Category: 2023 Elections

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2023 Elections

Two Injured As Gunmen Attack Lagos PDP Rep Candidate’s Convoy

Two persons sustained injuries on Thursday as gunmen attacked the convoy of Segun Gbayi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the House of Representatives, Lagos Mainland Constituency.

The attack by the yet-to-be-identified gunmen happened in the Makoko area, Yaba, Lagos.

The gunmen also attacked the security escorts attached to the convoy, opened fire and vandalised their vehicles.

However, Gbayi escaped the attack unhurt.

Reacting, Gbayi said the attack was to prevent members and supporters of the party from exercising their franchise in tomorrow’s election.

“This attack was violently carried out to discourage us from exercising our political franchise,” he said.

He advised voters and the general public to remain safe during this period and report any case of threat to lives, vandalisation, or violent attack to security officers.

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2023 Elections News

Residents Flood Kaduna ATMs Seeking Travelling Funds Hours To Election

The residents of Kaduna state have continued to flood Automated Teller Machines in the metropolis and its environs, less than 24 hours to the general elections.

Customers waiting to withdraw money lamented that they had waited for days repeatedly without a dime being dispensed to them.

Many said they needed the money to travel to their various villages where they registered to vote and where their polling units are located before the election day.

Speaking to DAILY POST at an ATM queue, Joseph Musa said he lives in Kaduna but his polling unit is in Kafachan and that he needed the money to fund his trip to his polling unit location.

Mrs. Ruth Mahalo, another resident said her polling unit was in Kaduna but was transferred to Kachia where she had hoped to be during the election and now needs money for her trip home.

Many others still in the queue claimed they only need their transportation fares to get to various destinations before the Saturday election when there will not be any movement.

They also claimed that travelling has become very difficult as transporters refused to accept money transfers as they too cannot withdraw their monies from anywhere.

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2023 Elections

Quick Facts You Should Know About 2023 Presidential Election

Very soon, millions of Nigerians will head to the polls to elect President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor.

Apparently, the much-awaited Nigerian presidential election is here and will be kicking off in less than 24 hours.

Being the world’s first big election of 2023, the election’s impact will reverberate worldwide, as Nigeria remains Africa’s biggest economy and most populous black country.

18 Political Parties/Presidential candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, disclosed that 18 political parties will participate in the February 25 election.

Among them are Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC; Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP; and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP.

Registered Voters

The current voter register contains 93,469,008 voters according to the electoral body, INEC.

Collected PVCs

INEC also disclosed that a total of 87,209,007 PVCs were collected as of 5 February, when the exercise ended.

The implication is that over 87.2 million voters would decide the fate of the 18 presidential candidates.

Uncollected PVCs

There were 6,259,229 uncollected voter cards. These cannot vote in either of the elections, Presidential/National Assembly or Gubernatorial/State Assemblies.

Polling Unit

There are 176,846 Polling Units where elections will be taking place. Polling Unit is the smallest unit where elections are held.

Registration Areas/Wards

The Polling Units are scattered across the country in 8,809 wards. These are also known as registration areas. A collection of Polling Units make up a Ward/Registration Area.

Local Government Area

The Registration Areas/Wards are found at the local government level across the nation, which are 774 in number.

Electoral Constituencies

There are 1,491 Electoral Constituencies in the country. These are electoral units from which each member of the National/State Assemblies come from.

It is the function of the INEC to delimitate the country into electoral constituencies for easy representation in the National/State Assemblies.

Contestants

A total of 15,331 contestants will be participating in the February 25 and March 11 elections.

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2023 Elections

2023: PRP Denies Collapsing Structure For Tinubu

The Peoples Redemption Party has denied collapsing its structure in support of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
The clarification was given by the Ogun State chairman of the party, Samson Okusanya while briefing newsmen in Abeokuta.
He stressed that the party is still in the race to win, adding that its presidential candidate remains Abdulateef Kolawale Abiola.
Okusanya noted that it became important to address the rumour owing to the delicate nature of the matter.
He noted that the reputation, integrity and hard work of the party over the years are about to be undermined by the indiscretions of some people.
He further said, “For the first time since 1983, the PRP is participating in presidential elections and the visibility of the party across various levels is both encouraging as it is threatening to the antagonists of the common people who have continued to seize and remain in power for self-enrichment and for the oppression of the masses.
 
