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Tag: PDP

  • PDP queries non-use of Card Readers in some states

    ….Dispute results from Bauchi, Borno, Yobe

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has queried the non-use of the Smart Card Readers in the conduct of the last Saturday presidential election in some part of the country.

    The party therefore asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to project what the Smart Cars Readers captured as accreditation figure before the Collation continues.

    The protest, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu however said should be channeled to the commission’s headquarters.

    Speaking Tuesday at the ongoing Collation of result of presidential election in Abuja, PDP agent, Mr. Osita Chidoka queried why the card readers should be made compulsory in some part of the country whereas, it is not in other part.

    Chidoka who was categorical about results from Bauchi, Borno and Yobe said the party has documented its observations as an official petition to the commission.

    He said: “The issue before us, Mr. Chairman is that we feel strongly about and the chairman of the PDP has written you a petition. We are worried that the promise you made, the commitment you made and INEC made that as we are doing this collation of results, you will give us the details of accreditation captured by the card reader in the country.

    “Yesterday (Monday) my colleague raised the issue and we thought that when we come back this morning as we are listening to the states, we will be seeing the accreditation by the states by the card reader.

    “This Mr. Chairman, I like it to be on record that we want to see the accreditation for Bauchi state, for Borno state and Yobe in particular and of course, for the rest of the country because the number as we are seeing, it seems to me that we live in two countries.

    “Why people in the south have issues with the SCR, why complaints were all over the place, we seem to have quiet and peaceful elections in places where the people have complained of severe cases of insecurity and harassments by the military and bandits.

    “So, we would like you Mr. Chairman and I forward this letter to you to say that we will appeal that if it is possible Mr. Chairman that before we proceed to the next state you should please, project to us what the card reader has captured as the accreditation in these states.

    “We are supposed to read from the card reader, the electronic collation as against the manual information that we are getting to process information here. While it isn’t yet signed into law in your guidelines it was made clear that no voting should take place where there are no card readers. So, Mr. Chairman, we must appeal to you that we would like you to project these accreditation as done by the card reader.

    “Please, if any of your staff is available he can please, take a copy of this letter from the chairman of the PDP saying that what we are doing here will require us to have the accreditation as done by the electronic card reader.”

    However, in his response INEC boss urged the protesting party to submit its letter to the commission’s headquarters.

    He assured PDP that the commission will surely look into the petition and respond accordingly.

    “Thank you Mr. Chidoka. But there is a procedure for submitting correspondence to the Commission.

    “We haven’t shut down our office. This is the International Conference Centre where we are using as collation centre. Kindly submit your letter to the office, it will be acknowledged. Your letter will now be studied and we will respond, accordingly. I believe that there are details in the letter that we need to study,” Yakubu said.

  • PDP’s Albert re-elected in Akwa-Ibom

    Senator Bassey Albert of the People Democratic party has won the Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) senatorial district

    He polled a total of 174,731 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bassey Etim, who scored a total of 60,930 votes

    Bassey Albert, who is the Senate Committee chairman on Gas, is going for a second term.

  • Video: Senator Dino Melaye in jubilant mood after re-election

    Following his victory at the just concluded 2019 polls, Senator Dino Melaye has taken to social media to express joy in praises to God.

    Melaye took to his Instagram page to share a video of himself singing in appreciation of winning his Kogi west re-election bid.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BuSuLGkHNrr/

