Anambra PDP Demands Removal Of REC, Hails Appeal Court Over Ruling On BIVAS

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Anambra PDP Demands Removal Of REC, Hails Appeal Court Over Ruling On BIVAS

By Okey Maduforo Awka

Anambra state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party PDP has called for the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu.

Also the party has hailed the ruling of the Appeal Court against the prayers of INEC to reconfigure the BIVAS and iREV noting that it has increased the confidence of the masses on the Independence of the Judiciary.

Similarly the party has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC not to tamper with the BiVAS and iREV as according to them it is a ploy to destroy evidence for the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

This is coming as the National leadership of the PDP continued it’s protest against the outcome of the last two Saturdays election.

According to the Coordinator Anambra PDP Stakeholders Forum Chief Bede Nwachukwu who spoke to reporters in Awka;

“From the reports available to us as a political party that took part in the last general election it is clear that the results published as Anambra results were false and this have been made manifest as the Electoral Commission is still uploading results of an election that it has declared it’s winner”

“The Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu cannot claim that she has gone to equity with clean hands when a lot of legible voters could not vote due to the malfunctioning of the BIVAS gadget and it could not accredit all the voters ”

Nwachukwu further contended that “the incident that took place in Anambra South Senatorial District is a case in point where a thugs and security operatives attacked our Senatorial candidate and destroyed materials yet the Resident Electoral Commissioner went ahead to declare a winner and later they are still uploading results ”

“We thank the Court of Appeal for refusing to grant the prayers of INEC to reconfigure the BiVAS and iREV and that shows fairness on the part of the judiciary ”

“This is also an indication that the both the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court would be just enough to affirm that the general election was a rape of the democratic process and the Commission should not attempt to tamper with those gadgets ” he said

Umeh, Ubah, Nwoye, Others Receive Certificates of Return as Senators-elect

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Umeh, Ubah, Nwoye, Others Receive Certificates of Return as Senators-elect

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The Senator representing Anambra South senatorial district, Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah; the senator-elect for Anambra Central, Sen. Victor Umeh; and the senator-elect for Anambra North senatorial zone, Tony Nwoye, have received their Certificates of Return as the members duly elected to represent their respective senatorial districts at the Red Chamber.

The trio received their Certificates of Return on Tuesday at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, alongside other senators-elect from different senatorial zones across the country.

Ubah, Umeh and Nwoye defeated their opponents at the just-concluded Presidential/National Assembly Election held on Saturday, February 25, to emerge the representatives of the three senatorial zones in Anambra. While Ubah, a sitting senator, floored his rivals to retain the Anambra South senatorial seat under the Young People’s Party (YPP); Umeh of the Labour Party silenced and retired the incumbent Senator Uche Ekwunife of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra Central. On the other hand, Nwoye of LP dethroned the incumbent Senator Stella Oduah of PDP in Anambra North.

The Certificates of Return were presented to the three senators-elect and others today by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which have also authenticated their victories and prepared them for swearing-in ceremony as members of the 10th Senate come May 29, 2023.

More details later…

2023 Poll: Bauchi APC youths accuses stakeholders of Anti-Party Activities

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2023 Poll: Bauchi APC youths accuses stakeholders of Anti-Party Activities

From Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi

Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, have accused the State Chairman of the Party prominent stakeholders for anti Party According to them, was instrumental for the APC to score 45 percent in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly election held on February 25. Two separate petitions sent to the National Chairman of the Party Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, tittle “appealing against the activities of the critical stakeholders in Bauchi State during the Presidential and National Assembly elections ” signed by Abubakar Adamu Babangida and a copy was made available to Journalists in Bauchi.

The petitioners exonorated Former Bauchi Stare Governor Mallam Isa Yuguda, a one time gubernatorial aspirant Sani Al’ameen Muhammad, Former Deputy governor of Bauchi State Sagir Aminu Saleh , Honorable Ibrahim.Zailani , Senator Mohammed A Mohammed and 15 others who defy all.odds and stood In for the party to succeed.

