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Newly Elected Senators, Reps To Receive Return Certificates March 7, 8

The candidates of political parties who ran and were elected into the Senate and House of Representatives during last Saturday’s election will receive their certificates of return next week.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said this at a meeting with the Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, and the Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, on Saturday.

According to Yakubu, Senators-elect would be given their certificates on March 7, while their House of Representatives counterparts would receive theirs on March 8.

The INEC Chairman also disclosed that winners had been declared for 423 legislative seats, adding that supplementary elections were indicated in 46 constituencies.

It was revealed that 98 out of the 109 Senate seats and 325 out of the 360 House of Representatives seats have also been declared.

Seven political parties won the senate seats; eight parties won the House of Representatives seats.

“Senators/House of Reps-elect to receive certificates on 7th, 8th March respectively,
” the INEC boss said.

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BREAKING: INEC To Punish Officials Who Sabotaged Presidential/NASS Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has disclosed that its staff, including ad-hoc or collation personnel, involved in sabotaging the Feb 25th Presidential and National Assembly polls will face disciplinary actions.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs.

He said; “As we approach the Governorship and State Assembly elections, we must work harder to overcome the challenges experienced in the last election. Nothing else will be acceptable to Nigerians.

“All staff found to be negligent, whether they are regular or ad hoc officials, including Collation and Returning Officers, must not be involved in forthcoming elections. RECs must also immediately initiate disciplinary action where prima facie evidence of wrongdoing has been established”.

He also told the RECs that Election Day logistics must be finalized days before the election and handled by the Electoral Officers EOs at Local Government level.

“This has been our standard practice. Centralizing the process as was done in some States resulted in delayed deployment of personnel and materials and late commencement of polls.

“RECs will be held responsible for any tardy arrangement or the failure to deploy electric power generators to collation centres or polling units where such facilities are needed. The Commission has enough facilities in all the States of the Federation. Failure to deploy them is simply inexcusable”, he declared.

Yakubu also stated that refresher training must be conducted for ad hoc staff who participated in the last election, adding that where they are replaced for good reason, they must be properly trained so that processes are not delayed or compromised at any stage.

He said arising from last week’s election, the Commission has received reports from its State offices well as complaints and petitions from political parties and candidates.

According to him, where infractions of any kind are proven, there will be redress, adding that any action taken by the Commission is without prejudice to the rights of parties and candidates to seek further remedy as provided by law.

On Election Day technology, Yakubu added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS will once again be deployed for voter accreditation and result management.

He said the deployment of BVAS has gone a long way to sanitise voter accreditation as can be seen from the result of recent elections.

“Since last week, the Commission has intensified the review of the technology to ensure that glitches experienced, particularly with the upload of results are rectified. We are confident that going forward the system will run optimally
”, he said.

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2023 Elections

APC Retains Majority Seats In Senate

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has gotten the highest number of senators elected in the recently concluded election.
92 out of 109 senatorial have been declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
As at Wednesday, the All Progressives Congress has won 51 seats so far.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 27 seats, the Labour Party (LP) has won five seats, the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), have two seats each while the Young Progressives Party (YPP) secured a Senate seat.
A party with a simple majority produces presiding officers called President of the Senate and Deputy Senate President.
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2023 Elections

Labour Party Supporters Storm INEC Office In Ebonyi Over Alleged Rigging

Daily Post reports that over 100 supporters of the Labour Party, LP, have staged a protest in Ebonyi State.

The party members especially in Abakaliki/Izzi and Ohaukwu/Ebonyi federal constituencies on Monday protested the alleged rigging, mutilation of election results and connivance of INEC officials with politicians to award figures to the candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The protesters who stormed INEC headquarters in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, demanded that the results that were allegedly awarded to the candidates of APC be cancelled.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Say no to rigging,” “The power of the people is greater than the people in power,” “INEC should not play with our destiny,” and “Democracy is not a dictator’s sport.”

Other inscriptions include “Give us our victory,” “Let democracy reign,” “Say no to corruption,” “Our votes must count,” and “Say no to rigging.”

The protesters who spoke to newsmen through the candidates of the Labour Party, for Abakaliki/Izzi and Ohaukwu /Ebonyi federal constituencies at the INEC headquarters, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians, in general, to prevail on the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi State to do the right thing.

