TheNewsGuru

Tag: #2023NigeriaElections

  • Finally, INEC fixes dates for Ekiti, Osun guber polls

    Finally, INEC fixes dates for Ekiti, Osun guber polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states for Saturday, June 20 and Saturday, August 8, 2026, respectively.

    INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made this known on Friday, during the swearing-in of six newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners, recently confirmed by the National Assembly.

    “For Ekiti State, the election will be held on Saturday, 20th June 2026. However, party primaries will start on 20th October 2025 and end on 10th November 2025 to enable political parties to upload their nomination forms to the dedicated portal, which automatically shuts down by 6.00 pm on 22nd December 2025, i.e., not later than 180 days before the election. The final list of candidates will be published on 18th January 2026, while campaign in public by political parties will commence on 21st January 2026 and end 24 hours before election day,” Yakubu said.

    “In the case of Osun State, the election will be held on Saturday, 8th August 2026. Party primaries will start on 24th November 2025 and end on 15th December 2025. The portal for the upload of nomination forms by political parties closes at 6.00 pm on 9th February 2026, i.e,. not later than 180 days before the election. The final list of candidates will be published on 9th March 2026, while the campaign in public by political parties will commence on 11th March 2026 and end 24 hours before election day.

    “The detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for the guidance of political parties and public information.

    “The Commission is aware of the concern expressed by many Nigerians about the pending bye-elections and the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) nationwide. The number of bye-elections has now risen to 17. We are aware of the urgency to commence the CVR, particularly in view of the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State. We want to assure Nigerians that we are finalising our preparations for both activities, the details of which will soon be made public.”

    Yakubu also said the commission is finalising arrangements for bye-elections to fill vacant seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly.

  • Heavy ‘wahala’ loading for Nigerians as CBN investigator declares new notes illegal

    Heavy ‘wahala’ loading for Nigerians as CBN investigator declares new notes illegal

    Despite cash scarcity, sufferings of Nigerians after new notes were introduced in 2022, Jim Obazee, President Bola Tinubu’s special ant-corruption chief, has recommended the immediate withdrawal of new naira notes introduced in 2022, saying the national currency was illegal and sought criminal charges against its proponents.

    “The redesigned naira is illegal and should be withdrawn from circulation with immediate effect,” Mr Obazee said, adding that Godwin Emefiele, the former CBN chief, and his erstwhile lieutenants should “be made to face criminal charges for this aberration that led to loss of lives of many Nigerians, the closure of business and joblessness.”

    Mr Obazee’s recommendation could plunge the country into a fresh round of currency crisis even as the initial chaos that followed last year’s introduction of new notes has continued to choke commercial activities across the country. A presidential spokesman did not immediately return a request seeking comments about how the president was weighing the recommendation, which was conveyed in a memo dated on or about December 20.

    Mr Obazee was appointed in July to look into the books of the CBN after Mr Tinubu abruptly removed Mr Emefiele as the bank’s governor. While supporters touted the president’s action as necessary to correct alleged lawlessness of Mr Emefiele and other top officials of outgone Buhari administration, critics accused the president of seeking retribution because the former top banker sought the ruling All Progressives Congress’ presidential ticket.

    Then-Candidate Tinubu’s surrogates also alleged during the campaign that the redesign of naira notes, which seemed to be focused mostly on altering the colours, was aimed at sinking his chances.

    After the new notes were introduced in October 2022, the CBN invalidated existing notes, saying they ceased to be legal tender. The policy was challenged by Kaduna, Ogun and other states at the Supreme Court, which ruled that the redesign was indeed illegal and that previously withdrawn notes should be reintroduced into circulation.

    The Buhari government said the old notes were destroyed upon withdrawal from circulation, although it failed to show any evidence of the destruction.

    More than a year after the policy, new notes in circulation have not been able to meet nationwide demand, and Mr Obazee did not suggest how their abrupt removal could be implemented without doing further economic harm to the nation.

  • ICPC urges Nigerians to report corrupt public office holders

    ICPC urges Nigerians to report corrupt public office holders

    … says Commission needs citizens’ collaboration

     

    The Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has urged Nigerians to report corrupt individuals in public offices to assist in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

    The Commission, which has been educating the public against corruption through implementing the National Ethics and Integrity Policy (NEIP), says citizens remain critical to instilling integrity in society by promptly reporting corrupt acts, especially persons in public office.

    ICPC’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Alhaji Mohammed Ashiru Baba, made the call during PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, an anti-corruption radio programme produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, Wednesday in Abuja.

    Speaking on the operations of the Commission, Baba stressed that “ICPC is not populated by spirits but human beings who need information from the public to tackle corruption.”

    “Citizens assume that the government should do it alone. When you discover that somebody has a case in ICPC or EFCC or Code of Conduct Bureau and he’s occupying a position of trust, what do you do? Did you report?

