Politics

JUST IN: EU Mission Knocks INEC, Says Violence, Vote-buying Marred Gov Polls

Published

1 year ago

March 20, 2023

The European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria 2023 on Monday knocked the Independent National Electoral Commission for failing to live up to expectations in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The Chief Observer, EU Election Observation Mission, Barry Andrews, in his preliminary statement of the EU EOM on the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections said Nigerians hungered for democracy and were ready to be involved in the country’s democracy.

However, he noted the appetite was lost due to failures by the political elite and INEC.

Andrews said, “Throughout the mission, we saw that Nigerians have a great appetite for democracy and are keen to engage in various civic activities. However, in many parts of the country, their expectations were not met. Many were disappointed and we witnessed voter apathy that is in part, a clear consequence of failures by political elites and, unfortunately, also by INEC.

“Public confidence and trust in INEC were severely damaged on 25 February due to lack of transparency and operational failures in the conduct of the federal level polls.

“Up until the postponement, INEC continued to abstain from providing information, limiting its communication to a few press releases and ceremonial statements and hence failing to address public grievances and rebuild confidence in the electoral process.

“From 11 March onwards, despite compressed timeframes, INEC introduced various corrective measures to render a timely delivery of electoral materials, efficient use of election technologies, and ensure prompt publication of result forms, some of which were effective.

“Positively, INEC introduced some corrective measures ahead of Saturday’s polls, allowing a timely delivery of sensitive materials and improved use of election technologies, yet the institution continued to lack transparency.”

Andrews stated that the March 18 elections did not face the same problems with the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System as on 25 February. Result forms for the governorship polls were uploaded and displayed for public scrutiny. Whereas at the time of the declaration of presidential results, only one-quarter of
result forms were visible; by midday on March 19, governorship result forms available online ranged from 62 to 97 per cent depending on the state.

He, however, added that despite these improvements, “Polling on Election Day was disrupted by multiple incidents of thuggery and intimidation of voters, polling officials, observers, and journalists. Lagos, Kano, and other states in the southern and central parts were the most affected. Unfortunately, there were many casualties and fatalities. Vote-buying, also directly observed by EU EOM observers, further detracted from the appropriate conduct of the
elections.”

The second preliminary report of the EU EOM Nigeria 2023 supplements the first report issued on February 27. The mission has been present in Nigeria since January 11 and will continue to observe post-election developments.

The EU EOM will present and publish its final report, including recommendations for improving the electoral framework in the next few months.

Politics

Edo Guber: Why I Want To Become Governor – APGA Candidate, Osifo

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2024

Editor

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The Edo State All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, Dr. Isaiah Osifo, has said the yearning by Edo people for good leadership propelled him to join the race.

The former Chief of Staff to Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, who lamented that Edo State has been lacking good leaders for long, promised to deliver good governance if elected into office.

Dr. Osifo stated this during a chat with journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital, over the weekend.

Rolling out some qualities expected of a good leader, the APGA governorship candidate said: “Many people have asked me why am I contesting? I have several reasons for contesting this election.”

He continued: “What is lacking in Edo State and in African democracy is good leadership. And that is what we’ve been battling with in Africa and Edo State.

“We have an abundance of young men and women, patriotic and talented young men and women that are ready to work. But what is lacking now is good leadership.

“It is that good leadership that’s motivating me to contest the election so that I can feel that gap; that vacuum of lack of good leadership. I said this repeatedly, and God has been so wonderful to me.”

“So, good leadership is needed for Edo State to develop. Good leadership is needed for Edo State to have democracy, because we already have the grace of God upon our life.”

Speaking on how some Edo South Elders are making moves to get the best candidate on board, Osifo noted: “When I met with them I told them there are three things that can make a state to be great: The grace of God; hardworking men and women, patriotism, and of course good leadership.”

He said in Edo people’s bid to elect a good leader in the September 21st governorship election, they must look out for three qualifications, viz: legal, political and moral qualifications, boasting that he is the only candidate that possessed all these qualifications.

He added: “Legal question: Now, you must meet some requirements as a law for you to contest as governor. You cannot go to the Oko prison to go and bring an ex-convict to contest for an election. The law does not allow it. A child that is 30 or 35 years below cannot contest for governor because the law says he must be above 35 years as a necessary requirement. That is a legal qualification.

“Session 182 of the constitution is so clear that if you have sworn to an oath of allegiance to a foreign country or to a foreign power, you are not qualified to contest for any public office.

“Ethically, a politician or a public servant who has sworn to an oath of allegiance is a traitor. Because patriotism is what defines citizenship. So, if you go and swear to an oath of allegiance to a foreign power, it shows you are a traitor. The Nigerian constitution forbids it. And that if you have sworn to an oath of office to a foreign power or country, you are not qualified to hold any public office.

“If you have sworn to an oath of office to foreign power and are still going about telling Edo people to vote for you, you are not going to be a good leader, because you have already lied, liars are not good leaders.”

He continued: “Political qualification: Franchise is defined as a right to vote and to be voted for. For you to be a candidate, you must be a voter here in Edo State. Now, if you have never voted in Edo state, and you are now trying to struggle to get a fresh voter card or to do a transfer, politically you are not qualified to run in this election.