  • Why Wike is chasing shadows

    Anyone seeking to understand the concept of a tortured soul only needs to pay close attention to Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, whose every action in recent days seems to provoke his demons instead of pacifying them.  Yet, Wike knows the solution to his problems, he has to stop chasing shadows and focus on the reality, the reality that he is fighting a lost war of attrition. He sowed the wind and he is now reaping the whirlwind, physically and politically.
    That he is today the equivalent of a political orphan is of his own making, after all he actively partook in the destruction of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when he attempted to become the supremo of the dying behemoth once touted as Africas largest party. Had he been wise enough to not kill his own political party, perhaps he would have been ble to go into the election with more confidence such that he woul not hve needed to rig the election, kill and main the same people he is desperate to govern. The fanatical zeal with which he pursued that agenda is today directed at making Nigeria fail.
    With a dead PDP, Wike was left with no other option than to unleash violence of industrial proportion to steal the election. But knowing that the law does not approve of violent behaviours, even from certified touts, he thought himself clever by dressing his thugs in military uniform. The idea appeared smart the time since it allowed Wike’s thugs to go about unmolested while soiling the image of the military, which was the only impediment to the criminality he was bent on imposing on Rivers state. But like every other crime, Wike has since realize that there are consequences.
    Poor Wike has become a tormented soul since controversially winnning that election. He now presents with clinical manifestations of hallucination. He sees detractors even in the midst of his own family. If he is not talking about Amaechi he is talking about Buhari or attacking Federal Government institutions.
    His troubled state of mind has not allowed him lock down on one strategy in pursuit of whatever it is he is so desperate to acheive. He has oscilated between attempting to advise President Buhair, when he clearly lacks the capacity to do so, and being belligerent towards the President once he realized that his poisoned chalice got not positive reaction.
    The maniac tendencies of the Rivers State Governor makes no distinctions that would have intelligently recognize that Federal Government agencies are not meant to be his private property. Like a disoriented avian attacking its reflection in a glass panel, Wike has been hurling himself like a projectile against these organizations. If he is not fighting himself he is fighting the military. If his outburst is not directed at the Police then it is directed at the Army.
    This brings us to how bad things have become for Wike in the last few days to the point of launching demented allegations against the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarhem. In the space of a few days, Sarhem, has in Wike’s troubled mind attempted an assassination bid on him, run an illegal oil bunkering squad with the objective of financing his drive to be made the Chief of Army Staff and possibly Sarhem even attempted to become the next Rivers state governor in Wike’s hallucination.
    But the source of Wike’s disturbance is well known. He is is possibly the only one still in denial as to what truly ails him. Truth be told; Wike is afraid of the possible consequences of having rigged himelf in as the governor of his state for  a second time. He knows that organizations like the Army, Police and other federal agencies that were present during the polls have information that can sink him in the course of  judicial challenge to his win. He election that he has rigged himself into office. For instance, he decided the GoC is an enemy after his offer of bribe was turned down.
    The Rivers state governor is in need of help and urgently so. Those close to him have to do something to manage his delusional tantrums. They can start by reassuring him that a loss at the Election Tribunal would not be the end of the world, They should also remind him that those whose elections have been nullified by the courts are fortunate enough not to be criminally tried for stealing the election in the first place. He should be told that the most of his phobias are unfounded since the Army and Police have more pressing issues than wasting scarce national resources on lowlife politicians, so they will barely have time to care about what happens to him after being sacked by the tribunal.
    Instead of chasing shadows, Wike should productively engage himself, both as a matter of responsibility being the Rivers state governor and as an act of contrition, remorse and remediation. He should give law enforcement agencies the comprehensive list of the people he mobilized to unleash violence during the election for the purpose of their being demobilized and rehabilitated. He should also work with these security agencies to retrieve the firearms he provided to these people. The entire country may be facing one security challenge or the other but the one in Rivers will prove peculiar in the future because it is being inspired by one man’s unsettled mind.
    Ainoko is a civil rights activist based in Abuja.

     

     

  • Senator Urhoghide re-elected in Edo

    Senator Matthew Urhoghide of the Peoples Democratic Party has been re-elected to represent Edo South Senatorial district.

    He polled 135,588 to defeat his All Progressives Congress opponent, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon.

    Returning Officer, Prof Joseph Osemwenkha, who announced the result said Obahiagbon scored 121,957.

  • Bwacha returns to senate for the third time

    Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, representing Taraba south district has won a third term to return to the senate.

    He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Solomon Adeyeye, who declared the result said, Bwacha garnered 96, 352 votes to defeat Ishaya Bauka of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 51, 971 votes.

    Former Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya of APGA came third position with 47, 093 votes, while retired General Ibrahim Adamu Tubse of UDP polled 15, 123 votes.

  • APC defeats PDP in Bauchi with 798, 428 votes

    The All Progressives Congress ( APC ) polled 798,428 votes to beat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which scored 209,313 votes in Bauchi State in last Saturday’s presidential election.

    Prof. Alhassan Ghani, the State Collation officer, announced the result after collation from the 20 local government areas of the state on Tuesday in Bauchi.

    He said that the state had 2,453,512 registered voters, out of which, 1,075,330 were accredited for the election.

    Ghani added that a total of 1,061,955 votes were cast, out of which APC scored 798,428 votes and PDP scored 209,313 votes.

    According to the collation officer, the exercise records a total of 1,024,307 valid votes and 37,648 invalid votes.

