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Tag: Elections

  • Dickson inaugurates committees to probe activities of PDP leaders, aides in 2019 elections

    Ahead of the November 2nd governorship election, the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, at the weekend, inaugurated committees to investigate the activities of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and his appointed aides at the just-concluded general elections in the state.

    It was gathered that the party leaders, commissioners and other aides were apprehensive following the insistence of Dickson that they must render accounts of their actions in the last elections.

    But the governor while inaugurating the panels christened Stock Taking Committees at the Government House, Yenagoa, said they were not designed to enforce discipline in the party adding that issues of sanctions remained the exclusive preserve of the PDP leadership.

    Dickson, who was represented by his Deputy and Central Chairman of the committees, Rear Admiral John Jonah, said: “These committees are to evaluate the performances and roles played by party leaders and government appointees in the last election in the state and ensure the enforcement of operation deliver your units.

    “The assignment given to the committees is not aimed at enforcing discipline in the party. Issues of discipline are exclusive preserve of the party leadership.

    “All party members, appointees of restoration government are directed to cooperate fully with the committees, the results of various units will be submitted to the party chairman by the Secretary to PDP”.

    The governor charged the committees to be fair to all members and to avoid looking at their assignments as opportunities to settle old scores.

    He gave them seven days to submit their reports and urged them to get all required materials from the party leadership.

    Addressing the committees, he said: “You are working for the interest of the party. So, if you make mistakes in some places we will correct you.

    “Go with open mind and your report will be submitted in the central working committee within seven days or one working week and we expect you to get everything needed for your work through the party”.

    The committees were inaugurated in each local government area with Brass, Kolokuma-Opokuma, Ogbia, Ekeremor and Sagbama having six members each.

    While committee in Nembe Local Government Area comprised eight members, those of Southern Ijaw and Yenagoa have seven members each.

    In his response, the Chairman of Brass Committee, Sam Ateke, described the assignment as very important saying it was aimed at repositioning the party ahead of the election.

    He said: “The committee at the central level chaired by the deputy governor himself indeed shows the importance that is attached to the job expected to be done.

    “In that case we that are appointed as chairmen and members thank the governor for finding us worthy to be appointed to serve at these levels.

    “I want to on behalf of my colleagues say that we understand the intentions of the party and we know the importance attached to it.

    “PDP at state level wants to do everything possible to see that we have gone through one election by the grace of God and we have done well. We are going to face another election and we need to reposition the party”.

  • JUST IN: Buhari donates $500,000, vehicles, others to Guinea Bissau for elections

    JUST IN: Buhari donates $500,000, vehicles, others to Guinea Bissau for elections

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the donation of $500,000 to Guinea Bissau to support the country’s election process.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

    He explained that the approval was in response to an urgent request for assistance by the Government of Guinea Bissau.

    Shehu added that the President supported the country with 350 units of electoral kits, 10 motorcycles, five Hilux vans, and two light trucks.

    According to him, this will ensure that legislative elections, which should help in stabilising Guinea Bissau, hold in the country.

    As Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, President Buhari directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, to undertake an urgent mission as his Special Envoy to Guinea Bissau.

    Shehu said the minister would visit the country in the company of ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Brou.

    In a separate development, Mr Onyeama would undertake a mission to Cotonou, Benin Republic, to deliver a personal message to President Patrice Talon from President Buhari.

    The visit, according to the presidential aide, is in the context of the brewing political crisis ahead of the legislative elections scheduled to hold on April 28, 2019, in the country.

    Read the full statement below:

    In his capacity as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, President Muhammadu Buhari, this morning, directed the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to undertake an urgent mission as his Special Envoy to Guinea Bissau, in the company of ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Brou.

    President Buhari had in response to an urgent request for assistance by the Government of Guinea Bissau graciously approved support to the country’s election process including three hundred and fifty (350) units of electoral kits, ten(10) motorcycles, five(5) Hilux vans, two(2) light trucks and Five hundred thousand US Dollars ($500,000).

    This vital assistance ensured that legislative elections held in Guinea Bissau, which should help in stabilising the country.

    In a separate development, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister will also undertake a mission to Cotonou, Benin, to deliver a personal message to President Patrice Talon from President Buhari.

    The visit is in the context of the brewing political crisis ahead of April 28, 2019, legislative elections in the country.

     

  • INEC cancels elections in Benue Ward over Attack on Officials, Burning of Materials

    INEC cancels elections in Benue Ward over Attack on Officials, Burning of Materials

    Elections have been suspended in Azendeshi ward in Benue, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Nentawe Yilwatda have said.

    According to Channels Television, Yilwatda said the elections were cancelled in the ward where over 13,000 voters were to vote in the ongoing supplementary elections in the state because of the attack and destruction of election materials by suspected thugs.

    Recall that some vehicles transporting election materials to the polling unit were attacked earlier today.

