The Nation Newspaper

Tag: poll

  • Anambra poll: Aspirants protest poster fee

    Anambra poll: Aspirants protest poster fee

    The nine million naira poster fee imposed on governorship aspirants by the Anambra State government is generating ripples.

    The All Progressive Congress (APC), the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) and The African Democratic Congress (ADC), said they will challenge the draconian guidline in court.

    The Anambra Managing Director, Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA) and Chief campaigner of APGA, Sir, Jude Emecheta, had declared that anybody aspiring for governorship must pay the amount for his or her posters to be pasted anywhere in the state.

    Emecheta said the fee would be three million in each of the three senatorial zones of Anambra North, Anambra South and Anambra Central. He said defaulters would risk prosecution.

    He added that the law did not permit pasting posters in every place without authorisation.

    Furthermore, he said the agency needed money to clean up the mess generated by such posters after the elections.

    Emecheta said the agency was interested in the outdoor adverts, and ensuring that election posters and other campaign materials did not deface strategic locations in the state.

    He also disclosed that a public enlightenment on the modalities for putting up election posters would commence this month. He said politician should know their limits in pasting posters in public buildings, electric poles, bridges, road dividers, roundabouts among others.

    However, the senatorial candidate of ADC in the Central Zone, Chief Anayo Nweke, said his party would challenge the development in court.

    He said it was another way by the APGA led-government to muscle the opposition in the governorship election, describing it as a mercantile attitude.

    Also, the Progressive People’s Alliance Party, (PPA) chairman, Chief Mathias Emeke, kicked against the directive, describing it as a sign that the government would use its machinery to suppress other contenders.

    He dismissed the claim that the Governor Willie Obiano, who is seeking re-election, would also pay the outrageous fee.

    Emeke said the public had been put on notice that Anambra State Government does not want a healthy competition during the election.

    He said the law would not fly because it was a constitutional matters which, according to him, only the National Assembly could dictate and not even the state.

    “The Incumbent needs no fear if he is sure that he is willingly working, rather he should allow the electorate without confusion, incitement and induce them into wrong voting”

    “Fixing of outrageous fees for party aspirants publicly is a sign of government resentment for popular participation in the coming poll and it is unacceptable and reprehensible too”

    The chairman of the APC Mr. Emeka Ibe, said it was exploitative, outrageous and was done to stop small parties from having candidates.

    The APC chieftain said also that it was a ploy to choke and suffocate poor and indigent candidates, adding that the party was opposing it and ready to challenge APGA government anywhere in the state.

    The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ken Emeakayi could not be reached for his reaction.

  • Council poll: secretary predicts victory

    Acting Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State Hakeem Bamgbola, has said the party will win in all the Local Governments (LGAs) and the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the forthcoming council elections.

    Bamgbola, a two-time Chairman of Itire-Ikate LCDA, said the achievements of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would make people vote for the party.

    In an interview, he said: “The administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has achieved a lot in infrastructure development, security and general welfare of the people. The performance of the present administration in Lagos State has positively lifted the ratings of our party and we continue to welcome defectors into APC from other parties daily. Nobody wants throw away a performing government and Lagosians are happy with us because the APC government is performing.

    “Look at the 114 roads recently constructed and inaugurated in all the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs in the state. Another 181 roads will soon be embarked upon. No other state in the country can boost of this giant stride. Lagosians are happy that they are reaping dividends of democracy from the present government in the state hence their continued support for us.”

    According to him, a lot of reconciliations have taken place since the set back recorded during the last elections.

    “I think we have realised our mistakes that was why we had a lot of reconciliations. Gaining control of the grassroots is very important for any government. It is only when we regain the local governments we lost during the last election in the coming council elections that we can talk of winning back the House of Assembly and House of Representatives seats lost in the last election,” he said.

    The party, he said, was waiting for the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to roll out its programmes for the election.

    “That’s why we must look at those that will be coming in to run the affairs of the local governments. We want people that would replicate the efforts of Governor Ambode at the council level. We are prepared and set for the election. We are just waiting for the LASIEC to come out with its guidelines so that we can set the ball rolling. I’m very sure we are going to win in all the local governments and the local council development areas. We have a government that’s performing,” he said.

  • APGA ‘ll win Anambra poll, says chieftain

    APGA ‘ll win Anambra poll, says chieftain

    Former Deputy Majority Leader in Anambra State House of Assembly and Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on political matters to Governor Willie Obiano, Hon. Tony Collins Nwabuwanne, has said that no other party except the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) can clinch victory in the governorship election of Anambra State.

