The president is breaching the law in a way that
might give him advantage over his opponents in
next year’s election.

New billboards urging Nigerian voters to vote for
President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015
presidential election have sprang up at strategic
corners of Abuja against repeated warnings by the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to
politicians not to commence campaign before the
stipulated time.

PREMIUM TIMES sighted some of the billboards at
the roundabout adjoining Shehu Shagari Way and
Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard in the Maitama District
as well as the Ahmadu Bello Way/Kur Mohammed
Street junction (opposite ThisDay Dome) in the
Central Business District of the federal capital
territory.

Unlike the previous ones scattered around the
country, the new billboards, sponsored by a group,
Jonathan Actualization Movement, JAM, are offensive
to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2006 (as
amended) because it is urging Nigerians to vote for
the president.
They read, “2015 VOTE JONATHAN FOR EQUITY
INTEGRITY & GOOD GOVERNANCE.”
With green backgrounds, the billboards have the
picture of the president adorning the traditional caps
and attires of the three major ethnic groups, Hausa,
Yoruba and Ibo, on them.

The message on the billboards does not only
suggest that the president has been picked by his
party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as its
standard bearer, it also indicates that he has opened
campaign in violation of the Electoral Act, which
specifies that campaigns should commence 90 days
before any election.

Section 99 (1-3) of the Electoral Act says: “For the
purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in
public by every political party shall commence 90
days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to
that day.

“A registered political party which through any
person acting on its behalf during the 24 hours
before polling day”

“Procures for publication or acquiesces in the
publication of an advertisement in a Newspaper for
the purpose of promoting or opposing a particular
candidates, commits an offence under this Act and
upon conviction is liable to a maximum fine of
N500,000.”

No official of JAM could be reached for comments.
However, information on the group, pieced together
by this newspapers, shows that it is headed by one
Basirat Nahibi, who was one of the major financiers
of the previous presidential campaigns of a former
head of state and a leader of the opposition All
Progressive Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr. Nahibi, who defected to the PDP last year, was
quoted as listing the group’s objective to include
support for Jonathan administration in actualizing its
political programme; re-brand Mr. Jonathan as the
right candidate for Nigerian in the 2015 election; and
promote peace and stability by educating the
populace on the need for unity, religion and tribal
tolerance.

Repeated attempts to get the Special Adviser to the
President of Political Matters, Rufa’i Alkali to
comment for this story failed.

When PREMIUM TIMES first contacted him on his
mobile telephone on Friday night, the presidential
aide said he was in a short meeting.
“Can we talk later because I’m in a small meeting,”
he said.

A few minutes later, Mr. Rufai, a professor, who was
once a spokesperson for the PDP, called back to
find out the name of the reporter who called on
behalf of this newspaper and also assured him that
he would call back.

He is yet to do so as at Saturday morning when this
report was published.

The Independent National Election Commission,
INEC, said it is not aware of the existence of the
billboards in question.

bIoodykiller: what shall it profit the supporter of APC to peddle all false propaganda and still loose woefully to real progressive (Gej) in 2015

Section 99 (1-3) of the Electoral Act says: “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in
public by every political party shall commence 90
days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to
that day.

VICTORCIZA: apc feeding Nigerians with false information since 1890




pics or

Idrismusty97: Enough of all these supporter of APC stuff. He is violating electoral laws, period!