“Moral qualification: I come from a cultural background, whereby a popular adage says you don’t use a stranger to make a head of a community. If you are an Edo man but you have not lived here before as an adult, your family is not here, your children don’t attend any school here, your wife does not go to any market here in Edo State, and you want to be governor, governor over who? “

Politics

Edo Guber Final List : Group Knocks LP, Commends, INEC, Yakubu

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2024

Editor

A youth group within the Edo State Labour Party (LP), on Monday, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Professor Mahmood Yakubu for adhering strictly to the rule of law in deepening democracy particularly in the party’s candidates list ahead of the September governorship election.

in Edo State (SYEG), Tuesday has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and Professor Mahmood Yakubu for adhering strictly to the rule of law in deepening democracy in Edo State Labour Party’s candidates list ahead of the September governorship election.

The statement by SYEG came in reaction to an earlier statement by the Edo State chairman of LP, Kelly Ogbaloi who faulted INEC’s listing Oluyinka Faith Alufohai as the running mate to Olumide Akpata.

A statement signed by chairman of the group, Comrade Jonah Ifada and Secretary, Osagie Omoregie also knocked the Edo State chairman of the party over his rejection of INEC final list and reminded the party that what the electoral body has done was in accordance with the law, hence deserves commendation.

The body under the umbrella ‘Shine Your Eyes Group’, also noted that what has become the lot and tragedy for the Labour Party in Edo State was a clear reflection of the shambles primary it conducted in the state where the “wishes of party’s faithful were subverted by those entrusted to run the affairs of the party.”

Ifada in a widely circulated statement in Benin noted, “Our attention has been drawn to the ranting by the Edo State chairman of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, rejecting the nomination of Oluyinka Faith Alufohai in INEC announced final list of candidates as ludicrous.

“We want to state equivocally and remind Ogbaloi that INEC is not like the Labour party and that what INEC has done was in line with the rule of law and deserves commendation for being vigilance and thorough.

“We had warned the Labour Party to play by the rules of the game but they choose to bow to the weight of naira and dollars to subvert democracy and the wishes of our people.

“As stakeholders, we are however confident that the abnormality by the party would be corrected by the court as we have it on good authority that one of the aspirants, Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon has gone to court to seek interpretation of the constitution as regards issues in the party’s primary.”

Recall that Imansuangbon in his petition stated that Barrister Olumide Akpata committed a horde of offences ranging from giving false information to the acquisition of citizenship of another country, which is a grand departure from the Nigerian Constitution’s accepted norms.

On the allegation of false information, Barrister Imansuangbon alleged that Barrister Akpata, while filling INEC form EC 9 “stated his name to be Akpata Olumide Anthony which is different from and not the same as Akpata Olumide Osaigbovo” which he earlier stated on oath to be his name and under which he contested and reportedly won the primary election of the LP.

Imansuangbon wanted the court to determine whether Akpata “has not supplied or otherwise given false information to the INEC within the meaning or contemplation of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

On Akpata taking an oath of allegiance of Vanuatu, an independent and sovereign nation, Imansuangbon wanted clear interpretation of the Nigerian constitution to know if Akpata’s “claim on oath, in the said INEC form EC 9 that he has not voluntarily acquired the citizenship of another country is not or does not amount to false information, within the meaning of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022, read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria(as amended).”

On Oluyinka Faith Alufokhai, “who is parading herself” as the running mate of Barrister Akpata, the petitioner cited some information that she supplied in INEC form EC 9 which do not add up. The information includes that “she was born in 1981 and that she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate in the same year of her birth.

“Her name is Alufokhai Oluyinka Faith while her former name was Ikheafe and she obtained three certificates namely OND, HND and PGD the same year, 2005.”

Politics

Ondo APC Primary; A Disgrace To Democracy – Cleric

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Editor

…It’s a shame APC is taking Nigeria back to dark days

The Senior pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming Of Christ Ministry, Adewale Giwa, has faulted the conduct of the governorship primary election conducted by the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ondo state.

Giwa, described the exercise as a disgrace to democracy and called on President Bola Tinubu to quickly intervene.

Recall that the exercise was characterized with violence, protest in Okitipupa, ldanre, Akure, the state capital, Supare, Akoko South-West, and other areas, by governorship aspirants, party members across the state.

Political thugs who stormed voting centers, disrupted the exercise and prevent supporters of some governorship aspirants from voting.

The governorship aspirants complained that election materials were reportedly not taken to many wards across the state.

Giwa, while speaking in Akure, called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to invite the State Commissioner of Police for questioning.

“We all witnessed what happened in our state.The exercise in Ondo state was a season of great disappointment and embarrassment. We thought the era of thuggery was gone, not until it resurfaced.

“You deliberately bought sophisticated weapons for political thugs to wreck havoc on the people you intend to govern. It’s a shame that the APC is taking Nigeria back to the dark days.

“Thugs were freely moving around the state with AK-47 riffles in the presence of security agents, and nothing happened.

“What are they turning this Nigeria into? Why do politicians want to be in power at all costs?

” If people say they don’t want you, thank God and leave the position honorably.

“A journalist was beaten, harassed and attacked like a party member. What a shameful act!

“A good name is more desirable than great riches. I don’t know why people don’t think that nothing is permanent in life.

“As one of the stakeholders in Ondo state, it will be unfair for me to encourage or support rascality. The exercise is a disgrace to the nation’s democracy.

“If the APC could fail to conduct a primary election within themselves, how can they transform Nigeria?

“Let me call on President Bola Tinubu to quickly intervene for the interest of the nation’s democracy.

“Also, I urge the Inspector General of Police to invite the State Commissioner of Police for questioning why his officers failed to arrest the political thugs who were moving freely with guns and other dangerous weapons,” he said.