The Labour Party House of Representatives candidates for Abakaliki/Izzi and Ohaukwu /Ebonyi federal constituencies, Emmanuel Eze and Prince Chibueze Agbo alleged that “bad elements in INEC are trying to manipulate our results.”

Eze said: “The election results from Abakaliki/ Izzi federal constituency are yet to be declared up till now. They kept mutilating the results.

“This is 48 hours after the election has been conducted. They are manufacturing figures and we will not agree. The Electoral Officers for Abakaliki/ Izzi and Ohaukwu/Ebonyi federal constituencies should tell us how much they have collected to frustrate the wishes of the masses.

“I’m the candidate of LP for Abakaliki, Izzi federal constituency who won overwhelmingly. INEC must announce our results because Labour Party, LP, won the election.”

Prince Chibueze Agbo, who is contesting for Ohaukwu, Ebonyi Federal Constituency, said: “Nobody is happy with what is happening in Nigeria today. But I’m happy that the masses are giving the Obidient movement massive support everywhere.

“Those few bad elements in INEC that are trying to thwart the wishes of the masses will never succeed. I know, together we will get our mandate, and victory back. They (INEC) should not take the masses for granted. It’s better to allow the electoral revolution to prevail than violence.”

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2023 Elections

INEC Cancels 63 Polling Units Results’ In 4 Kogi LGAs

The results of 63 polling units in four Local Government Areas of Kogi have been cancelled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday.

The results were cancelled over thuggery and failed BVAS that characterised Saturday’s polls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) listed the LGAs involved to include: Okehi, Umala, Ulama-Boro and Ibaji out of several others that suffered a similar fate.

The most affected was Okehi LGA, which the State Government had dug some of its roads, a few days before the election, to ward off criminal elements from gaining access to the area.

Dr Emeka Oguju, Okehi Collation Officer while presenting the results to the State Collation Officer, Prof. Wahab Egbewale at the Kogi Collation Centre, said the results of 31 polling units were cancelled due to thuggery.

Ogujo said that 12, 037 votes were cancelled in the 31 polling units in four wards in which voting materials were carted away by political thugs.

“In most affected polling units, there was violence caused by political thugs, who invaded the units and disrupted the entire process,” he lamented.

Dr L. Adang, the Collation Officer for Umala Local Government Area, told the State Collation Officer at the Situation Room at INEC State Office, that 16 wards were affected by thuggery during the exercise.

According to him, 9,558 votes were cancelled in the affected polling units of the area.

Also presenting his results, Dr Adamu Wakili, Collation Officer for Olama-Boro LGA, disclosed that 3, 582 votes in five polling units were cancelled due to thuggery and non-functional BVAS during the general elections of Saturday.

“Aside from the activities of political thugs that affected the election in our area, we had an issue with one BVAS which couldn’t function because of the remoteness of the community it was taken to.

“We tried to see whether it could work, but we couldn’t and only five units in that community were affected. We have reported that to the REC,” he said.

Also, Ibaji LGA’s Collation Officer, Prof Dauda Tanko, said the results of 11 polling units were cancelled in the area as a result of thuggery.

Tanko, who did not specify the number of votes affected by the cancellation, said four Registration Areas were affected by the activities of political thugs.

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2023 Elections

Labour Party accuses INEC officials manipulating and manufacturing results

The Labour Party has called out officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for allegedly manipulating and manufacturing results in states across the country particularly Lagos, Edo, Rivers and Imo.

LP national chairman, Julius Abure who decried the violence meted out on Labour Party supporters at a press briefing in Abuja, called for the cancellation of election results in states across the country which he claimed were “manufactured”.

Abure also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to keep his word of ensuring the 2023 elections are free fair and credible.

He further reiterated that the party will only accept true results obtained at the polling units and not those “manufactured and manipulated”.

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2023 Elections Entertainment News

2023 Election: INEC Is The Most Irresponsible Organization – Adekunle Gold

Nigerian singer, Adekunle Gold has taken a swipe at the Independent National Electoral Commission for their conduct during the presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday, February 25.

The singer in his tweet, described INEC as an “irresponsible organization” after different videos surfaced online of INEC staff arriving late and some not being able to upload the final result.

Adekunle Gold tweeted “Nah! INEC is the most irresponsible organization.”

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2023 Elections

INEC Officials Refusing To Upload Results In Lagos, Delta – Labour Party Cries Out

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been accused by Labour Party, LP, of refusing to upload results of the presidential polls collated in various polling units in Lagos and Delta states to the Central Server.

