I have been waiting for a newspaper to write on this. Really, the President and his re-election team had violated the electoral law of the land since TAN was formed. We see quasi campaign adverts on TV- mostly on NTA- asking people to VOTE for the President come 2015.



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.[b]I have been waiting for a newspaper to write on this. Really, the President and his re-election team had violated the electoral law of the land since TAN was formed. We see quasi campaign adverts on TV- mostly on NTA- asking people to VOTE for the President come 2015.



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.[/b]I have been waiting for a newspaper to write on this. Really, the President and his re-election team had violated the electoral law of the land since TAN was formed. We see quasi campaign adverts on TV- mostly on NTA- asking people to VOTE for the President come 2015.

How President Jonathan Is Violating Nigeria’s Electoral Law

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.


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