TheNewsGuru

Tag: INEC

  • Electorate shun INEC recall process, say Melaye excellent

    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 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, youths protested against the move to recall the senator who they described as “an excellent representative”.

    An NYSC member, Miss Opemipo Solomon, the INEC officer at Akafe Lane polling unit, said that no one had shown 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 youths 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, Chief Ojo Adekunle, who led some youths to protest against the recall process, said that they were not aware of 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.

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

    Mrs. 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, youths were seen chanting songs in praise of Sen. Dino 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

    Stern-looking Policemen keeping vigil at the polling points also refused to comment on the exercise.

  • INEC releases timetable for Osun guber polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun has released the timetable for the conduct of the state’s Sept. 22 governorship election.

    Presenting the timetable to newsmen on Thursday in Osogbo, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, the newly appointed Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) said election activities would commence on June 23 with the release of “Notice of Election’’ by INEC.

    Agbaje said political parties would commence public campaign on June 24 while candidates for elections and their parties would have the opportunities to obtain forms at INEC headquarters from June 25.

    The REC said that party primaries and resolution of disputes arising from the primaries would hold from June 24 to July 23.

    “The last day for withdrawal of candidate(s) and replacement of withdrawn candidate(s) by political parties would be August 8 while the last day for the submission of nomination forms would be August 22.

    “The last day of campaigns will be Sept. 20, while the election proper will hold on Sept. 22 as provided in section 178 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that as parts of the commission’s roadmap for the election, Continuous Voter Registration (CRV) had been extended at the 332 wards in the state from April 11 to April 16.

    He said those who were newly captured would undergo Automatic Finger Identification System (AFIS) before their names would be ratified and added to the present list of registered voters in Osun.

    The REC reassured that the PVC for registered voters in the state would be distributed before the governorship election on Sept. 22.
    Agbaje said that 411,438 PVCs were yet to be collected in the state.

    NAN

  • Recall: INEC to verify signatures of Melaye’s petitioners April 28

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it will commence the verification of signatures of those seeking the recall of Sen. Dino Melaye on April 28.

    INEC Federal Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, made the disclosure at a stakeholders meeting on Wednesday in Lokoja over the commencement of the recall process.

    He explained that the verification exercise would hold in 552 polling units in seven local governments under Kogi West senatorial district.

    According to him, the verification will hold from 8 am to 2 pm using the card reading machines to authenticate the voter cards of those that signed the recall petition.

    “ Only those who signed the petition are expected to turn up at their polling units for verification,” Haruna said.

    Also speaking, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Prof. James Apam said that local observers would be allowed to monitor the exercise.

    He explained, however, that the verification exercise will not hold in eight polling units as no petition was received from them.

    The REC said that no party agents would be allowed access to any of the polling units, adding that the result of the exercise will be announced on April 29.

    “ We have concluded all arrangements in line with our schedule of activities and are set for the exercise.

    “ The adhoc staff have been trained at the state and local government levels and materials procured and sent to the registration area centres ready for movement to the polling units on the day of verification,” Apam explained.

     

  • 2019: INEC replies PDP on alleged plans to create 30,000 new polling units

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied alleged plans to re-introduce 30,000 new polling units so as to compromise the 2019 General Elections.

    Recall that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday in statement, alleged that INEC was planning to create 30,000 illegal polling units in some remote areas of the country.

    A statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, on Sunday in Abuja urged members of the public to disregard the statement.

    Oyekanmi said the fact of the matter was that the commission had received 3,789 requests nationwide for the creation of new polling units.

    He said INEC had directed its Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to thoroughly assess the requests and provide it with information on new settlements not served or inadequately served by existing polling units.

    He added that the commissioners were also to provide information on areas with natural barriers that hinder access to existing polling units as well as areas that were distant from existing polling units.

    “The RECs are also to assess and provide information on areas affected by communal and other conflicts that make voting in existing polling units unsafe for voters,” he said.

    According to him, these reports are still being awaited from the various states.

    “It is these reports and the information they contain that will be collated and carefully examined by the commission in order to determine what changes may be necessary in the current polling units` profile of the country.

    “Therefore, the insinuation that the commission intends to create 30,000 new polling units to compromise the 2019 General Elections is false, misleading, unfounded and should be disregarded,” he said.

