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Atiku Summons INEC Chairman, Secretary To Testify In Tribunal

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has summoned Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

Atiku, through his lawyer, says he has subpoenaed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to testify in court.

The lead counsel to Atiku, Chris Uche, who addressed the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, said he had also summoned the Secretary to the commission, Mrs Rose Omoa Oriaran-Anthony.

Atiku is challenging INEC’s declaration of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

The petition resumed hearing with the lead counsel to Atiku informing the court that he was calling the first witness of the day, making him that the 19th witness to testify in the matter.

The 19th witness is a star witness, was one Mr Alex Adumter, a lawyer and politician as well as the National Coordinator of the PDP Situation Room.

However, members of counsel to the first respondent (INEC), the second and third respondents (Bola Tinubu/Shettima) and the fourth respondent (APC) raised objections to the admissibility of the witness’ statement on oath.

However, counsel to the petitioner (Atiku) urged the court to discountenance the objection in its entirety.

The court admitted the statement on oath, while it reserved ruling on the matter till judgement day.

The star witness deposed to three statements on oath, which the court adopted.

The witness also tendered, along with his statement on oath, three videos of the INEC Chairman, INEC commissioner Festus Okoye, and the European Union (EU) election observer mission, as evidence.

Counsel to Atiku applied to the court for the video evidence to be played in the open court, an application the court granted.

One of the videos contained a news conference of the INEC Chairman in which he promised real-time transmission of election results and the non-use of incidence forms as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be the only device to be used.

Also tendered were copies of screenshots of the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) where the results were posted.

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Rappers, Falz And Vector Ridicule INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu In New Song

Following the conclusion of the 2023 general elections, top rappers, Falz and Vector have taken a swipe at Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, in a new song titled “Mr Yakubu”.

The rappers in the new song insinuated that the chairman of the electoral commission exhibited fraudulent behaviours during the just concluded general election.

They also captured some of the excuses INEC gave on why February 25 presidential results were not uploaded in real time on its portal in lyrics of the song.

Some irregularities on the part of security operatives during the election were also acted out in the music video. They also recalled how youths were shot during the #EndSARS protest of 2020.

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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.

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2023 Elections

INEC declares Bola Tinubu winner of 2023 presidential election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

INEC chairman Yakubu Mahmood declared Tinubu the winner of the election and president-elect Wednesday morning at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

A total of 18 presidential candidates contested the election held across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Saturday.

The election was postponed till Sunday in some polling units in different states due to violence, logistical problems, theft of BVAS and other issues.

After collation at state INEC collation centres, the election results were presented by state collation officers for the presidential election (SCOPs) before the INEC chairman at the National Collation Centre.

Mahmood announced that Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election with the majority of votes cast in 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT.

The APC candidate polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat fellow contenders – Atiku Abubakar of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 6,984,520 votes, Labour Party’s Peter Obi had 6,101,533 votes to come third and candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Rabiu Kwankwaso with 1,496,687 votes.

Of the 36 states and FCT, Tinubu, Obi, and Atiku won 12 states each while Kwankwaso won only Kano State.

The 12 states won by Tinubu are Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Benue, Rivers, Borno, Zamfara, Jigawa, Ondo, Kogi and Niger State.

Atiku of the PDP won Taraba, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe, Bayelsa, Kebbi, Bauchi, Gombe and Katsina.

Obi won the following states; Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Delta, Edo, FCT, Plateau, Nasarawa, Lagos and Cross River.

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2023 Elections

Nigeria Elections 2023: INEC To Conduct Elections Today In 141 Polling Units In Yenagoa, Bayelsa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it will conduct elections in 141 polling units within Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Sunday, February 26.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this while briefing journalists at the collation centre in Abuja today that elections were disrupted in Wards 4, 6, 8, and 14, involving 141 polling units.

The INEC Chairman added that the electoral body has decided that the election will be held on Sunday.

According to him, this agreement was reached after the Commission had a meeting with security agencies in the state.

“So we met with security agencies and we’ve decided that voting in these 141 polling units where the materials are actually intact, will take place tomorrow morning. Remember, we’re not only doing presidential election, but we are also doing Senatorial and Federal constituencies.

“So it’s good to recover and conduct the elections so that we can conclude the processes. The youth corps members who are serving as presiding officers and other commission staff, are agreeable that the elections should hold tomorrow morning,” the INEC boss asserted.

He added that thugs attacked different polling units and that at least eight BVAS machines were stolen in different parts of the country.

Professor Yakubu, however, stated that backup BVAS machines were provided to ensure that the election was not totally disrupted.

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2023 Elections

We‘ll Declare 2023 Election Result Speedily – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the results of February 25th presidential and National Assembly polls will be declared speedily.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke at a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, February 24, also said that the process will not suffer any encumbrance due to the recent cash crunch triggered by the naira re-design policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said;

“I just want to say that we will ensure that it (result declaration) will be done speedily. I can’t put a finger on the number of days or number of hours it will take, but it will be done speedily. We are aware of the anxiety and the need for us to conclude the process quickly, it will be concluded quickly.

“It is not all our operations that are paid for by cash. In fact, the bulk of our procurement for both goods and services is done electronically, but we need a small amount of money to pay for the unbanked who render critical services, particularly at the local level.