“With a promise to bring liberation to the people of Nigeria, the PRP has fielded Gubernatorial candidates, Senatorial Candidates, House of Representatives candidates and House of Assembly candidates.”
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2023 Elections

2023 Polls: Nobody Can Give 100% Assurance INEC Database Can’t Be Hacked – Jega

Professor Attahiru Jega, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),  has said that there is a possibility that the commission’s database can be hacked.

Commenting on issues surrounding INEC’s preparation ahead of the Saturday polls, Jega commended the level of preparedness by the electoral body, adding that he can’t guarantee that the commission’s database can’t be hacked.

He said;

“You see, in this modern age, nobody can give you 100 per cent assurance that a database cannot be hacked, unless the database is not online.

“In 2015, when we did the elections, our database wasn’t online. But now, particularly because there’s the issue of electronic transmission of results, it has to be online.

“But all over the world, databases are used and they are relatively safe to be used because people now deploy effective cyber-security systems.”

Jega disclosed that INEC had confirmed employing an excellent cyber security for their databases. He added;

“And INEC had said consistently, that knowing the political terrain, they have also got the best cyber security for the databases that they have. And we have to believe that they’ve done their best.

“It doesn’t mean it will be 100 per cent secure, but I know that whoever uses a database, also uses a security alternative which virtually nobody knows.”

Jega also said that the ongoing Naira notes scarcity in the country is a poor decision by the government as it is ill-timed. He said;

“From my experience, cash is required because at the time I did the election in 2015, we deployed 750,000 ad-hoc staff. And this category of staff are required to spend the night at where’s called RAC, that’s Registration Area Centre.

“They will also be there at their various polling units, maybe from 6:00am until hopefully 7:00pm or even longer. So they need to have something to eat. All these people will need cash, because there are most likely no ATM or POS machine to withdraw.

“So cash is a necessary requirement for the operational readiness of INEC on election day. So the cashless policy is ill-timed.”

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2023 Elections

INEC Chairman Confirms Receiving Cash From CBN For 2023 Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed it it received a  “substantial part” of the cash it requested of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amid the naira scarcity in the country.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed it received a  “substantial part” of the cash it requested from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amid the naira scarcity in the country.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, confirmed receipt of the funds on Thursday, February 23, during a press conference in Abuja on the commission’s activities before the presidential and National Assembly polls.

Yakubu said;

“The bulk of the small amount of cash that we have requested from the Central Bank of Nigeria is right now being released to the commission’s offices nationwide.

“In fact, a substantial part of it has already been received by our offices nationwide and this has greatly facilitated the movement of sensitive materials yesterday from the branches of the Central Bank to our local government areas.

“By tomorrow, we’ll batch them and then move them on Friday to the registration area centres. And then on Saturday early morning, they’ll be moved to the polling units for voting.”

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2023 Elections

2023: Peter Obi Pledges 40% Affirmative Action For Women

The presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party,  Peter Obi, has pledged to pursue 40% affirmative action for women in political appointments if he emerges victorious in the February 25th polls.

Obi also said he would encourage the same for women in the corporate sector.

The former Anambra State governor, who disclosed this in a post via his verified Twitter handle on Thursday, also said he would strive to ensure that Nigerian youths are adequately represented in governance.

He wrote: “One of my major policy planks is inclusivity: accordingly striving for gender parity remains a priority. We are presently committed to 40% affirmative action for women in political appointments and will encourage same in the corporate space.

“We will strive for the same percentage for Nigerian youths.”

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2023 Elections

Appeal Court Clears Ishaku Abbo For Saturday Senatorial Poll

Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo has been cleared by the Yola Division of the Court of Appeal to participate in the National Assembly election scheduled for Saturday, February 25, as the Adamawa North senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Abbo’s fate had been in the balance after a lower court upheld his expulsion from the APC as earlier effected by the leadership of the party in his home town of Mubi North Local Government Area.

