N23Bn Diezani Bribe: Absence of the Accused Stalls Judgment

Justice M.B Idris of Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi today 7th April, 2017, adjourned the judgment in a case of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials, Christan Nwosu and two others who participated in the sharing of N23 Billion slush funds meant for the buildup of 2015 general election to compromise electoral officers.

Nwosu and two other INEC officials was earlier arraigned on 5th of April, 2017 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC before Justice Idris of the same Court on a 7 count charge bordering on receiving gratification to the tune of N264, 880,000.00(Two Hundred and Sixty four Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira), which Nwosu pleaded guilty of receiving N30million from the said campaign bribe money.

MONDAY LINES: Federal Republic of Religion By Lasisi Olagunju (Columnist of The Year)

They were called the “A-men” people when they first surfaced in my father’s farmstead in the mid 80s. We were used to hearing Christians say “Aamin” to every line of prayer. Our village was a majorly Muslim community. But there were orthodox Christians with their small church building. Once, we sneaked in there fascinated by the enchanting songs and the expressive dance. The drumbeats, the soulful songs and the measured dance steps were as alluring as the delights of paradise. We thought Christianity was just about those sounds and symbols. Then these new people came. Two struggling young bachelors sauntered into our stead, primarily propelled by the exigencies of life and living. They came and altered the routine we associated with Christianity. They were our village primary school teachers whose new church spoke not the language of the villagers. This new church strangely spoke English and scanty Yoruba. The shout of heavily accented “Amen!” particularly marked out the members. That “A-men!” soon became their sobriquet. For a long time, they remained few but they were unrelenting.

RIVERS RE-RUN ELECTIONS: OVER 70 INCIDENTS OF DELIBERATE OBSTRUCTION OF ELECTORAL PROCESS RECORDED - INEC CHAIRMAN

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has disclosed that over 70 incidents of deliberate obstruction of the electoral process were recorded in the Saturday 10th December, 2016 Rivers Federal and State Constituency re-run elections.

He described as unprecedented the scale of negative utterances, hate speech and violence witnessed in the Rivers re-run elections and disclosed that the Commission was instituting an administrative inquiry as part of a comprehensive review of the re-run elections.

Professor Yakubu made the disclosure today in a statement at the opening of a two-day Capacity Development Workshop for members of the INEC Press Corps, entitled: “Repositioning The Media for Effective Coverage of Electoral Processes” at the Rockview Hotel Royale, Abuja.

CLARIFICATION: PRESIDENT GAVE NO ‘ORDERS’ ON USE OF NATIONAL ID CARDS FOR 2019 POLLS

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT PRESS RELEASE

Our attention has been drawn to some misleading newspaper reports today claiming that the President gave “orders” that national identity cards be used in the 2019 elections.

For the avoidance of any doubt, the President has made no such order and the Vice President’s speech (delivered yesterday by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Ade Ipaye at the Policy Roundtable on Identity Eco-System in the country, which the report used to make such erroneous claims), certainly made no mention of the 2019 elections at all.

What the speech said was that the President has taken an initiative to harmonize identity management in the country so as to ensure that every Nigerian has a unique identifier. And in the same vein, the speech added that it is the “President’s charge that the national identification number, (NIN) is used to authenticate eligible voters in the near future, as well as in the areas of access to health insurance, registration of SIM cards, access to social welfare, financial transactions, etc.”

Re-run election in Rivers State: INEC denies wild allegations

The general public is here advised to disregard an unsubstantiated allegation made by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and which appeared in some newspapers today, that INEC has "handed over original copies of result sheets (of the Dec 10 Re-run election in Rivers State) to Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Ameachi."
The Commission hereby affirms that the allegation is baseless and totally untrue. The Commission also wishes to assures Nigerians that it will continue to discharge its duties according to the rules governing its mandate, without fear or favour and with a very high sense of responsibility.


Rotimi Oyekanmi

CPS, INEC.

DON'T PANIC: CBN assures public over EFCC clampdown on banks

Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) has assured the banking public and indeed financial stakeholders not to panic over the on-going investigations of some financial transactions in some banks by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The apex bank noted that such exercise is aimed at strengthening the financial sector and the economy, while assuring that all the banks would continue to do their normal businesses and meet their obligations.

The CBN, in its latest statement signed by the Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, said that it was fully aware and was indeed a part of the on-going investigations of certain financial transactions in some banks by law enforcement authorities, noting that it was also carrying out its own special examinations and investigations to ascertain the veracity of some allegations, as well as the extent and persons that might be involved in such activities.

EFCC detains ex-Finance Minister, Yuguda

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained a former Minister of Finance, Amb. Bashir Yuguda, over his alleged involvement in the $115m (N23bn) bribe which was distributed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The EFCC said in a statement that the ex-minister who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, allegedly diverted N450m out of the money.

The money, which was distributed through Fidelity Bank Plc, was said to have been used in bribing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission during the 2015 presidential election.

