Tag: election
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Elections: PDP rejects postponement, demands immediate resignation of INEC chairman
……says its Buhari’s agenda to cling to power
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Biafra: IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu makes u-turn, calls off election boycott in South East
Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has called off the proposed boycott of elections by his ground in the entire South-East region.
Kanu said the decision was reached following wide consultations with “stakeholders.”
Kanu had severally warned that elections would only hold in any part of the zone on the condition of a referendum to determine the sovereignty of Biafra.
But in a statement on Friday by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB said the boycott order was lifted after all terms and conditions were met by “those wishing us to lift the ban on voting.”
The statement partly reads: “It’s important we notify the world at large and the indefatigable global IPOB family in particular that our supreme leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has called-off the election boycott in Biafraland.
“After a brief emergency session of the Directorate of State late last night presided over by our leader, it was determined that all our terms and conditions had been met by those wishing us to lift the ban on voting, it was unanimously agreed that the boycott should be lifted.
“The signed document agreeing to IPOB terms and conditions are in our possession and will be made public in due course.
“We can, therefore, state with utmost sense of responsibility and pride that IPOB has accomplished what no other people or group has been able to do in the history of our people.
“Without prejudice, this will go down as the defining moment when the irreversibility of the restoration of Biafra was firmly entrenched in the subconscious of all and sundry.
“As a result of which we can state categorically that Biafra is a lot closer than we think as a result of this.“
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FG closes land borders ahead of presidential poll
The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), has directed the closure of all Nigerian land borders with effect from Friday Feb. 15 to Sunday Feb. 17 for the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections.
A press statement issued by the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, in Abuja on Thursday said that there would be restriction of movements across the Nigerian borders during the election on the days announced.
“The public is to take note and ensure compliance,’’ he said.
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BREAKING: Buhari’s AGF writes INEC to postpone election
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the National Assembly, governorship and state houses of Assembly elections following the decision of the Appeal Court that all parties return to status quo in the Zamfara All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries crisis.
The AGF gave the advice in a letter written to the INEC Chairman, Yakubu Mamood, and dated February 13, 2019.
Malami cited sections 38 and 39 of Electoral (Amendment) Act 2010 to support his call. He mentioned that the postponement will enable the Zamfara APC to field candidates for all the positions.
The AGF, according to the letter acted upon a petition written by the firm of M.A. Mamood SAN and Co.
He further advised the INEC to comply with the instructions forthwith.
Read Malami’s letter below:
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Election materials: security tight at Lagos INEC office
Security was tight at the Lagos State Headquarters of INEC in Yaba on Wednesday as the commission took delivery of sensitive election materials.
Africa’s most populous nation is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Feb. 16. Nigeria returned to popular democracy 20 years ago after a brutal military era that left infrastructure in ruins.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) political correspondent at the INEC office reports that security was tight with heavy presence of security operatives.
Nobody was allowed into the premises of the commission without proper identification with security officials subjecting people to rigorous screening.
Many visitors and some reporters were barred from entering the premises, while workers of the commission were thoroughly screened before being allowed to enter their offices.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with reporters, one of the security operatives, told NAN that his men were told not to allow anybody into the premises.
Speaking to NAN on phone, the Lagos INEC Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Akinbiyi, said that officials of the commission had started receiving election materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
On Feb. 12, Mr Sam Olumekun, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Lagos told a stakeholders meeting that the commission would be taking delivery of the materials from Wednesday.
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Elections: Presidential Candidates renew pledge to guarantee peace, accept results
The Presidential candidates in the Feb. 16 general elections including President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday renewed their pledge for peaceful elections.
The event was organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) under the chairmanship of the former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that similar accord was signed by the presidential candidates on Dec. 11, 2018 with the exception of Atiku Abubakar, who later signed the agreement on Dec. 12, 2018.
NAN observed that Thursday’s second agreement tagged “2019 National Peace Accord’’ on the Prevention of violence and Acceptance of Results was signed the same time by both the APC, PDP and other presidential candidates at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Speaking shortly after signing the Peace Accord, Buhari expressed satisfaction over the way the ongoing political campaigns were being conducted by candidates across the country.
“We have assembled here to mark the final phase of our campaigns and we are now at the doorstep of our elections.
“The Campaigns so far have gone well and we thank God for that. For the few incidents in which people lost their lives largely through accidents, we pray that God grants them eternal peace.
“Now campaigns are over and our next assignment is for us all, citizens and contestants alike, to go out and exercise our civic duties,’’ he added.
While calling on all Nigerians to contribute more in ensuring good governance in the country, the President reiterated his appeal to the youths to shun acts capable of causing social unrest during or after the elections.
He revealed that all the financial and logistics requirements of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been met by the Federal Government so as to ensure free and fair elections in line with international best practices.