    The commission assured the public that its decisions and actions shall always be guided by the provisions of the extant laws and its determination to respond to requests by Nigerians to serve them better.

    He added that the creation of more polling units would be done only after full consultation with all stakeholders.

  • Bayelsa Govt to sensitise citizenry over uncollected PVCs

    The Bayelsa Government has pledged to mobilise its citizenry to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to enable them to fully participate in the 2019 general elections.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that no fewer than 28, 590 PVCs were yet to be collected by their owners while more than 65,000 new voters had been captured in the state during the recent registration exercise.

    Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, Commissioner for Information in the state made the pledge on Sunday while in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at Opume in Ogbia Local Government Area.

    He said that the state government would mobilise the citizenry in realisation that the people were at the centre of political activities and should be encouraged to participate in the electoral process.

    “The government of Gov. Seriake Dickson realises that politics is about numbers and given the renewed confidence that we have in INEC that our votes do count, we are relying on the people and hence mobilising them to participate in elections.

    “Since we abhor politics of violence in elections, our strategy is to increase the participation of the people.

    “In Ogbia, we used to record the second largest votes but we have dropped to the fifth, due to apathy.

    “So we are looking forward to closing that gap in future elections,” he said.

    Iworiso-Markson who monitored the just concluded Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in the area expressed satisfaction at the turn out and further appealed to INEC to extend the exercise to capture all eligible voters.

    He said that after the three weeks period of the CVR, prospective voters were still turning up for the exercise which ended on Friday.

    “The people of Opume kingdom have shown so much enthusiasm in responding to the call to participate in their civic responsibility to participate in the electoral process.

    “They keep coming out and even on the final day of the exercise some people are yet to be captured and we are hoping that INEC officers will report to the leadership for possible extension,” the commissioner said.

     

  • INEC registers 125,481 more eligible voters in Edo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said it had registered 125,481 more eligible voters at the end of the third quarter of the 2017 and first quarter of 2018 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Edo.

    Mr Obo Effanga, the outgoing Edo Resident Electoral Commissioner, made this disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Sunday.

    Effanga explained that the commission registered 40,785 eligible voters in the first and second quarters of 2017, 30,655 and 9,853 voters in the third quarter.

    He said the commission also registered 44, 188 eligible voters in the first quarter of 2018, which ended in March.

    Effanga further disclosed that Ikpoba-Okha Local government Area had the highest performance with 23,611 new registered voters.

    He said Egor had 18, 246, Oredo had 17,605, while Etsako West council area Local had 14,065 among others.

    The commissioner also told NAN that about 450,000 Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs were yet to be collected in Edo.

    He called on eligible voters to take advantage of the ongoing voters’ registration to collect their PVCs.

    “The ongoing registration has given every eligible voter, who has registered and yet to collect their cards the opportunity to go and collect them at the nearest designated registration centres.

    “The second quarter of the 2018 CVR is ongoing, it started this month of April and will last for about three months,” he said.

    He said that the commission approved 10 additional registration centres in the state to be added to the existing ones for easy accessibility.

    NAN reports that Effanga has been transferred by INEC and a new REC is expected to resume duty on April 23 in the state.

  • PDP reveals plot by INEC to rig 2019 elections in favour of Buhari

    The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned what it called fresh plot by the Independent National Electoral Commission to secretly create 30,000 illegal polling units.

    The party alleged that its investigations revealed that the intention of INEC was to rig the 2019 elections in favour of the All Progressives Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The PDP described the alleged plot as wicked, horrible and totally unacceptable.

    A statement issued by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Friday, partly read, “We are aware of the series of clandestine meetings between compromised officials of the commission and certain agents of the Presidency and APC, where the plot to sneak in the 30, 000 illegal polling units in some remote areas was hatched. That was where the plan to also allocate votes to President Buhari and the APC were perfected.” Ologbodiyan alleged that the Presidency and the APC made the moves after realising that Nigerians had allegedly rejected them, “thus they are now employing all manners of antics to rig the polls and foist Buhari back on Nigerians.”

