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Tag: Postponement

  • Guber Polls: INEC postpones elections in 10 polling units at VGC

    Guber Polls: INEC postpones elections in 10 polling units at VGC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that elections will hold tomorrow in ten polling units at Victoria Garden City (VGC) Lekki Lagos.

    The announcement was made by the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Segun Abaje in Lagos when he addressed reporters at VGC.

    According to him, corps members deployed as ad hoc staff on Saturday were hesitant to enter the VGC estate as they alleged that they were held hostage in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Agbaje said the commission’s ad hoc staff set up voting materials in front of the estate on Saturday but the estate residents claimed that hoodlums might disrupt the process, so they did not feel secure and could not cast their votes.

    He said the situation was difficult for security agents to contain hence he and his team had to come to the area.

    “We have eight polling units here with 6,024 registered voters and out of which 5,624 people have their PVCs,” he stated, adding that two other polling units at the estate’s main gate were also affected. “Eight here (in the estate) and two outside,” he noted.

    “After due consultation and further directive from the national headquarters that we should remobilise here tomorrow (Sunday) morning by 08:30am to conduct the elections.

    “By 08:30am tomorrow (Sunday), we will reconvene here.”

    Agbaje said the chairman of the security committee of the estate had assured the commission of the safety of corps members and INEC staff as well as the safety of voters.

    Some of the polling units affected include PU 032,033, 119 -124.

    The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Tunde Doherty, whose polling unit is in the VGC scolded INEC for poor arrangement, saying the situation is “unfortunate”.

  • CAF hints at postponing 2023 AFCON tourney in Cote d’lvoire 

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering postponing the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, according to reports.

    The competition has been scheduled to hold in Cote d’lvoire  june, 2023.

    Recall that the 2021 AFCON  was postponed and held in January 2022 in Cameroon due to ravaging corona virus in 2021.

    However, there have been  growing concerns  over the harsh weather conditions in the West African country at this time of the year.

    CAF authorities are afraid the condition will be the same next summer and scheduling the competition in the middle of the raining season might not be a good idea.

    Speaking on the issue, CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba hinted on the possibilities of postponing the event but the decison has not be taken he said.

    “We are considering it; it is one of the possibilities,” CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, told Le Monde.

    “We asked Ivorian meteorologists to report to us on rainfall history in Côte d’Ivoire in June and July, but also to share their projections with us.”

    The Teranga Lions of Senegal won the last edition of the competition in Cameroon after defeating Egypt 4-3 on penalties.

  • Delta APC Congress: Stakeholders demand postponement as C’ttee members narrowly escape lynching

    Delta APC Congress: Stakeholders demand postponement as C’ttee members narrowly escape lynching

    Critical stakeholders at the scheduled Saturday ward congresses in Delta All Progressives Congress, APC demand postponement as three- man screening committee narrowly escaped lynching in Asaba.

    There was also confusion at the party’s secretariat, Thursday, as hundreds of angry aspirants across the State who besieged the Delta State Secretariat in Asaba with bank tellers, left empty handed after their request for forms were turned down.

    Many aspirants expressed frustration over their inability to collect forms and submit collected forms to the committee sent from national office to organise the sale of forms.

    However, the three man committee escaped being lynched by aggrieved aspirants, but for the intervention of some party members.

    Mr George Ojong Egbe who heads the three man committee who addressed party faithful absolved his three man committee of blame.

    He said upon his team’s arrival at Asaba from Abuja, he was met by an aide to state chairman, Nick Ovuakporie, who requested that the materials be given to him for safe keeping.

    He said his team was threatened by one Lucky Ajos after he refused their request to take possession of ward congress materials.

    He said the leader of the police escort team from Abuja ordered them to remove their belongings from the vehicle at gunpoint and zoomed off with the materials.

    He said he was later informed that only three bags of the six bags containing the materials for the election, were dumped at the party’s secretariat late that night.

    Egbe said he got clearance from APC headquarters to commence sale of forms on July 24 but ran out of forms on 26th July, adding that the extra forms promised from APC national headquarters to make up for the shortage are yet to arrive.

