15032019 - INEC kicks as court stops make-up polls in Adamawa

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019 VISIT: From left; Mr Adekunle Adekoya, Deputy Editor, Vanguard Newspaper; Mr Emeka Okereke, Director-General; Dr Emmanuel Nwankpa, Vice President, Publicity & Publication, both of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine & Agriculture; Mrs Morenike Taire, Women Editor, Vanguard Newspaper and Mr Eze Anaba, Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, during a courtesy visit by Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine & Agriculture, to Vanguard Newspapers headquarters on the forthcoming Enugu trade fair, on Wednesday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi. Presidential poll: Buhari, APC secure court order to inspect all electoral materials By Ikechukwu Nnochiri A B U J A — PRESIDENTIAL Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, yesterday, ordered Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to grant President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress, APC, access to all the electoral materials used for the February 23 presidential election. The tribunal, in two separate rulings by a three-man panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Abdul Aboki, ordered the electoral body to forthwith, make available to President Buhari and APC both used and unused ballot papers it deployed across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory for the purpose of the presidential poll. Among other documents the tribunal granted the applicants leave to inspect included all the voters registers. It held that the applicants should also be allowed to obtain certified true copies of all the documents used at the polling units, wards, local governments and state levels. The tribunal said it was inclined to grant the request pursuant to section 6(6) (a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, sections137(2) and 151(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act and 47(1) of the Third Schedule to Electoral Act. President Buhari and APC had through their lawyers, Adelani Ajibade and Thomas Ojo, prayed the tribunal to order INEC to release the materials to enable them prepare their defence to a petition the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, intends to lodge against the outcome of the presidential poll. Buhari told the panel that Atiku had expressed his intention to go to court to challenge his declaration as winner of the presidential contest. He said he would need some of the electoral materials currently in INEC’s custody to be able to prove that he legitimately secured the highest number of valid votes ahead of Atiku who came second at the election. Buhari noted that the tribunal had on March 6, granted a similar request in favour of Atiku and the PDP. The tribunal, which delivered the ruling around 7:30pm, yesterday, declined to order INEC to grant the applicants access to the smart card reader machines used for the presidential election. “I am of the view that the prayers sought, ought to be granted,” Justice Aboki held, stressing that the applicants or their representatives should be granted access to the polling documents. “The 1st Respondent (INEC) is hereby ordered to forthwith, allow the Applicant or his representatives to inspect all the polling documents used in the just concluded presidential election to allow the Applicant to defend any petition that may arise from his declaration as winner of the February 23 presidential election,” the tribunal held. It equally granted the Applicants the leave to seeksuch reliefs before the prehearing session of any petition that may be lodged against the outcome of the presidential election. In his ex-parte motion granted by the tribunal, President Buhari cited INEC, Atiku, PDP and APC as respondents, while APC, in its motion, cited INEC, Atiku, PDP and President Buhari as respondents. It will be recalled that the tribunal had earlier granted the same reliefs to the opposition PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku, who had since expressed their dissatisfaction with the declaration of Buhari as winner of the just concluded presidential election. The tribunal, which is conducting its proceeding at the Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja, however, declined to allow Atiku and PDP to conduct forensic analysis on any of the election materials on the premise that such request was outside the scope of the Electoral Act, as amended. Justice Aboki, who also delivered the lead ruling, held that Atiku’s request for experts to be permitted to conduct forensic audit on the election materials, could not be regarded as “examination,” as stipulated in section 151 of the Electoral Act. He held that a decided case-law in Hope Uzodinma Vs Osita Izunaso, which Atiku and PDP relied upon, wherein the tribunal ordered INEC to allow the petitioner to scan and conduct forensic audit on all the election materials, had since been setaside by the Court of Appeal. Specifically, Atiku and his party, told the tribunal that the essence of the request was to establish that the presidential election was fraught with manifest irregularities they said included multiple thumbprinting of ballot papers. They indicated their determination to engage forensic experts to scritinise all materials that INEC deployed for the election. FG sets up presidential inauguration c’ttee By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA— THE Federal Government has inaugurated interministerial presidential inauguration committee to coordinate activities leading to the inauguration of the President on May 29. Inaugurating the committee, yesterday, in Abuja, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, recalled that about four years ago, the Buhari administration came on board with the promise of change built on economy, security and anticorruption. According to him, the government has since 2015 committed itself to working hard to achieve sustainable economic growth, as well as a secure and corruption free nation. He said: “Preparatory to the inauguration of the new administration, the president approved the constitution of this Presidential Inter-Ministerial Inauguration Committee, PIC-2019, to plan, organise and execute all approved programmes for the series of activities that would be undertaken.” While the SGF would serve as chairman of the committee, members include several ministers, permanent secretaries, party leaders and security chiefs. The terms of reference of the committee include: “To plan, organise and execute all approved activities for the 2019 presidential inauguration; co-opt any organisation(s)/person(s) relevant towards the successful execution of the programme; document for posterity, all planned activities for the inauguration; and, carry out any other assignment as may be required towards the successful implementation of the programme.’’ Deploying military, setback to electoral reforms —Labour •Urges Buhari to implement Uwais Report By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA—THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has decried the deployment of military in the just concluded general election, describing it as a new low in the country’s electoral history. The NLC in a statement in Abuja, entitled, “No option to democracy,” signed by its Acting President, Comrade Amechi Asugwuni, stated that the deployment of military to harass political opponents as witnessed in the last elections was a serious setback. Labour also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to consider revisiting the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform report, adding that implementing the report would reduce the ugly incidence of killing and maiming of political opponents. Asugwuni said though the conduct of the general election was largely peaceful in many parts of the country, there were a number of logistic and security issues that dogged the election. He noted that the rescheduling of the presidential and National Assembly elections from February 16 to March 3 and postponement of the governorship and state House of Assembly elections from March 3 to March 9, 2019, attracted widespread condemnation by Nigerians and international community and also contributed to low turnout of voters during the 2019 general election. He said: “The public expectation after the postponement was that Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, would put its acts together and ensure that the conduct of the elections on the postponed dates was impeccable. “Unfortunately, that was hardly the case as the elections were blighted by perennial tardy logistics such as late arrival of election materials to polling units, failure of data capture machines in some polling units and poor knowledge of election rules by many INEC ad hoc staff. “Furthermore, desperate politicians with an agenda to manipulate the electoral process to their advantage played out the script of ballot box snatching, intimidation of election officials, waylaying of collation centres and general perpetration of violence. “Going forward, there is need for serious national conversations on critical areas of improvement in the conduct of elections in Nigeria. We also call for a sincere revisit of the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Report especially as it relates to reinforcing INEC’s independence, unbundling of INEC and setup of Elections Offences Commission. “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to show commitment to implementing aspects of Uwais Report which relevance is validated by recent developments in our electoral space." 9th Senate: Leadership squabble in 8th Senate won’t repeat itself —Senate spokesman By Henry Umoru ABUJA—AHEAD of the inauguration of the 9th Senate, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi (APC, Niger North), has allayed fears of Nigerians on possible leadership crisis in the 9th Senate as it was in the 8th. Speaking with journalists shortly after collecting his Certificate of Return from Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as senator-elect, yesterday, Abdullahi said the required lessons to be learned from the leadership squabbles of the 8th Senate had been learned, and would not repeat itself. “I was a key player in the leadership configuration of the 8th Senate and the attendant crises that followed, as one of the 43 returnees now, the lessons learned will be used to prevent the mistakes of the past from happening,’’ he said. Meanwhile, strong indications emerged, yesterday, that the fight for who becomes the presiding officers has taken a new dimension. This time, former governor of Kano State, Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), has declared his intention to vie for the position of Deputy Senate President. Senator Gaya, who declared his intention yesterday at the International Conference Centre, ICC, after collecting his Certificate of Return as senator-elect from Kano South into the 9th Senate, told journalists that his aspiration was driven by mass appeal for the position from his colleagues and his burning desire to serve in the leadership of the next Senate, having returned for the fourth time.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019—9 1.9m Nigerians living with HIV — Survey •We can't celebrate yet —Buhari By Sola Ogundipe AN estimated 1.9 million Nigerians are living with HIV even as a new national HIV prevalence of 1.4 per cent has been confirmed among Nigerian adults aged 15–49 years according to results of the 2018 National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey, NAIIS, conducted by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, the Federal Ministry of Health, UNAIDS and other international partners. Previous estimates had indicated that over three million Nigerians were living with HIV and that the country had a national HIV prevalence of 2.8 percent. Welcoming the news, yesterday, in Abuja that there are fewer people living with HIV in the country than previously estimated while launching the Revised National HIV and AIDS Strategic Framework 2019–2021, which will guide the country’s future response to the epidemic, President Muhammadu Buhari, however, observed that it was not time to celebrate. “For the first time, the end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is truly in sight for our country. I urge all of us not to relent but to increase the momentum. Let us work collectively and push for the last mile,” the president said. Noting that the results of the survey came at the right time, he said it would provide the data required to plan adequately and consolidate on the past and current gains against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country. He said: “This is the largest population based HIV/AIDS survey of its kind ever conducted and it has provided us with the crucial information to move forward and to act based on scientific data. “More accurate figures show that fewer Nigerians have HIV/AIDS but we cannot celebrate yet because over one million of those infected are not on treatment." According to the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, “everyone infected with HIV needs to get treatment so they can achieve viral suppression, especially pregnant women. We must ensure pregnant women have access to antenatal services and are tested during every pregnancy. We know we can support HIV-positive mothers, hence ensuring the next