    Read Also: Anambra APC Reps candidate congratulates winner

    He commended the electorate, stakeholders and party agents for the peaceful elections, commitment and cooperation throughout the exercise.

    Meanwhile, Col. Umaru Tilde (rtd) and Alhaji Salihu Yau, agents of the APC and PDP accepted the result and signed the documents on behalf of their parties.

  • PDP rejects results in Kano

    The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party PDP in Kano have rejected the presidential results compiled in Kano by INEC.
    The party agent at the collation Rabiu Sulaiman Bichi, who is also the chairman of the party in the state expressed disgust with the way in which figures were inflated in the results.
    According to him “we cannot accept such inflated figures and that is our stand, so we will go back and analyse the issue to know the next line of action to take.”
    “As you can see the presiding officers complained of lack of use of card readers during the voting exercise of the presidential and national assembly elections in the state coupled with over-voting.
    Asked whether the PDP will institute a legal action over the narratives, Sulaiman said ” we shall look at the circumstances and provisions of the law and see what the law says so as to pursue our rights.”

  • ‘PDP can’t bounce back in Ekiti

    At the Ekiti State Election Petition Tribunal, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost its bid to displace Governor Kayode Fayemi. During last weekend’s presidential and National Assembly polls, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) also defeated the opposition party. EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the significance of the polls.

    EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) is singing victory songs. Governor Kayode Fayemi has triumphed over his challenges, Dr. Kolapo Eleka at the governorship tribunal. The ruling party has laso beaten the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the recent presidential and National Assembly polls.

    But, it remains are hurdle to cross, APC is also warming up for the House of Assembly polls in the Fountain of Knowledge.

    The tribunal, affirmed that Fayemi was duly elected in the July 14, 2018 election.

    There was wild jubilation in Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State when news filtered in that the tribunal sitting in Abuja, had validated the election.

    Fayemi polled 197,450 votes to defeat Olusola Elekah.

    The tribunal initially commenced sitting in the state, but had to relocate to Abuja for security reasons.

    The joyous crowd made up of party members and folks with no known political affiliation, snaked through the Akure-Ikere-Ado-Ekiti road and caused traffic snarl. There were jubilation and wild celebrations in other parts of the state including Ijero, Aramoko, Ikere, Okemesi and Ifaki.

    There was no single incident of mayhem or fracas. No clash was reported between supporters APC and PDP.

    It was a wide departure what obtained during the past administration. Observers believe that the mood was indicative of a genuine victory by Fayemi.

    In the past, such processions would have been met with violence from miscreants, who held the state capital by its jugular.

    The jubilation was in celebration of a new dawn.

    In 100  days in office, things have begun to change significantly for the people. Pensions are being paid, salaries are regular and students now enjoy free education. The aged are beginning to savour a great sense of belonging in their own state. For these people, old things have clearly passed away and suddenly, all things have become new.

    Delivering the unanimous judgment, Chairman of the three-man panel of justices, Suleiman Belgore averred that the petition against Fayemi lacked merit and stated that the PDP and its candidate at the election, Elekah failed to prove its case with any credible evidence that the election that returned Fayemi was marred by irregularities.

    The jurists who were disappointed in the manner the PDP pursued its case, added that some of the oral evidences provided by the petitioners supported the respondents’ case that the election was free and fair.

    According to Belgore, both PDP and Elekah did not substantiate their claim that the election in many polling units were characterised by lack of accreditation, over-voting, mutilation of results, inaccurate ballot account, votes-buying and snatching of election materials as well as cancellation of results,  where the PDP and its candidates secured highest number of votes among other irregularities.

    He therefore, contended that, in the absence of credible evidence substantiated with pleadings, all allegations that were raised by the petitioners were therefore deemed abandoned.

    “Evidence of facts not pleaded goes to nothing,” Belgore said, adding that the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with respect to the election would continue to enjoy the assumption of regularity, until such assumption is displaced with credible evidence.

    “On the whole, we hold that the petitioners failed to prove the allegations on the balance of probability. In fact, oral evidence of some of the witnesses called by the petitioners strengthened the case of the Respondents.

    “It is clear that the irregularities claimed by the petition cannot be substantiated. We found no reason to disturb the results,” Belgore stated in his lead judgment.

    Expectedly, the APC in the state welcomed the verdict, thus, the party mood among its supporters in the state. But it was not so within the ranks of the PDP. They had reasons not to celebrate but not justified reasons, many reckoned.

    The deputy chairman of the APC  Sola Eleshin described the electoral victory as well-earned without any underhand tactics to warrant cancellation of the victory by the tribunal.

