News

Republicans Erupt Into Open Warfare Over Ukraine Aid Package Vote

Published

2 years ago

April 20, 2024

Republican divisions over military support for Ukraine were long simmering. Now, before Saturday’s extraordinary vote in Congress on a foreign aid package, they have erupted into open warfare – a conflict that the vote itself is unlikely to contain.

Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, triggered an all-out split in his own party’s ranks last week by finally agreeing, after months of stalling, to a floor vote on the $95bn foreign aid programme. Passed by the Senate in February, it contained about $60bn for Ukraine, $14bn for Israel, and a smaller amount for Taiwan and other Pacific allies.

Johnson’s decision to finally bring the package to a vote made a highly symbolic break with the GOP’s far right, the people who engineered his elevation to the speaker’s chair last October after toppling his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. These Republican rightwingers – reflecting the affinity of their political idol, the former president Donald Trump, for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin – have grown openly hostile to Ukraine’s cause.

Speaking from the Capitol on Thursday, Johnson made no apologies for antagonising them, telling C-SPAN that providing aid to Ukraine was “critically important” and “the right thing” despite the potential power of his opponents to bring him down in yet another internal party coup.

“I really believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten,” Johnson said. “I believe that Xi and Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil. I think they are in coordination on this. I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe.

“I am going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will,” he said, adding: “I’m willing to take a personal risk for that, because we have to do the right thing. And history will judge us.”

The backlash was fierce. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the outspoken Georgia representative, immediately filed a resolution demanding Johnson’s removal, called the bill a “sham”.

“I don’t care if the speaker’s office becomes a revolving door,” Taylor Greene told Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, on his War Room channel. “The days are over of the old Republican party that wants to fund foreign wars and murder people in foreign lands while they stab the American people in their face and refuse to protect Americans and fix our problems.”

Branded “Moscow Marjorie” by former Republican representative Ken Buck, who said she gets her talking points from the Kremlin, Taylor Greene went further by accusing Ukraine of waging “a war against Christianity”.

“The Ukrainian government is attacking Christians, the Ukrainian government is executing priests,” she said. “Russia is not doing that. They’re not attacking Christianity.” (In fact, according to figures from the Institute for Religious Freedom, a Ukrainian group, at least 630 religious sites had been damaged or looted in Russia’s invasion by December last year.)

Taylor Greene’s move to oust Johnson was supported by the Kentucky representative Thomas Massie, who also backed an ultimately successful attempt to remove a previous Republican speaker, John Boehner, nearly a decade ago.

Other Republican rightwingers are unhappy, too, though they have so far stopped short of moving to topple the speaker. That might be because Trump, the party’s presumptive nominee for president who is currently on trial on fraud charges relating to paying hush money to keep American voters from learning about his alleged affair with an adult film star, has backed Johnson.

So have all four Republican chairs of the key House committees – foreign affairs, intelligence, armed services and appropriations – a position driven by the sheer urgency of Ukraine’s predicament.

More than two years into the war, Ukraine has a catalogue of absolutely critical military requirements, including artillery shells, air defence missiles and deep-strike rockets.

Johnson has tried to dilute the internal opposition by unbundling the aid package into four separate bills, with each to be voted on individually – apparently in the hope that the chance to vote against the bits they dislike (such as Ukraine) while backing causes more palatable to them (such as Israel) will placate the implacable.

Although the Republicans’ house majority is now whittled down to two, Democrats – who mostly back funding Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion – have pledged to support Johnson’s bills. That could mean Ukraine would finally get the US assistance it has so fervently hoped for: roughly $60bn in assistance (much of which would be to replenish weapons stocks provided by the US), including $10bn to be given in the form of a loan, a concept Trump has apparently endorsed.

Predictably, Democrats are gloating. Jared Moskowitz, a Democratic representative from Florida, moved an amendment to the Ukraine bill calling for Taylor Greene’s office in the Cannon building to be renamed the Neville Chamberlain room – in homage to the pre-second world war British prime minister notorious for appeasing Hitler – and asking she be appointed “Vladimir Putin’s special envoy to the US”.

While Saturday’s vote may settle the Ukraine issue for now, Republican divisions will probably rumble on, according to Kyle Kondik of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

“The GOP split on Ukraine would remain, but the need for action (or inaction) in the short term would be solved,” he said.

