The Nation Newspaper

Tag: voters

  • INEC: voters free to stay back for ballot counting

    INEC: voters free to stay back for ballot counting

    VOTERS can witness the sorting and counting of ballot papers, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega said yesterday

    “The results are to be announced to the hearing of all,” Prof. Jega said.

    His position sharply contradicts that of police chief Suleiman Abba who said voters should go home after casting their ballots.

    The duo spoke in Abuja yesterday during the INEC National Stakeholders Summit on the general elections, where Jega unveiled the procedure for the elections and launched the official app “myINEC”. This is the second time in one week that the INEC is overruling the police chief  on the issue. The elections will hold on Saturday.

    The Inspector General of Police, who noted that he was only advising the electorate and politicians to stay away after casting their votes,  said waiting behind could contravene the Electoral Act, especially the one that bothers on loitering.

    Abba relied on Section 129 of the Electoral Act, which lists some  of the actions which  could result in electoral offences. Section 129(1)(i) lists, amongst others, “loitering without lawful excuse after voting or after being refused to vote” as some of the actions, which could be seen as electoral offences.

    He, however, assured the people that the police would be civil in their dealings with the public.

    Abba’s speech was greeted with an uproar – a sign of rejection. “ I advise, cast your vote and go home and relax,” he said.

    Abba, who was replying to the question raised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) representative,  Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, Deputy Director-General General, Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, if waiting behind to protect votes constitutes loitering, said there would be time to distinguish protection of votes and loitering.

    He also stressed that waiting behind under the provision of “lawful purpose” expires immediately one finishes casting one’s vote. The law provides for those who are to wait to protect the ballot, he said.

    “There are lawful people assigned to protect your vote,” Abba said.

    Noting that the advice also affects the candidates who are standing for elections, Abba urged them to educate their followers on peaceful conduct during and after the elections.

    On the deployment of soldiers for the elections, the police boss noted that the military will play a supportive role as stated in the constitution.

    Though he noted that he was yet to see the High Court judgment on the issue, he, however, said the military will be deployed to provide cover about 300 metres from the polling units.

    Jega reassured Nigerians that the commission “has done its best to prepare adequately for the 2015 general elections, so as to make them better than the 2011 elections, and so as to ensure that they meet the aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair and credible elections.

    “Let me also reassure that INEC and all field officials are determined to be impartial and non-partisan in the conduct of these elections. We will continue to do everything humanly possible to ensure a level playing field for all parties and candidates. And we call on all stakeholders, especially voters, candidates and their supporters, to contribute positively to ensuring that the elections are fraud-free, peaceful, as well as free, fair and credible.

    “It is also significant to note, that INEC has put plans in place to improve the transparency and credibility of the process of collation of results.”

    Jega went on: “Hard copies of result sheets from polling units would be scanned, converted to PDF format and put in database, which would be made accessible for viewing and downloading via the INEC website. Every voter or stakeholder will hence be able to confirm the accuracy of results from the PUs, which have been conveyed to the collation centres.”

    Three ballot boxes will be used in each polling unit/voting point. The box with the red cover/lid will be used for presidential election. The box with black cover/lid will be used for the senatorial election and the box with green cover/lid will be used for the House of Representatives election.

    The INEC boss, who insisted on the use of the card readers in  Saturday’s election, said the commission was satisfied with the security and accuracy of the technology, especially as it has proven to be very reliable.

    Identifying issues that stakeholders must pay attention to in the elections, Jega said “accreditation for the elections would start at 8am and end at 1pm while voting would start at1:30pm and end when the last person votes”.

    The INEC Chairman stated that ballot papers in the wrong boxes would be sorted and put in the right boxes, but some political parties present at the event opposed the idea on the grounds that it was against their agreement with INEC.

    While promising that hard copies of the result sheets would be scanned and published on INEC’s website after the elections, Jega noted that the commission was doing its best to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible.

    ”INEC is determined to be impartial. We will continue to do all that is possible to ensure a level-playing field for all political parties,” he said.

    The police chief, also  yesterday, clarified his statement that voters should not remain at the polling unit, after casting their votes.

