TheNewsGuru

Tag: INEC

  • INEC mourns Ogun REC

    INEC mourns Ogun REC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed sadness over the death of its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ogun, Mr Olaniyi Ijalaye.

    Ijalaye passed away on Monday after attending the regular quarterly meeting of the commission inAbuja.

    The commission, in a statement issued by Mr Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja on Tuesday, expressed its deepest condolences to the immediate family of the late Ijalaye. He prayed that God would grant the deceased eternal rest.

    Ijalaye, who hailed from Owo, Ondo State, was born in 1958. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB) from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1982 and was called to the Nigerian Bar (BL) in 1983. He also obtained a Master’s degree in Law (LLM) from the same university in 1995.

    Until his demise, Ijalaye, who assumed duty on Feb. 23, 2022, worked with integrity, diligence, and conscientiousness.

  • Edo Election: INEC presents voters register to parties

    Edo Election: INEC presents voters register to parties

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo on Tuesday presented soft copies of voters register to political parties participating in the Sept. 21 Edo governorship election.

    Dr Anugbum Onuoha, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo, presented the register to the chairmen and secretaries of political parties and other officials at INEC office in Benin.

    He also presented the register to Mr Olumide Akpata, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the Edo governorship election.

    Onuoha said that Akpata was given because of the leadership crisis rocking the party in the state which had polarised the party.

    “The register will be presented to the party’s governorship candidate, Mr Olumide Akpata, as the sole candidate of the party in the election,” he said.

    NAN reports that the LP has other executives led by Mr Kelly Ogbalo and Ms Elizabeth Ativie.

    The REC said that the presentation of the register of voters to the political parties was in line with the relevant section of the Electoral Act.

    He said that the act mandated the commission, to within 30 days to the election, present the voters register to political parties.

    Speaking, Prof. Rhoda Gamus, the National INEC Commissioner, supervising Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa, said that a total of 2, 629, 025 voters registered for the governorship election in Edo.

    Gamus urged the leadership of the political parties to mobilise their supporters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    Mr Olatunde Olalere, Director of Voter Registry, said that the register had 1,370,061 males and 1,258, 964 female voters.

    He added that 8,847 PVCs were transferred from other states to Edo while 109 voters transferred their PVCs from Edo to Ondo State.

    According to him, Ikpoba Okha and Oredo local governments has the highest number of voters while Igueben Local Government has the lowest figure.

    Earlier, the REC had briefed journalists in the state to keep them abreast with the distribution of PVCS and progress being made toward the conduct of the governorship election.

  • INEC REC slumps, dies after meeting in Abuja

    INEC REC slumps, dies after meeting in Abuja

    The Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Olaniyi Ijalaye reportedly died after meeting with other RECs at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) gathered that Ijalaye slumped and died on Monday, August 19, in Abuja after returning to his hotel room after the meeting.

    Reports indicate that Ijalaye was in high spirits during the meeting, which was a crucial discussion on the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, as well as the filling of vacant positions in the National and State Assemblies.

    Ijalaye assumed the REC position in Ogun State in March 2022 following the transfer of his predecessor, Olusegun Agbaje, to Lagos State.

  • No discrepancies in 2023 presidential election results- INEC

    No discrepancies in 2023 presidential election results- INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that the results from the 2023 presidential elections were authentic.

    It denied the claims of discrepancies between the results on its website and those presented by returning officers at the National Collation Centre, which were broadcast live on national television.

    INEC’s claim comes after the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), in a letter dated August 7 and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, alleged that in the televised announcements, INEC reported 1,578 polling units (PUs) where voting was cancelled because of irregularities.

    It said no figures were given for the reason, though officials said that the total number of registered voters was about 1,205,000.

    CCIJ said in the documents filed on IREV that INEC polling workers reported 2,203 polling units (PUs) where voting was cancelled because of irregularities.

    “Violence was the leading reason, covering about half of the polling stations affected. The total registered voters was about 1,221,000.

