Politics
Violence, vote buying mar gov, state assembly poll, says CDD report
Cases of violent attacks and vote buying were reported in a number of states across the country during the governorship and state assembly elections on Saturday.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) revealed this in its report on the elections.
The report by the CDD director, Idayat Hassan, on Saturday focused on issues of identity, insecurity, institutional preparedness, intra and inter party disputes, importance of personalities over parties and voter participation.
The CDD report noted that the heightened political environment, party agents and politically sponsored thugs, coupled with reduced presence of security agents, contributed to increased violent incidents in Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Rivers, Yobe and Kogi states.
Hassan said the initial statement on the elections focused on the voting process based on reports from more than 1,200 observers deployed by the CDD in all the 36 states.
She stated that voting largely commenced on time across all the six geopolitical zones, which is an improvement on the presidential process.
According to the report, sporadic incidents linked to insufficient availability and questionable integrity of voting materials were reported, but voting generally proceeded with minimal incidents, with BVAS functionality high across the country.
It stated that there had been an increase in vote trading for goods and cash across political parties and at the geopolitical zones when compared to the February 25 presidential and National Assembly polls.
The report also noted that the South-South, South East and South West parts of the country in particular recorded the most violent incidents so far.
On the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the CDD report stated that as compared with the February 25 exercise, polls largely opened in a prompter fashion across the country.
It stated that in the South West zone, for example, INEC officials arrived on time and commenced voting and accreditation as scheduled in over 80 per cent of observed polling units.
The CDD report also stated that the BVAS seemed to have largely functioned adequately across the country.
The report stated, “We note that in a handful of polling units in Taraba, Lagos and Plateau states, voting has already concluded due to the number of registered voters being very small – less than 10—and results have already been uploaded to the IReV.
“However, we note with concern that voting has been concluded and results uploaded in a handful of polling units where a significant fraction of registered voters have not voted.
“For instance, results were uploaded from Agbado Hall Edjekota Ogor, Ughelli North, Delta State, before 2:30pm, despite only 130 of the 192 voters on the register having had an opportunity to cast their vote.”
The report said that voter turnout was varied across the region, but that a number of observers reported lower levels of public participation in the poll so far.
It stated, “While there seems to be a general low turnout in relation to the presidential election, different dynamics are affecting the turnout across the different geopolitical zones. States where the incumbent is being significantly challenged by his opponent are experiencing a relatively higher turnout.
“In the South-South, there is a general sense of discouragement that due to the unfavourable outcome of the presidential election, ‘there is no point’ of coming out to vote.
On vote trading, the CDD report stated that while there were reduced accounts of voter trading during the 25 February presidential election when compared to the 2022 off-cycle polls, there had been many more instances nationwide reported by the CDD observers during the Saturday’s elections.
According to the report, this was likely a reflection of the heightened political environment around the governorship poll, the importance of local personalities in state level politics and the ongoing shortages of fuel and naira.
It stated, “Observers in the South West reported significant instances of vote buying by different parties in different states. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) agents reportedly took down names of voters with the aim of repayment later in Ekiti State, while there were similar accusations of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) officials actively soliciting votes in Oyo and Ogun states respectively.
“In the South East, there were reports of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP) agents using materials, phones and other souvenirs to entice voters in Anambra State. In the South South, multiple party agents reported a desire for voters to show proof of their votes before being paid, with party agents reportedly compiling a list of their voters in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State.
“In the North West, observers in all the seven states reported increased reports of vote trading, primarily by the APC and PDP party agents, with money used, alongside other materials, such as food items, wrappers and a ‘credit voucher’ to be redeemed after the results.
“In the North East, APC and PDP agents, at multiple polling units in Taraba, reportedly infiltrated the queues pretended to be voters and used the chance to offer cash for votes. There were also reports of incidents involving party agents in Bauchi and Yobe, who were recorded campaigning and soliciting for votes at polling units.
“There were multiple incidents reported in the North Central. Observers noted suspected PDP agents buying votes in Katsina-Ala, Benue State for at least N1,000, while there were reports of collusion between the APC and PDP agents in Mikang Local Government Area, Plateau State, where there has been trading of votes and informal arrangements between parties to support alternative candidates for governorship and state assembly elections.”