“We, the Presidential candidates are here to sign and commit ourselves to do all that is possible to ensure the success of the elections but most importantly to accept the final outcome.
“I appeal to my fellow contestants to commit to these ideals so as to keep our country and people safe.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, our electoral Umpire, has already assured us that they have done everything possible to ensure free and fair elections.
“It was to ensure this that I made sure that INEC received all the resources they needed to perform their job.
“Our Security Agencies have been fully briefed and they know that their visible neutrality is key to the conduct, credibility and success of the elections,’’ he said.
He also commended the international community for showing interest in nation’s quest for peace and stability, saying that their presence would help to validate the process and commitment to growing Democracy in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, called on INEC and security officials saddled with the responsibility of ensuring peaceful conduct of the elections to be fair arbiters in the exercise.
He also urged the security agencies, “not to embark on indiscriminate arrests of members of the opposition, 24 to 48 hours before elections, as has been the case in previous elections.’’
Abubakar stated that the event had demonstrated the importance of the upcoming elections as well as how the nation democracy had matured, “not only to our people, but also to the international community whose solidarity, Nigeria’s democracy has benefited from.
“As we prepare to sign off on this Peace Accord, as representatives of our party and people, may I freely quote the words of former President Goodluck Jonathan, which remains a benchmark, for me, taking into account the deep feelings that prevail as Feb. 16, 2019, approaches – `My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.’
“In this context, I appeal once again to every staff and the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force, to be fair arbiters in the upcoming elections while letting neutrality prevail.’’
The PDP presidential candidate also appealed to Buhari to use his good office to ensure that “every eligible person who casts their votes is confident in the process and in the belief that their votes will count’’.
He maintained that all candidates must remember that 2019 election was about the future of Nigeria, therefore, they must abide by the will of the people as freely expressed through elections, under the terms of the constitution.
“Once again, despite concerns expressed by my party leaders concerning likely electoral malpractices and the intimidation of voters and observers, I trust that our election officials and security services will do their duty in accordance with their oath and obligations,’’ he said.
He, therefore, appealed to citizens to go out and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice, and urged them to be peaceful at all times, and confident in the nation’s democracy, its institutions and processes.
In her goodwill message at the event, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, charged all stakeholders in the Nigeria Project to join hands in promoting peace before, during and after the general elections.
Scotland, who quoted Nigeria’s second stanza of the National Pledge, urged the presidential candidates to live up to expectations of the peace accord.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, who also spoke at the occasion, expressed the hope that a peaceful environment would be created for electorate to enable them perform their civic duty.
Guterres, who was represented by the United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative in West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, noted that there was no space for incitement of violence in the country.
According to him, the forthcoming elections will provide Nigeria the opportunity to reaffirm its regional and global position in the world.
While calling on INEC and security officials to maintain neutrality in the exercise, he said: “We are not here to support any political party or candidate but we are here to support peace in Nigeria.’’
In his remarks, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, Ketil Karlsen, said candidates must respect the outcome of the election to guarantee peaceful co-existence among diverse socio-political groups in the country.
Abubakar, who is the Chairman of the NPC, lauded the presidential candidates for ensuring relative peace during their various campaigns, and urged them to continue to maintain peace during and after the elections.
The Chairman of Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Majesty Alfred Diette-Spiff, who spoke on behalf of traditional rulers at the event, alerted the political actors that the world was watching Nigeria, and urged them to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections.
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No police officer is allowed to move around with any VIP on election day -IG
The acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, has said no police officer is allowed to accompany any politician during the forthcoming elections.
Adamu, who spoke at the public presentation of a partnership between some stakeholders in the elections, noted that ensuring security during the conduct of the polls was the duty of every participant.
The partnership, headed by the Transition Monitoring Group and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, included the Police Service Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, among others.
Adamu said, “Everyone has a civic responsibility in ensuring peaceful and credible elections. Election materials must be secured. Electoral officials, domestic and foreign observers must be protected.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has rolled out the ways stakeholders should conduct themselves. On our part, we assure the nation that all electoral materials will be secured and the electorate will be allowed to cast their votes without monetisation.
“No police officer is allowed to move around with any VIP on election day. Anyone, who does so in uniform or mufti will be arrested.”
The acting IG added that all security agents would wear tags to ensure there are no fake officers “because we have heard that a lot of fake uniforms are being brought into the country.”
He also noted that security agents would monitor ad hoc staff that could easily be manipulated, “especially National Youth Service Corps members.”
Adamu added that observers were allowed to take pictures but that they could not take pictures of people while voting “such that you know what party they are voting for.”
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We don’t need your presence on election days, Atiku tells Military
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has warned the military not to interfere in the general elections.
Atiku, who spoke at his campaign rally at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar on Friday, said “the military do not have any constitutional role to play in the elections”.
He said, “Only the police do. I hereby caution the Federal Government and the military high command that they should only play their constitutional roles during the elections,” adding that he would go to any length to protect the constitution.