    The attack, which was carried out by yet to be identified persons along Zaki Biam in Ukum Local Government Area, left some of the escorts injured, including INEC officials and party agents.

    The materials were bound for Azendeshi ward before it was intercepted by the thugs who later set them ablaze.

    The REC also confirmed the burning of the election materials and attack on officials.

    Also, there were reports that suspected political thugs disrupted elections at Jato-Aka ,Tse Akough PU 012, Yaav ward, Kwande LGA of the State.

    Voters have fled the polling unit following the incident.

    Benue State is one of the five states where supplementary governorship elections are being held today.

    Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP, who scored 410,576 votes, has a lead of 81,554 votes over Emmanuel Jime of the APC who scored 329,022 votes before the process was declared inconclusive by INEC.

    The election was to be held in 204 polling units in 22 local governments which have 121,299 votes

  • 2019 elections successful but not perfect, INEC replies U.S over ‘disappointment’ comment

    Sequel to a statement credited to the United States condemning the conduct of the 2019 general elections due to the mass irregularities, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria’e electoral umpire has said the commission did it best.

    It also noted that so far, the elections were generally adjudged as successful and the validation of the United States government does not alter it. It also noted that there are no cases of perfect elections anywhere in the world.

    The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, appreciated the US support for the nation’s electoral process. He, however, said that no country in the world could conduct a perfect election, adding that the US observations were not enough to discredit the integrity of the elections.

    He said, “As one of our important partners, the Independent National Electoral Commission appreciates the United States’ interest and support for Nigeria’s electoral process.

    “However, there is no country in the world where general elections are perfect from the beginning to the end. In our reckoning, coupled with various reports released by local and international observers so far, the 2019 general elections were a success, but by no means perfect.

    “There are lessons to be learnt and there is room for improvement. The commission will continue to do its best to deliver credible elections with the hope that the major players will appreciate the importance of playing by the rules and ultimately accept that no political office is worth the precious life of any human being. All is vanity.”

     

  • U.S. expresses ‘disappointment’ over irregularities in Nigeria’s general elections

    The United States government says it is disappointed by the scale of irregularities in the Nigerian 2019 general elections.

    The U.S. government said from the reports it garnered from observers groups; voter intimidation, vote buying, interference by security forces, and violence marred the electoral process in parts of the country.

    It said this in a statement released on Thursday evening.

    It, however, urged stakeholders and security services to ensure a free, fair, credible, transparent, and peaceful election process ahead of the Saturday supplementary governorship election and in future elections.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 12 announced supplementary governorship elections in states where it declared the polls inconclusive.

    The states include Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau, and Sokoto. But the supplementary governorship polls will hold in only five states on Saturday due to judicial interventions.

    Also in the statement, the U.S government extended its condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the election process, adding that it would continue to support the national democratic process.

    ”As noted by many observer groups in their preliminary reports, we too were disappointed by the low voter turnout as well as credible reports of voter intimidation, vote buying, interference by security forces, and violence in some locations.

    ”As the 2019 electoral cycle comes to an end, we urge all stakeholders to work towards a free, fair, credible, transparent, and peaceful process, especially for the many Nigerians across the country who again will go to polls on Saturday.

    ”We encourage all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and the security services, to continue to improve the electoral process for future elections.

    ”We are saddened by those acts of violence and extend our deepest sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives, including those who worked for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security services.”

    The statement stressed that the United States has no preferred candidates in the election, adding that it would remain committed to working together to achieve a mutual goal for both countries.

    ”The United States supports a democratic process where the will of the Nigerian people is reflected in the results. As long-time friends of Nigeria, we continue to follow closely the still ongoing elections. We do not have a preferred party or candidate.

    ”We look to Nigeria as an important leader on the African continent. As a democratic partner of Nigeria, the United States remains committed to working together to achieve our mutual goals of peace and prosperity for the citizens of both our countries.”

  • Era of manipulating election results over in Nigeria – REC

    Mr Mutiu Agboke, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo state, says the era of manipulating results of elections in favour of any of the political party was over in the Nigerian democracy.

    Agboke, who stated this on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, said that votes of the electorate would always count in determining who won elections.

    He described the last general elections in Oyo state as successful exercise.

    According to him, the outcome of the Saturday polls has proved that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) means its words and would continue to improve on its existing achievements.

    He said the use of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remained the only power of the electorate had to choose their leaders as witnessed in the recent general elections.

    The REC urged the Nigerians to continue to have trust and to believe in the activities of INEC, saying that the commission had no sympathy for any of the political parties in the country.

    The REC commended the people of Oyo state for the relative peace that characterised the conduct of the general elections.

    He expressed satisfaction over the supports the commission received from Inter-Party Advisory Commission (IPAC), Security agents, National Orientation Agency (NOA) and media organisations that contributed to success of the elections.

    Agboke implored owners of the unclaimed PVCs to come forward and collect them; saying 2,023 PVCs were yet to be collected.

