Politics
BREAKING: 2023 elections may be cancelled due to insecurity, INEC warns
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised fresh alarms, warning that the forthcoming general elections face a serious threat of cancellation if the insecurity situation across the country does not improve.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who expressed the concerns, also warned that the cancellation/postponement of elections in some constituencies due to the situation would not only hinder the declaration of elections results but also precipitate constitutional crisis.
Yakubu, who was represented by the Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, at the validation of election security training resources in Abuja on Monday, however said the commission was not leaving anything to chance in ensuring adequate security for election personnel, materials and processes.
He said, “We all appreciate the fact that election security is vital to democratic consolidation through provision of enabling environment for the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and thus strengthening the electoral process.
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“Consequently, in preparation for the 2023 general elections, the commission is not leaving anything to chance in ensuring that intensive and extensive security are provided for election personnel, materials and processes.
“This is particularly significant to the commission given the current insecurity challenges in various parts the country and the fact that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members constitute the core of the Polling Unit Election officials.
“Moreover, if the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and/or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of elections results and precipitate constitutional crisis. This must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen.
“Therefore, security personnel in particular and all election officials in general must be security conscious and alert to unusual activities in their environment and must be fully equipped to deal with any challenge at all times,” he charged.
Speaking further, he said, “To this end, the National Security Adviser, Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno, and the Chairman, INEC have jointly assured the nation that conducive environment will be provided for successful conduct of the 2023 general Election.
“Similarly, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has conducted Election Security Management Workshops across the Six Geopolitical Zones. On its part the commission, through The Electoral Institute, has institutionalised the development and implementation of a cascaded training mechanism for security personnel as a critical component of its training plan.
“We are also aware that there is a new Electoral Legal Framework that will guide the 2023 as a result of the enactment of the Electoral Act 2022 which prompted the review of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Conduct of Elections 2022.
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“In particular, Sections 47(2), 60(1, 2 & 5), 62(1), 64(4a & 4b) and 64(5) of the Electoral Act 2022, which confers INEC with the power to use any technological device to transmit or transfer election results electronically are instructive in this regard.
“Emboldened by these legal protections, the commission introduced new innovative technologies and procedures and made commitments to the Nigeria People that (a) Continuous Verification, Accreditation and Voting will be conducted at the Polling Units using the Bimodal Verification and Accreditation System (BVAS) and (b) Real-Time Polling Unit-level results will be uploaded on to the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) Portal using the same BVAS.
“These commitments require innovative security strategies and deployments for protection of voters, election personnel, materials, equipment, the electoral processes as well as the general public and infrastructure.”
Commenting further, the commission said, “These innovative systems and processes minimize human errors and delays in results collation and improves the accuracy, transparency, and credibility of the results collation process thereby ensuring credibility of the process.
“They were tested during the Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections, held on June 18, 2022 and July 16, 2022, respectively. The Hon. Chairman INEC has severally assured the nation that the BVAS and IReV will be deployed during the 2023 General Elections.
“Reports on the conduct of security operatives during the elections conducted by the Commission specifically stand-alone Governorship Elections in Ekiti and Osun States have shown progressive and commendable improvement in their disposition to electoral training and professionalism on election duties.”
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In his goodwill message, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), noted that the training of security personnel to be deployed for the poll is the antidote to peaceful elections.
In a speech delivered by the Country Director, Seray Jah, IFES said that; “managing security threats in the electioneering process is a tall order for INEC, which has the responsibility, together with Nigerian security agencies, of preventing, mitigating, and resolving electoral violence.
“To effectively do this, security personnel deployed during the elections would need adequate training on their roles and responsibilities during the election. The validation workshop with key stakeholders in elections security presents an opportunity to ratify the quality resources developed to train the security personnel as they prepare to deploy for the 2023 general elections. IFES commends TEI and INEC for putting the workshop.
“I want to use this opportunity once again to restate IFES’ commitment to continue partnering with INEC and its members in building a sustainable democracy in Nigeria. “INEC can count on our readiness to continually partner with the commission in achieving its mission of serving as an independent and effective Election Management Body committed to conducting free, fair, and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria.”
SUN
Politics
Kwankwaso says no power-sharing agreement with Atiku, Obi
Kwankwaso says no power-sharing agreement with Atiku, Obi
Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, has reacted to speculations of power-sharing agreement with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Kwankwaso spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, monitored in Abuja, on Monday.
He said he had not held any discussions with either of the two politicians in recent times.
According to him, he chose to remain politically neutral until the end of this year in order to allow governments at all levels to concentrate on the task of governance without any form of distraction.
He accused the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of trying to use manipulative tactics to secure northern votes in future elections.
The former Kano State Governor explained that any future political arrangement must take into cognisance historical facts and must be put in context.
Kwankwaso said, “For me to accept any arrangement, we have to go back to history; I understand PDP in totality.
“I know their plan is to procure a party or be beating around the bush in other parties, bring us together, and make northerners vote for them.
