Category: 2023 Elections

Categories
2023 Elections

Governorship Election: Thugs Destroy Voting Materials In Bayelsa

Suspected political thugs reportedly destroyed voting materials meant for wards 2, 3, 4 and 5 in constituency five of the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State for the House of Assembly election.

Governor Douye Diri has already strongly condemned the act, according to his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah.

The governor urged the Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police for Bayelsa State to restore peace in the area.

Meanwhile, accreditation and voting were yet to start at wards polling units 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Atissa Constituency, Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State as of 9 am.

It was observed that INEC officials and balloting materials had yet to leave the Atissa RAC as of 8:45 am.

Buses and other vehicles were seen being loaded with voting materials to depart for polling units in the area.

Categories
2023 Elections

35-year-old Man Arrested With Gun In Osun

Operatives of Osun Amotekun Corps have arrested a 35-year-old man, Tunde Abidoye in the state.

Abidoye was arrested with a single barrel gun in Ile Ogbo, Ayedire local government of Osun State on Friday following a complaint lodged at the Ayedire Command of the security outfit.

The complaint was that Abidoye was unleashing terror on residents of the town and destroying their properties.

Confirming the arrest, the Osun Amotekun Corps Commander, Brigadier-General Bashir Adewinmbi said the suspected hoodlum was arrested by the operatives for terrorising the residents of Ile-Ogbo and its environs.

Adewinmbi said, “The suspected hoodlum was arrested on Friday after a complaint was lodged at Ayedire local government command that the suspect was unleashing terror assaults on the innocent people of Ile-Ogbo and destroying their properties. Our men swung into action shortly after the complaint was made and the culprit was arrested and a single barrel gun was found on him at the time of his arrest.

“The suspect was also alleged of causing violence during the last presidential election in the town by shooting at the people who wanted to exercise their civil responsibility and he was planning to disrupt the House of assembly election on Saturday before he was arrested.

“During investigation, he admitted to perpetrating the act,” Adewinmbi asserted.

The suspect has been handed over to the police for subsequent investigation and prosecution, he added.

Categories
2023 Elections

I Was Only Joking, I Did Not Threaten Igbos In Lagos – MC Oluomo Clarifies

Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, the Chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPG), has dismissed claims that he threatened Igbos in the viral video which sparked outrage on social media.

In a viral video shared on Thursday, March 16, Oluomo urged his members to vote for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He went on to state that if “Iya Chukwudi” meaning “Chukwudi’s mum” doesn’t want to vote for APC on Saturday she should sit at home. Many people took his comment as a threat to Igbos ahead of the state governorship election.

”We have begged them. If they don’t want to vote for us, it doesn’t call for a fight. Iya Chukwudi, if you don’t want to vote for us, stay at home.”

In a video shared on Friday, March 17, Akinsanya, who described Iya Chukwudi as his sister and good neighbour, said he has always been related peacefully with the Igbos living and trading in Oshodi.

“At no point did I threaten anyone. We’ve enjoyed a long harmonious relationship. Not at this point will I do that. I buy things regularly from Iya Chukwudi and was only joking with her. Mischief makers took our friendly conversation out of context just to label me as a bad person. Lagos State has been peaceful and we don’t pray for violence in our state” he said

In the video said MC Oluomo related well with her and always buys items from her shop. She expressed surprise that their friendly conversation was taken out of context.

“It was my daughter that called my attention to it on social media. I and MC Oluomo have been friends for ages. My people, there’s no iota of truth in what people are sharing on social media. MC Oluomo is my good neighbour,” she said

Categories
2023 Elections

Election: Nigerians Call For MC Oluomo’s Arrest After Threatening Igbos In Lagos

Nigerians have taken to social media to call on the Police and the DSS to immediately arrest the Lagos State Parks Management Committee Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo for threatening Igbos in Lagos ahead of Saturday’s governorship and state assembly election.
MC Oluomo, addressing supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in a viral video, threatened Igbos who will not vote for the party to stay at home.
“We have begged them. If they don’t want to vote for us, it is not a fight. Tell them, mama Chukwudi, if you don’t want to vote for us, sit down at home. Sit down at home,” he said.
Many condemned Oluomo for inciting violence and issuing threats to law-abiding citizens of Nigeria over the exercise of their fundamental human right.
Categories
2023 Elections

Election: Stay At Home If You Won’t Vote APC – MC Oluomo Threatens Igbos in Lagos