“We anticipated this challenge and interacted with the Central Bank, they promised us that the little amount we need to pay for services in cash, they will make the funds available to us and they have done so.

“And these funds have already been accessed by our state offices for elections which is why the movement of personnel and materials in the last couple of days has gone on unhindered. So, I must give credit for our relationship with the Central Bank in that regard. So, the process won’t suffer any encumbrance as a result.”

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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: No Postponement, We Are Ready For Election – INEC Declares

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is ready to conduct the 2023 presidential election on the 25th of Saturday, 2023.
The assurance was given by INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
The INEC chairman gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abuja at the signing of the national peace accord by presidential candidates
According to Prof. Yakubu, the electoral umpire is ready to conduct a free and fair election and Nigerians should be rest assured that their votes will count.
The INEC boss further gave assurances that the commission is neutral and has no preferred candidate in the forthcoming general elections.
In his words, “I want to, first of all, appreciate the untiring efforts of the National Peace Committee for convening this important event.
 
“This is the third peace accord to be signed by political parties and candidates on the eve of a general election in Nigeria since 2015, and the ninth overall, if we include the accord signed before the commencement of electioneering campaign in September last year and ahead of five off-cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo in 2020, Anambra in 2021, Ekiti and Osun states in 2022.
 
“The signing of the peace accord today comes at a critical moment in the electoral calendar. Campaign for presidential and national assembly elections ends at midnight tomorrow, Thursday, 23rd February, 2023. Election will hold on Saturday this week. INEC is ready.
 
“This morning, we commenced the movement of sensitive materials to the various local government areas nationwide. By Friday, we will activate the registration area centres, so that at first light on Saturday, polling units will open on time.
 
“The commission is committed to free, fair, and credible elections in compliance with the electoral framework and the spirit of the peace accord.
 
“All political parties and candidates are hereby reassured of the commission’s neutrality. INEC is not a political party. We have no candidate in the election. Our allegiance is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and our loyalty is to Nigerians. Therefore, Nigerians should feel confident that their votes will count.”
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2023 Elections

INEC Reassures Nigerians, International Community Of Free, Fair Elections

Nigerians and the international community have been assured of free, fair and credible elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the reassurance when he received Commonwealth Election Observer Mission to Nigeria, led by former South Africa President, Thabo Mbeki, at INEC headquarters in Abuja on Monday.

”INEC understands the enormous benefits of conducting credible elections, not just in Nigeria but the African continent.

“Election in Nigeria is huge and we understand. As I said, the responsibility rests on our shoulders.

“We also understand the benefits of credible elections. It will not only bring peace and good governance to our country but the positive effects on our sub-region.

“I want to assure you that we will never let Nigeria and the international community down,’’ Yakubu said.

Yakubu also commended the Commonwealth Observer Mission’s contributions to the development of Nigeria’s electoral system.

He said that Nigeria had benefited a lot from the Commonwealth through the implementation of recommendations in its reports on Nigeria’s previous elections.

“We have benefited from your previous election observation reports. So many of the innovations introduced over time are benefited from your observation reports.

“We don’t take your observations lightly.,” he said.

He said that INEC looked forward again to the mission’s robust reports on the 2023 general elections.

Earlier in his remarks, Mbeki said the mission was in Nigeria to observe the country’s election and in the end make it report.

Mbeki expressed confidence that Nigeria would achieve credible and successful elections.

“This is the seventh election since independence. Nigeria is a very important country with huge impacts on itself and on the continent.

“So, it is always very important that as commonwealth we should come and be with you as you hold these important elections and to observe same.

“Of course, we come very hopeful and very confident that we will have successful elections, peaceful elections and intrusive elections and at the end hopefully there will be no complaints,” Mbeki said.

He said the mission was at the INEC headquarters to listen to the level of preparations and render assistance for the commission to achieve its mandate.

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2023 Elections News

We are pleased with the election preparations, says INEC Chairman at Chatham House.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has stated that it is pleased with the preparations made thus far for the elections in 2023.

Inec chairman

The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the assertion while speaking at the Chatham House, London on Tuesday, January 17 2023.

“We have promised Nigerians and friends of Nigerians that the 2023 general election will be free, free and credible and we have left no stone unturned in preparing for it.

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“But like with all elections, especially those requiring the extensive national deployment like we do in Nigeria, it will naturally come with challenges.

“We have worked closely with stakeholders and development partners to confront these challenges and we are satisfied with our preparations so far.”

Lamenting the continuous attacks on its facilities nationwide, the INEC Chairman said despite the attacks, elections would hold.

He said, “In four years, 50 facilities attacked in various parts of the country. The implication of the attacks is that we have to rebuild facilities and replace materials. The commission and security agencies have increased their presence in some of these locations. The last attack happened on Sunday last week but because of the cooperation between the military and the electoral commission, we were able to respond and the damage was limited to just a section of the building in a local government office.

“The commission has repeatedly called for concerted efforts to control and check these attacks and in December last year, the National Assembly held a public hearing on these attacks and we hope that authorities have these attacks under control and the response by the security agencies is more coordinated.

“But inspite of these attacks, we will rebuild facilities and replace damaged and lost items, the elections will hold.”