The petitioners alleged that due to anti party of prominent stake holders “We lost the winning votes but we produced 45% which is not the willing of the concern APC members in the state. Although we have the highest vote in the Northeast 316,694 votes.”

“This is the first time PDP won presidential election in Bauchi state since 1999, lack of seriousness from our leaders who are always going round at the national telling you a different story looking for political appointment while they were not setting their house in order, fighting each other for their personal interest made APC lost.”

“Anti-party activities among our leaders is their heartbeat since 2019 and also repeat it 2023. Enough is enough we would not bear it. Some of them were even proud of their support to opposition, Atiku is a northern candidate they do not want to disappoint him.”

“As we are writing this letter to you sir, some of them were making accord with Governor Bala Muhammed of PDP. How to repeat anti- party to produce him again.”

“The same people you gave logistics to pay agent and returning officers. To this time some of APC agent were not paid, make a fact finding committee to investigate the activities of the leader and other leaders of the party including state executive council”

The second petition signed by the National coordinator of APC Youth Movement Alhaji Abdullahi little sent to the office of the National Chairman tittle ” dearth of leadership in Bauchi APC by the State Chairman Alhaji Babayo Aliyu Misau

The petitioners alleged that ” several complaints have been lodged at the National Secretariat in respect of Bauchi State APC Chairman, the complaints are coming to bear if not addressed and we believe it is going to deny us the joy to celebrate in the forth coming Gubernatorial election just as we’re doing now. May we intimate you or jolt your memory if you’re not aware on some allegations against the APC State Chairman”.

Abdullahi said ” It is constitutional for the Party hierarchy, out of necessity to convene Exco meetings for the progress of the Party, but, it is never so with our State Chapter. Is it because of incapacity of the leadership to do so? or is it a divisive way of strangulating the Party by the Chairman to perpetrate his hidden and deliberate intentions to satisfy his fifth columnist in achieving the plan of scuttling the success of APC at the forthcoming Gubernatorial election?With the foregoing, we want to state categorically, that with these attitudes and with hidden agenda, the forthcoming election will be disastrous if actions are not taken. We will go into the next election with fear, disappointment. distrust and without confidence if the National body did not come to the aid of Bauchi State APC. We pray that the Party, out of its wisdom with experience will see through the smoke screen in Bauchi and do the needful by checkmating the exigencies and appointing an interim leader for the sake of winning the State for the committed and loyal Party members that desire nothing short of winning,” Sir.

Effort to get the comment of the state publicity secretary of the party Adamu Aliyu Jallah was not successful but a senior official of the party urged members to exercise restraint and learn from their past mistakes where internal wranglings cost the party the Bauchi Governorship seat in 2019.

He begged the supporters of the party to vote for the party candidates, protect their votes and discuss their disagreement after election.

2023 Presidential: The New Electoral Law Didn’t Recognize Bola Tinubu As President-Elect — Ohanaeze Youth

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2023 Presidential: The New Electoral Law Didn’t Recognize Bola Tinubu As President-Elect — Ohanaeze Youth

The apex socio-cultural youth organization of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) have aligned itself with the position of the leader of apex socio-cultural Yoruba group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo who noted that Nigeria is yet to have a President-Elect.

Commenting on the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections which was heavily fraught with irregularities, violence, electoral fraud and rigging, the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, urged Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to tell Nigerians the deal he struck with the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu before his greed will plunge Nigeria into anarchy.

He noted that “the fraudulent election conducted by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari is an invitation to anarchy in Nigeria.

“We promise Prof. Yakubu that every cent/dollar collected from Bola Tinubu to upturn the WILL & WISH of youths and to subject the Nigerian youths into continuous unemployment and penury would amount to nothing as he will not enjoy the dollars under the Sun.

“Prof. Yakubu‘s electoral fraud has increased the number of aggressive youths in Nigeria, and has made himself a target of mob action by over 100m Nigerian youths.

