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Tag: election

  • Green Party kicks against reordering 2019 elections timetable

    The Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) said on Tuesday that the reordering of the 2019 elections timetable by the National Assembly would lead to unnecessary huge financial burden on the country.

    The party’s Chairman in Edo, Mr Roy Oribhabor, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin that the GNP was seriously bothered about the move by the legislators.

    He also said that the GNP would back holding the elections in one day.

    “We are seriously bothered about the logistics problem and the financial implications of this legislative action considering the hard situation in Nigeria today,” Oribhabor said.

    He said rather than re-ordering the elections, NASS should explore the possibilities of fixing all the elections to hold in one day.

    “We have listened to all arguments for and against the reordering, but they all lacked the direct solution to our political problems, I therefore called on NASS to use its legislative power to fix the election for one day.

    “It is on record that the 1979 general elections were held in one day and the system gave room for total political participation by all parties, the electorates were able to choose their candidates of interest.

    “We are convinced beyond reasonable doubts that, when all elections are held in one day, the system will give room for more parties to win.

    “Therefore, GPN support one day election because the advantages are superb, it reduces cost, encourage total participation and gives room for more political space,’’ Oribhabor said.

    He advised NASS to make it a legislative duty to make laws not targeted at individuals but for the goods of Nigeria and Nigerians.

     

  • INEC rejects election timetable amended by NASS

    INEC rejects election timetable amended by NASS

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the amended version of the 2019 election timetable by the National Assembly.

    The amended election timetable puts the presidential election first before the national and state assembly elections.

    The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, says the electoral body has no reason to change the current sequence of the 2019 general elections released based on the provision of the existing laws.

    Professor Yakubu, who disclosed this in Abuja at a regular consultative meeting with the media, did not rule out the possibility of looking at the sequence of the election timetable if there was any compelling issue.

    “On 9th January, we issued the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 General Elections based on our powers and extant laws and nothing has changed. There is a principle behind the choice of these dates- as our democracy matures, we should be moving from uncertainty to certainty.

    “As far as the Commission is concerned, there is no legal lacuna for now; we are working based on existing laws.

    But if something happens tomorrow, we will come out clear and tell Nigerians, but I think we are not operating based on conjectures,” he said.

    The INEC chairman, who reiterated the concern of the electoral body over what he called “monetization of the electoral process,” said the commission was already working with security agencies to stop the menace.

    Professor Yakubu said INEC was optimistic about the conduct of free, fair and credible general elections in view of its continued engagement with critical stakeholders in the electoral process.

    He said the commission had finished all the preparatory steps for the 2019 general elections, adding that practical steps had been taken to implement provisions of the Election Project Plan (EPP).

    The INEC chairman said the commission was making efforts to ensure that voting process was easier for persons living with disabilities (PWDs), including pregnant and lactating women as well as the aged.

    He ruled out the possibility of giving opportunities for underage voters in national elections conducted by the INEC, stressing that the electoral body would do “whatever it takes to clean up the voter register so that only those who are eligible are allowed to vote”.

     

  • Bakassi : S’Court set aside judgment compelling INEC to conduct election in 10 new wards

    The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, Calabar which compelled INEC to conduct elections in the 10 wards of Ikang, Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State.

    Delivering the judgment, Justice John Okoro held that it was the constitutional responsibility of the electoral body to create electoral wards and not the state.

    The Cross River State House of Assembly had adjusted the old three Ikang wards in Akpabuyo Local Government Area to 10 in line with Law No. 7 of Cross River State 2007.

    The judge, also held that the state had the right to make such law, adding that the “Law No.7’’ was not illegal.

    He said the law did not create any constituencies, but adjusted boundaries of Akpabuyo to accommodate Bakassi.

    Okoro therefore, said albeit the two lower courts were wrong to have ordered INEC to conduct elections in areas it did not delineate for that purpose.

    “The decision of the Court of Appeal, Calabar is set aside but the commission should do the needful by formally delineating the 10 wards in Ikang for election purposes.

    “The people of Bakassi have suffered enough and they should be made to have sense of belonging’’, he said.

    Dissatisfied with the decisions of the lower court, INEC had approached the apex court praying it to set aside the two judgments.

    The other appellant in the matter was the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Cross River State.

    The appellants by this appeal registered their grievances with the decision of the Court of Appeal, Calabar delivered on Dec.6, 2013 dismissing their appeal against the judgment of Justice A.F.A Ademola of the Federal High Court, Calabar.

    The respondents are Muri Asuquo, Chief Antigha Cobham, Chief Bassey Etim, and Chief Effiong Iman.

    The respondents had initiated the case on behalf of the people of Ikang Clan, Esighi Clan, Antigha Ene Eyo Clan and Eduhu Idim Ikot Eyi Clan of Bakassi Local Government Area.