    Nwabuwanne was reacting to a remark by former governor of Anambra State and Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, who said Obiano would lose his governorship seat unless defector to APGA for the APC.

    The political aide to Obiano said unknown to Ngige most of the APC members in the state were already aligning with APGA for the actualization of the second term bid of the governor, who they believe has performed.

    He said: “The honourable minister (Senator Chris Ngige) has no knowledge of what happens in Anambra State anymore as he is now resident in Abuja. He is now an Abuja-based politician who no longer has firsthand information about the true situation of things in our dear state. That is why he is not aware that most APC members now identify with APGA in Anambra State and are all willing to work for Obiano’s victory. The entire people of Anambra State are satisfied with Obiano’s performance, and as such, he doesn’t have to leave APGA to join APC in order to win next year’s election as requested by Ngige. APGA is the only party that can win governorship election in Anambra State. It is the only party our people  trusted because of its record of performance. Ngige should know that if PDP could not use federal might to capture Anambra State from APGA all this while, his APC that just came in last year can never use that it to intimidate APGA, Anambra is not Ondo.”

    Nwabuwanne added: “Obiano has done very well within a short time in office and his performance has gained him a global recognition. He came in and continued the projects that Mr. Peter Obi flagged off, completed and commissioned some while others are still ongoing and he also initiated new projects too. And that was his campaign promise – to continue, complete, commission and commence new projects.

  • Wike writes off police probe of Rivers poll violence

    Wike writes off police probe of Rivers poll violence

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has written off the police probe of the violence during the Rivers rerun legislative elections.

    He accused the police of being behind the killing and the violence saying they lack the moral authority to undertake a probe.

    Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris last week announced that the police would probe the pockets of violence during the elections in which a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and his orderly were beheaded, among other violent activities.

    But speaking at the Victory Thanksgiving Mass organised by the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) at Our Lady Chaplaincy of the Catholic Institute of West Africa, for “a successful rerun/supplementary elections,” Wike said:  “We are not a party to their so-called panel.  We have passed that stage and we cannot fall into the trap of a panel of inquiry. After killing our people, you want us to assist you unravel what? It is the police that killed our people.”

    “If it is a country that believes in its image, so many people  would have  lost their jobs. They cannot ask themselves  why 28,000 policemen, yet to be ascertained  number of soldiers, Police  Dogs and  Horses, gunboats and helicopters  could  not police  ordinary  legislative elections.

    “It is because the police were the ones committing the fraud, violence  and election  materials snatching.  We are accusing the police of mass murder and  they turn  around to set up  a panel  of  inquiry.

    “After killing our people, you fraudulently set a panel of inquiry.  Up till now they don’t know that we are far ahead. This panel is a mere booby trap to indict PDP Members.  If they cared about lives, they wouldn’t do what they did .

    “We are here to thank God for the victory he has given Rivers State.  We came out from a battle and God was our leader during the fight. We owe God a lot”, he said.

    In his sermon, Rev. Monsignor Pius Kii said the coalition of forces would l never defeat Rivers State.

    The thanksgiving service was attended by PDP leaders, Senators, House of Representatives members, House of Assembly members and Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairmen.

  • Anambra Central’s long-delayed rerun poll

    Sir: At the end of the Anambra Central Senatorial poll held during the 2015 general elections, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, the then candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. On December 7, 2015, six months after she was sworn in, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu nullified her election and ordered that a rerun be conducted within 90 days from the date the judgement was delivered.

    The rerun poll which ought to have held on March 5, was postponed indefinitely by INEC, after an Abuja High Court suddenly gave a ruling compelling it to include the PDP, as against the judgement of the Court of Appeal that disqualified the party and its candidate. The Appeal Court had barred Ekwunife from participating in the rerun election it ordered on the ground that she was not validly nominated by the PDP through a properly conducted primary.

    What that meant was that PDP had no valid candidate for the initial election and so could not be part of the rerun ordered by the court. INEC refusal to allow PDP or accept new contestant from any party for the rerun poll was based on an already decided case where the Supreme Court ruled that only candidates and political parties that were part of an annulled election can participate when a repeat of the exercise is ordered.

    The same scenario had played out in Kogi East and Kogi Central senatorial districts, where the two Senators elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) had their elections quashed by the Appellate Court and they were disallowed from being part of the ordered rerun, due to the same reason for which Ekwunife was disqualified. INEC has since conducted the rerun elections in those two senatorial districts (Kogi Central and Kogi East) without APC participating. The two reruns went in favour of the PDP.

