Politics
How INEC bungled Edo gov election at collation, by observer groups
How INEC bungled Edo gov election at collation, by observer groups
A total of 25 observer groups have said last Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State fell short of expectations.
The group supported the position of Yiaga Africa, which said the Edo election lacked credibility because the results were fraught with alteration of figures.
They particularly noted the election was bungled by the poll umpire at the collation of results which did not comply with the Electoral Act, 2022.
Also, some 30 civil society organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of Citizens Memorandum for Electoral Reforms have presented 37 draft electoral recommendations to the National Assembly to help in the review of the 2022 amended electoral laws.
A statement by Mrs. Rose Akhigbe, Comrade Peter Nwokolo, Anyasor Gabriel, and Sunny Elekwa, on behalf of the observer groups, rejected the collation of ward and local government results at the INEC state collation centre in Benin City, saying it is contrary to the law.
They however said they were satisfied with more than 4,500 polling units’ results at the election.
The statement said, “We reject the result declared because there are two sets of result sheets. One was taken to the field and another one to APC in Edo North, some parts of Edo South and Edo Central.
“We also observed that the military and police disrupted collation of results at the wards and local governments collation centres, including intimidation of INEC officials that collated results, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines. There is significant concern about the credibility of the results collation process.
“We totally reject the result of the election, which declared the All Progressive Congress APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo. There was militarisation and use of impunity at wards, local governments and state collation centres.
“INEC, military and police have clearly violated the provisions of Electoral Act 2022 concerning the collation of results in governorship election. Results were only collated at units and some wards.”
At another press conference on Wednesday, the 30 other CSOs, under Citizens Memorandum for Electoral Reforms, said the country was at a crossroads and needed a quick electoral reform to address issues arising from the elections.
The press conference was addressed by Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) ElectHER, International Press Centre (IPC), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), and Justice, Development and Peace Makers Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo.
Others were Justice Development and Peace Movement (JDPM), Oyo; Justice Development and Peace Initiative (JDPI), Ekiti; The Kukah Centre; Nigeria Women’s Trust Fund (NWTF); Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC); SOS Children’s Villages (SOS); TAF African; and Yiaga Africa.
The CSOs said, “The proposals encapsulated in this memorandum stem from a comprehensive analysis of the pressing challenges that have plagued our electoral system for too long.
“They are the product of extensive research, input from key stakeholders, and, importantly, the reflections drawn from our experiences during the 2023 general elections.
“We have also incorporated valuable recommendations from domestic and international election observers, who have called attention to areas requiring urgent reform if we are to restore public trust in our democratic institutions.
“As the National Assembly embarks on yet another round of electoral reforms, we present this Citizens Memorandum for Electoral Reforms as a crucial resource, which serves as a roadmap designed to guide lawmakers and all election stakeholders through priority areas in need of immediate attention.
“These amendments are strategic in their scope and assess, ambitious in their vision, yet they are also rooted in practicality, responding to the realities of our current electoral system.”
The groups said the memorandum focused on “three core pillars of the electoral legal framework for the conduct of elections: the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Elections.”
Politics
Tinubu will win Kano in 2027 – Senator Barau aide
Tinubu will win Kano in 2027 – Senator Barau aide
Ado Garba (Thirty), the legislative aide to the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, says President Bola Tinubu will win Kano State with a landslide in 2027, despite criticisms of his reform policies by some people in the state.
Ado Thirty told newsmen in Kano on Sunday that the people of the state would massively vote for President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress in 2027 because of the goodwill of the Deputy President of the Senate,Barau Jibrin, the people of the state “have been enjoying.”
Such goodwill he explained, include Senator Barau’s women and youths empowerment programmes, scholarship schemes, desilting of dams, provision of Federal and feeder Roads and irrigation schemes in the Kano North Senatorial District which he represents in the National Assembly.
Other initiatives, he said, are distribution of 60 trucks to farmers free, establishment of a Transport Service with over 1000 buses and bringing the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) campus to the Kano North Senatorial Zone.
