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Tag: Bayelsa INEC

  • Alleged vote buying: INEC conducted credible election in Bayelsa – Gov Diri insists

    Alleged vote buying: INEC conducted credible election in Bayelsa – Gov Diri insists

    Bayelsa State Governor and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party at the just concluded off-cycle governorship election in Bayelsa, Duoye Diri, has revealed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted a credible election against allegations of vote-buying and violence.

    While speakingon a national tv program, Diri, who agreed that there were some challenges during the election, argued that the electoral umpire had done well.

    “The conduct of the election sincerely could be adjudged to be free, fair, and transparent, But it is a human effort, so it could not be a perfect one. There were challenges.

    “Be that as it may, I believe the electoral umpire has done well with all these challenges, and I want to believe that this is one of the best elections they have ever conducted where the BVAS has been brought into full test,” He said.

    His comment comes just as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) continue to fault INEC’s conduct at the just-concluded off-cycle elections.

    Yiaga Africa while faulting the election umpire, said that the Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC failed at another chance to rebuild the trust of Nigerians in the electoral process with its conduct at the off-cycle election.

  • Tension in Bayelsa as INEC set to collate final results from Sylva, his deputy LGAs now

    Tension in Bayelsa as INEC set to collate final results from Sylva, his deputy LGAs now

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be collating final results on Monday afternoon following suspension of exercise on Sunday night.

    The commission’s head of voters education and publicity in Bayelsa state, Wilfred Igofah, announced this to journalists Sunday night, citing “challenges in collation of results in Brass and Southern Ijaw” local government areas.

    Consequently, Mr. Igofah said collation would resume by midday on Monday.

    Timipre Sylva, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), hails from Brass, while his running mate, Maciver Joshua, hails from Southern Ijaw LGA.

    Results from six out of the eight local government areas of the state have already been declared, placing Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of other candidates in the election in five LGAs. Mr Sylva won only one of the six LGAs already declared.

    Based on the results of the six LGAs declared, Mr Diri, the incumbent governor, is leading by 64,106 votes.

    Mr Diri, a former senator, who is seeking a second term as governor, has scored a total of 137,909 votes from six LGAs so far declared.

  • 5 major reasons why Sylva was not listed by INEC for Bayelsa guber race

    5 major reasons why Sylva was not listed by INEC for Bayelsa guber race

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, dropped the names of Timipre Sylva and his ruining mate, Joshua Maciver of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in its list for the Bayelsa governorship election.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls the secretary of the commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, signed the list.

    The column for the names of APC candidate and his ruining mate was left blank with “court order” remarks.

    The following five major reasons could be adduced to why his name and that of his running mate were dropped.

    1) Double Term Limit: Timipre Sylva’s Double Stint as Governor
    Timipre Sylva previously served as the governor of Bayelsa State.

    He completed two terms in office, which led to a constitutional restriction. As amended in 1999, the Nigerian constitution prohibits individuals from serving more than two terms in the same office, aiming to prevent long-term incumbency.

    2) Violation of Constitutional Term Limits

    The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Timipre Sylva’s candidacy would breach the constitution’s term limit restrictions. Allowing him to contest again and potentially serve a third term would violate the constitutional provisions designed to ensure fresh leadership and prevent undue consolidation of power.

    3) Exceeding the Eight-Year Limit

    In his previous terms as governor, Sylva ruled for a cumulative period that would exceed the eight-year limit set for governors. This, according to the court’s ruling, further confirmed his ineligibility to run for a third term.

    4) Upholding the Rule of Law

    INEC, as the electoral regulatory body, has a legal obligation to uphold court orders. The court’s disqualification of Timipre Sylva from the election was a clear directive, and INEC’s action in leaving the APC candidate’s slot empty with “court order” remarks demonstrated its commitment to the rule of law.

    5) Compliance with Court Orders

    As per the respective suits, the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Federal High Court in Owerri ordered INEC to take specific actions regarding Timipre Sylva’s candidacy and, including the PRP governorship candidate in Imo State. INEC’s amendments to the candidates’ lists were in direct response to these court orders, reflecting its commitment to the legal process and judicial decisions.

