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Tag: Nigeria’s 2023 elections

  • Why election will not hold in 240 polling units – INEC

    Why election will not hold in 240 polling units – INEC

    Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has explained why elections will not hold in about 240 polling units across 28 States of the federation.

    INEC Chairman gave the explanation on Monday, Feb. 13, when he addressed members of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja ahead of the elections.

    He explained that the affected polling units have no registered voter.

    According to him, with the exclusion of the 240 polling units, election will take place in about 176,606 polling units across the country.

    In his words: “There are 240 polling units without registered voters spread across 28 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They range from one polling unit to 12 polling units in each State and the FCT, except Taraba and Imo States with 34 and 38 polling units respectively.

    “No new registrants chose the polling units and no voters indicated interest to transfer to them during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), mainly for security reasons. This means that no elections will hold in these polling units.”

    The Commission also warned that it will not accept a situation where two or more party agents report to the polling units and caused confusion. INEC added that any agent found to be engaged in such act will be arrested and prosecuted.

    Why election will not hold in 240 polling units - INEC
    Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that general elections will be held in Nigeria on 25 February 2023 to elect the President and Vice President and members of the Senate and House of Representatives. Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari is ineligible to run, being term-limited.

    Electoral system
    The President of Nigeria is elected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive a majority of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of states.

    The 109 members of the Senate are elected from 109 single-seat constituencies (three in each state and one for the Federal Capital Territory) by first-past-the-post voting. The 360 members of the House of Representatives are also elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies.

  • MANIFESTO: Tinubu makes national security, economy, power, others as his top agenda

    MANIFESTO: Tinubu makes national security, economy, power, others as his top agenda

    The presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has listed as his priority national security, economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation and education in a manifesto.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that in an 80-page policy document known as manifesto, he listed what he intends to achieve in Nigeria, if elected as the next president.

    In the manifesto, Tinubu said his objective is to foster a new society based on shared prosperity, tolerance, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to treating each citizen with equal respect and due regard.

    Here are 10 promises of the former Lagos State governor contained in the manifesto.

    1. Build a Nigeria, especially for our youth, where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life.

    2. Manufacture, create, and invent more of the goods and services we require. Nigeria shall be known as a nation of creators, not just of consumers.

    3. Export more and import less, strengthening both the naira and our way of life.

    4. Continue assisting our ever-toiling farmers, through enlightened agricultural policy that promotes productivity and assures decent incomes, so that farmers can support their families and feed the nation.

    5. Modernise and expand public infrastructure so that the rest of the economy can grow at an optimal rate.

    6. Embolden and support our young people and women by harnessing emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, tourism and others to build the Nigeria of tomorrow, today.

    7. Train and give economic opportunity to the poorest and most vulnerable among us. We seek a Nigeria where no parent is compelled to send a child to bed hungry, worried whether tomorrow shall bring food.

    8. Generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give our people the requisite power to enlighten their lives, their homes, and their very dreams.

    9. Make basic healthcare, education, and housing accessible and affordable for all.

    10. And, most importantly, establish a bold and assertive policy that will create a strong yet adaptive national security architecture and action to obliterate terror, kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of violent extremism from the face of our nation.

  • Lagos Assembly makes clarification on passing Sharia law

    Lagos Assembly makes clarification on passing Sharia law

    The Lagos House of Assembly has debunked  report that it secretly passed a Sharia Bill to favour Northerners to garner support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of next year’s general election.

    Setonji David, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, made this known via a statement on Wednesday.

    Recall that an online media had reported that the assembly hurriedly passed a bill to set up Sharia courts, paving way for Sharia law in Lagos state which had been signed into law by the current state governor.

    David, representing Badagry II, said the report was a mere figment of the imagination of the writer and a total lie from the pit of hell.

    The spokesperson said no informed person should believe such lies against the assembly that was above the common standard of excellence, adding that the news was far from the reality.