    He said “as at today 29th July, thousands of tellers were presented to me and there were no forms to issue out.

    Continuing, he said “in the cause of explaining, violence erupted, but for the intervention of the state deputy chair, organising secretary and other party members, we would been lynched.

  • COVID-19: Evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Canada postponed

    About 200 Nigerian citizens stranded in Canada hoping to return home on Thursday will have to wait as their evacuation flight has been postponed.

    The Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa, which is organising the flight, announced the postponement in a statement, citing “logistics issues” beyond its control.

    It specifically blamed the inability of Air Peace – the chosen carrier – to secure “overflight and landing permits” from the Canadian authorities on time.

    “These challenges are as a result of the fact that Air Peace is flying this route for the first time.

    “The high commission opted for Air Peace because the air fare was relatively more affordable compared to the offers of other airlines that were contacted.

    “This is coupled with the fact that only Air Peace had agreed to convey the evacuees from more than one location in Canada,” the mission stated.

    It said a new date would be announced as soon as the airline secured the clearance from the Canadian authorities.

    The plane, a Boeing 777 aircraft, was scheduled to fly from Lagos to convey the passengers from two locations in Canada, namely Toronto and Alberta.

    According to the flight schedule, the plane was expected to pick the first set from the Pearson International Airport, Toronto.

    From there it would fly to the Calgary International Airport, Alberta, a distance of 2,915 k.m., to pick the second set of passengers.

    The prospective passengers had been given until Tuesday to book the special flight directly with the airline.

  • Court orders indefinite postponement of Adamawa supplementary governorship polls

    Court orders indefinite postponement of Adamawa supplementary governorship polls

    A state high court in Yola has ordered the indefinite postponement of the governorship supplementary polls in Adamawa State slated for Saturday.

    The judge, Abdul-azeez Waziri, said the polls should be put on hold until he rules on an application for an interlocutory injunction barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the polls.

    The judge then adjourned the matter to Tuesday to give the ruling.

    A political party, the Movement for Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD) and its supposed candidate, Eric Theman, had asked the court to cancel the election on the grounds that the party’s logo is not on the ballot paper.

    Appearing for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Fintiri, in the matter, Joseph Gadzama, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) leading eight other counsel, had filed a motion for Mr Fintiri to be joined in the suit.

    Counsel to the PDP, Okechukwu Udeze (SAN) leading six others, also applied for PDP to be joined in the suit.

    Adeyemi Pitan, counsel to MRDD and Eric Theman, however, opposed the motion of the two parties on grounds that the two applications were not served on him in due time.

    The MRDD counsel said the only business of the court for the day was the March 14 application for an interlocutory injunction to stop the supplementary election, not the hearing of any motion.

    Lead counsel to INEC, Tanimu Inuwa (SAN), however, prayed the court to discharge the injunction on grounds that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the case.

    He cited section 25 subsection 1 of the Constitution, saying that “INEC being a federal organ, challenging its decision should be through a federal high court not a state high court.”

    Mr Inuwa said the issues being canvassed before the court touched on the conduct of elections and that section 285 subsection 2 of the Constitution places conduct of an election in the purview of election tribunals.

    He said that MRDD has no locus standi to approach the court because it has not fulfilled all the electoral process, adding that it has no interest in the case.

    Adjourning the case to March 26, Justice Waziri ruled that he needed time to study the voluminous documents submitted by the counsel to the various parties.

  • Election Postponement cannot change will of God for Nigeria – PFN

    Election Postponement cannot change will of God for Nigeria – PFN

    The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has charged Nigerians to remain unperturbed in spite of the postponement of the 2019 general elections by a week.

    PFN appealed to Nigerians, particularly Christians, not to give up, saying that the postponement would not change the outcome of the elections.

    This is contained in a statement by PFN National Vice-Chairman (South-South), Bishop Simeon Okah.

    He urged the electorate to turn out en masse to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice.

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had announced the postponement of the elections owing to logistics problems on Saturday.