INEC CHAIRMAN APPOINTS THREE AIDES

To assist him in effectively executing his office, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has appointed three aides.

They are: Professor Bolade Eyinla, Chief Technical Adviser (CTA); Professor Mohammed J. Kuna, Special Assistant (SA); and Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary (CPS).


Until his appointment, Bolade Eyinla was a Professor of History at the University of Ilorin. He was also National Election Expert at the UNDP-DGD.

12 MILLION PERMANENT VOTER CARDS (PVCs) UNCOLLECTED – PROFESSOR MAHMOOD YAKUBU

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has disclosed that a total of twelve million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were yet to be collected. The Chairman made this known at a meeting with Editors at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, last week.

He said: “We have a little over seventy million registered voters in Nigeria. We have twelve million Permanent Voter Cards uncollected and we have at least Seven Hundred Thousand PVCs unprinted and then we have a large number of Nigerians who are not registered and they have come of age”.

He disclosed that the Commission would commence Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections before the National Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

INEC RELEASES SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS FOR CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released additional guidelines to the existing 2015 Guidelines and Regulations for the conduct of elections in the country.

Having approved the pilot of the Continuous Accreditation and Voting Procedure at elections, for the time being, the Commission has decided that the following shall constitute a supplement to the existing guidelines and regulations at elections.

World leaders’ summit: Mu’azu, Obanikoro, others’ extradition tops Buhari’s wish list

Former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,
Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu

The diplomatic process that will ensure the extradition of suspected looters who have fled the country will dominate President Muhammadu Buhari’s discussions with his counterparts when 60 world leaders meet in the United Kingdom next month.
It was learnt on Friday that the President would at the summit explore ways of bringing to the country politicians who were being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

It was gathered that the outcome of the summit would speed up the extradition of individuals, including a former Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro; a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; and a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Others are the ex-Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; her son, Ugonna; and a former Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, whose house was raided in Abuja in January by the EFCC.

Audu’s Replacement: APC Submits Yahaya Bello's Name To INEC

Yahaya Bello

The leading All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kogi State Governorship Election has submitted the name of Yahaya Bello to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s new candidate for Prince Abubakar Audu's replacement for the supplementary poll.

Yahaya Bello replaces Prince Abubakar Audu, who died last weekend after leading the poll with 41,000. Also APC has retained Hon. James Abiodun Faleke as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.

Mohammed Audu, the son of the late governorship candidate, was dumped by the party because the party felt that fielding him might vitiate the entire governorship poll in the state.

Kogi Election; The Law is really an ass!!! Often a tragic ass!!!

An election was conducted for governorship/deputy governorship position, not for governorship and deputy governorship positions. The votes of the governor is not counted separately from that of the deputy governor, it is assumed that what ever is counted for the governor, equally applies for his deputy. There are countries where the deputy governor stand election separately from the governor. Of course the joint ticket has to be sponsored by a political party. The election was over 85% concluded before about 41,000 votes were and rescheduled. Can we cancelled an on-going election on the basis of the death of an aspirant? Can we void legitimate votes because an aspirant dies?


Now, the governorship candidate of the leading political party suddenly died, supposing he is the losing candidate, what would have been the reaction of the people? The election was declared inconclusive and a supplementary election was ordered by INEC. But even the supplementary election is said to be strange to the constitution and any other electoral law. Some people insist that the supplementary election is illegal. This implies that if supplementary election is illegal, then, as at the end of the election, there should have been a winner, abi?

Kogi Governorshipp Election: APC to Hold Fresh Primary Election; PDP kicks

The Chairman  of the All Progressives Congress (APC) John Oyegun has said that the APC will conduct a fresh primary election in Kogi State to pick a replacement for late Abubakar Audu.

Abubakar Audu, who passed away on Sunday, was the APC candidate in the November 21 inconclusive Kogi State governorship election, thereby throwing up fresh legal and political firestorm in the state.

While speaking with journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, APC National Chairman John Oyegun said the decision to hold a fresh primary was taken after the party received a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asking it to replace Audu.

The INEC decision followed a pronouncement to that effect by the Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami. 

While the APC welcomed the decision, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP demanded Malami’s resignation as it described the decision as an affront to democracy laced with mines to torpedo the democratic choice of the people in Kogi State.

Also, while APC, ahead of the December 5 supplementary polls to conclude the governorship election, has proposed fresh primaries to throw up a replacement for late Audu t,here was also a cloud on whether it would be restricted to only those who bought the initial forms or opened up to new entrants, a possibility that could draw in Audu’s running mate, Rep. James Faleke and Alhaji Isah Jibrin Echocho who recently defected from the PDP after a stormy political battle with the incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada.

Ex-INEC Chair Jega Hopes in Technology, Urges Global Attention to Nigeria

Former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has expressed the optimism that increasing use and mastery of technology by the commission would enhance the transparency and credibility of Nigerian elections.