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“All these programmes have impacted positively on the lives of the people of Kano North in particular,and the people of Kano State in general.
Besides,Ado Thirty said,Senator Barau’s populist programmes have been attracting more membership for the APC in the state, with the Deputy President of the Senate receiving thousands of NNPP supporters into the APC.
He said Barau had so far received thousands of NNPP supporters who defected to the APC “despite the fact that the State Government is controlled by the NNPP,and we are still counting.”
“Thus, Senator Barau’s initiatives and development programmes coupled with President Tinubu’s realistic and patriotic reform policies will move the people of the state to vote for the President enmasse in 2024,” Ado Thirty said.
Tinubu will win Kano in 2027 – Senator Barau aide
Politics
APP clears 22 of 23 chairmanship seats in Rivers LG election
APP clears 22 of 23 chairmanship seats in Rivers LG election
The Action Peoples Party (APP) has won 22 of 23 chairmanship positions in Rivers State local government election.
Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Adolphus Enebeli, announced the results of the elections on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He said the result of the remaining LGA — Etche — world be announced at a later date because collation was still ongoing.
Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers, had recently directed his loyalists to defect to the APP to contest the election.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers had earlier cautioned against the declaration of the results.
Aaron Chukwuemeka, the Rivers PDP chairman, warned that announcing results could incite violence.
Victor Giadom, APC chairman in the South-South, said the party boycotted the election because of discrepancies with the existing laws.
On September 4, a high court in the state held that RSIEC could conduct the LGA elections using the 2023 voter register.
But on September 30, a federal high court in Abuja barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to RSIEC.
The court also barred the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the poll.
Fubara was however not deterred and insisted that the election must hold.
Politics
Days of red cap numbered, Barau says while receiving NNPP defectors
Days of red cap numbered, Barau says while receiving NNPP defectors
Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has received a large number of grassroots leaders of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The senator it would soon be rare to see someone with a red cap, the symbol of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, in Kano State.
Responding to a question on the gale of defections rocking the NNPP in Kano, he said the rate at which the NNPP members, including their leaders, are trooping to the APC is a testament to the growing popularity and support APC is getting in Kano despite being an opposition party.
“I will continue to receive NNPP members rushing to join our party. Politics is a game of numbers. If you have a political party and members of other parties are not joining you, it means there is a problem.
“The NNPP members are attracted to the APC by our numerous interventions across critical spheres of our state and the country at large by the President Tinubu administration.
“At the formation of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu went across the country to woo people to the party. And this was why the party became popular in the country.
“We will continue receiving NNPP and other party members regardless of what some people say. Time will come. You will be looking for someone with a red cap, the symbol of the Kwankwasiyya, and you won’t see any in Kano. We will get there soon.
“We are doing this to lay a solid foundation for our party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and others to win the presidential, governorship, national and state House of Assembly elections come 2027 in Kano and beyond,” he was quoted in a statement by his media aide, Ismail Mudashir.
The Deputy National Women Leader of the APC, Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, who witnessed the defection, commended Senator Barau, describing him as a blessing to the APC, the people of Kano, the North and the country.
“The massive support our party is receiving in Kano shows the days of the NNPP are numbered in the state. We will take back our state at the poll come 2027, by Allah’s grace,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy President of the Senate has received members of the APC Amalgamated Support Groups in Kano State at the National Assembly.
Under the leadership of Hon. Shehu Isa Direba, the group was at the National Assembly to reaffirm their support and appreciation for Senator Barau over his various interventions in the state.
The group, comprising former LG chairmen, party stakeholders, farmers, businessmen, and civil servants, among others, said that with the support and interventions of Senator Barau, APC is no longer considered an opposition party in Kano.
“APC members are envied in Kano State by the NNPP, the ruling party in the state, because of Senator Barau’s numerous interventions, projects and programmes,” the group said.
Days of red cap numbered, Barau says while receiving NNPP defectors
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