  • Bayelsa guber: Coalition urges INEC to use electronic transmission of results

    Bayelsa guber: Coalition urges INEC to use electronic transmission of results

    A  Coalition of Pro-democracy Organisations in Nigeria, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be transparent in the electoral process and make the use of electronic transmission of the Bayelsa gubernatorial election results as opposed to the manual transmission planned.

    In a statement jointly signed by Mr. Olufemi Lawson, the National Secretary, Campaign for Democracy (CD), and Mr Atani John, the Niger Delta Democratic Vanguard in Lagos on Friday, the group faulted INEC’s plans to transmit the results of the Nov.11 Bayelsa governorship election manually.

    The Coalition of Pro-democracy Organisations in Nigeria is an amalgamation of groups committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability in the electoral process.

    The coalition said that it took the decision to challenge INEC plans after a stakeholders meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

    It said that the planned manual transmission of results for the governorship election, was an attempt at allowing desperate politicians to manipulate the will of the electorate during the election.

    The group said that it believed that the integrity and credibility of any election depended on the transparency of the electoral process, including the accurate and timely transmission of results.

    “Electronic transmission of results is a vital component of ensuring the authenticity and fairness of elections, and its abandonment would undermine the trust of the electorate, Nigerians and the international community in the electoral process.

    “The use of technology in the transmission of election results has proven to be a valuable tool in reducing electoral fraud, promoting accountability, and delivering more accurate and timely results to the public.

    “It enhances the transparency of the electoral process and minimizes the potential for manipulation or tampering with results at various stages.

    “We urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reconsider its proposal and uphold the principles of transparency and accountability in the Bayelsa State Governorship Election.

    “We call on INEC to ensure that the electronic transmission of results is not only maintained but also improved upon to guarantee the credibility of the electoral process,” the group said.

    It said as critical stakeholders, it was committed to monitoring the Bayelsa Election closely, adding that the coalition would continue to advocate for transparency, fairness, and the highest standards of integrity in the electoral process.

    The group called on all stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, and the international community, to join hands in safeguarding the integrity of this critical election.

    It urged the people to rise and safeguard democracy, and avoid the a rape of democracy.

    The INEC Balyesa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr Obo Effanga had on Wednesday stated that the results of the state governorship election would be transmitted manually.

  • Elections underway in Nigeria’s South amidst report of violence in Bayelsa

    Elections underway in Nigeria’s South amidst report of violence in Bayelsa

    Nigeria is holding its Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in 28 states on Saturday March 18 and thugs have reportedly hijacked and burnt election materials for three wards in Ogbia Constituency 2 in Bayelsa State.

    The elections come two weeks after the controversial Presidential and National Assembly polls held on February 25.

    Eight hundred thirty-seven candidates are vying for governorship positions while 10,240 candidates are contesting state assembly seats across the states where the election will hold.

    Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deployed to Ogbia Constituency have ran for their lives and are reportedly heading back to Yenagoa the Bayelsa state capital, as the hoodlums are on the rampage, and it appears there will be no election in area.

    However, in other parts of the South-South geo-political zone, elections commenced early and peacefully, with officials in some polling units setting up as early as 7: 00 am and accreditation and voting commenced promptly around 8:00am in many polling units monitored.

    It would be recalled that the governorship election earlier scheduled for March 11, was postponed by a week by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to allow it sufficient time to reconfigure the Bi-modial Voter Accreditation .

    Governorship elections will not hold this time in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo, as polls to the offices of governors of the states are held off-cycle and not part of the general election.

    However, two National Assembly elections suspended by the Commission on February 25 will hold today in Edo and Enugu states, alongside the governorship and state assembly polls.

    INEC said elections are not supplementary polls as reported by some media platforms.

    The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, explained that the Enugu East Senatorial District election was countermanded to allow the Labour Party conduct a fresh primary election to replace its deceased candidate in line with the provision of Section 34(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.

    “The second is the Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency of Edo State following issues with the ballot paper for the election,” Okoye said.

    He stressed that supplementary elections will take place on a date to be announced by the commission immediately after the governorship and state assembly elections.