“Johnson may be well-positioned to survive as speaker because Democrats may provide him some votes. But the GOP conference is so divided (and so small in its majority) that I’m sure something else will come along to cause more turbulence.”

The Guardian, UK

News

CDD Assesses Anambra Guber Poll, Says Vote Buying Prominent In South, Central

Published

4 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), has released its preliminary observation in the November 8 Anambra State governorship election, lamenting that voting buying was prominent in Anambra Central and South senatorial districts.

The CDD said these “multiple incidents of vote buying and trading,” often “carried out in full view of voters and officials, directly undermined the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.”

In a preliminary assessment statement read by Professor Victor Adetula, Chair,
CDD-West Africa Election Analysis Centre, during a press briefing in Akwa, said in some instances, party agents used money transfer platforms rather than direct cash payments to complete the transactions.

“In Awka South, Anambra Central, and in Nnewi North LGA, vote buying was observed in high-density polling clusters, including Nodu Village Hall 1 (PU 009, 2,780 registered voters), Nodu Hall 2 (PU 010, 1,983 voters), and Ezinifitte Hall 2 (PU 008, 3,352 voters) and Nibo 002 Maternity I. Voters were seen participating in “vote-and-snap” behavior taking pictures of their marked ballots, likely as proof of compliance in exchange for financial incentives.”

He added: “Party agents offered voters up to ₦10,000 and ₦5,000, depending on the location. For example, in PU 005, Achina Ward 3, and in Aguata LGA, opposite PU 012, Ward 1, agents distributed ₦5,000 and ₦2,000 payments to voters.”

According to the CDD, despite “strong interest shown by youth during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) period, turnout among young voters on election day was visibly low, especially in urban centres such as Awka and Onitsha.”

The CDD said the “contributing factors appeared to include disillusionment with the political process, logistical delays, and perceived lack of impact.”

The CDD lamented that “Women, particularly female candidates, continued to face voter apathy and discriminatory behaviour,” adding that “observers recorded instances where female candidates were subjected to dismissive or sexist commentary at polling units, reinforcing the cultural and institutional barriers to women’s political participation.”

REAS ALSO: AnambraDecides: KDI Decries Vote Buying, Compromise of Ballot Secrecy

“Accessibility for persons with disabilities remained limited in several areas, including Onitsha North and Idemili South LGAs.

“Despite INEC’s public commitment to inclusion, observers reported that many polling units lacked wheelchair access, signage for the visually impaired, or priority voting arrangements.”

On security, the CDD said it observers “observed a high concentration of security officials, media and election observers in polling units associated with popular political figures,” noting that “in contrast, polling units with fewer registered voters showed inadequate security coverage, which aligns with the 12.7% of PUs that had no security personnel present.”

“The absence of law enforcement in these units exposed electoral officials and voters to potential risks and created space for political interference.

“This disparity in deployment raises concerns about strategic allocation of security resources, especially in rural polling units.

“While the overall security coverage was sufficient in most areas, the lack of consistent deployment risks undermines electoral integrity and public trust.

“All polling units, regardless of size or location, require adequate and competent security coverage to safeguard the voting process and ensure that all voters can participate without fear or interference,” CDD advocated.

On BVAS, the CDD said “in 78.9% of polling units, a single BVAS device was deployed, while 18% had two machines available, and 1.5% reported having more than two devices.

“Our observers also noted that in 96.2% of polling units, the BVAS machines correctly displayed the required zero count before the commencement of accreditation.”

News

Yiaga, Kukah Centre, CEMESO, Others, Assess Anambra Guber, Advocate Electoral Laws Enforcement

Published

6 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

A coalition of election monitoring civil society organisations has released a preliminary assessment of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election, focusing on deployment of election materials
and personnel, accreditation and voting, as well as inclusivity and
accessibility, amongst others.

The coalition, referred to as Anambra Election Observation Hub,
comprised of Yiaga Africa, The Kukah Centre, International Press
Centre (IPC), Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Nigeria
Women Trust Fund (NWTF), ElectHER, and TAF Africa.

Addressing journalists in Akwa on behalf of other partners, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the coalition jointly deployed 711 citizen observers across the 21 LGAs of the state, Each organization leads on a specific thematic pillar, including election integrity, results verification, election security, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, misinformation tracking, and media safety.

He described the election as generally peaceful with a secure environment, adding that election officials and security personnel in polling units displayed
professionalism and adequate knowledge of electoral procedures.