“But what we are asking them is what have they done to the North? These are the kinds of things that will come into play. But in my mind, we have witnessed the worst of humiliation from these people.
“We loved this party; we wanted to rejig it so that we could prosper, but they made us to leave by force. Kwankwaso left, Peter Obi left, Wike left and others too, there is no estimate to those who left. Yet, they are the same people coming now to the fore expressing interest to be made president.
“This is appalling; maybe they are remorseful, or they are thinking they want to seek forgiveness or something related to that, but we have really been humiliated by those people.”
He further said, “I heard from a source that PDP brought in scholars—about 45 of them—and claimed there was a consensus that Atiku will rule for four years, I will rule for another four years, and Peter Obi will rule for eight years. This is a complete lie and has no basis in reality.”
He expressed disappointment that elder statesmen in their 70s and 80s would be among those spreading such mischievous falsehoods.”
Kwankwaso quipped, “Such deceit is part of what led me and others to leave the PDP. These actions have destabilised the party
Politics
2027: Why PDP shouldn’t field northern presidential candidate – Ex-Atiku campaigner
2027: Why PDP shouldn’t field northern presidential candidate – Ex-Atiku campaigner
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former member of Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Committee, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, has called on the party to nominate a southern presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
In an interview in Lagos, Pearse, who headed the Directorate of Documentation/Reporting for Atiku’s campaign in Lagos, argued that fielding a northern candidate could harm the party’s prospects.
“The national opinion now, the tendency, the feeling generally, is that the PDP should field a southerner for president in 2027,” Pearse said. “We need somebody from the South to complete these four years, to complete the eight years of southern presidency, so that we can rescue Nigeria.”
Pearse emphasized that it would be unstrategic for the party to support a northern candidate, given the current sentiment across the nation.
No Need for Alliances
The PDP stalwart also dismissed the idea of a political merger or alliance with other opposition parties, such as the Labour Party (LP) or New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), stating that such collaborations have historically been unsuccessful.
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“An alliance in our politics, even abroad, is very difficult because it is hard for competing groups and leaders to give way for one or the other,” he explained. “It is not possible for PDP to go into any alliance in 2027. I personally think it is very unlikely.”
Pearse downplayed the potential contributions of LP and NNPP, noting that both parties only secured one governorship seat each in the last general elections.
He said the PDP has sufficient resources to win the next election with a southern candidate, citing the party’s 12 governors and a significant presence in the National Assembly.
Reuniting the Party
Pearse stressed the importance of reconciling with former members who had defected, particularly to the Labour Party.
“We just need to strengthen our party. We need to reach out to our members that have left the party. If 60 percent of them return, we will win the next election,” he stated.
He highlighted efforts underway to bring back youth members and others who supported rival parties during the 2023 elections, emphasizing the need for unity within the PDP.
Lessons from 2023
Reflecting on the 2023 elections, Pearse attributed the PDP’s loss to internal divisions, particularly regarding zoning issues.
“The party went astray last time because they did not clarify the constitutional tenets that said if the national chairman comes from the North, the presidential candidate cannot also come from the North,” he said.
He criticized the inability of former National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to step down when a northern candidate emerged, calling it a key factor in the party’s defeat. Pearse stressed that lessons had been learned, and the party would avoid such missteps in the future.
“We are not going to allow it to happen now,” he added.
2027: Why PDP shouldn’t field northern presidential candidate – Ex-Atiku campaigner
Politics
Gbajabiamila speaks on his rumoured Lagos governorship ambition
Gbajabiamila speaks on his rumoured Lagos governorship ambition
Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu, has dismissed speculations about his potential bid for the governorship of Lagos State, stressing that his current focus remains on his duties in the presidency.
Speaking at the general assembly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Surulere, Lagos, on Saturday, Gbajabiamila attributed the rumours to detractors attempting to undermine his political progress.
“Some people are saying he came back from America about 20 years ago. After spending three to four years, he became the principal officer to the Minority Whip, from there he became Minority Leader, then Majority Leader, and from Majority Leader, he became Speaker,” Gbajabiamila said.
He noted that some individuals see his rise in politics as a threat and believe he might return to Lagos to contest for governor.
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“They think with the way I’m progressing, it’s time to quickly drag me down so I won’t have any standing in Lagos,” he stated.
However, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives made it clear that the governorship race is not on his agenda for now.
“Please tell them it’s not yet time for governorship. There are still two and a half years left—it’s still far. God Almighty knows who will become the next governor,” Gbajabiamila noted.
Addressing the challenges of his current position, he added, “My current job as Chief of Staff is so demanding that I can’t even finish it. I don’t have the time to be thinking about governorship.”
The remarks come amid growing speculation surrounding potential contenders for the Lagos governorship seat, with names like Lagos State Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, also being mentioned.
Gbajabiamila speaks on his rumoured Lagos governorship ambition
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