    “Can you explain the differences between what INEC officials were saying publicly versus the records filed by polling unit workers?” It queried among several other posers.

    Responding, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the Commission does not announce election results on social media and that there are no discrepancies either in the number of registered voters or the presidential election results announced by the Commission.

    “You listed three YouTube video links from Channels Television, showing the interactions between the State Returning Officers of Imo, Abia, and Zamfara States and the INEC Chairman at the National Collation Centre, Abuja.

    “It is important to note that the Returning Officers of the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are required to present their presidential election results individually to the Chief Returning Officer of the Federation for the presidential election, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who is also the INEC Chairman.

    “But contrary to your observations, there were no contradictions in the video clips. In conformity with the established procedure, the Returning Officer, in each clip, announced, in descending order, the total valid votes, rejected votes, total votes cast, cancelled votes (if any), the specific areas where such votes were cancelled, and where the election did not hold with reasons. Party agents were subsequently allowed to make observations or raise objections after each announcement, but there was none in all the video clips.

    “The presidential election was conducted in 176,606 Polling Units, spread across 8,809 wards in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Supplementary elections were also held in 23 States on 15th April 2023 for various reasons captured under Chapter 11 of the Report of the 2023 General Election.

    “To that extent, we need to know the state, Local Government Area (LGA), Ward and specific polling unit being referred to for proper evaluation of your enquiries and to enable us to provide the required information. Unfortunately, the precise information necessary to address your enquiries was missing.

    “There are no ‘differences’ in the number of polling units and registered voters in the listed states. The total number of polling units and registered voters remains as announced by the Commission.

    “The result of an election may be cancelled for specific reasons, including violence, over-voting, and refusal to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as stipulated in the extant laws. At the same time, the conditions for making a return when the result of an election is cancelled or declared null and void in specific polling units have also been explained in the Electoral Act 2023 and the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections (2022). You are invited to read the full details on our website, www.inecnigeria.org.

    “The results of the 2023 presidential election presented by our 36 State Returning Officers and the Returning Officer for the FCT at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, are official and authentic”.

     

  • Why INEC can’t conduct LG polls – Council boss

    Why INEC can’t conduct LG polls – Council boss

    The Chairman of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, Mr Fatai Ayoola, has faulted calls for INEC to take over conduct of local government  elections.

    Ayoola made his position known in an interview with NAN in Lagos.

    NAN reports that State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) currently conduct council polls.

    The calls for INEC to take over conduct of council polls followed  a recent Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government.

    Those calling for the takeover believe that it  would prevent  state governors from  imposing their candidates on councils.

    Ayoola told NAN that the call lacked merit as INEC had never conducted a rancour-free poll in Nigeria to warrant such a call.

    “Tell me which election INEC has conducted  without a controversy,” he said.

    According to him, it is irreconcilable that some Nigerians are clamouring for state police and true federalism and, at the same time,  seeking abolition of SIECs.

    He urged Nigerians to suggest how to improve conduct of local government elections rather than agitating for INEC to do it.

    “It will only get better, it is a gradual process,” he said.

    He, however, supported calls for true federalism and creation of state police, saying that councils could not be taken away from states.

    NAN reports that the Supreme Court held that the 774 local governments in the country should independently manage their funds.

    The verdict will enable local governments to  directly  receive federal allocations from the federation account.

    With the judgment, local governments can also manage their finances, collect revenues and allocate resources without state governments’ interferences.

  • Edo Guber Election: INEC reports significant shortfall in agent nominations

    Edo Guber Election: INEC reports significant shortfall in agent nominations

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 17 politicians participating in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State have nominated a total of 44,687 agents. This number falls short of the expected cumulative figure of 80,410 agents, representing only 55.6% of the anticipated total.

     

    In a statement released in Abuja on Thursday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, explained that three political parties have submitted the details of their agents for all polling and collation levels, while one party has not nominated any agents for any level.