In a statement released on Saturday evening, February 25, the National Chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure, said INEC officials in connivance with the security agencies, are claiming that the BVAS have suddenly developed a fault and therefore cannot function.

He claimed that information from the party’s field men has it that in places like “Agege, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere, and Ibeju Lekki,” amongst others where results show that Labour Party won convincingly, the INEC officials claim that the BVAS suddenly developed a fault when it concerns uploading results of the presidential election.

“Information reaching me has it that in Lagos, they have refused to upload the results for the presidential election, they have uploaded that of the Senate and House of Representatives but for the presidential, they have refused. And they are using the police to drive our agents and supporters out of the place. And they said that they have firm instruction from INEC headquarters not to upload.

For example, in Kosofe, they put the collation centre in a Local Government Area Headquarters. The place is sorrounded by APC and people are afraid of their life. They are not uploading, they said that they have been giving instruction to insist that the BVAS is faulty. And most of the places we won, but they have refused to upload.

As I speak, APC officials are in Yaba office of INEC negotiating with the officials. What I have said now is happening in Agege, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere, we have this situation all over. In Ibeju Lekki, our local government chairman who attempted to stop them was arrested by the police.”

Abure said that similar situation is playing out across the collation centres in Delta state.

The Labour Party chairman, however, called on INEC to ensure that only genuine and verifiable results generated from the various polling units should be uploaded.

He also called on the police to resist the lure by the politicians to mar the gains of democracy by refusing to be used to deny Nigerians their choice of leaders.

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2023 Elections

2023 Elections: Why we may cancel results in Kogi — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may invalidate election results from areas that have experienced crises during the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kogi.

This warning comes in response to recent reports of electoral disturbances in several local government areas, including Anyigba and Dekina in the Kogi East, Mopa in the Kogi West, and parts of Kogi Central, where it is alleged that voting materials were stolen by thugs.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Kogi state, Dr. Hale Longpet, issued a warning while reacting to the crises that erupted in some parts of the state.

“You know the electoral law says that where there are disruptions to the process, the result will be cancelled, the very particular units’ results will be cancelled.

“The issues initially were only in the Kogi East and Central but I can’t tell exactly where and where in the state have been affected until the results are brought by the electoral officers.

“We understood that because of the violence, those affected areas couldn’t conclude election there.

“I’m shocked that people can go to that level and disrupt something that everybody should have enjoyed.

“Election is a peaceful and willful thing that people are offered to freely participate.

“Again, if people are given assurance that everyone will enjoy a pleasant experience, why then should we have thugs invading the whole town or the local government, disrupting the conduct of the elections?” he asked.

Longpet said, “This is very sad and shocking when you look at the loss of lives involved.”

He emphasized that participating in an election should not be viewed as an act of war. He added that if someone is not interested in voting, they are not obligated to do so.

The REC further stated that those who are genuinely interested in improving their communities should exercise their right to vote and not be hindered from doing so. He also shared that he personally accompanied security officials on a motorcade to monitor the election process, from Adankolo to Crucial, through Kabawa and Falele.

“Yet in all these places, we didn’t see anyone angry but people were all smiling and casting their votes peacefully,” he added.

 

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2023 Elections

Presidential Polls: INEC To Conduct Elections Anambra Despite Insecurity

Dr. Queen Agwu, the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commission, has disclosed that the presidential and national assembly polls will be held in all the 5,720 polling units in the 21 local government areas of the state despite the insecurity ravaging the state.

Agwu also stated that out of the 2.5 million people registered to vote, only 5,000 people did not pick up their permanent voter cards.

She stated these on Friday during a press conference, adding that sensitise and non-sensitive materials have arrived in the 21 local government areas except six polling units with zero registration.

She also assured of the commission’s readiness for the conduct of the 2023 general elections in the state, insisting that insecurity is not going to be an issue.

According to her, enough security operatives have been deployed in all the local governments and are poised to action.

She said, “Election will be held in all the local government areas of Anambra State, despite insecurity.

“We have deployed staff in all polling units in the state. We have a lot of security personnel in the state and we are conducting elections in all the polling units in the state.

“We don’t want to disenfranchise anybody in the state. The commission has fully deployed materials in all the 21 local government councils in the state and it is prepared for the peaceful conduct of the elections.