Politics
Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa
Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa
Three gubernatorial candidates have withdrawn from Saturday’s election in Ondo after endorsing Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the APC candidate.
The candidates disclosed this during a solidarity visit to Mr Aiyedatiwa by Ajibola Falaye, the candidate of the Accord Party, who spoke on behalf of the three parties on Thursday in Akure.
The other two are the governorship candidate of the National Rescue Movement, Jenyo Ataunoko and the deputy governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Olaide Rasheed Ibrahim.
The governorship candidate of the ADC, Adeyemi Nejo, had earlier declared support for Mr Aiyedatiwa.
Mr Falaye said their decision to back the incumbent governor for Saturday’s election was based on observations of his longstanding commitment to public service since his time as the deputy governor.
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“We have been watching him, and his doors are always open to all. The state has been experiencing relative peace under his watch, which reflects his commitment to safeguarding the lives of our people,” said Mr Falaye.
The politician added, “We see the infrastructural development that has taken place even within this short period. It is clear that the governor is actively working for the people.
“This Saturday, we will turn our commitment into votes. We will vote for continuity in Ondo state.”
Responding, Mr Aiyedatiwa expressed gratitude for the endorsement, calling it a quality decision made out of goodwill by the candidates and their parties.
“I didn’t call for this, but I am grateful that my colleagues in the race have voluntarily identified with my mandate and are ready to mobilise their supporters to vote for the APC,” the Ondo governor stated.
Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa
(NAN)
Politics
2027 PDP ticket: I defeated you in 2019, 2023, Atiku mocks Wike
2027 PDP ticket: I defeated you in 2019, 2023, Atiku mocks Wike
There’s no let-off in war of words between former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over who controls the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike, although a minister in the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to influence happenings in the PDP which some party hawks loyal to Atiku have tried to expel without fruition.
Both squared up in 2019 when Atiku won the ticket in Wike’s backyard. Wike was governor in the oil-rich Rivers at the time and withheld his support during the party primaries in his state, instead supported his counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, who was also governor of Sokoto State.
The hope was that Tambuwal, as agreed, would nominate him (Wike) as his vice. Unfortunately to him, Atiku won.
In 2023, both top PDP men squared up again. It took a last minutes maneuvering for Atiku to defeat Wike after Tambuwal, rather than returning the 2019 favour, gave his delegates to Atiku.
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Not done yet, Atiku refused to give the vice presidential ticket to Wike and instead gave it to Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State.
A sore Wike was miffed and mobilised loyal governors to support the candidate of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, who went on to be announced the winner of the 2023 election.
Despite being over two years away, Wike has thrown the first stone telling Atiku that he should forget the 2027 presidential ticket of the PDP.
It’s worth noting that Atiku has not declared interest in the ticket and had said he would support whoever the PDP agrees to give the ticket to, including its erstwhile vice presidential candidate, now Labour Party topman, Peter Obi.
That’s in the belief that Obi will agree to a coalition to unseat the APC, alongside the New Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Wike, who called a press conference to tell Atiku of what awaits him politically said, “He (Atiku) is lobbying for another chance, but the chance will not be there,” the former Minister of State for Education said.
He questioned, “In which party? How can we rely on one man for so many years?” implying that Atiku’s prospects of securing the PDP ticket are slim.
However, responding to the statement, Atiku in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku reminded Wike of his unsuccessful attempts to install his preferred candidate within the party since 2019.
Shaibu said, “If he had the power to distribute presidential tickets like party favours, he’d certainly have kept one for himself.
“Atiku schooled him and his chosen protégé in his own backyard in 2019 and then handed him a resounding defeat in the 2023 primaries in Abuja.”
Shaibu also questioned Wike’s focus on 2027, especially given his public support for Tinubu’s potential re-election, suggesting that Wike should prioritize the immediate challenges facing Nigerians.
“People are struggling with rising costs and hunger; these are the issues we should be addressing, not political maneuvers for 2027,” Shaibu noted
2027 PDP ticket: I defeated you in 2019, 2023, Atiku mocks Wike
Politics
Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore
Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore
Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.
In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”
Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.
During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.
Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.
“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.
“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.
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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”
He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.
“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.
Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.
“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.
“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.
“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”
Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”
PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.
In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.
Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore
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