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Tag: Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

  • 30 political parties to participate in Ondo guber poll

    30 political parties to participate in Ondo guber poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) Tuesday announced that thirty political parties will participate in the November 26, governorship election in Ondo State.

    It also informed that it has put in another arrangement to ensure smooth accreditation and voting process during the poll.

    This it said would reduce the rigorous process being experienced by the commission during the poll.

    The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Olusegun Agbaje disclosed at a press conference held in Akure, the state capital.

    Agbaje said all parties intended to participate in the contest have concluded their primaries as at on Monday.

    The REC listed the parties as Alliance for Democracy, (AD), Social Democratic Party,( SDP), People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), African People Alliance, (APA), Peoples Redemption Party, (PRP), All Progressives Congress, (APC) and Labour Party,( LP).

    It also include Citizens Popular Party,( CPP), People’s Party of Nigeria, (PPN) ,Democratic People’s Party, (DPP), Democratic People’s Congress, (DPC), New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), Hope Democratic Party,( HDP), National Unity Party, (NUP), and Better Nigeria Progressive Party,( BNPP).

    Others were: Young Democratic Party, (YDP), Accord Party, (AP), All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), Progressive Peoples Alliance, (PPA), African Democratic Congress, (ADC), Action Alliance,( AA) , Unity of Nigeria (UPN), KOWA Party, (KP), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Independent Democrats, (ID), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), National Conscience Party, (NCP, United Democratic Party,(UDP), United Progressive Party,( UPP) and Advanced Congress of Democrats, (ACD).

    Agbaje who appreciated the peaceful conduct of political parties during their primaries, noted that the standard of the conduct exhibited will benefit the deepening of democracy in the state.

    His words: Going by the scheduled election timetable, the party campaigns for the election have taken off and open politicking is gathering momentum.

    “On this note, I wish to appeal to the political parties and politicians/ contestants to exercise restraint in their pronouncements and avoid getting involved in verbal wars and inflammatory comments capable of igniting political tension and provoking rancour that could threaten the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.

    “The current political campaigns should record a significant improvement. It should be violent -free, issue-based, enriching and peaceful. It is my belief that a peaceful campaign exercise is a likely harbinger to the conduct of a peaceful election.”

    Agbaje, however, assured the stakeholders the readiness of the Commission to conduct a peaceful, transparent and credible and conclusive governorship election in the state.

  • Bayelsa election: Appeal Court tribunal to play key video evidence

    Bayelsa election: Appeal Court tribunal to play key video evidence

    Former Bayelsa State governor,Chief  Timipre Sylva got a major boost Friday in his challenge of the re-election of the incumbent Seriake Dickson.

    The Court of Appeal, Abuja, in a ruling  Friday, ordered the State Governorship Election Tribunal to play, in the open court, a digital video disc (DVD) recording of the announcement of the cancellation of the election in Southern Ijaw Local Government by the  Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

    Sylva, who is contesting the declaration of Dickson as winner of the last governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contends, in his petition, that INEC’s REC lacked the powers to cancel election.

    The ex-governor, whose lawyer, Sebastine Hon (SAN) had pleaded was denied the opportunity to play DVD when he applied to do so through a witness.

    However, the Court of Appeal Friday faulted the tribunal’s refusal to allow Sylva play the DVD. It directed the tribunal to play the DVD in the open court.

    Justice Onyeakachi Ottis, who read the court’s unanimous judgment on the interlocutory appeal by Sylva, set aside the tribunal’s ruling of May 10, 2016 rejecting the request by Sylva lawyer to have the DVD played.

    The court said that contrary to the decision of the Tribunal the appellant complied with the conditions precedence stipulated in Section 84 of the Evidence Act on the admissibility of electronically generated evidence.

    The appellate court held that it was wrong of the tribunal to have misapplied Section 84 to deny the appellant the right to play the DVD in the open court to justify his petition against the election of Governor Seriake Dickson.

    It said once the evidence had been admitted, having met all the conditions under Section 84 of the Evidence Act, there was no need for any certificate before any computer could be deployed to play the DVD in evidence.

    The court ordered the tribunal to recall the petitioner’s witness, through which he had sought to play it, to play the said DVD in the open court.

    It noted that the DVD was pleaded by the petitioner; it is relevant to the petition, and that it also the tendering also conforms to the law on electronically generated document.

    The court further noted that since it was admitted in evidence in line with Section 84 of Evidence Act; the foundation for its admission well laid, and the DVD well pleaded in the petition, “it is not the decision of the judiciary to supply any authority other than to follow the law in the circumstances.”

    The court said there ought not to be any inhibition to the playing of the DVD in the open court by the tribunal because all conditions prescribed by law have been fulfilled by the appellant.

    It held that the DVD ought to be played by the tribunal in the open court to demonstrate that it intended not to make it a sleeping exhibit.

    Reacting to the judgement, Hon described it as a milestone in the development of our laws and will go a long way in strengthening the laws.

    He said justice has been done to in his client’s case.

    Lawyer to Dickson, Emeka Etiaba (SAN) said his client would first study the judgment and then, decide on what next step to take.