danphy6x: Integrity has been variously defined by different scholars, depending on the issue or subject in focus. But for the purpose of this piece, I shall be relying on this definition: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has, over the years, struggled to maintain his integrity, particularly a few years into his appointment. He started with inconclusive elections. But before the end of his first tenure, he overcame the struggle as most Nigerians began to hail him as he put an end to inconclusive elections.
Gradually, he began to give the Commission another identity. Most Nigerians became endeared to him and the Commission he leads. This was why when he insisted he wanted electronic transmission of results and electronic accreditation of voters, most Nigerians supported the move. Today, the rest, as they say, is history.
But recent happenings in Osun, especially after the governorship election in the State, are raising fresh concerns, and unless Prof. Mahmood Yakubu treads with caution, the situation may erode all the positives he had been able to record in the last few years.
As an institution, INEC has tried. But there are certain individuals within the institution who have refused to adapt to the Commission’s positive transformation. Therefore, INEC chairman must not soil his name in an attempt to defend what is obviously a fraudulent human manouvering to favour one party against the other in Osun. You may want to ask how I arrived at this conclusion. This is how.
BVAS was used in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun elections. But hackers from Asia only attempted to hack INEC’s portal during that of Osun and Ekiti. Thank God they did not succeed. However, how come INEC chairman is just telling us that? Or did he just realise that?
Could that also be responsible for the issuance of two contradictory BVAS reports by INEC? I am already smelling a rat. I hope I will be proved wrong in the end.
For the benefit of first time readers, after the July 16 Osun Governorship, INEC declared PDP’s Ademola Adeleke winner, crediting him with about 28, 000 margin of win ahead of APC’s Adegboyega Oyetola.
The final result was declared on Sunday, July 17. By Monday, July 18, 2022, the Osun APC and its candidate, Oyetola, applied for the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the BVAS Report for the election. The reason being that the July 16 election was conducted on the basis of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.
After they made the necessary payments, INEC, on July 29, 2022, which is about two weeks after the election, issued the CTC of the BVAS Report to APC and Oyetola.
From media reports, the parties after studying the BVAS report, discovered that the number of those accredited to vote did not tally with the results as declared by INEC, and by August 10, 2022, APC and Oyetola served INEC their petitions challenging results in over 700 polling units across 10 local governments on the basis of alleged over-voting in those polling units.
Realising the descripancies between figures recorded as accredited votes on the form EC8A ( result sheet) and the BVAS Report, INEC allegedly tampered with the contents of the original BVAS report apparently to defend at all cost, the Certificate of Return it issued to Ademola Adeleke. This forced it to issue another fresh CTC of BVAS to Adeleke and PDP, claiming that the one earlier issued to the APC and Oyetola was incomplete and unsynchronised. But Adeleke was declared winner on the basis of the BVAS report issued to APC and Oyetola.
The questions which APC and Oyetola are asking and which the Tribunal is expected to help resolve are: Why did INEC declare a winner when its record was untidy and not yet synchronized? Why did INEC, on 20th July, issue the Certificate of Return to the candidate of the PDP when BVAS report, upon which the election was declared conclusive, was unsynchronised?
Already, Oyetola and APC, in their response to INEC’s defence, are of the view that the claim of the electoral body regarding non-syncronisation of BVAS Report, is an afterthought, aimed at cover-up.
Going by Oyetola and APC’s petitions before the Tribunal, they want the results from the over 700 polling units being challenged to be cancelled. Here, we are talking about 173,655 votes. The reason for this prayer, according to the petitions is that voters were not validly accredited as stipulated by the extant laws. And if the prayer is granted, Oyetola will top the table with 314,723 votes as against the 375, 027 votes earlier entered for him by INEC, whereas Adeleke of the PDP will be left with 290,213 votes as against 403,371 entered for him by INEC.
Curiously, when APC and Oyetola petitions became public knowledge, PDP and their sympathisers in Osun went to town with the cry that INEC server was hacked by the APC. INEC did not say a word until yesterday, Friday, September 9, 2022, when its chairman claimed an attempt was made to hack the portal. For me, I found it difficult to believe this latest narrative. This is why I want Prof. Yakubu to please tread with caution not to soil his name. Was the attempt to hack the INEC portal also responsible for the issuance of two conflicting BVAS reports by the Commission?
While the verdict of the Tribunal is being awaited, let me hasten to add that the Northern Patriotic Front, NPF, one of the INEC accredited Civil Society Organisations that monitored and observed the Osun Governorship Election, faulted the late night voting witnessed in Ede South and Ede North, just as the group urged the electoral umpire to investigate the matter with a view to forestalling future occurrence.
It also noted that security was relaxed in some parts of Ede, saying, “Between Sekona roundabout and Edunabon, there were neither checking points nor patrol of any security personnel in that axis.”
In the 18-page report signed by its Administrative Secretary, Rasheed Shuaib, a copy of which has been submitted to INEC, the CSO also observed that there was vote buying in some of the polling units its members visited. It, therefore, urged Nigerians not to leave the fight against vote buying to CSOs and the anti-graft agencies alone. It added that all hands must on deck to eradicate the menace.