The lower court had ruled that since Abbo had been expelled, he ceased to have the privilege of membership, including flying the party’s ticket for the February 25 election.

The Court of Appeal on Thursday, however, set aside the judgement of the High Court which affirmed the expulsion of Senator Ishaku Abbo from the APC.

In his judgement, Justice Isaiah Olufemi Akeju of the Court of Appeal invalidated the lower court’s verdict and vacated all its orders against Senator Ishaku Abbo.

The court declared that the trial court has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter, affirming that Senator Abbo is a card-carrying member of the APC and is entitled to seek re-election into the Senate via the APC ticket.

The court awarded the cost of N500,000 to the senator against the respondents.

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2023 Elections

BREAKING: Buhari Arrives Katsina For Saturday’s Presidential Polls

Ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday, February 25, President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Katsina State from where he will proceed to his home town in Daura, to exercise his franchise.

Buhari’s aircraft landed at the Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua Airport, Katsina at exactly 4:40 pm.

He is expected to cast his vote for his preferred candidates in Daura later on Saturday.

Prior to leaving Abuja for Katsina, on Thursday, Buhari had summoned a Security Council Meeting, where he met with heads of security agencies to intimate them on the need to protect electorates and ensure the elections are hitch-free.

Buhari had also met with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu in Abuja, where he had admonished him to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible.

He was also present at the International Conference Centre Abuja, on Wednesday, where he witnessed candidates participating in the 2023 presidential election signing a peace accord.

At the event, Buhari had charged all the candidates contesting in the elections to accept the outcome of the elections as the choice of the electorates.

In the build up to the elections, Buhari, who is serving out his last term as President, had repeatedly said he would bequeath an electoral process that would be adjudged credible and transparent.

The President had in February 2022 signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

Buhari became President in 2015 after defeating his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan in a keenly contested election.

He rode to power on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), a party that got its formation in February 2013, from a merger involving the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) along with a breakaway faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Buhari is expected to hand over the baton of leadership to his successor on May 29, 2023.

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2023 Elections

Naira Scarcity: El-Rufai Using Free Food, Transport To Buy Votes – PDP Cries Out

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has been called out by the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused El-Rufai of using free food and transport incentives to buy votes.
The claim comes after the Kaduna state government had announced the provision of free food, free transport, and medical services as part of measures to cushion the effect of the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In a statement on Wednesday, the PDP State Secretary, Ibrahim Wusono, said such a gesture by the El-Rufai government is a tactic for vote-buying ahead of the 2023 general election.
Wusono added that the move was part of the deceit employed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government for the past seven years, urging the residents to resist the gesture.
He said, “They brought a plan by transporting people from Kaduna to Zaria metropolitan free of charge. I want to draw the attention of Kaduna citizens that it’s part of the deceit which has always been part of the APC government for the past seven years.
 
“People should understand or remember that it’s the APC government that sacked more than 62,000 workers including teachers in the state.
 
“It’s the APC government that demolished houses, and market stalls and it is under the APC administration that people are not secure in Kaduna State; look at what is happening in Birnin-Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, and Kajuru? The entire is not secured. What causes this? It’s because of the poor leadership of the APC government.
 
“We are appealing to the people of Kaduna to resist the tactics that is being currently introduced by the APC government by distributing food items to them just because they have failed.
 
“It’s a deception. They govern the state for more than sevens year, have they provided free transport to citizens of the state? They didn’t. It’s because of the election. It’s also vote-buying.”
 
Wusono said there was no rift in the party in the state, as according to him, all the party stalwarts were now united to unseat the APC government.
He added: “There is no crisis in PDP in the state. Is there a crisis? Look when we conducted our rally yesterday, all the party top-notch were there; former Vice President Namadi Sambo was there; former governors Ahmed Makarfi, amongst others party stalwarts were there.”

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