    He said he did not ban them but advised Nigerians against remaining at the units after casting their vote.

    He said his advice is based on the provision  of Section 129 (1) of the Electoral Act.

    The IGP made the clarification in Abuja when he met with 59 Police Mobile Force (PMF) Squadron, 19 Counter Terrorism Units (CTU) and 12 Special Protection Unit (SPU),  as part of preparations for the election.

    He said: “Police did not ban anybody from staying after casting their votes. Rather, what I said and I stick to it is this, ‘we advice voters to go after casting their votes’. Provisions in Section 129 listed activities that constitute crime .”

    Highlighting the functions of the special forces, Abba said: “The challenges that will require your assistance on the election days include the escort of the election materials and INEC officials a day before the election to the place where the materials and the officials will be kept before they are moved the following morning to various polling centres.

    “After the conduct of the election, you will be needed to provide necessary back-up to conventional police as well as providing security for those who have exercised their rights by protecting their votes.”

    The IGP also urged politicians to go the right way in case they are not satisfied with the outcome of the result.

    “All necessary measures are being to taken to prevent violence especially when results are announced and I want to  urge the politicians to go the normal process in challenging the result rather than go the way of violence.”

    The police chief  said the Force had enough men to  deploy in the 150,000 polling units.

    Abba said: “We have about 150,000 polling units and there are enough deployments arranged for each of the polling units and in collaboration with all stakeholders, they will do everything possible to prevent the commission of crimes and the eruption of violence.”

     

  • First Lady to voters: stay to monitor votes

    THE First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, yesterday urged eligible voters not to go home after casting their votes during the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

    In contrast with the directive of the police to the electorate to go home after casting their votes, she advised them to stay at the polling units to protect their votes and resist any attempt to intimidate them after voting.

    Mrs. Jonathan spoke at Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) women campaign rally in Enugu yesterday.

     

  • Vote an upright leader, candidate tells voters

    THE presidential candidate of the KOWA Party, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, has urged the citizenry to vote a candidate who will tackle corruption headlong.

    Prof. Sonaiya, who was a guest speaker at the fund-raising of the Alumni Fellowship of the Evangelical Christian Fellowship (ECU), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, held at Diplomat Hotel, Lagos, said such a candidate must lead by example.

    She said Nigeria will make a quantum leap in development if a leader who is prepared to fight corruption is elected, stressing that the electorate has a major role to play in the fight to return the country back on course.

    The KOWA presidential candidate said: “We need a competent leader who can help to galvanise our collective aspirations. We do not need a leader who encourages division along religious and ethnic lines.

    “We need a leader who is fundamentally upright, a leader who is ready to take responsibilities for all Nigerians, irrespective of where they come from.  We need a leader who will put himself in the front and not the one who will take the back seat.”

    Prof. Sonaiya added that the nation’s development had been stalled because of lack of good education for moral and mental development.

    She praised politicians of the First Republic, such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo; Sir Ahmadu Bello; Chief Anthony Enahoro and other who, she said, served the country faithfully.

    She wondered what had gone wrong with the present leadership, saying: “Just recently, it came to fore that President Goodluck Jonathan acquire some 90 hectares of Abuja in the name of farming. His media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, came out to defend him that the president acted within the provisions of the constitution.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ahmed cautions voters against selling PVCs

    Kwara State Governor Abdul Fatah Ahmed has urged voters not to sell their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to desperate politicians.

    He spoke to reporters at Banni in Kaiama Local Government during the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) campaign tour.

    Ahmed said PVCs was the only weapon in the hands of the electorate to elect leaders of their choice, warning them not to allow any politician to disenfranchise them in whatever disguise.

    He said what Nigerians were yearning for was a change from bad governance to good governance.

    The governor hailed the people of Kwara North for leading in the collection of PVCs and enjoined the indigenes to vote wisely by voting for the APC candidates “because the party has performed.”

     

  • Voters sue INEC

    Voters sue INEC

    Registered voters in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State have sued the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for its insistence on the use of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    They prayed to be allowed to use the Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs), as they were unable to get the PVCs.

