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Tag: INEC

  • 2019: Registered voters to get PVCs nationwide from May 21 – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for citizens who registered in the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) between April and December 2017 will be ready for collection on May 21.

    The commission disclosed this in a statement by its Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi in Abuja on Friday.

    Mr Osaze-Uzzi said the decision was reached on May 10 when the commission met in Abuja.

    This, according to Osaze-Uzzi, includes registered citizens who applied for transfers and replacement of their lost PVCs within the said period.

    He added that “such persons are to report at the INEC Local Government Offices and other designated registration centres nationwide with their Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) to collect their PVCs.’’

    He assured Nigerians who registered in the ongoing CVR that their PVCs would be ready for collection in good time before the 2019 general elections.

    For further enquiries, Mr Osaze-Uzzi advised citizens to contact the nearest INEC office or INEC Citizens Contact Centre (ICCC), twitter handle, facebook and website.

    The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, had on May 3 disclosed that the commission had taken delivery of four million PVCs for distribution to the electorate registered in 2017.

    Mr Yakubu said the PVCs would be delivered to states for onward distribution to their owners in the next few days.

    He had earlier promised that the PVCs for Nigerians who registered during the CVR would be ready for collection in May.

  • Ekiti guber: INEC announces May 15 deadline for submission of candidates’ names

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given all the political parties for the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State May 15 deadline to submit the names of their candidates and their running mates.

    The National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Col. Austin Akobundu (retd.), stated this while handing over the nomination form to the party’s governorship candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He said the candidate must also give the same form to his running mate, warning that both candidates must submit their forms to the national secretariat of the party latest by Monday.

    He said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission has given us May 15 deadline within which all the political parties must submit the names of their governorship candidates.

    “Therefore, you (Olusola) must submit your form and that of your running mate to us latest by Monday.

    “If you don’t have a running mate, I’m available, please. But let the forms get to us on time as stated.”

    Speaking at the event, Olusola noted that he was ready and prepared for the election.

    He also said heaven had sanctioned that the PDP would continue to rule in Ekiti State after the expiration of the tenure of Governor Ayodele Fayose.

    He said, “I am ready and prepared to take up this challenge as the incoming governor of Ekiti State on the platform of the PDP.”

    The PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Mr. Yemi Akinwonmi, while presenting the certificate to the party’s governorship candidate on behalf of the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, described the primary that produced Olusola as credible, transparent and unchallenged.

    Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress has reaffirmed Friday as the date for the party primary to elect its candidate for the Ekiti State governorship election.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, in Abuja, on Wednesday, said the party no longer had the luxury of time.

    He said, “We (the party) have up till next week to submit the name of our candidate. We have fixed Friday for the primary and that has not changed.”

    Abdullahi said this while reacting to a question on whether the party was considering a request for a shift in date for the exercise.

    The party leadership met for over three hours with the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee of the party at the party’s national secretariat, in Abuja.

    After the meeting, one of the aspirants, Ajayi Olowo told reporters that he and his colleagues appealed to the NWC to shift the date of the primary to Sunday because they needed time to get back to their constituencies.

    Olowo further explained that the leadership of the party had assured them that some members of the panel would be replaced because they voiced their lack of confidence in the current panel.

    In a response to a question as to whether aspirants were working towards having a consensus candidate, he said, “There is no consensus. We are all going for election.”

    Most of the 33 aspirants contesting the primary were present at the meeting.

  • Oyo APC commends members as INEC monitors Ward Congress

    Oyo APC commends members as INEC monitors Ward Congress

    The Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday commended the party delegates for their peaceful conduct during the Congress that was conducted in the 351 wards across the state.

    The party also described as a cache of lies the allegation by a faction of the party that some of the new ward executives did not pay nomination fees for forms collected and fake forms were also issued.

    The General Secretary of the Party, Mr. Mojeed Olaoya equally commended the 7-man ward congress committee led by Alhaji Musa Halilu for their steadfast and commitment to the tenets of the party as well as rule of law, noting that their conduct has concretised the firm belief of the party in due process and constitutionality.

    “The APC in Oyo State would like to commend the WARD CONGRESS Committee ably led by Alhaji Musa Halilu Ahmed for the wonderful job so far” the party scribe said.

    According to a Mr. Olaoya, “We commend our members across the 351 Wards of the state for their orderliness in the discharge of the onerous responsibility to elect new executives that would pilot the affairs of the Party for the next four years.