     

    Olumekun noted that a summary of the political parties’ submissions has been made available on the commission’s website and social media platforms for public access. He reminded Nigerians that since 2020, the Commission has replaced the manual process for accrediting observers, media, polling, and collation agents with dedicated online portals. Political parties are required to upload their agents’ details, including photographs, to these portals.

     

    “For the Edo State Governorship Election, the portal was open from July 17, 2024, and automatically closed at midnight on July 30, 2024, as outlined in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, released almost a year ago in September 2023,” Olumekun stated.

     

    Edo State has 4,519 polling units and 211 collation centres, including 192 ward centres, 18 Local Government centres, and the State collation centre in Benin City.

    A political party fielding a candidate in the election is expected to nominate 4,730 agents. Despite expecting a cumulative total of 80,410 agents from the 17 participating parties, only 44,687 agents were uploaded to the portal.

    This includes 43,043 polling agents, 1,452 ward agents, 179 Local Government agents, and 13 State collation agents, making up 55.6% of the expected number of agents.

  • 44,687 agents to monitor Edo governorship election

    44,687 agents to monitor Edo governorship election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said details of only 44,687 out of 80,410 expected party agents for Edo governorship election were submitted on its dedicated portal, by the July 30 deadline.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, by Sam Olumekun, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.

    Olumekun said that the commission met and among other matters, reviewed the preparations for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

    He recalled that since 2020, INEC replaced the manual process for accreditation of observers, media, polling and collation agents with dedicated portals to which the required information, including photographs, was uploaded.

    He recalled that political parties were, subsequently, required to upload the details of their agents for polling units and collation centres for all elections.

    Olumekun said that for the Edo Governorship Election, the portal opened on July 17 and will automatically shut down at midnight on July 30.

    “In Edo, there are 4,519 polling units and 211 collation centres, comprising 192 ward centres, 18 Local Government centres and the State collation centre in Benin.

    “A political party fielding a candidate in the election is expected to nominate 4,730 agents.

    “From the 17 parties participating in the election, the Commission expected a cumulative figure of 80,410 agents.

    “However, only 44,687 were uploaded to the portal made up of 43,043 polling, 1,452 ward, 179 Local Government and 13 State collation agents.

    “Put together, the 17 political parties nominated 55.6 per cent of the expected number of agents.

    “Three political parties uploaded the details of their agents for all levels of polling and collation while one party has no single agent for any level of voting or collation,” Olumekun said.

    Based on infographics on the political party polling and collation agents issued by INEC, 43,043 agents were nominated for polling units agents.

    While the APC, PDP and NNPP nominated the highest number of 4,519 agents each, followed by LP and ZLP with 4,518, the APP submitted nine, while the Booth Party (BP) did not submit any agents.

    Also, while 13 parties including APC and PDP, submitted one state collation agent each, the ADC, APGA, BP and SDP did not dominate any.

    Of the 179 local government collation agents nominated, the summary shows that the AA, AAC, APC, LP, PDP, NNPP, and ZLP nominated eight each, APGA and APP nominated one each, while ADC, BP and SDP did not nominate any agent.

    Equally, of the 1,452 Registration Areas (RAs) agents nominated for the election, APC, NNPP and PDP nominated the highest number of 192 each.

    This is followed by AA which nominated 190, while Accord party, ADC, APP, BP, and SDP did not nominate any for the category.

  • INEC releases final voter registers for Edo, Ondo governorship polls

    INEC releases final voter registers for Edo, Ondo governorship polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final register of voters for the upcoming Governorship Elections in Edo and Ondo, an official has said.

    The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee in the state, Mr Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The statement showed that Edo has 2,629,025, while Ondo has 2,053,061.

    Olumekun stated that the final registers were approved at the meeting of the commission in Abuja.

    He added that the register integrated new voters from the recent Continuous Voter Registration as well as the figures of successful applicants for transfer from other states to the two states.

    According to him, of the 2,629,025 registered voters in Edo, 1,370,061, representing 52.11 per cent were male, while 1,258,964, representing 47.89 per cent, were female.