    In a suit filed on behalf of the voters by Mr. Chinedu Nmezu in the Federal High Court, Owerri, the electorate, among others, said it would amount to a breach of the rights of the people if the commission insisted on the use of the PVC for the elections “when it is obvious that the non-provision of the PVC is INEC’s fault.”

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, who is from the area, Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho, lamented that it was unbelievable  that he did not have the PVC.

    Ihenacho, who reacted through his media aide, Emperor Iwuala, noted that “it would have been a big embarrassment if the elections had been held earlier.”

    He said: “Owerri North is a highly-populated area with a high concentration of voters. But as I am talking, our principal does not have his PVC and so are majority of voters.”

  • Registered voters to endorse state creation

    Only registered voters will approve any request for the creation of a new state, according to a Bill for an Act to further alter the constitution and other matters connected therewith 2014.

    The bill, which contained amended sections of the constitution, was adopted by the National Assembly on Wednesday, awaiting the President’s assent.

    Before the amendment, only those in the area requesting states voted without distinguishing the demographic details of people that should participate in a referendum.

    The new alteration now simplifies the relevant section by requiring that only registered voters could vote in a referendum to endorse or reject the request for a state.

    The new provision was endorsed by 28 states, including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau and Rivers.

    States that rejected the provision included Ekiti, Katsina, Kwara, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

    Section 8 (1)(b) of “An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state” says that “a proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the state originated.”

    Section 8 (1) (c) says: “The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the states of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly.”

    While Section 8(1) (d) says: “The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”

    The amended version, however, states 8(1) (b) “ a proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the registered voters of the local government council in the area voting at the referendum where the demand for creation of the state originated.

    Section 8(1) c of the amended version says: “The result of the referendum is then approved by a resolution of the state Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds majority of all the states of the federation.”

    Also, section 8 (1) d of the amended version says “the approved proposal is passed by a resolution of not less than two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”

  • Amosun: INEC disenfranchising 800,000 voters

    Amosun: INEC disenfranchising 800,000 voters

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately working to disenfranchise at least 800,000 registered voters in the state.

    Amosun, who queried the presence about 625, 000 “alien and fictitious cards” in Ogun, urged INEC to return them to where ever they were brought from.

    He called on other political parties to join hands with him in voicing out “this debilitating flaw” before it is too late.

    The governor spoke at the commission’s state headquarters at Magbon, off IBB Boulevard, Abeokuta, the state capital, where he expressed his anger and disappointment over the shoddy manner the electoral body was handling the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) matter.

    According to him, some people are manipulating things either at the regional office or the Abuja headquarters to shortchange registered voters in Ogun State, ostensibly to disenfranchise them.

    Amosun said only 40 percent of registered voters in the state have collected their PVCs, also wondering why INEC has chosen to distribute the cards in piecemeal.

    Amosun cited some local governments –  Ijebu – Ode, Odogbolu, Ado – Odo – Ota, Yewa North, Yewa South, Ipokia, Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South among others as places where voters have been unable to access their cards.

    “We are appealing to INEC to please release our cards. We have demonstrated that if they bring our cards we will collect.

    “And I’m making clear, we did not support the postponement and I believe that INEC will sort itself out. As at today the total number of PVC collected stands at 639,000 out of 2.9million.”

  • Jonathan: Fretting to Golgotha of voters

    He cuts the worst image of temperamental mien of choleric Abubakar Shekau, the wily terrorist who frets at his imaginary enemies with brutality fueled by uncontrollable sectarian anger. His eyes blazing like a scarlet coal reminds of the visage of the Benin knight of the underworld, Lawrence Anini, as he drooped  in submission to the stake to embrace the fate that awaited him that hot afternoon in the Benin red square. The reality of  the moment choked the presidential air out of a man desperate to win the last battle of his life to lead Nigerians again.