    “It gladdens our heart that the Congress went smoothly and very successful across all the 351 Wards without any skirmish or violence as against the wishes of some dissidents of the Party. Such individuals make politicking interesting and their nuisances are inevitable”

    Olaoya disclosed that all the 351 Wards Congresses were monitored by INEC officials and all the Security agents to authenticate the exercise.

    He urged party members to exhibit the spirit of tolerance and accommodate all as always being preached by the leader of the party in the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, stressing that the peace in the state which the present administration is known for should not be sacrificed for any reason.

    Olaoya called on all delegates to repeat the same orderliness and peaceful conduct in the other forthcoming.

  • Kano underage voters not on our register — INEC

    Kano underage voters not on our register — INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said there was no connection between the voters register and the Kano February 10 local government elections in which underage voters allegedly participated.

    The chairman of the Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, stated this on Friday at a press briefing at the Commission’s headquarters.

    The Commission said if at all underage voters participated, they were not on its register.

    Following reports, pictures and videos of underage voting in the Kano council polls, INEC had in February set up a committee to investigate if the underage voters were on the national electoral roll.

    The committee submitted its report on March 28, but INEC did not release the details, causing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to accuse it of ploting with the APC-led Federal Governemnt to rig the 2019 elections.

  • INEC releases report on underage voting in Kano today

    INEC releases report on underage voting in Kano today

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it would release reports on its investigation on underage voting in Kano today (Friday).

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Rotimi Oyekanmi, disclosed this on Thursday.

    “You are all cordially invited to a press conference on the findings of the committee constituted to investigate the alleged Kano Underage Voting scheduled on Friday,” he said.

    The Electoral commission had in February set up a committee to investigate underage voting in the local government election in Kano State in which the All Progressives Congress won the 44 local governments.

    The report of the committee which was submitted on March 28, was kept secret for several weeks causing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to accuse the electoral body of colluding with the APC-led Federal Governemnt to rig the 2019 elections.

  • Four million PVCs delivered to newly-registered voters – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has taken delivery of four million Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for distribution to the electorate registered in 2017.

    The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Thursday at INEC Campus Outreach on “Youth Votes Count’’ at the University of Abuja.

    Yakubu said the PVCs would be delivered to states for onward distribution to the owners in the next few days.

    “For the four million voters who registered between April and December 2017, all the cards have been printed and will be delivered to the state this weekend.

    “So, by next week they will begin to collect their cards.

    “For those who registered in first quarter of 2018 and those being captured in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), I assure you that your cards will be available ahead of the 2019 general elections.’’

    He added that PVCs for newly-registered voters in Ekiti and Osun states would also be ready before the upcoming coming governorship elections in the states.

    Yakubu disclosed that INEC had so far registered about 8 million new voters in the CVR.

    “We have registered about 4 million Nigerians in 2017; in the first quarter of 2018 we registered about 2.9 million and in the four weeks of the second quarter, as at yesterday (Wednesday), we registered about 1.1 million more.

    “At the end of the exercise, we expect that about 11 million Nigerians will have been registered,’’ Yakubu said.

    He announced the creation of a registration centre at the University of Abuja campus and advised students and other residents close to the campus to make use of the centre by registering.
    Yusuf also advised them to endeavor to collect their PVCs and take active part in the 2019 elections, pledging that their votes would count.

    “When you collect your PVCs, please on Feb. 16 and March 2, 2019, make sure you go out to vote.

    “Let me give you an undertaking that in 2019 your votes will count, in 2019 only the votes cast by Nigerians will determine who wins,’’ he said.

    Yakubu said INEC was working towards ensuring that all Nigerians were carried along, including the People Living with Disability as it prepared for 2019 election.

    He said the commission would also provide magnified glasses for people with eyesight problem during the election as demonstrated in the recently conducted Anambra governorship poll.

    Also, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Michael Adikwu, commended INEC for starting its sensitization campaign against violence for Nigerian students at the institution.

    Adikwu, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Edward Nwana, said that INEC action underscored the important of youths as future leaders of the country.

    “What is happening today gives the youth a lot of hope for the country that we will have elections that will be credible and defensible in every part of the world.

    “I do hope that after today’s session, there will be no doubt that we will all play our roles in ensuring that our electoral processes are credible,’’ he said.

    The President of the University’s Students Union Government, stressed the need to carry the youth along in the electoral process.