    He further called on political parties not to relax but start preparing for the 2023 general elections in easiest.

  • Facebook bans foreign-funded campaign ads for Indonesian election

    Facebook has temporarily banned political ads purchased from outside Indonesia in an effort to combat foreign interference in the country’s upcoming election.

    The restriction, which took effect on Tuesday, targets any ad that references politicians or political parties or attempts to encourage or suppress voting, Facebook said in a statement.

    “Combating foreign interference is a key pillar of our approach to safeguarding election integrity on our platform,’’ the social network said.

    Incumbent President, Joko Widodo, faces former Gen. Prabowo Subianto in the April 17 election – a repeat of the 2014 vote, which was marked by divisive and religiously-charged campaigning.

    In February, the Russian embassy in Jakarta denied the country was interfering in the Indonesian election after Joko accused Prabowo’s camp of engaging in “Russian propaganda’’.

    The opposition says that after five years in office, the president has a dismal economic record and is too cosy with China.

    Facebook said it was using a mix of automated and human review to help it identify offending ads.

    The company said it was setting up an operations centre in Singapore that focused on fighting false news, hates speech and election interference.

    In January, the company removed more than 1,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts, accusing them of engaging in what it called coordinated inauthentic behaviour in Indonesia.

     

  • Elections:We operated within legal boundary – Army

    The Nigerian Army on Saturday said its activities in the just-concluded Presidential and National Assembly polls were within the ambit of the law and rules of engagement.

    Reacting to allegations of partisanship, coercion and shooting of voters in some areas across the country during the elections, it said that soldiers deployed on election duty were professional and proactive in their conduct.

    According to Spokesman of the army, Col. Sagir Musa, “we acted within the requirements of the law, rules of engagement and code of conduct”.

    During the elections, there were widespread allegations of partisanship, brutality of soldiers on some electorate and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, and partisanship in the process.

    Electoral officers in some states, including Rivers, Lagos and Delta, accused the military of interfering in the elections.

    The soldiers were fingered in shootings that resulted in deaths of many people, and other unwholesome acts allegedly recorded in some states during the polls.

    But, Musa told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the army made its position clear before, during and after the elections.

    He pointed out that monitors of the elections had commended the army for its role while the exercise lasted.

    “Our position stands on the verdict given by local and foreign election monitors that commended the Nigerian Army for being professional, proactive, responsive and unbiased,” the spokesman said.

  • EU urges Facebook, Google, Twitter to fight disinformation as European elections approach

    As the electoral campaigns ahead of the crucial European Parliamentary elections will start in March, the EU need to see more progress on the commitments made by Facebook, Google and Twitter to fight disinformation, it said.

    The online platforms, signatories of EU’s Code of Practice against disinformation, failed to provide enough details showing that new policies and tools are being deployed timely and with sufficient resources inside the Union, read the statement.

    To defend the integrity of the European Parliament elections in May, the pan-Europe body demands these three online platforms to report monthly on their actions.

    But the latest submitted reports “provide too little information on the actual results of the measures already taken,” said the statement.

    “We urge Facebook, Google and Twitter to do more across all Member States to help ensure the integrity of the European Parliament elections in May 2019.

    “We also encourage platforms to strengthen their cooperation with fact-checkers and academic researchers to detect disinformation campaigns and make fact-checked content more visible and widespread,” said the statement.

    The monitoring of the Code of Practice is part of the Action Plan against disinformation that the EU adopted in December 2018 to build up capabilities and strengthen cooperation between member states.

    And also the code was part of plan against EU institutions to proactively address the threats posed by disinformation.

    The European Parliament elections are expected to be held between May 23 and May 26, 2019.

    Amid growing populism inside Europe, the elections are expected to change the EU’s political dynamics.

     

  • We’re set for governorship, state assemblies elections – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has made progress for the smooth conduct of governorship and State House of Assemblies elections, on March 9.

    INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at the commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Thursday, said the governorship election would hold in 29 states.

    He explained that governorship elections in the remaining seven states were staggered and had already been conducted off season.

    “As you are aware in seven states, the governorship elections are staggered and conducted off season. We have since concluded these elections.

    “There will be governorship election in 29 states and in all the states of the federation there will be state assembly elections and in the Federal Capital Territory where the area council election coincides with the general elections.

    councillors.

    “So, we thought that since the RECs were here with the State Collation Officers for the Presidential election, it is important for us to meet and review the experiences of the last elections with a view to strengthening our processes towards a successful conduct of the state elections on Saturday March 9.

    “We have gone very far with the arrangements for the elections, election will hold on March 9, with the election of governor for states as well as members of the state assemblies.

    “To ensure the purpose of this meeting is in keeping with the tradition of the commission, once you conduct a national election, you take stock and review, so that processes and procedures are strengthened learning from the experience of previous elections before going into state elections.’’

    The INEC chairman said the commission would issue a news statement on decisions taken at the closed door session of the meeting.