“On 11th November 2023, INEC through Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians that the commission would transmit election results from the polling units real-time into the INEC Result Viewing (IRev) portal, but lo and behold Prof. Yakubu committed the worst electoral fraud in the history of Africa on 25th February 2023 after a secret meeting he had with State REC instructing them not to transmit results from the polling units; an intentional act to bypass INEC laws/guidelines and allotted massive figures from Ekiti, Kwara, Niger, Jigawa, Benue, Imo, Bauchi, Kaduna, Zamfara, Rivers and Borno to Bola Tinubu and hastly declared him winner of the presidential election.

“It is our believe that Prof Mahmood Yakubu deliberately caused the mal-functioning of the BVAS and stopped the transmission of results in order to perfect his dirty deal with Bola Tinubu. Prof Yakubu blatantly refused to adhere to his own electoral law/guidelines and made announcement of results with impunity, because the new Electoral Act couldn’t have recognized Tinubu as president-elect.

“Nigeria and indeed the world must acknowledge that according to the electoral law/guidelines “Section 60 (5) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 38 of the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Election, 2022, stated that presiding officers must transmit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal on completion of elections. Failure to comply to this is a criminal offence.” This implies that Prof Mahmood Yakubu and his cohorts in the 2023 presidential electoral fraud are common criminals, and must be treated like one by Nigerians according to the law.

“Therefore, going by the INEC’s laid down rules and guidelines, it’s obvious that there’s no President-elect yet in Nigeria. Any attempt to handover to Bola Tinubu without rectifying these issues and following the established electoral procedures is a deliberate act to lead Nigeria into anarchy.”

“To avoid Anarchy consuming Nigeria, INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu should announce results collected from polling Units to declare the actual winner of 2023 presidential election”, Igboayaka concluded

Police Uncover Plot To Disrupt Kano Guber Polls With Imported Thugs

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Police Uncover Plot To Disrupt Kano Guber Polls With Imported Thugs

BY SULE TAHIR

Kano State Police Command has on Monday raised alarm over a ploy  by some desperate politicians who are all out to foment trouble in the state.

This was made known by the Commissioner of Police in a statement through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna where he raise the dust that the politicians are making move to disrupt next Saturday’s Governorship polls.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Dauda warned the thugs and other trouble makers to steer clear of the state or face full wrath of the law.

SP Haruna said the command will liaise with other security agencies in the state to ensure arrest and diligent prosecution of all suspects found wanting.

According to him, “The Kano State Police Command under the leadership of CP Mamman Dauda recieves information that some disgruntled politicians are planning to import thugs to the State with the sole aim of disrupting the forthcoming Gubernatorial / State Assembly Elections slated for Saturday, 11th March 2023.

“The Commissioner of Police is warning all thugs, mischief makers and miscreants to stay clear of the State as the Command will not relent in its effort at dealing decisively with troublemakers.

“The Command will in liaison with other security agencies in the State ensure the arrest and diligent prosecution of all suspects. The thugs will also be charged to court alongside their sponsors.

“We want to use this medium to thank the law-abiding citizens and the good people of Kano State for their support during the Presidential / National Assembly Elections as it was conducted peacefully.

“The CP wants the good people of the State to continue in the same vein for us to record a zero-violence election,” SP Haruna however stated.

Presidential Poll Failed To Meet Nigerians’ Expectations – US Ambassador

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Presidential Poll Failed To Meet Nigerians’ Expectations – US Ambassador

BY SULE TAHIR

Aftermath of Nigerian presidential poll, the United States, has said that the exercise has failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election after polling 8,794,726, almost two million votes more than his closest rival — former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Abubakar, 76, who has now run for president six times, got 6,984,520 votes, while the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who, in less than a year, galvanised young voters in a manner some have described as unprecedented finished the race with 6,101,533.

However, both Atiku and Obi have faulted the presidential election, vowing to challenge the result in court.

In a statement on Sunday made available to News men in Abuja, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said many citizens are angry and frustrated with the results, while some others are celebrating victories, they believe were hard-fought and well-earned.