    Based on the notice and grounds of appeal filed as aforementioned, the Appellants formulated four issues for formulation.

    They had urged the apex court to ascertain whether or not the law No.7, 2007 which the lower court upheld in its judgment, was enforceable, lifeless, in-abeyance and or inchoate.

    The appellant further sought the court’s explanation whether or not the lower court was right when it entertained in suit No. FHC/C/41/2012 for the second time the same issues it had conclusively resolved.

    They also asked the court to decide on whether or not the creation and delineation and adjustment of the boundaries of the tow local government area in No.7 for the 2012 governorship election was legal.

    The appellants further asked to know whether or not the judgment of the lower court which ordered the appellants to conduct the 2012 governorship election in the 10 wards was not illegal.

  • INEC will cancel election in any troublesome ward – REC

    INEC will cancel election in any troublesome ward – REC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will cancel elections in wards with irregularities.

    Prof. Francis Ezeonu, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo, said elections in areas where ballot boxes were seized or where voting was marred by any violence would be voided.

    The electoral commissioner said this on Friday while carrying out sensitisation campaign in Aboh Mbaise Local Government area of Imo.

    He said INEC was prepared for free and fair elections devoid of violence and intimidation and urged stakeholders to cooperate with the commission to achieve this objective.

    “INEC will not accept results in areas where ballot papers or boxes are carted away by hoodlums or any group or individuals. Election in that area will be cancelled.

    “What INEC needs is cooperation from members of the community.

    “If INEC does not receive cooperation of people in the communities, things will not be okay. I advise politicians and stakeholders to play by the rules and play good politics,” he said.

    Ezeonu reiterated the commitment of INEC to conduct credible polls in the forth coming general elections.

    He urged politicians to always ensure their followers enjoyed dividends of democracy to pave way for their re-election.

    The electoral commissioner advised the people of Aboh Mbaise to ensure that all eligible voters in the area got their PVCs and went out and vote during election.

    He said election in Nigeria would no longer be business as usual, adding that INEC was tightening its ropes against all aspects of rigging.

    Ezeonu promised that the state INEC would ensure that all eligible voters registered through provision of more registration machines and re-visiting places where people were yet to be captured.

    Earlier, Mr Clement Archibong , the Electoral Officer in Aboh Mbaise, said the commission had registered a total of 6,311 prospective voters since registration was taken to the electoral wards as ordered by the commission .

    He, however, said that the local government had 2,820 uncollected permanent voters cards and called on stakeholders to carry the message to their various communities for the owners to come and take them.

    Mrs Esther Emeruche, the Technical Committee Chairman of Aboh Mbaise, called on INEC to be an unbiased electoral umpire and should not be party to rigging by announcing results in violent areas.

    Some stakeholders, which consisted of traditional rulers, representatives of political parties, youth, women and town union leaders, commended INEC in the state on the sensitisation and the assurance of credible elections.

    They advised INEC against bringing in faulty registration and card reader machines for registration and for elections, saying that faulty machines were means of election rigging.

    They also wanted INEC to revisit areas where people were yet to be captured to have more registered voters.

    They called for continuous publicity and enlightenment on the voter registration exercise and collection of PVCs.

    Eze Emmanuel Mad, a traditional ruler in Aboh Mbaise, expressed gratitude to INEC in the state and urged it to fulfill all its promises as well as ensure it conducted credible elections come 2019.

    Mr Mike Iheanetu,a member representing Aboh Mbaise State Constituency, advised the people of Aboh Mbaise against political and voter apathy.

    He enjoined them to go out, register and obtain their PVCs, saying it is their power to vote and elect good leaders.

     

  • Daura youth groups visit Buhari, urge him to seek re-election in 2019

    Forty-six associations, under the aegis of the Daura Emirate Coalition of Progressive Youths, on Tuesday visited President Muhammadu Buhari in his Daura residence and pledged to fully support his fight against corruption.

    The youth groups also expressed their unconditional support for the President’s efforts to transform Nigeria into a nation its nationals would be proud to serve, promote and protect.

    Alhaji Ali Rabe, their chairman, who spoke at the visit, told Buhari that the coalition was already sensitizing Nigerians on the impact of his administration’s efforts and the need to support them.

    “The policies of your administration have transformed the lives of many Nigerians, especially the rural dwellers. We are sensitising them to take advantage of the opportunities in the agriculture sector to improve their economic fortunes,” he said.

    Rabe urged Buhari to seek a fresh mandate in 2019 so as to consolidate on the gains so far recorded.

    The group blamed the rising cases of insurgencies and crimes in some parts of the country on people bent on distracting the President from fighting crime and insecurity, and advised him to remain focused.