According to him,
while electoral materials were deployed as scheduled
in most polling units, some logistical challenges, such as delays in the arrival of materials
and election personnel, were recorded, adding that these led to the late commencement of polls
in some polling units.

He said BVAS, register of voters, voting cubicle, and Indelible Ink were present in 100% of polling
units observed, noting that election materials like the PWD Voter information and Statistics
Form (Form EC 40H) were seen in 86% of polling units, and PWD Poster (Form EC 30E) in
84% of polling units.

“Additionally, 5% of the polling units had two or more BVAS devices deployed. However,
in 3% of polling units, the BVAS accreditation count were not displayed to voters before
accreditation commenced. This procedural oversight could undermine transparency and
affect voter confidence in the integrity of the accreditation process,” he added.

He said “notable gaps in security coverage were also recorded. In some polling units,
such as PU 014, Nkwelle Ezunaka, Oyi LGA, voting commenced without the presence of any security personnel. Such security gaps expose polling units to potential disputes,
intimidation, or electoral malpractice, especially in politically tense or high-stakes areas.
It also questions the accuracy of the 55,000 security personnel deployed for the election
as reported by the security agencies.”

Itodo, however, decried the prevalent of vote buying in the election, saying “these acts undermine the
integrity of the election.”

The Yiaga Africa ED, while calling for an urgent enforcement of electoral laws to deter vote buying and selling at election, noted: “In some instances, political agents adopted new and covert strategies to perpetrate vote buying.

“We received reports of party agents recording the details of voters for post-voting financial inducement. POS machines were also deployed at or near polling units to facilitate financial transactions in exchange for votes.”

News

AnambraDecides: KDI Decries Vote Buying, Compromise of Ballot Secrecy

Published

7 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has decried political parties agents interference and vote trading in the November 8 Anambra State governorship election.

KDI, in mid-electiom findings made available to newsmen in Akwa, said the interference and vote buying by party agents “represents a fundamental assault on the integrity of the electoral process, undermining the principles of free, fair, and credible elections.”

The KDI, in the mid-electiom statement signed by its Team Lead, Bukola Idowu, stated that failure
of INEC officials and security personnel at affected polling units to curtail these
activities raise serious concerns about enforcement of electoral guidelines and protection of voters’ rights.

“One of the most concerning
developments observed across polling units is the pervasive interference by
political party agents in the voting process.

“Our observation documentation
shows systematic violations of electoral guidelines by agents representing
primarily the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress
(APC), and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

“Party agents were observed
engaging in blatant vote-buying operations, approaching voters with cash inducements ranging from ₦3,000 to ₦10,000, establishing “verification points”
where voters received payments after casting their ballots.

“These violations
represent a fundamental assault on the integrity of the electoral process, undermining the principles of free, fair, and credible elections, while the failure
of INEC officials and security personnel at affected polling units to curtail these
activities raise serious concerns about enforcement of electoral guidelines and protection of voters’ rights.”

Key Observations

The CSO said it observers in the field recorded late “commencement was due to absence of
INEC officials in some places, voters and at the instance of INEC ad-hoc officials they link this to the absence of security officials,” adding that compromise of ballot secrecy
across several polling units, and relatively efficient BVAS was also observed.

KDI said despite the huge number of security personnel deployed to the state for the election, troubling disconnect
between these figures and actual ground presence was observed.

“Our observers have documented sparse and uneven distribution of security personnel at polling units, with many locations having minimal or no visible security presence, while security forces appear concentrated at strategic locations – There were report of
security concentration in Anambra South – like Aguata but major urban centers, and semi-urban LGAs seems to have sparse. Reports show that in Awka South
LGA, Ward 19, PU-21, as at 9:57am, no security officer was seen,” it said.

On violence, KDI said it observers recorded “twenty-one (21) incidents of violence across the
over 1000 polling units observed,” adding, “these incidents involved group clashes, voter intimidation and harassment, physical assault, and ballot box snatching.”

It further said: “Of the
reported cases, seven (7) in Oyi, three (3) occurred in Ogbaru, Njikoka, and one
(1) in Anambra East, Anaocha, Nnewi North, Orunmba and Nnewi South.

“The perpetrators were identified as party agents and voters, with one incident
involving a security officer who discharged tear gas at a polling location.”