    “It is a great thing for INEC to deem it fit to start the pioneer programme in UniAbuja.

    “You cannot take away youths from politics. Youths in politics, leadership and governance is something that must be taken with utmost value if Nigeria must attain greatness in future.

    “The step by INEC means that it believes in the youth, not only as the leaders of tomorrow but of today and we will lead ourselves into tomorrow.

    INEC ambassadors, Innocent 2baba Idibia, Helen Paul, Cobhams Asuquo , a multi-award wining musician/producer with visual challenge, as well as Yakubu and Obasanjo featured at the panel session.

    NAN

  • Mind your business, Ekiti APC tells Fayose

    The Ekiti state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) on Wednesday night reacted to claims by Governor Ayo Fayose that some of its aspirants planned to monetise Saturday’s governorship primary, describing it as figment of his imagination.

    The party, through its State Publicity Secretary, Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun said what the governor had just displayed by raising “false alarm” was a sign that he was afraid of an impending loss by his party of the July gubernatorial election.

    ” Fayose is frustrated and jittery, let him mind his business. He is not a member of our party so I don’t know where he is picking his information from.

    ” APC is not like his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party that has stolen our commonwealth and plunged the nation into a state of coma

    “Yes, we will mobilise our members for the primary but the allegation that we are sharing that kind of money by the governor is laughable

    ” We will do everything that is right and within the constitution to send him out of the Government House, so let him start packing.

    “No amount of blackmail will stop or derail us. The Ekiti people are set for the APC and we will make sure we produce a candidate that is acceptable to the people.”he said.

    At a press conference earlier on Wednesday, Fayose raised the alarm over alleged movement of heavy cash into the state by some unidentified aspirants of the APC.

    He said such monies were meant to compromise the delegates.

    He claimed that the governorship election slated for July 14 in the state might also be compromised by the use of cash, going by the alleged desperation of the aspirants who are jostling for the ticket of the APC.

    According to him, the way the exercise was being compromised in the build up to ordinary primary, showed that the APC was merely paying lip service to the war against corruption.

    The Governor wondered where the money being spent by the alleged and unidentified aspirants was coming from.

    Fayose claimed that one particular aspirant gave each delegate N250,000, and another gave N500,000, with a promise to offer them N1million each onSaturday, the day of the party primary.

    He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant agencies to beam their searchlight into the alleged monetisation of the electoral processes in the state and avoid a repeat of same scenario when it comes to the gubernatorial election proper.

     

  • INEC announces date for collection of new PVCs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to newly-registered voters will commence early in May.

    INEC National Commissioner in charge of Ondo, Ogun and Lagos States, Adekunle Ogunmola, disclosed this at the sidelines of South-West Zonal Workshop on Women Participation in Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and Collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    The workshop, which held in Lagos, was organised by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECEC) and had Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in attendance.

    The event centred on the role of CSOs in mobilising women for ongoing CVR and collection of the PVCs.

    Mr Ogunmola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that INEC was determined to register all eligible voters before the 2019 general elections to enable them perform their civic responsibility.

    “We have announced that from the second week of May, the new registrants will be collecting their PVCs.

    “In fact, most of the new PVCs have been sent to the states; we hope that by the second week of May, we will start the distribution.”

    He expressed concerned about the uncollected 1.4 million PVCs in Lagos state, noting that the commission was trying to employ other strategies to ensure that most of the cards were collected.

    The INEC commissioner said the commission was making efforts to get the Voter Identification Number (VIN) of the people involved, get their addresses and published their names on INEC website.

    He said that state governments had resolved to assist the commission to publish the names of the owners of the unclaimed PVCs.

    According to him, voter apathy, lack of adequate sensitisation and societal issues have been identified as reasons for low participation of women in the electoral process.

    Mr Ogunmola urged the CSOs and other stakeholders to support the commission in sensitising and mobilising the people for the collection of PVCs.

    On his part, David Le Notre, Project Director/Senior Electoral Expert, ECES, said that women, who constituted about half of the population must be carried along in every facet of the development.

  • CSOs urge eligible voters in Anambra to register with INEC

    Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on eligible voters in Anambra to register with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the end of the current phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    The groups made the call in Awka during a one-day sensitisation workshop on Electoral Participation for youths on Sunday.

    Mrs Chioma Okeke, Coordinator, Shoulder for Gender Support and Development Initiative, decried the level of political apathy in Anambra and the South-East.