    He said: “The attention of the Lagos state house of assembly has been drawn to a malicious and unfounded report making the rounds on social media.

    “That the assembly has secretly passed a sharia law in a deal to get Northern support for Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate.

    “We will not have dignified the writer of this hate speech but in order to set the records straight, this is a mere figment of the imagination of the writer and a total lie from the pit of hell.

    “No informed person should believe this lie against the assembly that is above the common standard of excellence. The news is far from reality.

    “Some people are just mischievous. Spreading all sorts of untrue stuff. Is it possible to pass a law under cover?

    “The process of law making is universal and very open. You cannot pass a law without subjecting it to public hearing in Lagos state.”

    David urged residents of the state and Nigerians as a whole to take the peddlers of this unfounded report as uninformed, and uneducated people who needed to be schooled about the law making process.

    He said Tinubu was a fast selling product across the country and does not need any law from the state to further endear him to all Nigerians.

    The lawmaker said by the special grace of God, Tinubu would emerge winner of the 2023 presidential election to the shame of purveyors of the hate news.

    source NAN

  • Moghalu speaks on political ambition after losing out in presidential race

    African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential aspirant Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has broken his silence after losing out in the presidential race.

    Moghalu on Monday said he has opted out of the 2023 electoral cycle and will not run on any other political platform.

    Recall that Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria was the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the 2019 elections but defected to the ADC in the build-up to the 2023 party primaries to pursue his presidential aspiration.

    However, Moghalu had tendered his resignation at  ADC  after losing to Dumebi Kachikwu  citing  injustice in the  conduct of the party’s  presidential primary election.

    Moghalu, in a statement on Monday, said many invitations had been extended to him by a number of other political parties to still be presented as a presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections on their party platforms.

    “Notwithstanding, I have opted not to be a candidate in this electoral cycle.

    He said, “At this time, I have no plans to become a member of any other political party for the purpose of the 2023 general elections.

    “However, I intend to remain keenly engaged in our country’s immediate future, including the elections, with contributions that are appropriate and can be helpful to nation-building.”

    Moghalu claimed many political associates, supporters and other Nigerians have wondered over the past couple of weeks what his next steps would be since he resigned membership of ADC on grounds of principle after the party’s recent presidential primaries.

    He explained that his campaign was always based on a vision for Nigeria as set out in his manifesto book, Build, Innovate and Grow (BIG), and a desire to serve, “not on any inordinate personal ambition.”

    The presidential hopeful said he was humbled by the recognition of the strength and impact of his political brand in the country today by the parties that invited him to take their ticket.

    “To my supporters who already have tickets from party primaries to contest for down-ballot electoral offices under the ADC, you have my full support for your electoral races and my prayers for your victory.

    “To those who held tickets but resigned from the party in solidarity with me, and who still wish to contest elections, there are alternative avenues that can be explored.

    “For those supporters and the general public who have intended to vote for me as a presidential candidate in the general elections had I emerged as one, I ask you to cast your support and ballot in the 2023 election to the candidate that comes closest to our shared vision of a Nigeria that is secured, united, and prosperous.

    “The best chance to achieve this vision is under transformative leadership that represents a break from the old political order,” he said.

    “Our children must experience a tomorrow that is much better than our today,” he added.

  • 2023: INEC gives parties deadline to submit names of candidates

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the closure of all political party primaries effective Thursday, June 9, 2022.

    INEC has also began the process of inputting party flagbearers in the data base ahead of next year’s general election.

    INEC made its position known   at the  meeting of State Resident Electoral Commissioners at the Commission’s headquarters on Thursday.

    The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, informed that beginning from Friday, the 10th, to the 17th of June, the 18 political parties in the country are required to upload names and other details of their candidates, including those of presidents and their running mates, Senatorial and federal House of Representatives Candidates.

    The commission has also given state governorship candidates  till July 15th to provide names of their deputies, while parties are meant to submit names of state assembly candidates  too.