    That is President Goodluck Jonathan at the opening of his presidential campaign rally in Lagos where he lost his presidential graces to both anger and fear of survival. But while Anini took advantage of his offences against humanity to plead guilty before God and man and was in a hurry to join his fellow Barabbas in hell that afternooný, Jonathan in Lagos was evidently scared of warming his way to the Golgotha of Nigerian voters as he raved and raked, beating his chest and tearing the air to convince that he is best placed to begin and finish the process of Nigeria’s renewal in four years, which he failed to do in six years.

    There are glaring facts that emerged from the Lagos rally, which also laid a foundation for other issues he canvassed in other places as he promised in his campaigns to give Nigerians hope again.

    Shortly after that Lagos effusion of anger, President Jonathan stormed Enugu where he confounded the observers of Nigerian politics as a president with scant knowledge of the history of the military he commands, dishing out incorrect information and outright lies on the military strength of his country under General Muhammadu Buhari that is well-known to the leaders of Congo and Chad republics.

    He ýaccused Buhari of not buying a single arm for the military to strengthen the armed forces when he was head of state. Pronto, students of Nigerian history, who do not hold PhD like Jonathan, flashed the Nigerian military books before the President with facts and figures of the military purchases by Buhari that placed the Nigerian armed forces as the best equipped in the sub-saharan Africa.

    Just like he did not know for six weeks as the nation’s chief security officer that the Chibok girls were seized by Boko Haram, the President did not also know for six years as commander-in-chief of the armed forces  the history of his nation’s strength in her armament programme.

    ýFrom all indications, it is that lack of knowledge of the capability of his armed forces and the need to strengthen it that is responsible for the shame Nigeria is facing in Sambissa forest today where Shekau is kicking the arse of the Nigerian military and drinking from the well of cowardice of the Nigerian soldiers, who think first of their lives before the life of the nation they swore to protect and preserve at all costs, courtesy of alleged ill-equipped military.

    The soldiers anger, never a misplaced one, derived from ýtheir knowledge of what it is to be an officer and what it is to be a soldier in the war front. Ill-equipped with poor motivation in the face of yearly budgetary allocations that took great chunks of the nation’s resources, Nigerian soldiers are exposed to the dangers posed by the ferocity of the poorly trained but highly prepared Boko Haram fighters that have become the worst nightmare that Jonathan is facing today but which the President would blame on Buhari for not purchasing a single military equipment when he was Head of State.

    But the truth that the President will not tell Nigerians is that Buhari as Head of State confronted the deadly Maitatsine sect in just few days and ran them out of steam.ý Once defeated, they never dared or tried Nigeria’s patience again.

    But under Jonathan, Boko Haram, armed with guns, machetes, bows and arrows inside their ramshackled Hilux vans and motorcycles chased Nigerian soldiers in their tanks to Cameroun to seek protection from a better equipped army of that country.

    In the Lagos rally, the Commander-In-Chief demonstrated that he was not in charge of a fighting army. He was also oblivious of the fact that history had already recorded Buhari as a Commander-In-Chief that went to wars to win battles.

    Jonathan upped the ante in Enugu rally where he shockingly read Generals Ibrahim Babangida/Sani Abacha coup speech to despise Buhari who the duo in that speech castigated as not doing enough to place Nigeria in her pride of place in the comity of developed nations while he was Head of State. But President Jonathan  again did not tell Nigerians that the two military Heads of State later regretted their actions in Buhari’s ouster.

    It is on record that Abacha later praised Buhari for his integrity and hardwork while inaugurating the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), which Buhari headed. Abacha had said: ”I have realized our collective mistake in over-throwing you. I have seen the terrible damage which our inaction caused to the Nigerian psyche. I am most sorry. Please, come and do what is best known about you. Patriotic service to the nation.ý”

    Then Babangida capped it all when Buhari threatened to quit PTF and Nigerians were begging the retired Head of State to stay: “If Buhari quits PTF job as he promises and as we knew him to mean his words, all along, I support the idea of scrapping PTF as no one else can do the job as him”.

    ýThese statements by the duo should have advised the President to stay on the side of caution and history never to use the coup speech against Buhari. But is the President on top of the history of his country and the military he commands?