    “When you fight corruption, corruption will fight back; when you fight insecurity, it will also fight back. But we want the Federal Government to remain focused and be assured that all Nigerians of good will are behind them,” he said.

    The coalition also commended Buhari’s efforts toward infrastructural development, especially roads, electricity, agriculture and the railways, and urged him to sustain the tempo.

    It said that the N-power programme had created job opportunities for many young Nigerians and reduced redundancy and idleness.

    Responding, Buhari vowed to intensify the fight against corruption, describing it as “a cancer that kills the spirit of a nation and retards its progress”.

    “I have always said and would say it again. Corruption is responsible for the myriad of problems Nigeria is facing today. We have to either kill it, or it will kill us,” he said.

    The President advised members of the group to remain honest, transparent and God-fearing in their activities.

     

  • 8 Things you should know about National Assembly’s amendment to electoral act

    On Wednesday, the National Assembly approved changes to Nigeria’s Electoral Act. Here are eight things you need to know about it:

    1. INSTANT TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS: The overarching objective of this new electoral act is to reduce human interference in the electoral process and minimize corruption. In this regard, the Electoral Act amendment mandates the immediate transmission of voting results from polling units to collation centers. This will help to give real-time results and updates and end election malpractice.

    2. ONLINE PUBLICATION OF VOTER REGISTERS: This amendment provides a fair and more level playing ground for all contestants by mandating INEC to publish all voter registers 30 days before the election. This will end the manipulation of voter registers. In the case of missing names on the voter register, voters have 30 days to complain to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    3. FULL BIOMETRIC ACCREDITATION: The Electoral Act amendment gives INEC powers to utilize full biometric accreditation of voters with smart card readers and/or other technological devices, as INEC may introduce for elections from time to time.

    4. RESTRICTS ARBITRARY QUALIFICATIONS: The Electoral Act amendment ensures that political parties can no longer impose arbitrary qualification criteria on candidates. This will encourage younger voters to contest, promote competition in the process, and make elections more free and fair.

    5. CONFLICT RESOLUTION MECHANISMS: The Electoral Act amendment sets out a more rigorous process for the determination of candidates, as well as creates dispute resolution mechanisms that will allow those who are aggrieved to petition quickly.

    6: MAXIMUM EXPENSES: The Electoral Act amendment sets out the maximum expenses that can be incurred by every politician who is seeking election, as well as designates the fees that aspirants will pay to political parties to purchase forms. This means that our elections will no longer be about money and politics, but about competence.

    7. SUBSTITUTION, RESIGNATION AND REPLACEMENT: The Electoral Act amendment ensures that the names of candidates must be submitted not earlier than 90 days before the election, and not later than 60 days before the election. Additionally, candidates can only be substituted not later than 30 days before the election. Additionally, in the case of resignations, the person who is resigning must do so physically (in-person) — and his/her resignation letter will be transmitted to INEC.

    8. DEATH: The Electoral Act amendment specifies that in the case of a death occurring before an election, such election will be suspended for 21 days and a replacement will be done within 14 days — the remaining the seven days will be used for campaigning.

  • President Buhari is healthy to seek re-election in 2019 – Adesina

    Presidential Spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, says President Muhammadu Buhari is presently in a better state of health than in 2015, to seek re-election in the 2019 general elections.

    Adesina said this while speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja on Sunday.

    He said though the president was yet to decide on whether to re-contest or not, his health would never be an issue as he had been improving tremendously since his return from medical vacation.

    Buhari left Nigeria on May 7, for the second round of his medical treatment in London, and returned to Abuja on Aug. 19, 2017 after a successful medical vacation.

    The presidential aide said: “yes, health is wealth. The president is not a frivolous person. If he thinks that his health cannot carry anything, he will not do it.

    “So, of course, his health will matter a lot. It will be very important but we need to give glory to God for the way he is now.

    “Every day you see the president, you see a glow about him, you see freshness about him. I think he’s even in a better state than when he came in 2015. It’s all to the glory of God.

    “So, once he assesses that his health can carry it, there’s nothing wrong if he steps into the fray. But he has the final decision.’’

    Adesina maintained that the Buhari-led administration would continue to ensure the conduct of acceptable elections in the country as the president had vowed to bequeath free and fair elections in Nigeria.

    He cited recently conducted elections across the country where the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) participated but failed to win.

    “It was not like that in the past when a certain party was in power. They won all the elections that held in states.

    “But you saw Anambra. Just this weekend, you saw a senatorial election there. Some months ago in November, you saw the governorship election.

    “If APC had wanted to overrun Anambra using federal might, it would have done that and it would win the election.

    “Election was held in Bayelsa under this administration, APC didn’t do it. Ondo, APC won fair and square. Kogi, it won fair and square. Where APC wins, it wins. Where it loses, it loses.