    Emphasizing the need for parties to be proactive in responding to deadlines, Yakubu cautioned that the nomination portal would shut down automatically by 6 pm on the 17th for national election candidates and 15th July for those of state election

    “All Political Parties are required to upload the details of their candidates for each constituency to the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP). To achieve this objective, four officials recommended by each of the 18 political parties were trained on the procedure for uploading the nomination forms to the dedicated web portal. Confidential Access Codes to the portal have already been given to each Political Party to facilitate the uploading of its nominations.

    “For emphasis, the Commission wishes to remind Political Parties that only the names of candidates that emerged from democratic primaries as provided by Sec. 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 shall be submitted to the Commission. Similarly, the list of all Presidential and Governorship candidates must be accompanied by the names of their running mates (i.e. Vice Presidential and Deputy Governorship candidates) without which the nomination is invalid.

    “All nominations must be uploaded to the portal on/or before the deadlines. The portal will automatically shut down at 6.00pm (1800hrs) on Friday 17th June 2022 for national elections and 6.00pm (1800hrs) on Friday 15th July 2022 for State elections.

    “Nomination Centre has been set up here at the Commission’s Headquarters to receive and process all nominations by political parties, including dedicated telephone lines to serve as Help Desk for any Party that may need assistance”.

    The INEC Chairman said the Commission is responding to a request to deploy more CVR machines to needy States and LGAs to enhance CVR in areas disrupted by insecurity, assuring that no prospective registrants would be left out.

  • CSOs condemn price of APC presidential, governorship nomination forms

    CSOs condemn price of APC presidential, governorship nomination forms

    Civil Society Organisations have condemned the pegging of the presidential and governorship nomination forms at N100m and N50m respectively by the All Progressives Congress.

     

    One of the groups, Rivers State Civil Society Organisations, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to investigate and prosecute political parties and persons found to have violated the Electoral Act with regard to the funding of election campaigns.

     

    The Chairman of the group, Enefaa Georgewill, told Saturday PUNCH in an interview that INEC appeared to have shelved the responsibility of ensuring that infractions such as violating the Electoral Act in the area of funding of political parties and candidates were punished.

     

    He said, “The new Electoral Act forbids individuals and corporate bodies to donate beyond a particular amount of money. Unfortunately, our politicians and the so-called businessmen sponsoring them have been flouting this electoral guideline.

     

    “We think INEC should put its feet on the ground to investigate and prosecute persons who violate clear provisions of the Electoral Act as regards funding of campaigns and equally prosecute those who receive such fund.

     

    “I think the law equally allows INEC to investigate political parties and candidates’ campaign funds.

     

    Unfortunately, INEC has not been doing this over the years. We think that INEC should do well to investigate campaign funds because that is the beginning of electoral fraud and corruption in Nigeria.”

     

    Georgewill, however, called on Nigerians to vote out moneybags and political parties who, through exorbitant nomination forms, disenfranchise the youth who might have great ideas to lead the country.

     

    Also, the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Jackson Omenazu, expressed surprise that the APC, known as a progressive party, could peg its presidential and nomination form at an amount he described as outrageous.

     

    Omenazu added that selling presidential form at N100m would affect the psyche of some politicians, especially those that would lose out after the primary.

     

    He said, “Sometimes, those who lose become embittered and they start causing confusion in the system when they consider the amount of money they have invested.

     

    “Everybody knows that the PDP is a conservative party and can afford to sell their forms for a trillion naira, but for a party that calls itself progressive to charge N100m for presidential form is questionable.

     

    “Without sounding immodest, in our society today, the crooked ones are the ones who even that kind of money. So, they can afford to buy the form and cause confusion.

     

    “The party should know that there are those who have the capacity to lead this country but because they have not dipped their hands into public funds, they can’t afford N100m.

     

    “We are talking about economic downturn in Nigeria and a political party is charging N100m for nomination and expression of interest forms.”