    But the same PDP which profited from a similar judgement elsewhere is insisting that it must be allowed to present a candidate for the Anambra Central rerun and has instituted different cases that are delaying the conduct of the exercise. Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who was not an aspirant in the first election, is the man PDP wants to field as its candidate for the rerun. Ekwunife who had left PDP and attempted to secure APC ticket to no avail for the rerun poll is currently in Supreme Court asking for the reversal of the Court of Appeal judgement that sacked her, even when by the law of the land, National Assembly election matters end in the Appellate Court.

    In all of these calculated moves to unnecessarily prolong and frustrate the conduct of rerun in Anambra Central, the people of the senatorial district are being denied representation in the highest legislative body of the country. As a result, there has been nobody speaking for the people of the zone in the Senate. The 2016 budget was passed without a Senator from Anambra Central pushing for the inclusion of developmental projects and programmes for the benefit of the senatorial district. 2017 budget would soon be presented to the National Assembly. What is the fate of the Anambra Central people?

     

    • Michael Jegede,

    Abuja.

  • Abia electoral commission shifts council poll

    The Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) has announced that the local government election earlier scheduled for December 17 has been shifted by four days.  The poll will now hold on December 21.

    In a statement by the chairman of the commission, Justice Igbozurike Akomas, the election was shifted, following the protest by stakeholders.

    Akomas said the commission considered the pleas by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) that the date be shifted to enable political parties substitute their candidates. The group had also explained that the postponement would enable the parties to campaign.

    The chairman said  the commission, which is product of the constitution and as a democratic institution, yielded to the appeals after wider consultations and in exercise of the powers conferred on it by  1999 Constitution and the Abia State Local Government Amendment Law 2006.

    Akomas advised the parties to adjust their programmes accordingly, promissing to guarantee a   level playing field for participants in the election process.

    IPAC had called for the shifting of the election scheduled for December 17 by two weeks to enable the parties prepare for the exerciise.

    Its chairman, who is also the  chairman of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), Emeka Okafor, said the call became necessary to  provide a level playing ground for candidates.

    Okafor said the electoral body should shift the election by at least two weeks to enable parties involved would have had time to correct all their internal problems such as substitution of names.

    He said the groups’ call for the shifting is as a result of several complaints coming from all the political parties involved in the forthcoming elections ranging from high cost of fees to the ABSIEC, stressing that shifting the election date will help for all to prepare very well.

  • AD calls for free poll

    AD calls for free poll

    The Alliance for Democracy (AD) has urged the federal government play by the rule of the game in the Ondo State election.

    The Director-General of the Olusola Oke Governorship Campaign Organisation, Hon. Bola Ilori, said the state deserved a free exercise.

    In a statement, Ilori said: “The organisation is aware of undemocratic and diversionary tactics employed by the Aso Rock sparrows and Presidential cabal in the Southwest led by former Governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun to destabilize the existing peace and communal brotherhood in Ondo State by the repeated, persistent orders they have issued to the State Security Services (SSS),  police and intelligence agencies to arrest notable leaders and frontliners of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Ondo state including but not limited to the director general of the Olusola Oke gubernatorial campaign organization.

    He added: “The sad experience of the aftermath of 1983 governorship election in the then Ondo state brings to fore the divisive and violent tendencies been orchestrated by APC, we however issue a passionate appeal to all Nigerians to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to give free and fair playing ground to the citizens and residents of Ondo state to elect their governor and desist from intentions and motives capable of re-echoing the ugly phrase, “Wild wild West”

    He added: “The problems bedevilling the current administration spring from insurgency to terrorism, restiveness and militancy, kidnapping, infrastructure deficit,  recession, poor educational standards and the baggage of unfulfilled electoral promises which is enough task worth the attention, need government commitment and concentration.”

  • Call for shift of Ondo ‘guber’ poll irresponsible

    SIR: The Committee for the Protection of People’s Mandate (CPPM) condemns in strong terms the irresponsible, insensitive, callous, reckless, anti-people and anti-democratic call for the postponement of the 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election by some 20 political parties.

    By this call, these political parties have exposed themselves as unworthy of the description of a political party established with the purpose of contesting election to assume public office for the good of the society.

    The political parties have further lent credence to the long held suspicion that they are mercenaries for hire for political manoeuvring by the highest bidder to the detriment of public good which ordinarily ought to be the focus of their cardinal programme.