The Lagos State Parks Management Committee Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo has threatened Igbos living in Lagos.
He warned Igbos in the state ahead of this Saturday’s governorship election not to come out to vote if they are not going to vote for the All Progressives Congress.
MC Oluomo, addressing supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in a viral video, threatened Igbos who will not vote for the party to stay at home.
“We have begged them. If they don’t want to vote for us, it is not a fight. Tell them, mama Chukwudi, if you don’t want to vote for us, sit down at home. Sit down at home,” he said.
His threat comes after Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, won in Lagos state during the presidential poll on February 25.
Obi’s unprecedented victory has positioned LP’s candidate in Lagos state, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, as a major challenger to incumbent Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC.
Categories
2023 Elections

Federal High Court Suspend Proceedings For Governorship And House Of Assembly Elections

To allow judges participate in the March 18th governorship and the house of assembly polls, the  Federal High Court of Nigeria will postpone proceedings for two working days, Friday, March 17 and Monday, March 20.

Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, directed the court’s justices to preside over cases up until Thursday, March 16, before proceeding on break.

Federal High Court judges are expected to resume proceedings on Tuesday, March 21. The directive was given in a March 15 circular titled ‘Break for the 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections.’

It Read;

“Your Lordships are, by this circular, granted a short break in order to perform your civic duties during the Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

“The break shall be from Friday, March 17, 2023, to Monday, March 20, 2023. All honourable judges shall resume work on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

“The administrative judges in the Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt Judicial Divisions shall ensure that a judge is designated to cater for the North, South-West, and South-South/South-East geo-political areas, respectively, regarding urgent matters during the period.”

Categories
2023 Elections

Governorship Election: We Did Not Remove Igbo, South-South Names From Election Duties – INEC

INEC

Ahead of the March 18 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations that it removed Igbo and South-South individuals from the list of ad hoc staff.

This comes following rumours circulating on social media that the electoral body in Lagos had removed all personnel from these regions from participating in sensitive election duties on March 18th.

In response, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, issued a statement on Wednesday evening through the Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Adenike Tadese, refuting the claims as fake news that should be disregarded.

“INEC Lagos State read with great surprise and concern on the social media in respect of the removal of all Igbo and South-South staff in Lagos State from participating as ad hoc staff in the state during the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections on March 18.

“It has become imperative to correct the erroneous accusations in some quarters and put the record straight that the ad hoc staff (collation officers) engaged during the presidential and National Assembly Elections on February 25 in Lagos State were 738 in number, bearing in mind that three elections were held.

“The forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly will only require the services of 427 collation officers because only two elections are involved.

“It is pertinent to state unequivocally that members of staff that are Igbo were all returned to work as collation officers in the forthcoming elections while SPOs (Supervisory Presiding Officers) maintained their positions,” Agbaje said.

Agbaje added that he never had a phone conversation with the ‘Obidients, Sanwo-Olu, and Tinubu’ and emphasized that he did not possess their contact numbers.

He encouraged the public to disregard false news, incorrect information, and deception and to enable INEC in Lagos to concentrate on the upcoming elections to achieve the intended outcomes.

“Whoever has information concerning the day and time of the said telephone conversation should not hesitate to make it public.

“The commission will continue to uphold the fundamental principles of equity, fairness, transparency, credibility and accountability in line with the vision and mission to be a pre-eminent leader in deepening electoral democracy as an unbiased election management body,” he said.

Categories
2023 Elections

Peter Obi Visits Slain Labour Party Senatorial Candidate’s Family In Enugu

Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has visited the fmaily of Oyibo Chukwu.

Obi, on Friday, assured the family of Oyibo Chukwu, the slain senatorial candidate for the Enugu East district, that those behind his death would be prosecuted.

Peter Obi, who led the national leadership of the LP to Amurri in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu to commiserate with the family of the murdered senatorial candidate, urged them to remain prayerful and look up to God who can never fail.

Chukwu was murdered alongside his personal assistant on February 22, 72 hours to the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Speaking during the visit, Obi urged the people of Enugu East to ensure that they supported Kelvin, the younger brother of late Chukwu, who had been chosen to replace him.

“That is the only way we can ensure that whatever dreams Chukwu had will be achieved,” he said.

While noting that those behind the murder would not go unpunished, he asked the people to also ensure that they come out en masse to vote for other candidates of the party in the forthcoming elections.

On his part, the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, said the party was fully behind Chukwu’s family and that was why they accepted the decision to replace him with his younger brother, Kelvin.

Categories
2023 Elections

Meet The 17 Women Who Made It To 10th National Assembly

Daily Trust Saturday reports that 17 females who won during the February 25 parliamentary elections have received their certificates of return to be part of the Red and Green Chambers, ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June.

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far presented certificates of return to 98 senators-elect out of the 109 seats in the upper legislative chamber, while 325 House of Representatives-elect have received theirs out of the 360 seats in the lower chamber.