    He also stated that the youths (18 years to 35 years) accounted for 983,133 (37.4 per cent), followed by 914,806 middle aged (36 to 49) persons.

    He explained that the two age groups constitute 1,897,939, representing 72.2 per cent of the registered voters.

    Olumekun also said that the occupational distribution of the registered voters showed that 868,764 students constitute the majority of voters (33.05 per cent), while 4,199 (0.16 per cent) were Persons with Disability (PWD).

    He further said that the new register represents 4.9 per cent increase over the 2023 General Elections figure of 2,501,081.

    For Ondo, Olumekun said that the state now has 2,053,061 registered voters of which 1,034,006 (50.36 per cent) are male, while 1,034,964 (47.89 per cent ) are female.

    “Youths (18 – 35 years) account for 726,944 (35.41 per cent), followed by 721,982 (35.17 per cent) middle aged (36 – 49) persons.

    “Together, they constitute 1,448,926 (70.57 per cent) of registered voters in the state.

    “In terms of occupation, 694,938 students constitute the majority of voters (33.85 per cent),” he stated.

    He explained that there are 1,782 (0.09 per cent) PWDs.

    “The new register represents a 3.0 per cent increase over the 2023 General Elections figure of 1,191,344,” Olumekun stated.

    He added that the detailed breakdown of the register for each state by Local Government Areas, gender, age, occupation and disability had been uploaded to INEC website and social media platforms for public information.

    Olumekun further stated that in the next few days, INEC would release the timetable for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards in the two states.

  • INEC raises security concerns over Edo gov’ship election

    INEC raises security concerns over Edo gov’ship election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised security concern over the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.

    Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the commission, said this in Abuja on Thursday when he appeared before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters.

    His appearance was in preparation for the upcoming off circle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

    He said that the main concern of the electoral umpire in the Edo governorship election was security.

    “When we were there, one of the political parties raised an issue in Edo about the likely deployment of the Edo State Security Network (ESSN).

    “But immediately after we received the complaint, we headed to the office of the Commissioner of Police and summoned a meeting with all security agencies in Edo.

    He said that the commission  agreed to meet with all political parties, and the commissioner of Police told us and the party leaders that he would take up the matter with the state government.

    “The issue at that time was the ongoing continuous voter registration and since then, I am not aware of any official complaints from any party or candidate on the role of the ESSN,”he said.

    The chairman said that he believed that the commissioner of Police must have spoken to the leadership of the ESSN.

    On the preparation for the governorship race, he said, “We have conducted continuous voter registration. A few of the registered voters require validation.”

    He stated that INEC was not happy with the quality of the biometrics for the registered voters in the states.

    Yakubu said  that it is the right of every registered Nigerian to be able to vote seamlessly.

    He said that it was also the responsibility of INEC to ensure that every citizen was given the opportunity to vote.

    According to him,  the final outcome of the continuous voter registration in Edo would be published next week.

    Yakubu said that one of the major problems faced by the commission was the   difficulty in  conducting off-cycle governorship elections.

    He said it was more difficult than to  conduct general elections.

    “These off-cycle elections are very difficult and very challenging for us,” he said.

  • Just In: We can conveniently conduct LG elections – INEC

    Just In: We can conveniently conduct LG elections – INEC

    The apex electoral body in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it can comfortably handle the conduct of local government elections if the responsibility falls on it.

    The chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said this on Thursday, July 25, when he appeared before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on preparations for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

    He said INEC has the capacity to handle the local government elections but that would only be possible pending when the law is amended to permit it to do so.

    He pointed out that the Commission had been conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory which has been devoid of the problems associated with the conduct of local government elections.

    He pointed out some advantages of INEC handling elections to include that there are regular elections as when due, stability of tenure, and also that there has never been a caretaker committee in the FCT.

    He noted that there has never been a time one political party has won all the seats at the elections as is common in the states.

    He said if INEC handles the election, it would be better for democracy.

    He, however, said this can only happen if the constitution is amended to take the responsibility from state electoral commissions.

    Details shortly…