He said despite momentary challenges encountered with the Smart Card Reader in the 2015 general election, its use along with chip-based Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) contributed in a major way to the positive acclaim of the elections.

BREAKING NEWS: OSUN ELECTION TRIBUNAL DISMISSES OMISORE'S CASE FOR LACK OF MERIT

The election petition tribunal sitting in Osogbo, the Osun state capital has dismissed the petition filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in that last year state governorship election which saw the incumbent governor of the state Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola retained the seat for the next four years.

Contrary to the unnecessary and wide jubilation by the PDP supporters  since the both party closed their cases at tribunal and yesterday in Osogbo, the Tribunal dismissed the petition for lack of merit in all ramification and that the incumbent is duly and validly elected.


The Leading tribunal member, Justice Elizabeth Ipejime on Friday at the High Court in Osogbo declared  governor Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress winner of the election tribunal.

Aregbesola who had defeated PDP’s Senator Iyiola Omisore during the polls with 392, 284 votes to 292, 742 votes but the results were contested by Omisore and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Both Aregbesola and Omisore were absent in court but were ably represented by their party’s agents.


On allegations of over-voting, the Tribunal ruled that no single evidence of over-voting was proved by the petitioners.

On allegation of using O'Yes as INEC officials, there is no such evidence on record as what they have are two O'Yes member who testified as agent and not INEC official

The tribunal ruled that the Petitioners failed to prove allegations of improper accreditation.

On the allegation of non stamping of result by the Petitioners, the Tribunal ruled that the result sheets were properly signed and stamped.

On the allegations of intimidation and prevention of people from voting, the tribunal ruled that there was no evidence to that effect.

Also, the Tribunal ruled that there is nothing expert in the so called expert witness report.

On the complaints that INEC did not call witness, the Tribunal ruled that the petitioners is duty bound to discharge the onus to prove the allegations.

In this case the petitioners failed to prove their allegations to warrant INEC calling evidence.


More details later.....

INEC to rescheldle registration points for eligible voters in FCT and 11 states

INEC PRESS STATEMENT

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has noted with concern the agitation in some quarters for an extension of the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), which ends on Monday, August 25th, 2014.

This phase of the exercise, which commenced on Wednesday, August 20th, 2014, involved the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 11 states namely Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo Delta and Cross River.

Much as the Commission is eager to ensure that all legitimate persons who are yet to register as voters have the opportunity to do so, it is logistically impossible to extend this phase of the CVR beyond its scheduled deadline (i.e., Monday, August 25th, 2014).

But in order to give fair chance to legitimate registrants, the Commission will, on a date to be shortly announced, set up registration points at its Local Government Area (LGA) offices where people yet to do so can go to register.

INEC notes with deep regret that old tendencies towards irregularity, such as partisans urging people to come out and do multiple registrations, largely accounted for the crowd clusters lingering at registration points set up for the CVR by the Commission. Many other people who have relocated since the last registration exercise and only needed to apply for their registration status to be transferred to their new location also turned up for fresh registration. When data are consolidated and de-duplication is carried out by INEC, all instances of multiple registrations will yet be eliminated. But, unfortunately, these sets of people obstructed legitimate registrants from having their turn at the registration points.

APC uncovers plan to relaunch acronym battle against party ahead of 2015 elections

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over a plan by unscrupulous and apparently-hired hands to relaunch the acronym battle against the party by seeking to register three new parties that bear the acronyms of the same parties that merged to become the APC.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said those behind the phantom parties, who are apparently working at the behest of people who have a mortal fear of the APC, have applied to INEC to register the Allied Council of Nigeria (ACN); Advanced National Patriotic Party (ANPP) and Conservative People's Congress (CPC).

INEC backs law to check deployment of soldiers, police during elections

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Attahiru Jega, has backed a bill by the House of Representatives seeking to give the electoral body powers to control the movement of soldiers and other security personnel during elections.

Mr. Jega gave the support Tuesday at a public hearing organised by the lower legislative chamber. The National Assembly had in its proposed amendment sought the insertion of a new paragraph (b) into Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act to limit the role played by the military to “securing the distribution and delivery of electoral materials”. 

Osun Election: Military are Hellbent To Truncate This Democracy - YRG

It is obvious that the military are hellbent to truncate the Nigeria  Democracy as their current unprofessional and partisan position in Osun state have indicated.

With the manner in which the security agents deployed for the Osun Governorship election, especially the soldiers and the SSS, are going about arresting, harassing and intimidating the targeted political leaders and supporters of  of the APC, there is certainly going to be an unprecedented revolt if the military men and SSS don't retreat  in their attempt to coerce the people in favour of the PDP candidate, Sen. Iyiola Omisore.

Youth Reformation group, Nigeria (YRG NIGERIA) in a statement has accused Security agents  of embarking on an all effort to truncate the Nigeria Democracy adding that the group will not accept any thing less that free, fair and credible Governorship poll in Osun state.