INEC has declared elections inconclusive in some of the senatorial districts and federal constituencies due to some factors.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that while three females won at the Senate, 14 won at the House of Representatives, making a total of 17 female lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly.

The above outcome showed a great setback for women representations at the Senate as their number dropped significantly from 8 in the 9th Senate to only 3 in the incoming 10th Senate. However, in the House of Representatives, the number of females slightly increased from the current 13 to 14.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that a move to provide 111 special seats for women in the National Assembly to bridge the wide gender gaps in the parliament failed as a bill proposed to that effect was not voted on during the last constitutional amendments.

The winners

At the Senate, Banigo Ipalibo Harry of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won the West senatorial district of Rivers; Ireti Heebah Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP) won the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) seat while Adebule Idiat Oluranti of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the Lagos West senatorial seat.

In the House of Representatives, of the 14 females who won, 7 are new faces, while the remaining 7 are returning lawmakers.

The new faces that won include Nnabuife Chinwe Clara of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), who won the Orumba North/Orumba South federal constituency of Anambra State; Orogbu Obiageli of the LP won the Awka North/Awka South federal constituency; Gwacham Maureen Chime of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won the Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency of Anambra; Regina Akume of the APC won the Gboko/Tarka federal constituency of Benue; Ibori-Suenu Erhiatake of the PDP won Ethiope East/Ethiope West constituency of Delta State, while Fatima Talba of APC won Nangre/Potiskum constituency of Yobe State.

Others are Onuh Onyeche Blessing of the APC, who clinched Otukpo/Ohimini constituency of Benue State; Zainab Gimba of APC won Bama/Ngala/Kala-Balge constituency of Borno State; Beni Butmak Lar of  the PDP won Lantang North/Lantang South constituency of Plateau State, while Goodhead Boma of the PDP won Akuku Toru/Asari Toru constituency of Rivers State.

Also among winners are Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim of the APC, who won Damaturu/Gujba/Gulani/Tarmuwa constituency of Yobe State; Onuoha Miriam Odinaka of the APC won Isiala Mbano/Okigwe/Onuimo constituency of Imo State and Adewunmi Ariyomi Onanuga of the APC won Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North constituency of Ogun State.

All 8 incumbent senators not returning

Meanwhile, none of the eight female senators who were in the 9th Senate would make it to the 10th Senate because they either lost their elections or did not contest at all. Others opted for higher positions.

Those who lost their re-election bids are Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South); Senator Stella Oduah (Anambra North); and Senator Lilian Ekwunife (Anambra Central).

Senator Betty Apiafi (Rivers West) could not secure a return ticket during the primaries and was replaced with the state’s deputy governor, Banigo Ipalibo Harry, who has gone ahead to win the election.

Senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Senator Nora Ladi Dadu’ut (Plateau South) and Senator Akon Etim Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom South) did not seek re-election.

On her part, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) opted to contest for Adamawa governorship.

6 incumbent female Reps not returning

While the House of Representatives has gained the entry of seven new female lawmakers into the 10th House, six female others in the current assembly will, however, not make it back, either because they lost at the main election or during the primaries.

The affected lawmakers include Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia); Lynda Chuba Ikpeazu (Anambra); Ogunlola Omowunmi Olubunmi (Ekiti); Aishatu Jibril Dukku (Gombe); Taiwo Oluga (Osun) and Tolulope Akande-Sadipe (Oyo).

Faces of new entrants

Banigo Ipalibo Harry

Dr Ipalibo, a medical doctor and the current deputy governor of Rivers State, was born to the Harry family of Obuama in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State on December 20, 1952. She made history as the first female deputy governor of Rivers State since May 29, 2015. She attended Queens College, Yaba, Lagos between 1964 and 1968 and returned to the same school between 1969 and 1970 for a high school result.

She proceeded to the University of Ibadan and obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and thus qualified as a medical doctor in 1976.

Idiat Oluranti Adebule

She was born on November 27, 1970. Adebule served as the 15th deputy governor of Lagos State and the sixth woman to occupy the office from 2015 to 2019.

Ireti Heebah Kingibe

Ireti is the former wife of a one-time Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babagana Kingibe.

Born on June 2, 1954, Ireti is the younger sister to Ajoke Mohammed, the wife of a former Nigerian head of state, Murtala Muhammed.

She schooled in Queens College, Lagos, Washington Irving High School, and the University of Minnesota, United States, where she bagged a degree in Civil Engineering.

Ireti worked as a quality control engineer at the Bradley Precast Concrete Inc from 1978 to 1979.

She left to join the Minnesota Department of Transportation Design unit, where she worked as an engineer between 1979 and 1991.