The former vice-president added, “I will work closely with Governor Ben Ayade to actualise the deep seaport and the superhighway. The deep seaport will create thousands of jobs. We will invest more in education. We will invest in the industries he is establishing by bringing in investors so that the state could be transformed.”
He said he was grateful to the people of Cross River State because “the first job I got was given to me by somebody from the state”.
The National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, said, “The good news is that Atiku has won. All international and local polls conducted have given victory to Atiku.”
He added, “You heard about the body bag statement made by them, they have lost the election in Katsina. “We will collect Katsina. Our votes will count, they are scared, they are in confusion and running from pillar to post. Our state institutions cannot be destroyed because of one man.
“The police, army and other security agencies should not take sides in this election if not it will be terrible for Nigeria.”
Ayade said Atiku would industrialise the state if elected.
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2019: INEC does not intend to postpone election – Yakubu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not intend to postpone any of the elections as a result of court orders coming close to election schedules, the Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said.
Yakubu made the position known at a National Stakeholders’ Forum for 2019 General Elections, organised by the Commission on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that the Commission had been receiving court orders in which some had been conflicting or contradicting.
He said that the Commission had been operating on the principle of latest order.
“If two courts make a pronouncement on a matter, we go by the latest in time.
“In the case of one of the judgments, the two judgements came on the same day; the Commission has to take a decision.
“My assurance to stakeholders and Nigerians is that INEC will always obey court order.
“ The next question we are going to ask is that what if the court order comes close to election, will INEC postpone elections?
“No. INEC does not intend to postpone any election.
“We will operate based on the order that we received but the Commission has also made contingency plan in case some of the orders come close to the elections.
“We should be able to recover and conduct elections as scheduled.’’
Yakubu said that party congresses and primaries for the 2019 general elections had been the most contentious since the return to democracy in 1999 as court 640 cases had arisen from them.
INEC has been dragged to court 640 times on the conduct of parties primaries.
“We have received 540 requests for certified true copies of documents and some of these will end up in court.
“In addition, we received 186 protests and petitions for the conduct of congresses and party primaries.
n logistics deployment, Yakubu said that the Commission was committed to ensuring that election materials and electoral officers would be the ones to wait for voters on election day.
He said that the Commission was working closely with the security agencies to ensure security during the elections.
He said provision had been made to ensure that internally displaced persons and physically challenged persons, such as albinos and the visually impaired, participated in the elections by providing them necessary aids for voting.
Yakubu called for citizen collaboration to make the elections credible and peaceful as “INEC cannot do it alone.’’
The Project Coordinator, European Centre for Electoral Support, , Mr Rudolf Elbling, urged all stakeholders to support the growth of Nigeria’s democratic system.
“Use your offices and institutions to support INEC and participate fully in every aspect of the electoral process,’’ he said.
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Opposition planning to discredit elections should Buhari win – FG
The Federal Government has alerted the public “to the evil machinations of the opposition” to scuttle and discredit the 2019 polls.
Recall that the elections is scheduled to commence on February 16.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, alleged that ‘the opposition’ was dispatching a 10-member delegation to some Western capitals, to sell the idea that ”government had perfected the plan to rig the election”.
He said the opposition, (apparently referring to the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party), was also instigating widespread violence and attacks on key institutions including the INEC and the police to discredit them
“Specifically, they are sending a delegation to some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington DC, to push the concocted line that the Buhari Administration has perfected plan to rig the polls.
“They are therefore pushing for a rejection of the results if the President wins re-election. They are also predicting carnage in the event of the president’s victory.
“Already, they have started flying the rigging kite domestically,” he said.
The minister added: “They have been engaging in incendiary rhetoric and in making outlandish claims using several fronts, including the nebulous Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) which, by the way, is nothing more than a reincarnated Association for Better Nigeria (ABN).
“Of course you all know the role that the ABN played in the failed 1993 political transition process.
”They have targeted, for attacks, the two key institutions that are most critical to the success of the election: INEC and the Police.
“They have used every malleable and malicious personality to make wild allegations against INEC.”
He said the strategy by the opposition is to discredit the election even before it is held.
Mr Mohammed said he recently alerted the nation to the plot by the opposition elements to scuttle the polls and push the nation into a constitutional crisis that would lead to an interim government.
“When we raised the alarm, the opposition dismissed it. Of course, they were shocked to have been found out, so we understand their panic reaction.
“To underscore the seriousness of our alert, a week after our press conference, the National Security Adviser (NSA) met with state governors to also inform them of this same plan to scuttle the polls via widespread violence,” he said.
The minister said the opposition was going the hog to scuttle the polls because they were convinced, that they could not win.
Mr Mohammed assured that the administration was undaunted by the opposition’s antics.
He restated the commitment of the president to ensure a free, fair and violence-free election.