Politics

Violence, vote buying mar gov, state assembly poll, says CDD report

Published

2 years ago

March 19, 2023

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.”

Related Topics:2023 gov poll CDD Featured

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PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Umar Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Two former Presidents of the Senate, Chief David Mark and Dr Bukola Saraki are leading a fresh charge aimed at removing Amb. Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The push by Mark and Saraki has received the backing of prominent stakeholders, including the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang and other political office holders elected on the platform of the PDP.

Similarly, former governors from the Northcentral zone who served on the party’s platform have also aligned forces with the group.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the party chieftains resolved to produce a candidate from the zone early 2025 to replace Damagum.

According to them, the move to replace Damagum with a substantive chairman from the Northcentral, has received the endorsement of key party stakeholders from the Northwest and the Northeast zones.

Among those being projected as potential candidates to take Damagum’s seat include Mark; a former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; and a former House of Representatives member from Nasarawa State, David
David Ombugadu.

A communique issued after the meeting, said the stakeholders
reviewed the festering crisis in the party following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.

Ayu lost his seat to the crisis triggered by disagreements over the emergency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

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The crisis has continued to deepen with the apparent overbearing influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on the Damagum-led national leadership.

The Northcentral stakeholders argued that Damagum’s continued occupation of the office breached provisions of the PDP constitution.

The communique states in part, “The PDP’s constitution clearly states that succession of offices in the party at all levels is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone, as per Section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is guided by its constitution at all times. Therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the Northcentral Zone appeal to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the Northcentral Zone to serve out its tenure.

“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of Northcentral zone.

“The Northcentral is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”

The meeting, which was attended by Governor Muftwang, also had former Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Idris Wada (Kogi) in attendance.

Others at the meeting included the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; incumbent PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); and a former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana.

Also at the meeting were former senators Tunde Ogbeha, Philip Aduda, Suleiman Adokwe, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Onawo and Peter Jiya.

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Similarly, former Ministers, Labaran Maku and Sarah Ochekpe also attended the meeting. Other stakeholders like Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Mr. Raymond Dabo, Maika Jiba, and Isa Dobi were also present.

Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, emerged Acting National Chairman in March 2023 following the exit of Ayu who is from Benue State in the Northcentral zone.

Damagum was the PDP Deputy National Chairman (North) before his appointment as Acting National Chairman.

By virtue of Section 47 (6) of the party’s constitution, he ought to have relinquished the seat for a substantive National Chairman from the Northcentral zone where Ayu hailed from.

The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

Ayu was elected chairman in 2022 for a four-year tenure that should expire in 2026 before his tenure got truncated in 2023.

Several moves by critical organs of the party, including the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Caucus to replace Damagum have been thwarted by the Acting National Chairman, allegedly with the backing of Wike.

Miffed by the development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had, a few weeks ago, directed the Damagum-led leadership to convene the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting latest by February 2025.

The NEC meeting has suffered four postponements between August and November 2024, as Damagum, who is supposed to convene the meeting has been evasive.

The power to ratify any candidate chosen by the Northcentral zone to replace Damagum is vested only in the NEC.

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Politics

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Trends Admin

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has officially expelled Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairperson of the party in the South-East, following allegations of anti-party activities.

Odefa had been suspended on September 11, 2024, by the ward executives, a move that was later upheld by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki. In its ruling on November 29, 2024, under suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, the court affirmed the legitimacy of his suspension.

On Wednesday, Onyeka Ovuta, the Acting Chairperson of the PDP in Oguduokwor, announced Odefa’s expulsion in a statement. Ovuta explained that the decision followed recommendations from the party’s disciplinary committee, which confirmed the allegations against Odefa.

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The party announced that Mr Odefa by the virtue of his expulsion, “ceases to be a member of the party.”

Reacting, Mr Odefa laughed off the expulsion, stating that those who announced it were “frustrated charlatans”.

He said the expulsion cannot stand because “it did not take place in the ward but in Abuja”. He said those who made the announcement against him were not ward executives of the party.

“Let them come home come and announce it. Or is our ward now located in Abuja?”

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Politics

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Trends Admin

APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Sylvester Ezeokenwa has been reinstated as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ezeokenwa was reinstated by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, December 17.

According to Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, the commission had been served with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

The apex court judgement with the Appeal No. SC/CV/824/2024 APGA & ANOR vs OYE & ORS was delivered on November 27, 2024.

The court ruled that Ezeokenwa should be recognised as the national chairman of the party.

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“In compliance with the judgement of the apex court, the Commission has restored Barr. Ezeokenwa as the Chairman of APGA and restored his name on our website accordingly,” the INEC commissioner said.

He also stated that the reisnstatmemt of the new chairman would automatically lead to the withdrawal of the recognition of Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The court also upheld an earlier judgement of the appeal which did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

If also awarded N20 million each against the appellaants.