where the poll was declared inconclusive.

    Slamming the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu of for alleged partiality, the PDP cited the results of the governorship election in Ogun State where the APC candidate was declared winner even when the margin of lead between him and the runner up was lower than the number of cancelled votes.

    The main opposition party regretted that the same INEC denied victory for PDP governorship candidates who found themselves in similar circumstances in the affected states.

    The statement said, “The hierarchy of the party condemns, in very strong terms, the manner in which the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared states where PDP had popular support and defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) as inconclusive, whereas in a state like Ogun state, where APC failed to achieve a higher margin of lead over cancelled votes, was declared the winner.

    “The PDP found it strange that INEC can have two sets of rules in the same election for the various political parties.

    “More worrisome is the resolution which arose from a meeting between some governors of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari, where the PDP has been informed that a decision was taken to seize Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Plateau, Sokoto and Kano states in the March 23, scheduled supplementary election.

    “It is instructive to state that the Buhari Presidency has not denied this strong allegation of rigging plans, thus strengthening the reality that the APC is always prepared to benefit from electoral fraud”.

    The PDP further stated that the party had deliberated and interfaced with stakeholders from the various states where governorship supplementary elections have been scheduled to hold.

    It added that following the deliberations, the party had mandated all its members to resist any attempt by anybody to tamper with the will of the people in their states.

    “In Sokoto state, a stronghold of our party and where the PDP is already in a clear lead, our victory at the March 23 supplementary election is guaranteed.

    “In Benue, the people have expressed their readiness to go into the supplementary election and they are prepared to vote for the PDP candidate, Governor Samuel Ortom.

    “They are also aware that by PDP’s current leading margin of over 81,000 votes, it is manifestly clear that there is no way APC, with all its manipulations, militarization, arm-twisting, intimidation and harassment, will defeat the PDP in Benue.

    “In Adamawa, the PDP observed the mischievous calculation of the APC in sponsoring someone, who did not participate in the election, to go to court and claim that the logo of his party was omitted in the ballot.

    “This is a their desperate bid to get the election already won by the PDP cancelled. The PDP however notes the failure of the APC to achieve its mischief in Adamawa state.

    “In Bauchi state, it is known to all, including the APC and its governorship candidate, that Tafawa Balewa Local Government has always been a home to the PDP since 1999. We therefore counsel the APC rigging machine to avert engaging the people of that constituency, as it will be of no avail.

    “In Kano state, the APC will be confronting the strong will of the people to do away with a corrupt and incompetent government, which Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has come to represent. The atmosphere of Kano state is ominous and any responsible government will take note and align in the interest of the people.

    “Already, the people of Kano state are standing shoulder to shoulder with the PDP in their pursuit of bringing a government that will be representative and purposeful.

    “On no account must Nigerians allow a culture of impunity, where those who failed in any elections will compromise our electoral arbiter and force themselves on the people.

    “In Rivers state, the PDP restates our demand that INEC should release the results already collated on the governorship election in which PDP clearly won and declare Governor Nyesom Wike as winner.

    “Furthermore, the PDP expresses worry over the damage done to the image of the military by its hierarchy by allowing itself to be used by the APC.

    “It is despicable that our military has been dragged into politics to an extent where soldiers now join issues with politicians in the media and conduct its affairs as if it has become a political party. This partisan involvement of our armed forces, to say the least, has impaired the confidence Nigerians have on the institution of the military”, the PDP said.

     

  • Bauchi poll: Katagum group cautions Dogara, PDP

    The Katagum Youth for Change (KYC) on Thursday warned the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara against creating crisis in Bauchi State.

    It asked the Speaker and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to stop misleading Nigerians on the political situation in the state.

    It said it was unfortunate that PDP has been threatening the peace of the state by hiring thugs to heat up Bauchi.

    The Chairman of KYC, Alhaji Mustapha Aleh gave the warning in a chat with some newsmen in Abuja.

    READ ALSO: Bauchi: Police bar VIPs from going to polling booths with security details

    Aleh spoke against the backdrop of the eruption of violence in Bauchi after the governorship poll was declared inconclusive.

    He said: “It was obvious that Bauchi erupted into violence after a briefing by the Speaker and PDP leaders in the state.

    “We wish to warn Dogara and PDP against introducing a dangerous dimension to the politics of the state because of the desperation to make a cheap political point.

    “The  impression of lack of performance by Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar that Dogara and his “gang of PDP desperados” try to create is false, unfounded and should be disregarded.”

    He said the allegation of incompetence against the governor by Dogara and the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Bala Mohammed was untrue.

    “There is evidence to show that Governor Abubakar has performed creditably in a local government in the state,” the KYC leader added.

    He however described as laughable the claim by the PDP that governor

  • CSOs, Human Rights activists push for female Speaker from S’East

    Coalition of South East Civil Society and Human Rights Organizations are pushing for a female Speaker of the House of Representatives for 9th National Assembly.

    To this regard, the coalition endorsed Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha for the job.

    Onyejeocha is coming back to the House for a record four times, representing the Isuikwuato/Umnneochi Federal Constituency of Abia state.

    Addressing reporters Wednesday in Enugu, leaders of the coalition, Dr. Jasper Uche and Ibuchukwu Ezike said since she contested on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), it would not only be proper that the position be zoned to the South East but also to the womenfolk.

    Onyejeocha whose previous tenures were on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had served in several House Committees which include Women in Parliament, Appropriation, Works, INEC, Police Affairs and Aviation.

    According to the coalition, she has 3 Bills to her credit. These include the Local Government Autonomy Bill passed and merged with the Constitutional Amendment Bill, Anti torture Bill and Gunshot victims Compulsory Treatment Bill, both also passed and assented.

    The coalition argued that the Federal character principle should be taken into consideration and that the South East has not produced the Speaker since 1999.