    However, we must commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for being resolute, responsible and faithful to its constitutional oath and the Electoral Act by being focused on its commitment to a credible election despite the blackmail, provocation and intimidation by enemies of democracy.

    We also want to commend the security agencies for the professionalism and neutrality exhibited in the discharge of their responsibility and urge that they step up their game to curtail the evil plot to taint the credibility of the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial election through the provision and deployment of water-tight security before, during and after the election.

    We call on the electorate in Ondo State to be vigilant, calm, orderly and resolute in the exercise of their civic duty on Election Day and refuse to be used as tools of violence by persons and groups who do not wish our country well.

    We wish the good people of Ondo State a successful and credible election which will go a long way in deepening our democracy and engendering societal peace to the glory of God and benefit of mankind.

     

    • Nelson Ekujumi,

    CPPM, Lagos.

  • 140 Nigeria policemen for Somalia poll security

    About 140 Nigerians policemen that have been training the Somali police force will be involved in that country’s election, it was learnt at the weekend.

    Also, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said it will require no fewer than 4,000 more troops from African countries to be able to liberate the remaining regions of Somalia from Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabab.

    Somalia is preparing for its first democratic elections in over 20 years after a conflict which has forced millions of the citizens to become refugees around the world.

    Somalia has one of the world’s most complicated democratic processes where clans and family heads elect members of parliament who in turn would elect the President.

    In the past two months, clans have been electing their representatives to the parliament while the presidential election will hold before next month.

    AMISOM spokesperson in Somalia, Lt. Col. Joseph Kibet told The Nation that security for the election is paramount for the AMISOM troops. “Security is calm now even though it is unpredictable, we have been able to drive Al-Shabab out of Mogadishu, but we are yet to liberate Juba Valley from them, also Bakoo and Hiraan and along the coastline.

    “What they are doing now is to carry our insurgency attacks using vehicle bombs and laying ambush for our troops, but we are in control of the situation and hopefully we will be able to drive them out. Currently, we have 21,000 troops and for maximum effect we need to double that but for the immediate job at hand we will need minimum 4,000 troops,” Kibet said.

    As Somalia prepares for the election, a result of which will have far reaching consequences for the fragile peace of the war-torn country, Al-Shabab continues to intimidate and plan attacks to disrupt the process.

    “What they are doing now to stop the election is to intimidate and kill prominent leaders in the country, they acquired Somali National Army uniforms and identity cards but we have been arresting them, we have launched a counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) strategy and more than 70 of them have been discovered.  It is a struggle against a determined enemy, but we are also determined,” Kibet revealed.

    The spokesperson for the government of Somalia capital Mogadishu, Abdulfatir Oman Halare said the government is optimistic the indirect elections will be successful. “We are ready to hold the indirect elections not only in Mogadishu but also all over the country. The process has been on for a long time and nothing has happened to stop it, the Somali people hate Al-shabab and they have been giving us information about them, we have been arresting them and diminishing their ranks,” he said.

  • INEC seeks probe of Rivers’ ‘fake poll result sheets’

    INEC seeks probe of Rivers’ ‘fake poll result sheets’

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for thorough investigation of the production of fake result sheets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    The legislative rerun elections in the state have been fixed for December 10.

    Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi said yesterday: “The commission has heard the news about the arrest of nine people with fake result sheets in Port Harcourt.

    “INEC wants to appeal to security agencies that the culprits should not just be arrested, they and their sponsors should be prosecuted.”

    It was reported that the police in Rivers had arrested a syndicate involved in the printing of fake result sheets purportedly to be used in the rescheduled rerun elections.

    The report added that the director and personnel of the printing press, Help-Mate Consult, in Port Harcourt, allegedly involved in the printing of the fake result sheets were arrested by the police.

    Oyekanmi said INEC had no relationship with the printing press and its arrested director on the production of the fake results sheet.

    He denied the allegation that the production of the fake election result sheets was with the connivance with INEC and a political party to rig the December 10 election.

    “INEC will never connive with any political party to do such a thing to destroy the credibility of our elections.

    “Our system is too strict and complex for anybody to successfully do such a thing. It is not easy to break into the process,” he said.

    He, however, said that the commission, having successfully conducted elections in Edo and other places, would do what it could to make the election free, fair and credible in Rivers.

    INEC had last week announced the plan to conclude the pending re-run election in Rivers on the December 10.