  • 2023 elections: Igbos need a new approach to earn our votes-Oluwo of Iwo

    2023 elections: Igbos need a new approach to earn our votes-Oluwo of Iwo

    Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi the Oluwo of Iwo, has declared that he can trust any Igbo aspirant with the Presidency of Nigeria.

    Oluwo made his position known at a time the South-East is demanding that it’s high time to have an Igbo president in the country.

    He condemned in totality the IPOB sit- at- home order on Mondays presently ongoing in all igbo states, saying it’s detrimental to the growth and survival of the country.

    Oba Abdulrosheed also advocated for a rethink by the South Easterners to their approach.

    The monarch held that no Nigerian will feel secured in the hands of a leader whose ethnic attachment deprived other Nigerians their rights.

    The Oluwo spoke through a statement released by his chief press secretary Alli Ibraheem, he advised the igbos to change their approach to issues otherwise their dreams of producing a president may hit the rocks.

    While acknowledging the damage done to Igbos by the Nigerian civil war, he enjoined the south easterners to rescind on their attitude of barring people from other parts of the country from owning properties in their domain.

    He insisted that the policy was not only detrimental to their political strength, but also a deficit to the economic unity of Nigeria.

    According to him, “The civil war wounds meted on south easterners is a weak factor to institutionalize policies capable of tearing the nation apart.

    “I have people from across Nigeria in Iwo, including the South Easterners. They do not only have their businesses but also built their houses and own farm lands. Such is not only peculiar to Iwo but to other parts of the country, except the South-East. A Nigerian in Nigeria should be able to own land anywhere.

    “The style by the South easterners is barbaric. Such is not only detrimental to their economic viability but also to their political recognition. As a traditional ruler, I can’t trust any South easterner as my President.

    “You can’t be a leader on sectional interest. With such unsophisticated, primitive and uncivilized thinking, no Nigerian from other zones will vote a south easterner as their President.”

  • Senator Marafa speaks out on his dumping APC, says it was not home to him

    Senator Marafa speaks out on his dumping APC, says it was not home to him

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Senator Kabiru Marafa has said he dumped the ruling party because it was not home to him.

     

    Talking reasons for his decision to dump the party for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Marafa asserted that the party treated him as an outcast and in manners unjust to him and his teeming supporters.

     

    Recall that former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdul Aziz Yari, Senator Kabiru Garba Mafara and their supporters dumped the APC and immediately switched allegiance to the PDP on Sunday.

     

    The former federal lawmaker went on to explain that even among his former party, some people fought to make sure they were frustrated with the party they suffered to build and nature.

     

    He said that the new National Chairman of the ruling party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, would not do anything different from what the former Caretaker Chairman of the party, Mai Mala Buni, had done.

     

    “Politics is about winning elections and everything, so we cannot stay in a house that we are not needed,” Marafa said.

     

    “As far as I am concerned, I am a fulfilled person as far as this project APC is called. If there is anything left, I am waiting to see how the architect of this cruelty meted out to the people of Zamfara State, how they are going to fare in politics.

     

    “But for now, I am happy, I told them to their faces in Kaduna that they will never benefit out of the machinations they were doing at that time, that is Mai Mala and his co-travellers. And I’m happy that they have lost out and they have lost out disgracefully.

     

    “APC is not Islam, it is my religion that I can not leave for whatever reason, but a political party, I can leave and join anyone of my choice,” he said.

  • Tinubu plans on tackling unstable power supply, banditry, others if elected as 2023 President

    Tinubu plans on tackling unstable power supply, banditry, others if elected as 2023 President

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has told youths in Lagos that with him at the helm of Nigeria’s affairs, challenges such as unstable power supply, banditry, ethnic bigotry would be eliminated.

     

    Seeking the support of Nigerian youths in his bid for the presidency, Tinubu, on Saturday, said he can change the story of the country for the better.

     

    In his words: “You must change the story of potential, the story of banditry, you must change the story of tribalism.

     

    “If YouTube alone has 2.9 billion people following it, including you all standing here, then Nigeria can excel.