    “That’s the attitude of the president. Your party doesn’t have to win by hook or crook,’’ he added.

    On social media report that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had been appointed as Director-General for President Buhari’s campaign organisation, the presidential aide described such report as mere rumour.

    He said the president had not decided to run for re-election as the whistle had not been blown for such activities by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He said: “well, me I believe that things like Director-General will come when you have become a candidate. If the president steps into the fray now, he’s an aspirant just like any other aspirant.

    “Having a Director-General comes when you become a candidate of the party.’’

    On whether Buhari will embrace the Nelson Mandela option of four-year single term, Adesina said it was the constitutional right of the President to run or not to run.

    “Of course, this is a democracy. People will always have a right to their opinion. You know one thing about democracy is that there is multiplicity of opinion.

    “So, those who believe in the Mandela option, it is their right. And it is also the right of the president to run or not to run. So, you don’t abridge the right of anybody under a democracy.

    “You cannot start a race until the whistle is blown. So, when he blows the whistle and say ‘yes, this is my ambition,’ then, the race starts.’’

     

  • PDP’s Bukuni wins Ardo-kola Constituency bye-election in Taraba

    Mr Dominic Bakuni of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP ) has won the Ardo-kola State Constituency Bye-election, Taraba, conducted on Saturday.

    The bye-election was conducted in ten Registration Areas: Alin Gora, Ardo kola, Iware, Jauro Yinu, Lamido Borno, Mayo renewo, Sarkin Dutse, Sunkani, Tau and Zongon kombi.

    Announcing the result on Sunday in Jalingo, the Returning Officer, Dr Manu Donga, Department of Economics, Modibbo Adamawa University, Yola, said Bakuni, having scored the highest number of votes with 8,848 , was the winner of the election and returned elected.

    He said Bokuni defeated his closest opponent and the All Progressives Congress(APC) Candidate, Alhaji Sanusi Jambawaile, who polled 8,308.

    Donga said Tukur Jibrin of DPP scored 118 votes; Abdul Dame of APDA scored 100 votes; Patrick Kini of ACPN scored 60 votes, while Sajo Mohammed of SDP scored 50 votes.

    The Returning Officer said the total number of votes cast were 18,106; the total number of registered votes was 60,858 while the total number of accredited voters stood at 18, 613.

    He said the total number of valid votes was 17,484 and the number of rejected votes was 622.

    TheNewsGuru reports that the Speaker of the Taraba House of Assembly, Mr Abel Diah, had on Nov. 20, 2017, declared vacant the seat of the former lawmaker representing the constituency in the House, Abdulmalik Dame, who died after a brief illness.

     

  • APC wins Gwagwalada councillorship re-run election

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Abdulkarim Mohammed, has been declared the winner of the just concluded Gwagwalada Central Ward councillorship re-run election.

    Announcing the result, the INEC returning officer, Mr George Galayam, said Abdulkarim Mohammed polled 1, 686, against 1,588 to win the election that was earlier nullified by the election tribunal.

    Abdulkarim Mohammed of APC had 1,686 votes, while Ibrahim Anize of APGA had 1, 588 votes and Jibrin Yerima of PDP had 977 votes.

    The earlier election of Ibrahim Anize was nullified as a result of the cancellation result from four polling units by the FCT Area Council Election Petitions Appeal Tribunal.

    With this development, APC has six councillors and APGA has four in the legislative arm of the area council.

     

  • Gov. Okowa swears in council chairmen, harps on punctuality

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Friday told the newly elected chairmen of the 25 local government areas that he would not tolerate absenteeism from work.

    The governor gave the warning at the swearing-in ceremony of the chairmen in Asaba.

    He said the development of local government areas was of great concern to his administration.

    “There is a lot of work to be done in our local council areas because we are in a very hard times.

    “Though we agree that things are improving, but there is still a lot to be done to take us to where we should be.

    “So, to that extent, the new chairmen and all those who are going to work with them should realise that it is not going to be all rosy.

    “As you resume duty, you definitely have to work with the staff and management of the local councils in the interest of the people,” Okowa said.

    He also reminded the new chairmen that priority attention should be given to payment of salaries and the security in their respective local government areas.

    Okowa said: “Let me remind our new chairmen and all those who are going to work with them that security of lives and property are paramount to this administration.

    “So, I want to urge you and charge you that you take matters of security in your council areas seriously.

    “I also expect that council chairmen, vice chairmen and councilors would return to the local government areas where they preside over.

    “I would not want to have absentee council chairmen, vice chairmen or councillors in any local government in the state.”

    TheNewsGuru reports that 23 chairmen out of the 25 chairmen were elected on Jan. 6 while the election of the remaining two held on Jan. 9 due to violence.