Ireti served as a project supervisor for the Directorate of Works at the Nigerian Air Force station in Ikeja, Lagos between 1981 and 1982, after completing the mandatory one-year national youth service.

She entered partisan politics in 1990 when she joined the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). She was appointed as the adviser to the party’s national chairman.

Regina Akume

Regina Akume of the APC won the Gboko/Tarka House of Representatives seat. She is the wife of George Akume, a former senator and current Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties.

Regina secured 47,086 votes to beat the incumbent, John Dyegh of the PDP, who polled 24,639.

Blessing Onyeche Onuh

Onuh Onyechi Blessing, who won the Otukpo/Ohimini federal constituency of Benue State, is a daughter of former Senate President David Mark.

Beni Lar

Beni Lar is the daughter of a foremost politician or one time governor of Plateau State, Solomon Lar.

She has served in various committees of the House such as Women Affairs and Human Rights, among others.

Lady Maureen Chinwe Gwacham

Lady Maureen Chinwe Gwacham, candidate of the APGA won the seat for the just concluded House of Representatives election for Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency.

Gwacham scored a total of 15, 299 votes, defeating her close rival in the YPP, Charles Uchenna Okafor, who polled 13,332.

Prof Lilian Orogbu

Prof Lilian Orogbu, a lecturer in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) won the Awka North and South federal constituency of Anambra State under the platform of the LP.

The returning officer of INEC, Mr Uche Nriagu, declared the Labour Party candidate, Lilian Orogbu winner with 29,629 votes, defeating her closest rival, Obi Nwankwo, who got 18,081 votes.

Khadija Bukar Abba

Khadija Bukar Abba is a four-time member of the House of Representatives, representing Damaturu, Gujba, Gulani and Tarmuwa federal constituency of Yobe State. She is returning for the fifth time. She was first elected in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. Abba has also served as commissioner for transport and energy, Yobe State, as well as minister of state for foreign affairs under President Buhari.

Dwindling women representation in National Assembly 

The representation of women in the National Assembly has continued to dwindle over time. Women’s representation in Nigeria’s parliament is said to be among the lowest in the world.

The 8th National Assembly consisted of only 7 females out of 109 Senate seats available, while 22 females got seats out of the 360 available seats in the House of Representatives.

Daily Trust had on the eve of the presidential and national assembly elections reported how the APC, PDP pose a barrier to women’s participation in politics.

For instance, even though those in the two chambers of the national assembly are representatives that won election on the platforms of APC and PDP, the battle for a legal document to promote women’s participation in governance was dealt a blow when Nigeria’s National Assembly in 2022 rejected five gender bills that were among the 68 amendment bills at the constitutional review.

Though the minister of women affairs, Pauline Tallen, had in 2021 demanded for a 50 per cent representation of women in leadership positions, Daily Trust reports that the national average of women’s political participation remains at 6.7 per cent – far below the African regional average of 23.4 per cent, and the global average of 22.5 per cent.

In Nigeria’s 24 years of democracy, the political and governance space projects a patriarchal society, which stifles women’s political aspirations, as no woman has been elected president, vice president, or governor yet in the country.

A 2023 report released by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), titled ‘Analysis: Female Candidature and Nigeria’s 2023 Elections’, indicated that more women seeking elective positions in Nigeria subscribed to new and smaller political parties, which gave them weaker chances of being elected for offices at the state and federal levels. This is because the dominant political parties, APC and PDP, give women less visibility and opportunities.

***

Categories
2023 Elections

Presidential Election: INEC Chairman Threatens Lawsuit After PDP’s Rigging Allegation

Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has threatened to go to court.

He said the allegation that he rigged the presidential election could lead to a lawsuit.

The electoral chief issued a reply to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after the leadership, on Friday, asked him to resign.

The opposition charged the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, to investigate the chairman over alleged manipulation of election results.

A statement by Yakubu’s Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi said the call was misplaced and challenged the PDP to prove its claims in court.

The spokesperson wondered why the party did not provide evidence to back up “the spurious allegations”.

Oyekanmi said the PDP also did not give evidence of how Yakubu sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from polling units.

The aide maintained that the INEC “does not rig elections”, stressing that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, “has ensured the integrity of the electoral process”.

Oyekanmi remined the PDP that it rejected the outcome of the February 25 poll and should toe the path of honour by pursuing its case until judgment is delivered.

“Canvassing the same issues the party intends to plead in court on the pages of newspapers and calling for the resignation of the INEC Chairman is like putting the cart before the horse.

“The PDP is hereby reminded that making libelous allegations against the person of the INEC Chairman is actionable,” he added.