It further said: “In some of the polling units, there were separate queues of male and female. Two BVAS were deployed to some of the polling units visited with less than 800 registered voters, while in some other polling units with the same number of registered voters, one BVAS was deployed.
“According to the electoral guideline, the official close of voting at polling units is 2:30pm. In most of the polling units visited and as reported by the NPF observers, voting was concluded at various polling units across the State by 2:30pm in accordance with the 2022 electoral law as amended.
“However, this was not followed in some of the polling units in Ede axis where voting was still going on till around 9:00pm. This is clearly against the provision of the Electoral Act. This anomaly was also reported by some other observer groups’ analyses in the media.
“The conduct of election in Ede South and Ede North should be investigated to assist the Commission in preventing admitting voters to queue after the stipulated time,” the group had said.
I also recalled watching Ismail Omipidan, spokesperson of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on TV during an interview on Channels Television, the day Adeleke was declared Governor-elect, speak on the late-night voting witnessed in the two local government areas under reference.
Is there anything INEC is still not telling Nigerians on 2022 Osun election?
I started my piece talking about integrity. I will end it with these words from Eric Thomas, an American motivational speaker:“I realised the secret to success is finishing! And not just finishing, but finishing strong!”
Oluwolex2000: Vote for candidates with track record of performance -- Accord presidential candidate, Prof. Imumolen tasks youths
Nigerian youths have been urged to elect leaders that can help them maximise their potentials in a country now with less and less opportunities for self actualisation as the stage is getting set for the 2023 general elections. The younger generation finally had their wishes of active participation in the country's political process granted when the 'Not Too Young To Run' bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018.
That has paved the way for an unprecedented upsurge of candidates of youth extraction coming into the race for top political offices, including that of the presidency which promises to be keenly contested come 2023. But the progress made so far can easily be eroded should the youths fail to seize the opportunity provided by the new law to effect a change in government by installing one of their own.
This is the view of Accord presidential candidate, Professor Christopher Imumolen who insists there can be no better time than now for that generational change to happen. Professor Imumolen, 39, while speaking in a recent forum in Abuja told the youths that they can use the two powerful weapons of unity and numerical strength to great effect in their desire to see that they install a president who is not only young, but energetic and empathetic enough to solve their problems and reposition the country on the part of economic growth.
"When God wants to bless a man, He brings him a benefactor," Imumolen said while offering himself for leadership. "With my track record of service to Nigerians, including the youths at different levels and capacities; where we have solved problems at micro and macro levels, touching lives, offering scholarships to advance the educational needs of thousands and thousands of students, empowering women, farmers to access loans for businesses and agricultural projects, and so many of such humanitarian endeavours, I think I am eminently qualified to administer the affairs of this country if given the mandate by the people," he said.
"How to know a leader who is a problem solver, and who is committed to the welfare of the people is no rocket science. It is evidential. Leadership is the things you do to positively impact the lives of the ordinary man out there.
"That is why I am usually not perturbed when people tell me I lack leadership experience because I haven't held a political office before. "But tell me, how much experience did Nelson Mandela have before he became president of a post-apartheid South Africa? "Yet, Mandela was a far better leader than all those who came before him because he was driven by one thing -- the passion to see a better life for the people of his country.
"That is the same passion that is motivating me. I want to see a better Nigeria where things work. Where things will be done differently. And if I can demonstrate this over the years in my little way in the many people -oriented programmes I have initiated and solely sponsored at different levels, then I can definitely do more at a higher level where there will better resources to affect the larger society," he added.
famouscargo4u: Obi should stop been petty. He never said he lost everything. He said his house was ransacked and looted. Investments he had in the UD were still there. Campaign should be issues-based.
NwaNimo1: The Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has advised Nigerians to be wary of the source of income of other candidates in the coming election.
In a video trending on social media, Obi said bad behavior had become a measure of success in Nigeria, stressing that it was necessary for the people to take back their country and administer it the right way.
2023: We’ll send Atiku to his retirement home in Dubai, says Shettima Buhari’s nephew has agreed to return to APC – Kashim Shettima He recounted being told about a candidate who the people claimed lost everything while fighting the military dictatorship of Late General Sani Abacha suddenly became very rich overnight without a company to his name.
Obi who didn’t reveal the name of the candidate, however, questioned how he got the money to buy two planes without a known source of income.
“What company gave this candidate who people claimed fought Abacha and lost everything own that gave him the money to buy two planes? Bad behavior has become a measure of success in Nigeria and we must all rise up and take back our country and rule it the right way,” he said.
We have a crisis, a crisis; and that’s why I am pleading for all of us to take back our country. It’s our own; it’s not like any other country. When the leader is responsible to the people, they can question his rascality; his behavior must that of somebody who is sane and who wants to serve.”
sarrki: These are the lists of NIMASA approved Sea Ports in Nigeria Obi don't have to use creating of New Seaport In Porthacourt as Campaign Promise This Is another lie , I guess Obi Knows little about the Country he's yearning to oversee varying from Power To Seaport! All na Zero-knowledge from him as olodo per excellence
Gemid94: The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said any vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) or its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, meant more socio-economic hardship for Nigerians.