“It is clear that the electoral process as a whole on February 25 failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations,” the US Ambassador stated.

“As I said numerous times prior to the elections, Nigeria has accomplished much in just the two-plus decades since the return to democracy, and a gradual improvement in the quality of its elections in that time constitutes one of those accomplishments.

“The people of Nigeria demonstrated their dedication to democracy on February 25, but there are many angry and frustrated Nigerians as well as many who are celebrating victories they believe were hard-fought and well-earned.

“In the coming days, it will be important for the future of this country that Nigerians not let their differences divide them, and that the legally established process for resolving challenges to the election be allowed to take its course.”

The US envoy called on INEC to promptly address the challenges that can be resolved ahead of the March 11 governorship elections, urging the electoral body to undertake a broader review of the problems that transpired during the last elections and what can be done to fix them.

She also commended Nigerians for demonstrating their dedication to democracy, asking INEC to share with the Nigerian public information about the actions it is taking.

Leonard commended Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar for their commitment to take the legal path in contesting the presidential elections and also the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, for acknowledging their right to do so.

We won’t allow NNPP perpetrate violence, rig elections in Kano – Garba

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We won’t allow NNPP perpetrate violence, rig elections in Kano – Garba

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state has vowed to check any attempt by the opposition New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to manage any form of electoral malfeasance during the forthcoming gubernatorial and state assembly elections that could lead to defeat of the ruling party or declaration of the election as inconclusive.

The state commissioner for information and Internal affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, who made the assertion in a statement, said the APC was compelled to bring the plan to the attention of the public, “because this could disrupt the governorship and House of Assembly elections to its favour.”

He further stated that government has received credible information on how thugs will be hired from villages in Kano and beyond to upset the electoral process through violence, massive rigging, box snatching and arson.

Malam Garba recalled that in 2019, the opposition managed a well-organized election rigging network, particularly in the metropolitan local governments, where youths, mostly without voter cards, were engaged to perpetrate the act.

The commissioner alleged that this time around, the NNPP was planning to bring chaos through the use of thugs to cause mayhem with a view to dispersing voters at polling units in order to have the opportunity to rig the elections and subvert the will of the people.

He further alleged that the statement issued by the opposition in the state was just playing the victim card, but had perfected their nefarious plans to ensure that they disrupt the electoral process and deploy maximum violence.
While assuring that the APC would ensure that peace prevail in the state, the commissioner called on relevant security agencies to be alive to their responsibility by fishing out any individual or group bent on fomenting trouble to deny people exercise their franchise.

MALAM MUHAMMAD GARBA
Commissioner for Information & Internal Affairs, Kano State
March 6, 2023

INEC Develops Cold Feet Hesitates To Grant Obi, Atiku Access To Election Materials

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INEC Develops Cold Feet Hesitates To Grant Obi, Atiku Access To Election Materials

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is asking the Presidential Election Petition Court to vary the orders which was earlier granted the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi to inspect materials used for last presidential election.

In a motion on notice filed on March 4, the electoral body is praying the court to vary the order which restrained it from tampering with materials used for the election.

The commission said it needed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the next round of elections.

The Court of Appeal Abuja had on February 3 granted the request of Obi and Atiku to have access to all the sensitive materials INEC deployed for the conduct of the presidential election held on February 25.

The applicants urged the court to compel INEC to allow them to obtain documents in its custody that were used for the presidential election.

They maintained that the requested documents would aid their petition against the outcome of the presidential contest that was declared in favour of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

Also recall that INEC had declared Tinubu the winner of the presidential poll, ahead of 17 other candidates that contested the election.

According to INEC, Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku who polled a total of 6,984,520 votes and Obi, who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.

Buhari Strengthens Relation With The Islamic Republic Of Iran

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Buhari Strengthens Relation With The Islamic Republic Of Iran

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Iranian Vice President of the readiness of Nigeria to strengthen existing relations with the Islamic Republic.