    THe said: “The APC did not perpetrate any electoral fraud and it expected the victory to stand.

    “We’re happy over the outcome of the election, but we are not in any way surprised. The governorship election that held on July 14 2019 was transparent.

    “It was clear that Governor Fayemi won fair and square, so we are not afraid even if they want to appeal the judgment, we are ready for them, because we had no skeleton in our cupboard”

    The PDP said it would appeal the verdict at the appellate court as provided for in the subsisting Electoral Law.

    An associate of Fayose of many years and Director of Media for the Elekah campaign, Lere Olayinka, told reporters that the PDP would appeal the judgment.

    “That is not the last bus stop as regards the election petition Tribunal. The law is very clear regarding the hierarchies of courts we can approach to seek redress on this issue. We are surely going to appeal the judgement,” Olayinka said.

    Analysts however feel appealing the verdict could turn out efforts in futility. Those who hold this view insisted that nothing good would come off an appeal of the verdict, more so the realities on the ground seem to support this assertion.

    Unlike the Osun State governorship election, where both foreign and local observers noted glaring irregularities, including intimidation of opposition party supporters with the connivance of security agencies, such was not the case with the Ekiti election that returned Fayemi. Observers – both local and foreign – gave pass mark to INEC.

    Following the rancour free-jubilation and celebrations that greeted the tribunal verdict, observers insisted, was instructive of the feeling among people of the state that Fayemi won fair and square.

    The notorious faction of the union of road transport workers, who which was alleged to have been used to manipulate or cause crisis in the state also welcomed the judgment, further lending credit to the contention of observers that the verdict scored good in both the court of public opinion and the temple of justice.

  • APC to PDP: calm down, await final polls’ outcome

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has asked the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to calm down and await the final outcome of the Presidential elections rather than call for the termination of the process when the game has not been concluded.

    Spokesman of the council Festus Keyamo said in a statement that the PDP was standing logic on its head by rejecting the outcome of an exercise that has not been concluded and in another breadth, tell the world that it was cruising to victory.

    The APC campaign asked whether the party was rejecting the entire result, including areas where it has won or rejecting the results from areas it lost.

    The statement reads: “We have just read with great consternation the press statement of the PDP National Chairman, rejecting the results as being announced presently by INEC in Abuja.

    “The simple questions we ask the PDP and Atiku’s Campaign team are, how come the PDP is rejecting results that have not been fully and completely announced? How can one reject the result of an uncompleted game? The process of an election does not end until the final collation and announcement of results.

    “Is the PDP rejecting the totality of the results nationwide? If yes, does it mean they also reject the results that would be announced later by INEC, which may indicate that they have won in certain areas? Are they also rejecting the results already announced that indicate they won in some areas? For instance, are they rejecting the results of the FCT already announced in which they won?

    “If indeed they are only rejecting areas where they lost, are they implying that it is only in areas where they won that can be adjudged free and fair and all areas where they lost must be adjudged rigged? Is that the mentality of true democrats?

    “In the PDP statement, it is curious that they rejected the results as being announced, yet they claim they are coasting to victory. What kind of logic is that? What kind of confusion is now reigning in the minds of the top hierarchy of the PDP that they can spew such illogicality?

    “It is now obvious that the top hierarchy of the PDP is hysterical and nervous. We urge them to calm down. Obviously, this is the first time they are sensing a massive loss of an election as opposition party. It is a new experience for them. They are confused and disoriented. For many years, they were used to manipulating the instruments of state to just write results and announce themselves as winners.

    “As such they have a sense of entitlement to these instruments of state that they could not fully manipulate this time because President Muhammadu Buhari insisted on a level-playing field for all.

    “We advise the PDP that as opposition party for many years, we have been down this road before. This is not the time to sacrifice the country for personal ambition. If they feel they have lost (as their statement clearly indicates), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar must pick up his phone to make that famous call to President Muhammadu Buhari. The world is watching him and so are Nigerians.

    “We urge INEC, Nigerians and our international friends not to be swayed by these infantile antics of the PDP. The process of collation and announcement that is on-going should be done to its logical conclusion after which anyone who is aggrieved should take full advantage of the provisions of the law.”

    The council also accused the PDP of making frantic efforts to discredit the entire process and destabilise the process that would lead to a logical completion of the February 23, 2019, Presidential Elections by way of announcement of results in line with the established procedure in the Electoral Law.