    “Let us always be honest. ICPC or EFCC are not populated with spirits. We are not spirits, actually. We said, if you see something, say something. That is what voice and participation is all about.

    “When the government is appointing permanent secretaries and other public office holders they send their names to ICPC and we conduct due diligence on them to ensure that they are very clean and they don’t have any skeleton of their cupboard, so to that extent, we participate in ensuring that the round peg is placed in a round hole.

    “But if you (citizens) come across any person with cases in ICPC or EFCC yet the person is given a position of trust, please, you all have to report to ICPC immediately. All you need to do is to access our website or various social media platforms and let us know.

    “We (ICPC) don’t take kindly to any violation of the core values of the national ethics and integrity policy, especially integrity. Once you take bribes or you give out bribes of gratification, you have violated the core values of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy. It’s not only about punishment. We also have the reward regime to encourage those who uphold integrity,” Baba stated.

    He noted that the Commission is working in synergy with other anti-corruption agencies to reduce corruption appreciably, reminding citizens that they are entitled to follow up on the progress of petitions they filed with ICPC rather than become passive or just complain.

    Baba revealed that the teaching of integrity and ethics had been completely infused in primary and secondary schools and colleges of education in the country. He added that the Commission had gotten assurances on the further infusion of NEIP in the curriculum of public universities in Nigeria.

    “ICPC is prioritizing value rejuvenation, resuscitation and behavioural change amongst Nigerians to reduce corruption using the National Ethics and Integrity Policy.”

    He also added that ICPC had enjoyed the support and cooperation of the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari administration in implementing NEIP and expects the incoming administration to continue in the same vein.

    Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program used by PRIMORG to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

    The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

  • Nigeria holds supplementary elections today across 24 states

    Nigeria holds supplementary elections today across 24 states

    Supplementary elections for governorship, national, and state assembly supplementary elections will take place today Saturday 15th April 2023, in 24 states across the country.

    According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), governorship supplementary elections will take place in a total of 69 polling units (PUs) in Adamawa state comprising 37,706 eligible voters and 142 affected PUs in Kebbi state with 94,209 voters.

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Aishatu Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, is in a close race with the current governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Fintiri.

    While Fintiri scored 421,524 votes in the elections held on 18th March, Binani, a former one-term senator who represented Adamawa central senatorial district, polled an impressive 390,275 votes, with a difference of 31, 249 votes.

    This is the closest any female candidate has come to clinching the number one seat in any state of the country and many believe she stands a good chance of becoming the first woman to be elected governor of a state, despite the religious and cultural biases that have long stood against women in contests for power in Nigeria.

    In Kebbi state, the APC’s governorship candidate Nasiru Idris, polled 388,258 votes as against the PDP’s Aminu Bande, a retired Major-General who had 342,980 votes.

    INEC’s Returning Officer in the governorship election, Professor Yusuf Sa’idu, who declared the election inconclusive said violence, destruction of election materials, disruption of electoral proceedings, and over-voting played a role in the decision.

    Additionally, there are supplementary elections for five senatorial seats: Kebbi North, Sokoto East, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, and Zamfara Central.

    In Kebbi North, a total of 13,243 voters in 23 PUs are eligible to participate in the exercise, just as in Sokoto East, there are 87,138 eligible voters in 169 PUs. Sokoto North also has 115,266 eligible voters in 185 PUs, while Sokoto South has 85,022 collected PVCs across 156 Pus; Zamfara Central, has 83 PUs affected, comprising eligible 47,227 voters.

    Similarly, the House of Representatives polls will be held in a total of 31 constituencies across 15 states, namely Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara.

    As for the state House of Assembly elections, a total of 59 constituencies in 17 states will be involved. They are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, and Yobe.

    Meanwhile, the Police have warned hoodlums and political thugs to stay off polling units, vowing to deal with anyone who planned to disrupt the electoral process.

    The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba has deployed personnel to 185 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the 24 states where supplementary polls will hold, to maintain and ensure peace throughout the election.

     

  • 2023 Gubernatorial Elections: Checkout all the winners declared by INEC at a glance

    2023 Gubernatorial Elections: Checkout all the winners declared by INEC at a glance

    Winners have emerged from Nigeria’s March 18th Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has so far secured 14 governorship seats.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won governorship seats in seven states, while the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) wrestled power from the APC in Kano state, according to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Eight governors have been re-elected for a second term. They are: Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe (APC), Seyi Makinde of Oyo (PDP), Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos (APC), Dapo Abiodun of Ogun (APC), Bala Mohammed of Bauchi (PDP), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara (APC), Mai Mala Buni of Yobe (APC) and Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno (APC).

    The new Governors-elect are: Umo Eno of Akwa-Ibom (PDP), Dikko Radda of Katsina (APC), Umar Bago of Niger (APC), Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto (APC), Umar Namadi of Jigawa (APC), Uba Sani of Kaduna (APC) and Kefas Agbu of Taraba (PDP).