     

    “We can do it. You must develop the ‘can do’ attitude. You must believe that this country is yours and you want to change the story,

     

    “Anybody who says we cannot, they can get out, because it is voluntary. We cannot continue the lamentation of the past.

     

    “We cannot continue with excuses of power failure. No nation can make rapid development without electricity.

     

    “Nigeria, it is about time. We have enough gas to fire up electricity and supply the rest of Europe and make money.

     

    “You know it. We don’t want to bore you with it. When I started, we used to pick dead bodies on the streets. But today, Lagos is one of the cleanest, most progressive states in the country.”

     

    Thousands of youths from the six Southwest states (Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo states) stormed the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan, Lagos for a rally endorsing Tinubu’s aspiration.

     

    He told them to revalidate their permanent voter cards to enable them to vote in the 2023 elections.

     

    Tinubu described the youths as the brightest and urged them to team up with him in his bid to change the story of Nigeria for the youths and tomorrow which they represent.

     

    “We as a nation can conveniently feed ourselves by being creative, visionary and committed,” he said.

     

    Also addressing the rally organised by the Progressive Youth of South-West, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the youth would continue to be critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s socio-political development.

     

    He hailed the rally organisers and the attendees for the event, which he hoped would herald a new dawn in the 2023 polls.

     

    One of the speakers, Dr. Muritala Seriki, said Tinubu’s achievements in Lagos State during his tenure as governor bore eloquence to his ingenuity, hard work and commitment.

     

    A former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bayo Onanuga, also pledged his support for the presidential ambition of the APC national leader.

     

    Onanuga reaffirmed his support while responding to claims that he had switched camps ahead of the 2023 election.

     

    He said he had known Tinubu for a long time and was part of his governorship campaign in 1998.

     

    Onanuga wrote: “My attention has been drawn to some lies being circulated about me as having jumped the Bola Ahmed Tinubu train and being against his presidential ambition.

     

    “The faceless writer, I guess a hatchet hand, wrote: ‘Almost all members of the Tinubu original power/intellectual base and allies when he was governor are not in support of his presidential ambition. Aregbesola, Afikuyomi, Ojudu, Onanuga, Alake, Fasola, etc. Most of them may work for PYO.

     

    “Let me correct this misrepresentation straightforwardly: the statement is far from the truth as far as I am concerned.

     

    “I am fully in support of Bola Tinubu. I am not in PYO’s camp and will not be in his camp if Tinubu is running.

     

    “People who know me will attest to the fact that I am ever loyal to my friends, loyal to a political cause. I have been on the political left since 1978 when I joined Awolowo’s UPN as a UNILAG student.

     

    “I am not a renegade. And I can vouch for Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi and Dele Alake as well.

     

    “The author of the rumour was merely writing conjectures on an issue that is unpredictable, a party’s primary election, where an outsider will only labour in vain in making permutations.

     

    “As far as I am concerned, and let me say it loud and clear, I am in support of Bola Tinubu’s ambition. I am not against him. He is my first choice, the second choice and the third choice for the exalted seat.

     

    “Nigeria is in need of a visionary, a deep thinker, a man with the Midas touch, who can take our country on a journey of prosperity. This country has suffered enough and really needs a new leader who can breathe fresh air in it and change the way things are done.

     

    “Nigeria needs a man of ideas, who will not just talk his way, but really get things done.

     

    “I have no doubt that Bola Tinubu is capable of this, which is why I support his campaign to lead Nigeria.

     

    “I have known him since 1992. I was part of his governorship campaign in 1998 before others were invited to his government after we won the election in January 1999.

     

    “I was close to his government for eight years and I bore witness to the innovations he brought into governance, the overhauling of the system that he carried out, some of which other states and the Federal Government had copied.

     

    “I have no iota of doubt that he will replicate the same at the centre, and even do more, if given the opportunity. These are the reasons I support his campaign. And Nigerians will hear more about my involvement in the next few days.”