    Okeke called on the participants, mostly youths, to avail themselves with the window provided by the ongoing CVR and register.

    She said some of the identified challenges in registration of voters in Anambra include: absence of INEC registration officials at advertised venues, alleged extortion of those wishing to register by officials and non collection of Permanent Voter Cards(PVCs)

    “INEC has to do more to cover eligible voters in the ongoing registration process, while in some places, efforts are made to register people even up to going to their houses, here people go to designated places and the officials are not there,” she said.

    On his part, Mr Chukwuma Chukwura, Coordinator of Kingsfaith Development and Youth Empowerment Initiative, expressed concern that people could not take time off their daily routine to register or collect their PVCs at INEC office.

    He said the number of eligible voters said to have registered in Anambra was a far cry from the population of voters in the state.

    “It is a serious source of worry for us how our youths behave when it comes to politics.

    “They are very active on social media , posting all sort of things about Nigeria and some individuals but in practice, they are not doing anything; common registering to vote, they will not, for those that manage to register, go and get your PVC, no way.

    “Worse still, on the day of election you see them playing football and drinking at joints because they feel it is not their business, that is why very small per cent of them voted in the last governorship election in Anambra.

    “What we are saying is that INEC, the political class and communities should encourage those who have not registered to do so before the time is up,” he said.

    Addressing the participants, Mr Leo Nkedife, Head, Public Relations Department of INEC in Anambra , corroborated the CSOs’ observation that the turnout of people in the state for the CVR was poor.

    Nkedife urged the people to take advantage of the exercise to register, saying that registration was free.

    He urged the people to report any of the commission’s official(s) who demanded money before registering them.

    Nkedife disclosed that only 22 per cent of the 2.15 million voters in Anambra participated in the Nov. 18, 2107 governorship election, and that over 142,000 PVCs were still awaiting collection at the INEC office in the state.

    He said INEC had greatly improved in the conduct of elections as people’s votes now count.

    Prof Collins Okafor of the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, blamed the political apathy among the people on lack of confidence in the Nigerian electoral process.

    Okafor said apathy include; refusal to register, refusal to belong to a political party, refusal to vote and refusal to protest against rigging and other electoral malpractice.

    He said those who did not participate in politics contributed more to the political and economic crisis in the country.

     

  • Kogi youth threaten INEC officials, oppose Melaye’s recall

    Voters in Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in Kogi have shunned the ongoing verification exercise organised by INEC to authenticate the signatures of voters seeking to recall Sen. Dino Melaye (APC/Kogi West).

    Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), monitoring the exercise in Mr Melaye’s Kogi West Senatorial District, observed that the polling units were empty, with many people claiming that they were not aware of it.

    At some areas, youth protested against the move to recall the senator who they described as “an excellent representative”.

    An NYSC member, Opemipo Solomon, the INEC officer at Akafe Lane polling unit, said that no one had showed up since they arrived the voting venue at 6.45 a.m.

    “No one has come to sign the recall papers; what we have had so far are threats from people asking us leave this place.

    “The people do not appear interested in what we are doing. Some youths have come to warn us against staying here,” she said.

    Another corps member, David Adah, INEC presiding officer at the Odo Akete polling unit also in Kabba, said that many youth were angry over the recall process.

    “So many youths from the community are angry; they have alleged that their signatures were forged to endorse the recall process.

    “Most of the youths, who saw their names among those that signed for the recall of Melaye, have disowned the signatures and insisted that they are happy with the Senator,” he said.

    At the embattled senator’s polling unit in Ayetoro Gbede, a traditional ruler, Ojo Adekunle, who led some youth to protest against the recall process, said they were not aware of Mr Melaye’s offence.

    “Melaye has done so well and we are happy with him; we have no reason to want to recall him,” he said.

    Mr Adekunle told NAN that Mr Melaye was the best Senator Kogi West had ever produced, and urged his people not to betray their representative at this trying period.

    Vicoria Ajewole, APC Woman Leader in Kabba Local Government, expressed surprise at the recall process, and declared that “it won”t work”.

    “Melaye is our son; there is no way anyone can recall him,” she said.

    At the central area of Kabba town, youth were seen chanting songs in praise of Mr Melaye.

    They vowed to resist attempt to disgrace him.

    Efforts to speak with INEC officials at the commission’s office in Kabba proved abortive as they refused to comment on the exercise

    Policemen keeping watch at the polling points also refused to comment on the exercise.