    Okah said, “Let us all understand that postponement of election date cannot postpone or change the will of God. We must remain positive and speak positively to all our neighbours.

    “Speak positively about the elections. We must remain resolute and ensure we cast our votes.

    “No action should weigh us down or deter us. Except you want things to remain the way they are. But if you want real change, then be ready to make all sacrifice.

    “By the grace of God, next Saturday, we should all come out again and ensure we vote.

    “We do not have any country other than Nigeria. We must remain and build it together.

    “God will not allow the devices of the enemies of this nation to prevail.”

  • Election postponement may lead to full blown crisis if…Bayelsa Gov, Dickson raises alarm

    Election postponement may lead to full blown crisis if…Bayelsa Gov, Dickson raises alarm

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has warned of a looming major constitutional crisis, if the elections failed to hold as rescheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Dickson, who briefed reporters in Government House, Yenagoa, said there was a need for stakeholders to work collectively to avert the crisis.

    Dickson suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately convene an expanded emergency meeting of the National Council of State.

    He said the meeting should have the service chiefs, INEC, political party leaders, their candidates and other major stakeholders in attendance.

    He said the stakeholders should resolve on the new date for the postponed elections, adding that INEC was wrong to have unilaterally chosen next Saturday for the rescheduled polls.

    He cautioned leaders against name-calling, appealing to them to work in the interest of the country to avoid plunging Nigeria into avoidable succession crisis.

    He said it was unpatriotic for anyone to be calling for the removal of the INEC chairman, adding that the country would be on a crossroad, if two critical institutions – INEC and the Supreme Court – were undergoing crisis at the same time.

    He said: “This postponement belittled our country. It doesn’t show us as a serious country. Unless all stakeholders drop the habit of name-calling and claiming to be rights, we are moving close to a major constitutional crisis.

    “If anything should go wrong, we will have a full-blown crisis; crisis of succession at a time the Supreme Court is also undergoing crisis. We should not call for the removal of the INEC Chairman. If INEC is in crisis and the Supreme Court is crisis, I don’t know where we are headed.

    “I call on President Muhammadu Buhari as the leader of the country to convene an emergency meeting of the National Council of states to enable service chiefs and the INEC brief stakeholders on their preparations.

    “The meeting should involve the political party chairmen and the presidential candidates to examine the developing scenario, which may plunge our country into crisis. I believe that if we all sit down and know the circumstances, we should agree on a new date.

    “I disagree with INEC’s unilateral announcement of Saturday as a new date. I do not believe that all the challenges that INEC has can be resolved within six days. A more sensible approach is needed. Our nation cannot afford another postponement.”

    The governor noted that few hours to the postponed elections, Bayelsa did not have ballot papers for presidential elections and stamps to authenticate votes.

    “Even now, I am told there are issues of unserialised ballot papers”, he said.

    The governor hailed Buhari for calling on security agencies to deal ruthlessly with troublemakers during the election.

    He said by such presidential directive, security agencies should no longer be encumbered from doing their jobs without fear or favour.

    He particularly appealed to security agencies to ensure the application of the directive in Bayelsa, especially in areas like Ekeremor and Brass, where he said some known political figures had been fomenting troubles.

    Dickson called on the electorate to maintain their momentum and not to be discouraged by the postponement.

    He also disagreed with INEC on suspension of campaigns, saying that his party would continue to engage the people in accordance with the established law of the land.

    Dickson, who insisted that it was unfortunate that INEC postponed the poll despite all the preparations in the state, including declaring a two-day holiday, asked stakeholders to work against further shift.

  • Buhari, Osinbajo, APC governors meet over election postponement

    Buhari, Osinbajo, APC governors meet over election postponement

    President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over an emergency meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those in attendance included Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

    Others at the meeting were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, APC members of the National Assembly, APC State governors from Lagos, Niger, Zamfara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Borno, Bauchi and Kaduna states.