    The coalition also pointed to the fact that Abia state gave the needed 25 % votes to President Buhari as well as the need to change the perception of the President in the South East.

    It also averred that Onyejeocha had never been indicted or involved in any banana peel scandals.

    “Right Honourable Nkeiruka Onjeocha is most qualified from the South East to take the Speakership position in the 9th Assembly,” they i

  • Imo: APGA faults Ihedioha’s declaration

    …Demands cancellation of poll

    The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has rejected the results of the governorship election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Emeka Ihedioha was declared governor-elect by the Returning Officer, Prof. Francis Otunta.

    But APGA in a statement signed by its state secretary, Eberendu Alphonsus, said that the PDP candidate failed to meet the constitutional requirements of 25% of total votes cast in 2/3 of the 27 Local Government Areas in the State.

    READ ALSO: We will deploy 20,000 ad-hoc personnel in Imo for 2019 election- REC

    The party therefore called for the total cancellation of the election, stating that “it is absolutely unconstitutional to declare a candidate that did not meet with the Constitutional requirement as winner”.

    It also accused of complicity in the irregularities that marred the election, especially by accepting the results from the three Local Government Areas of Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise and Ezinihitte, which the party noted were heavily manipulated.

    According to the statement, “many INEC officials were compromised and made themselves available for manipulation and doctoring of genuine results in favour of the PDP. The open complicity of INEC officials in the electoral fraud that marred the election, even made the State Returning Officer order the arrest of some of these officials.

    “We state without equivocation that this election failed to meet with all known standards in civilised democracy. The substantial noncompliance with the Electoral Act by INEC in the conduct of this election makes it imperative that it should be cancelled. This is the only way to ensure peace and justice in the State”.

  • Ganduje: PDP’ll be shocked

    Kano State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said his PDP challenger and his supporters would receive the shocker of their lives in the scheduled election.

    The Commissioner for Information, Youth & Culture, Malam Muhammad Garba, said the incumbent remained unruffled by the development.

    ”Ganduje is unperturbed by the wishful thinking and slapdash deportment of the PDP candidate considering what happened in the inconclusive election widely characterized by alleged vote buying and voter intimidation by the party,” Garba, who doubles as the Chairman, Publicity of the 2019 Election Committee for the APC, said in a statement.

    He said the ruling party and its candidate remain upbeat and sure of victory as Kano remained an APC state.

    Garba said: “Ganduje remain committed to the conduct of free and fair election, all loopholes that gave them chance of rigging, vote buying and intimidation of voters have been blocked.

    “APC as a party has also re-strategised and very confident of victory because the local government areas where the rerun will take place remain the APC stronghold  and the electorate in these areas have made up their mind to vote massively for the Governor they trust.”

    The statement said the APC has nothing to do with a campaign of calumny but on issues that pertain to the development of the state which it noted, endeared Ganduje to the minds of the people.

    “The modest achievements recorded so far by the Ganduje administration have touched the lives of the people in all sectors of development and also remain determined to continue if returned,” the statement said.

     

  • Breaking: INEC declares El Rufai re-elected in Kaduna

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate Governor Nasir El-Rufai as winner of Saturday’s election in Kaduna state.

    The Returning Officer for the governorship poll, Prof. Mohammed Yahuza Bello said El-Rufai polled a total of 1.045,427 to emerge winner.

    Prof. Bello said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate Hon. Isa Mohammed Ashiru polled a total of 814,168 votes.

    READ ALSO: El Rufai sets to be declared winner in Kaduna

    According to him: “Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of the All Progressives Congress having scored the highest number of votes and met all the requirements of the law, is hereby returned elected”.

    The results of the 23 local government areas of the state show Governor El-Rufai won in 14 local government areas of Makarfi, Soba, Kudan, Ikara, Kauru, Kubau, Kaduna North, Giwa, Birnin Gwari, Sabongari, Lere, Kaduna South, Zaria and Igabi local government areas.

    The opposition candidate, Ashiru, on the other hand, won in nine local government areas Jaba, Kachia, Kaura, Kajuru, Zango Kataf, Sanga, Chikun, Kagarko and Jema’a local government areas.

    The results equally show El-Rufai got 56 percent of the total votes scored while Ashiru of the PDP got 44 percent.

    The results per local government area are as follow:

    Kachia

    APC 30,812

    PDP 51,780

    Kaura

    APC 8,342

    PDP 38,764

    Jaba

    APC 6,278

    PDP 22,976

    Kajuru

    APC 10,229

    PDP 34,658

    Makarfi

    APC 34,956

    PDP 22,301

    Soba

    APC 55,046

    PDP 25,440

    Kudan

    APC 28,624

    PDP 22,022

    Ikara

    APC 41,969

    PDP 22,553

    Kauru

    APC 34,844

    PDP 31,928

    Kubau

    APC 67,182

    PDP 17,074

    Giwa

    APC 51,455

    PDP 19,834

    Zango Kataf

    APC 13,448

    PDP 87,546

    Sanga

    APC 20,806

    PDP 21,226

    Kaduna North

    APC 97,243

    PDP 27,665

    Birnin Gwari

    APC 32,292

    PDP 16,901

    Chikun

    APC 24,262

    PDP 86,261

    Sabon Gari

    APC 57,655

    PDP 25,519

    Lere

    APC 71,056

    PDP 45,215

    Jema’a

    APC 21,265

    PDP 63,129

    Kagarko

    APC 21,982

    PDP 26,643

    Zaria

    APC 111,014

    PDP 35,356

    Igabi

    APC 102,612

    PDP 31,429

    Kaduna South

    APC 102,035

    PDP 37,948

    APC Total Votes:

    1.045,427

    PDP Total Votes:

    814,168