    Then Jonathan’s clincher in Enugu:  ”Our generation has failed. It is now left for the younger generation of Nigerians to take over.”

    Pray, what is the business of a man who is tired out at the beginning of a trip he has never taken a step in this arduous task to salvage Nigeria from the myriads of her socio-economic predicaments? Of course this is a clear capitulation of a man who is conscious of ýhis modest endowments to take Nigeria to the heights of our collective dream.

    Throughout his campaigns, Nigerians have not heard anything different from old promises. It has been direct attacks on the presidential candidate of APC or talks about some national leaders who count for nothing but motor park touts. In some cases, we have heard about some leaders who do not possess certificates. There are also instances of promises of millions of jobs without explaining how such jobs would be created.

    There is nothing from the President on how to end Boko Haram menace. The oil thieves in the Niger Delta have nothing to worry about because there is nothing to fear as there is no plan to check their activities. The thieves in government would continue to be protected to cause pains in the lives of ordinary Nigerians because it is “callous and rigid” on the part of any President to check their activities by sending them to jail.

    What all these point to is a President seeking another term without telling us what in concrete terms he wants to do to make Nigeria great. He has not also told us why he is justified to earn our trust again in leading an economy that his administration has failed to grow. The president does not believe that Nigerians have the right to protest against playing ludo with their lives.

    He has not also convinced us that the reign of impunity that has killed government’s institutions and made judges to hide under the table to escape the anger of his (Jonathan) men would stop. For now, it is all about venting anger against Nigerians who have made up their minds for a change and  chart a fresh course to a purposeful governance after years of a clueless administration that is bereft of ideas of how to build a verile nation.  The welfare and development of Nigerians cannot be placed in the hands of a government that  lacks capacity to evaluate the past and develop a blueprint for the future development of Nigerians.ý What six years of patience and sacrifices among Nigerians cannot do, definitely anger and rhetoric cannot achieve it.

    That is the meat Nigerians must chew if we truly love our country on the Love Day of February 14, the day a Roman Priest, St Valentine, chose to sow the seed of love in the hearts of ancient Romans who desired a change, productivity and freedom.

    • Olujobi, Special Adviser to Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, writes from Ado-Ekiti

  • Rivers NBA begins voters’ sensitisation awareness

    The Nigerian Bar Association, Isiokpo branch in Ikwerre Local government of Rivers State has kicked off voters sensitisation exercise to educate the people especially the youths on how to vote wisely.

    The campaign which started  on Monday at the palace of the paramount ruler of Emohua, HRM, Eze V.C.D Okor was attended by traditional rulers, chiefs, clan heads, women and youths of the area.

    Educating the voters, the chairman of Nigerian Bar association Isiokpo branch Mr. Promise Wobo Iwezor said the sensitization campaign came as a result of the task given to all branches of NBA by the National president, Augustine Alege.

    Iwezor said their mission is to sensitize end mobilize the people of area on election and voting matters to promote peace and orderliness during the February general election.

    He thanked the paramount ruler of Emohua for given them the opportunity to address his subjects, adding their effort would contribute to the success of the 2015 general election.

    “From today we have started the voters’ sensitization awareness; thank God we started from the palace. The objective is to create voters awareness with believe that we will achieve desired result.

    “We are doing everything possible to ensure crisis free election; the awareness campaign is going down to the grassroots. Of course, what we are doing is in line with NBA’s agreement at the end of her National workshop in Abuja.”

     

     

  • Don’t sell your PVCs, rights group tells voters

    Elligible voters have been urged to resist selling their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to politicians or casting votes along ethnic lines.

    Executive Director of Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP), Oghenejabor Ikimi, gave the warning in a statement.

    Ikimi allayed fears of possible breakdown of law and order during the electioneering process, saying Nigerians were now better informed on national issues.

    The rights group appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to be “neutral in carrying out their duties prior to, during and after the elections”.

    It called on politicians and political parties to resist the lures of election malpractices.

    On threats of violence, if candidates of some political parties lose in the elections, the group described the threats as empty. It noted that “Nigeria is bigger than individual candidates and their parties”.