    Others are:  Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta (PDP), Hyacinth Alia of Benue (APC), Bassey Otu of Cross River (APC), Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi (APC), Sim Fubara of Rivers (PDP), Abba Yusuf of Kano (NNPP) and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau (PDP).

    INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, announced on Monday that the Commission had suspended further collation of governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu states, where thugs reportedly disrupted the election process.

    “Arising from the meeting, the Commission took the decision to suspend forthwith further collation of the Governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu States”, he stated, adding that this will allow for a thorough review of results from the affected areas.

    In Adamawa State and Kebbi states, the elections have been declared inconclusive. While Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa (PDP) has polled 421,524 votes to maintain a clear lead ahead of his closest rival Aishatu Dahiru (APC), famously known as Binani who has 390, 275 votes, the election was declared inconclusive due to the margin of votes.

    The INEC state collation and returning officer, Muhammadu Mele of the University of Maiduguri, said elections were not held in 47 wards, affecting 69 polling units and it is widely believed that Binani, a former senator who is very popular, stands a good chance of becoming Nigeria’s first female Governor.

    “So, this gives us a margin of 31,249. The total number of PVCs collected in places where elections were not held amounted to 37,016,” Mele said.

    The electoral law provides that where the margin between two candidates is lesser than the total number of collected PVCs in areas where elections were not held, the election is to be declared inconclusive.

    As for Kebbi state, the election was declared inconclusive due to overvoting.  The state’s collation and returning officer, Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, said that the figures of results got from some polling units exceeded the number of accredited voters.

    “When we checked the results, the two leading political parties in this contest, APC and PDP, polled 388,258 and 342,980 votes respectively. When we look at the difference, it stands at 45,278,” Sa’idu said.

    All the elected Governors have extended open hands of fellowship to lovers and opposition political parties, promising an inclusive government towards the development of their States.

  • IWD: 34 women contest top seats in states as Nigeria pushes to embrace equity

    IWD: 34 women contest top seats in states as Nigeria pushes to embrace equity

    Equal participation in political leadership and public life is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, but in Nigeria, political inclusion for women remains a significant challenge.

    During the February 25 election, women accounted for less than 10 per cent of candidates, a continuing decline since 2010, underscoring a lack of affirmative action at odds with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and constitutional guarantees for equality.

    European Union Election Observation Mission noted that women candidates faced significant challenges campaigning due to financial constraints and social resistance as incentives for women to contest party primaries free of charge were not followed by genuine support.

    In pushing for more participation for women, the 2023 International Women’s Day celebration today March 8, focuses on true inclusion that requires equitable action with the theme “Embrace Equity”.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to promote gender equality and respect for the rights of women, by removing all barriers that prevent Nigerian women from fully attaining and realizing their universal rights.

    “Our goal is a country in which women and girls have access to equal opportunities, can live their dreams to the fullest, and enjoy the freedom to contribute immensely to the development and progress of Nigeria,” Buhari said.

    However, data show that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide and that achieving gender parity in political life is far off.

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in an emotional speech at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday, that the rollback of reproductive rights has pushed the goal of gender equality “300 years away” and called for “urgent action to equalize power” for women.

    In the forthcoming March 11 election, at least 34 women are in the race for Governors and Deputy Governors, while others are contesting for seats in the State House of Assembly across the country.

    There have been increased calls for more women to be elected into political offices through the 35 per cent affirmative action, but currently, there are no female governors and only four states – Enugu, Kaduna, Ogun and Rivers – have female deputy governors in Nigeria.

  • “You did great Peter! I wished the whole of Africa were allowed to vote” – Ghanaian

    “You did great Peter! I wished the whole of Africa were allowed to vote” – Ghanaian

    A Ghanaian national Ebenezer Agbey Quist, who closely monitored the just concluded Nigeria presidential election has congratulated the presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi, on his outstanding performance at the polls.

    Quist, a copywriter, said many of his compatriots took particular interest in the election and what the verdict of this poll would be.

    “For the first time, I wished the whole of Africa were allowed to vote in a Nigerian election. Whatever happens to the giant of Africa affects all of us,” he said, adding: “You did great Peter!”

    The Ghanaian citizen went on to list the following five lessons that other African countries should learn from Nigeria:

    1. You do not need a coup to cause a revolution, you can do it at the polls.
    2. Do not compromise with a bad choice. That means if you have only party A and party B who keep changing hands in your country, you don’t have to always settle for them. There can always be a third option. Just choose different. You don’t have to choose the lesser of two evils.
    3. Take a personal decision to support who you want.
    4. Don’t look at political structures to make the choice. Don’t look at the parties that have the best structures. Look at the leader and the competence of that leader, because the right person would set up the right structures.
    5. Never give up. There were people who were injured when they went to the polls. They went home, cleaned up the blood and went back to vote and that inspired a lot of people to also insist on making their vote count.
  • 2023 election results: We are going to reclaim our mandate, Datti vows

    2023 election results: We are going to reclaim our mandate, Datti vows

    The Labour Party (LP) has refused to concede defeat following the announcement of Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the February 25 presidential election, and has vowed to reclaim its mandate.

    Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the LP’s vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, said democracy belonged to the people who can practice it.

    “As far as we’re concerned, we won this. They refused to upload results, they refused to refer to IReV just for them to defeat us.

    “It took a serving government illegality and constitutional breach to defeat Peter Obi and my humble self. I tell you we’re winners.

    “We went into the election as Labour Party, we won the election as Labour Party, we are going to claim our mandate as Labour Party and we shall rescue Nigeria as Labour Party,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu, presented Tinubu and his vice Kashim Shettima, with certificates of return of Nigeria’s new President-Elect and Vice-President-Elect respectively during a ceremony in Abuja.

    Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who finished second with 6,984,520 votes and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) who finished third with 6,101,533 votes.

    Obi is also expected to brief the press on Wednesday.

  • Late deployment of election materials delay voting in Nigeria’s South

    Late deployment of election materials delay voting in Nigeria’s South

    There was a widespread delay in the deployment of voting materials in Nigeria’s South-south compared to other geo-political regions, as voters waited patiently to cast their votes.

    The 2023 general election is no doubt one of the most anticipated since the country returned to democracy in 1999.

    On Saturday, Nigerian lined up as various Polling Units to vote a new president and members of the National Assembly.

    The South which comprises Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers states has a total of 15,299,374 eligible voters, according to figures released earlier by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Voting was expected to commence at 8:30 am, but as of 2:37pm voting has yet to commence in Warri, Delta State, while in Eleme Rives state, INEC did not arrive until around 11am, despite assurances from the Commission that it was fully prepared to conduct the elections.

    “Same story all over South-South. INEC is a huge fraud. After years of planning and billions spent, they can’t allow people vote. No BVAS, no materials. I think the INEC chairman should resign in shame,” a local resident told this newspaper.

    Another voter simply identified as Opeyemi said: “Thousands of polling units in the South East and South South haven’t received election materials or even seen INEC officials at 2:47 pm. How do you explain this? How do you expect the people of these regions to believe in Nigeria?”.

    The Commission is yet to officially address these challenges and the official time initially announced for votes to end is 2:30pm.

    However, INEC has said that any voter on the queue before 2:30 pm would be allowed to vote even after the official closing time, assuring that no voter would be disenfranchised.

  • Teenager goes viral, gets help for expressing love to Peter Obi

    Teenager goes viral, gets help for expressing love to Peter Obi

    The picture of a young boy standing in front of the moving convoy of the Presidential Aspirant of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi, has gone viral on social media as the photo of the week.

    Wearing a pair of black shorts and a grey top soaked with sweat, the boy identified as Yusuf Alabi, spread out his hands as if to receive the presidential candidate, a gesture that triggered a smile from Obi and admiration from bystanders and netizens.

    The event occurred as Obi and his running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed, made their way to the Tafawa Balewa Square for the party’s presidential campaign rally on Saturday in Lagos state.

    Speaking in a short video after the incident, Alabi who hails from Oyo state but is resident in Lagos said he made the move to express his love and support for Obi since we would not be able to vote for him.

    “I will like him to win. I love him very well. I will pray for him if he wins,” Alabi said.

    He added: “I stood in front of Peter Obi’s convoy because I wish I am up to 18 years old so that I can vote for him. But since I cannot vote for him, I came to the front of his car to pray for him so that he will win the election. My parents and my uncles said he is a good man”.

    Reacting to the photo, Efo Kudzo wrote: “I’m not Nigerian but what I’m seeing here looks like freedom for Africa. This movement needs to begin from our sister nation and trickle down to all African nations. We all are in for Peter Obi”.

    Many Nigerians have been moved by the photo which they say is iconic and have expressed the desire to make donations in support of Alabi’s education and wellbeing.

    Facebook user Ifeanyi Onukwubiri, has promised to gift the Alabi N100,00 cash and a smartphone, while popular businessman Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest also promised him support.

    Meanwhile, the photo has been fraudulently put up for sale on Opensea, a Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) platform that allows people to create and sell art digitally,  for a whopping $767.11, until March 11.

    Reacting, photographer Esther Umoh, who shot the viral photo said: “Putting up my work on @opensea without my permission is really not a great thing to do. I don’t know who this person is. Out of 7 siblings, 4 are lawyers. Please act responsibly. I don’t like wahala”.

    Umoh added that she had reached out to open sea to formally lodge a  complaint.