  • Guild Of Professional Bloggers condemn election postponement

    Nigeria’s bloggers’ umbrella body; The Guild Of Professional Bloggers Of Nigeria (GPBN) has condemned the Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC) for postponing the Presidential election scheduled for Saturday 16th February 2019.

    GPBN in a press statement signed by it’s National Secretary Mr Femi Adeoya on behalf of the Association, said the postponement of the election few hours before its commencement portrays INEC in a bad light.

    According to the Association, INEC had four years to prepare for the exercise and had repeatedly assured Nigerians that it was ready to conduct the elections.

    The postponement apart from its huge costs to Nigerians and some foreigners has also made Nigeria a laughing stock in the commity of Nations taking into considerations the number of local and international observers who were on ground to monitor the election.

    It calls on all Nigerians just like it did in its press statement during the week to exercise their civil duties without intimidation.

    GPBN appeals to stakeholders to remain calm and avoid actions that could further threaten the polity while citizens are encouraged to remain calm and ensure they exercise their rights next Saturday.

    We call on INEC to remain an unbiased umpire.

    GPBN advise all its members across the globe to once again maintain a high level of professionalism in reporting the coming election and avoid publication of fake news and unauthenticated results.

    God bless Nigeria

    Femi Adeoya

    National Secretary

    GPBN

  • Presidential candidates, Moghalu, Durotoye react to election postponement

    Presidential candidates of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) Kingsley Moghalu and Fela Durotoye on Saturday reacted to the postponement of the general elections by the Independent Natioanl Electoral Commission (INEC).

    In his reaction, the YPP candidate, Moghalu on Saturday said INEC’s postponement of the elections signposted the recycling of failure under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said the general elections were also postponed in 2015 under the PDP government, and that Nigerians should remain calm and resolute to vote for a new kind of leadership.

    Recall that INEC postponed the presidential election and election into the National Assembly slated for today, and elections for the governorship and the state Houses of Assembly, originally slated for March 2nd, by one week.

    Moghalu, who expressed disappointment with the development, described it as burdensome with serious implications.

    “School children will now face further disruptions to the school calendar. Economic activities will suffer further setbacks,” he said.

    “And Nigerians who have travelled to various parts of the country to vote or monitor the elections that would have held today now face logistical nightmares.

    “I would like to thank the teeming volunteers of my campaign and supporters of our party, the YPP, for their service to our country. Let us ensure this election is a watershed for the liberation of our country from the vice-like grip of incompetence
and lack of vision.

    “I remain committed to providing our country the needed visionary and competent leadership,” Moghalu said.

    Also expressing his dissatisfaction, the presidential candidate of Alliance for New Nigeria, Mr Fela Durotoye described the postponement of the elections until next Saturday as a global disgrace.

    “We are so disappointed with the announcement of the postponement of the elections. It (the elections) should have happened today (Saturday). Today was a day that history was supposed to be made,” he said on Saturday in a broadcast on Instagram Television, popularly known as IGTV.

    Durotoye however appealed to the electorate not to be dismayed by the development.

    “They can only delay the elections, they can’t delay our destiny, which is to have a new Nigeria where promises are kept,” he stated.

    “We don’t need this national embarrassment. This is a national disappointment and embarrassment. It is a global disgrace.”

    The 47-year-old ANN presidential candidate said it was baffling how after having four years to prepare, the Independent National Electoral Commission wasn’t adequately prepared.

    He argued that there were brilliant people in the country who could have organised the elections without logistics problem due to their expertise in project management.

    He said, “Everywhere across the world, people set dates. For four years, they knew we were going to have elections. How do we postpone elections at 3am on the day of elections?

    “People had left their homes because the system did not work, they couldn’t transfer their Permanent Voter Cards, so they travelled. People left their children at home to travel to vote to deliver a new Nigeria. Some came in from abroad.”

    Durotoye said the elections postponement was a “systematic way to frustrate the people, to disenfranchise them, especially first-time voters.”

    But, he said people were now wiser and would not be discouraged.

    “I challenge the youth to be awake. They should not be discouraged. Your efforts would only amount to waste if you don’t show up at the polling booth next Saturday,” he said.