He noted that as the campaign period gets closer, there is the need for Nigerians to choose between freedom which he offers or more socio-economic hardship that the ruling APC represents during the 2023 elections.
Atiku made this known in a personally signed letter on Sunday.
He said, “It is very important that we use the remaining days to organise our base and establish our strength in all the 176,846 polling units across the country.
“I know that it is not an easy task. But it will be more worrisome to allow the APC remain in office one more day after May 29.
“The election that is ahead of us is a choice between the certainty of a better Nigeria and a promise of failures by the APC.
“It’s a choice between freedom and doom. And I trust that you will do your all in ensuring that Nigeria is free from socio-economic hardship,” Atiku said.
He said that Nigeria does not need a novice as president, but an experienced politician to lead it in the 2023 general election.
He advised that Nigerians should do away with ethnoreligious politics in this 21st century, and come together as one united people for the progress of the country.
Speaking in an interview on the forthcoming general election and the state of the nation, Gumi said there was nothing wrong with politicians contesting elections several times, seeking victory.
On Atiku Abubakar, he said “Nigeria needs an experienced politician. We don’t need a novice to be President. The situation in Nigeria today needs an experienced politician to solve it,” he said.
On Tinubu who said it is his turn to be President, Sheikh Gumi said, “it is not proper for him to say it is his turn. There is no question to saying it is my turn. Don’t say it is my turn because if people like you they will vote for you. He is a good administrator, he can do it. The Muslim-Muslim ticket is unnecessary.”
“We all know, all these politicians are looking for votes. The Muslim-Muslim ticket is, let me use Hausa language, is wayo (deceit). It is not religion. Whether it will work or not, I don’t want to prophesize, but there are a lot of hurdles. In fact, all political parties have hurdles. Muslim-Muslim ticket is going to be a laboratory test for others to emulate or not”.
On Peter Obi, he said “youths following him are divided like the adults. He needs to reach out to other segments of Nigerians. Relying on youths is not enough. He has to be all over the place, and not leaving politics to one region”.
Sheikh Gumi warned that if an inexperienced politician is voted into power, he will find it difficult to assemble the best brains within a possible time framework to set the nation working progressively.
Sheikh Gumi noted that it took President Muhammadu Buhari over six months to appoint Ministers and government officials because he (Buhari) was an inexperienced politician.
“Nigeria is now in the 21st century, people are more educated now. What Nigeria needs now are people with competency. We should not be talking about the North because the North is no longer monolithic, we should not be talking about the Southwest because no particular person is in control, and we should not be talking about South East, look at how Senator Ifeanyi Uba was attacked by his own people.
“So let’s talk about Nigeria as one united people. Nobody controls anybody in the country. So let’s move forward. Look at America, nobody is talking about power rotation. Let’s develop a democracy that we can sustain”. He added.
He said social injustice and poverty were responsible for insecurity in the country, adding that seven years into President Buhari’s government, almost every Nigerian is feeling the pains of socio-economic hardship in the country.
EndsarsReloaded: You can't eat your cake and still have it. Tinubu and his BATstards have been campaigning that all Yorubas must vote for Tinubu. Fulanis should also campaign that all Northern Muslims must vote for Atiku. Then let's see who wins. Already, Northern Christians are voting for Obi along with SE and SS.
Two can play the game, let's all run mad at the same time.
Durabest: I said it before and i will still said it again,my vote is for someone i know his supporters will be obidient to Nigeria constitution during and after 2023 election.Obi supporters are obeying lpob constitution and they want other part of Nigeria to vote for their candidate.Obi supporters throughout last week you were having your 1million march for obi but from monday to tuesday this week is your obidient days for lpob.
2023:“I Cannot Be A Yoruba Boy And Vote For Igbo” - Prophet Oladele Supports Tinubu (Video)
Prophet Isreal Oladele Ogundipe, the Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Global Genesis Parish, has said that because he is Yoruba, he won't vote for an Igbo candidate to become Nigeria's president in 2023, IGBERETV reports.
He declared support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
Speaking to his congregation during a church service, the prophet said;
“I cannot be a Yoruba boy and vote for Igbo”
Phahahahahah
And Na prophet when dey see vision for both Igbo and other tribes
kenzysmith: BREAKING] 2023: Peter Obi speaks on assassination threats Photo of Adeola Bodunrin Adeola BodunrinSeptember 12, 2022 1 minute read
Advertisement The presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said that he has “been told several times that these people are going to kill me”.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that after leaving office as governor of Anambra State in 2014, Obi gained new status as an advocate for good governance after decamping to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014.
Politics › Re: Peter Obi Diverted Anambra State Funds To Family Business Sowore by Bontafa: 6:50pm On Sep 12, 2022