President Buhari said this during a courtesy call on him by the Iranian Vice President, Mohsen Mansouri on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit taking place in Doha, the capital city of the State of Qatar.

According to the President, “I have interacted with Iranians over many years especially when I was the Petroleum Minister and understand the country and its people.

“I therefore welcome the strengthening of relations between our countries, as we have complementarities, especially in energy production.”

President Buhari also told his guest about the recent election in Nigeria and the fact that a new President would be taking over in less than three months. He hoped that the strong relations he had built between the two countries will continue to endure in the new administration.

The Iranian Vice President said he was glad to meet with the Nigerian leader, understanding fully that the two nations with their rich human and natural resources and the attendant wealth accrued need to cooperate in other areas such as Agriculture.

With Iran currently facing international sanctions over nuclear and other issues, Mr. Mansouri stressed that as leaders in their respective regions, it was important for the two countries to push for multilateralism to be the order of the day and avoid a unipolar world, adding that the way forward is to set up and strengthen a joint commission between the two countries at the highest levels.

Allegations against Gov. Soludo are cheap lies to incite people against him —Aburime

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Allegations against Gov. Soludo are cheap lies to incite people against him —Aburime

 

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

Mr. Christian Aburime, the Chief Press Secretary to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has described some allegations being peddled and levelled against the Governor on different media platforms as cheap lies cooked up by people to set Ndị Anambra against the Governor and the ruling party in the state, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Aburime disclosed this in an interview with this reporter, Izunna Okafor, in which he also noted that the allegations are purely politically motivated and are primarily aimed at destabilizing the Governor and APGA ahead of the forthcoming State House of Assembly election.

He spoke while reacting to a trending piece by an unknown amateur author, which accuses Governor Soludo of plotting to kill the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, in connivance with the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Bola Tinubu, and the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, among others.

According to the author of the viral post, Soludo secretly took a midnight flight to Imo State Government House over the weekend, to meet with Uzodimma, Tinubu and Tinubu’s son, Seyin Tinubu, where they told him they wanted to eliminate Obi, and also paid him the sum of $5,000,000 (five million US Dollars) to help them carry out the task, after which he should blame it on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) operatives, since he (Soludo) is from the same state with Obi.

The rigmarolic author, however, did not include a single evidence in his report to back up his claims, only to rush further to raise alarm that Governor Soludo should be held responsible if anything should happen to Peter Obi.

Mr. Aburime, in his reaction to the publication, wondered why people would just create irrelevant and mischievous contents from nowhere and start circulating them on the social media to deceive the public, hit up the polity, and cause unnecessary tension in the society

While challenging the writer of the piece to come up with, at least, one evidence to back up his scandalous write-up, the Press Secretary equally opined that the reason for the concoction and circulation of many of such irrelevant contents, lies and allegations against Soludo in this election period is to poison the minds of the people especially Ndị Anambra against Soludo and APGA candidates. He said the masterminders of the propaganda are primarily aiming to make Ndị Anambra start seeing the Governor and APGA in the bad light and consequently work against them in the forthcoming Saturday election.

Aburime, while cautioning people to desist from campaign of calumny and causing unnecessary tension in the land, also advised the people to disregard the write-up and all the allegations made therein. He also advised Ndị Anambra to come out en masse and vote massively for APGA candidates in the forthcoming State House of Assembly election, even as he stated emphatically that Soludo never hated Peter Obi and has never ploted or been part of any evil plot against him.

The Press Secretary also wondered at how people have magnified and blown Governor Soludo’s political stance in the 2023 general election out of proportion, and capitalize on that to blaspheme, castigate and even attempt to crucify him. He called on those who harbour hatred against the Governor for his political stance and reminded them that political parties are like houses, and that everybody must not be in the same house at the same, no matter how appealing or attractive any of the house may seem to be over others.

“Support Governor Soludo, vote APGA candidates in the forthcoming election, and you won’t regret you did so,” he advised Ndị Anambra.

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