    He said, “The PDP cautions INEC not to set the nation on fire by its overt conspiratorial tendencies. Prof. Yakubu should heed wise counsel and immediately perish the thoughts of using such polling units or dividing the nation along ethnic lines in the 2019 general elections, as such would be swiftly resisted.

    “We invite INEC to note that Nigerians have seen the handwriting on the wall regarding the general rejection of President Buhari and the APC well ahead of the elections. We all know where the tide is flowing and Nigerians are not ready to, and will never accept any results that do not reflect that reality.

    “Having completely lost confidence in the integrity of INEC under Prof. Yakubu, we unequivocally demand that all processes leading to the 2019 elections must be subjected to open review by political parties and stakeholders at all levels.

    “In this regard, we demand that INEC makes public the location and status of all polling units as well as the report of its investigation of underage voters in various parts of the country, particularly, Kano and Katsina states.”

    Ologbondiyan urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and monitor all processes to ensure that INEC and the APC do not, at any point in the process, manipulate the 2019 elections or subvert the will of the people.

     

  • INEC to redistribute 1.4m unclaimed PVCs in Lagos

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State on Friday said that it was making plans to redistribute the unclaimed 1.4 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state.

    Mr Sam Olumekun, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

    “We are actually working out a new strategy,” the INEC boss told NAN, as he explained the commission’s plan to redistribute the permanent voter cards.

    Olumekun, who expressed concerned over the number of uncollected PVCs in Lagos state, urged the owners to go to INEC offices in their local government areas for collection.

    TheNewsGuru reports Lagos state has the highest number of unclaimed PVCs in the country.

    INEC had said that it was still in possession of 7,920,129 permanent voter cards yet to be collected from its offices across the nation.

    A breakdown of the uncollected PVCs as at March revealed that Lagos had the highest number of 1,401,390 followed by Oyo with 647,586 and Edo which had 449,001 while Kano had 195,941.

    The figure also showed Bauchi State as having the least number of uncollected PVCs, 15,542, followed by Bayelsa and Plateau which had 28,533 and 25,300 cards respectively.

     

  • INEC debunks recruiting ad hoc staff for 2019 elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has notified the public to disregard online publications that it is recruiting ad hoc staff ahead of 2019 elections, saying it is untrue.

    In its online publication, the commission said it was aware of some social media publications telling the public that it would recruit 100,000 ad hoc personnel for 2019 general elections.

    It said that information in the publications were false and should be ignored.

    “This information is false. The general public should disregard it because INEC is not recruiting at the moment; don’t be swindled,’’ it stated.

    The commission advised the public to contact it for proper information and guide on any issue concerning the electoral process.

    NAN

  • JUST IN: Omo-Agege reacts to suspension by Senate

    The office of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has responded to the suspension of the Delta Central Senator by the red chamber, saying the Senator remains unfazed and remains an ardent supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda.

    TheNewsGuru reports the Nigerian Senate during plenary on Thursday suspended Omo-Agege for 90 days over the remarks he made at a press conference that the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act which changes the sequence of elections set by INEC is targeted at President Buhari.

    “The issues acted upon today by the Senate are pending before a court of competent jurisdiction and therefore subjudice.

    “It is the Senate’s view that the issues be withdrawn from court for an amicable resolution to hold. Until a resolution is reached, it is better to respect the court processes by not commenting on them,” a statement signed by Senior Legislative Aide to the Senator, Prince Efe Duku, and made available to TheNewsGuru read.

    Although the Senator on February 21, 2018, apologized to the Senate over his comments about electoral act Amendment, the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges had recommended in its report that Senator Omo-Agege be suspended for 181 legislative days.

    “We note that as part of the resolution of the issues, the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki ruled that the Parliamentary Support Group, PSG, (Senate) for President Muhammadu Buhari should be disbanded.

    “This should be a matter for the over 50 members of PSG to decide, possibly with President Buhari on whose behalf they openly work as Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic.

    “In the circumstance, we appeal for calm and assure that as a fervent believer in the rule of law, our Senator is in positive spirit.

    “He deeply respects the institution of the Senate and his good friends in the Senate. He will never undermine them.

    “He remains an ardent supporter of Mr. President’s agenda for a better nation for all and will continue to work assiduously for his re-election,” the Senator’s aide further stated.