generation is free from HIV.” In his view, Director- General,National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr Sani Aliyu, stated: “It is important that all people living with HIV get treatment and achieve viral suppression. To halt the epidemic, we need to act now. "As a government working with our partners, we have what it takes to support people who are HIV-positive, to provide treatment, to protect their families and to help people live long and healthy lives.” The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, welcomed the new estimates and said the improved understanding of the country’s HIV epidemic would allow Nigeria to better reach people living with HIV and people at higher risk of acquiring HIV." NIMC, Immigration to begin enforcement of NIN on new e-passports A BUJA—NATIONAL Identity Management Commission, NIMC, and Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, have agreed to commence enforcement of the National Identification Number, NIN, on the new 10-year validity e-passport. P r e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari, had on January 15, 2019, while unveiling the newly enhanced e-passport with a 10-year validity, directed that the NIN, which is issued by the NIMC, be inserted as additional data in the new passports. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Muhammad Babandede, said the Federal Government has no plan on going back on the April 29 date for the integration of NIN on the new passport. This was disclosed in a statement jointly signed by NIMC’s spokesperson, Loveday Ogbonna, and NIS spokesperson, Sunday James, yesterday. According to the statement, the enforcement was agreed upon during a courtesy call by Babandede on Director-General, NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. NIMC’s DG also said the commission had upgraded its software and infrastructure to enable the generation of the NIN, in just microseconds. “A few months ago, we had an issue that made NIN generation take up to hours and people had to come back the following day. However, right now, it is instantaneous and that is the way we intend to maintain the system. ‘’The type of Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, we utilize makes sure that the NIN is unique –that is our only job. “This means that unlike in the past, the NIN is issued instantly to successful enrollees into the NIDB (National Identity Data Base),” he 2023: Ensure speedy review of Electoral Law, INEC chairman charges 9th NASS •Presents Certificates of Return to elected NASS members CHAIRMAN of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday, charged incoming 9th National Assembly to come up with a review of the Electoral Law that will assist the commission begin work on post-2019 elections review and road map to 2023. According to him, while there is a lot of work to be done, there is very little time available. Yakubu, who spoke at the presentation of Certificate of Return to elected National Assembly members in Abuja, said: “As a process governed by law, the success of elections in Nigeria depends, to a large extent, on the electoral legal framework and most importantly in ensuring adherence to the law. “I want to assure you that we will continue to work with the National Assembly to review and strengthen our Electoral Law. But, I want to appeal to the senators-elect to please start work early and conclude work on the electoral framework in good time, well ahead of the 2023 general elections. ‘’The tendency to delay electoral reforms, particularly the review of electoral framework until it is too close to the elections, leaves the commission with little time to develop processes, including regulations and guidelines, make required consultations with stakeholders, embark on effective voter education, including sensitisation, train staff and organise deployment for the elections. ‘’I am glad that among the senators-elect are senators that we have worked very closely with and some of them have taken initiatives or even sponsored private member bills to advance the cause of electoral reforms. ‘’We look forward to working very closely with you in the next Senate. However, all these are matters to be considered, I hope we will do so in earnest.” Of the 109 senators in the National Assembly, only 100 senators were presented with certificates as there are outstanding issues in some constituencies, and of the 100, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has 62; Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 37; while the Young Progressives Party, YPP, has one. Members-elect of the House of Representatives were also later in the day presented with their Certificates of Return. ECOWAS to intervene in herdsmen/farmers' clashes within region By Victoria Ojeme D AKAR—Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has said its parliament was committed towards resolving the recurring crisis between herdsmen and farmers within the region. It also described the problem of youth unemployment in the subregion as a disease, which must be stamped out. Secretary-General of ECOWAS Parliament, John Azumah, who stated this, yesterday, in an interview with journalists at the end of the Extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, in Dakar, Senegal, said the parliament, as representatives of the people, was burdened by the issue of herdsmen and farmers' clashes and other reports of communal violence within the community. He said: “The parliament has a very big role to play, especially the members who have the opportunity to meet with the concerned communities and to be able to explain the other side of the story. “So if the members of parliament up their game and constantly provide information, constantly meet these communities that are involved in these activities, we believe strongly that we will be able to sort or mitigate the tendencies.’’ He observed that parliament had built overtime experiences in conflict resolution, having been involved in resolving conflicts areas such as the Mano River Union in 2012, the resolution of the Liberian civil war, and the issue of Al-Qaeda in Mali. According to him, the parliament was the only community’s institution that moved to the grassroot to talk to the people. He said: “We were involved again in resolving the issue in the Sierra Leonean parliament last year after the elections when there were some problems. Earlier, Azumah had stated that the major high point of the seminar was parliament’s confirmation of support for the decision of the Authority of Heads State and Government in the implementation of the Single Currency in 2020.
Page 1 and 2: C M Y K 1.9m Nigerians living with
Page 3 and 4: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019—
Page 5 and 6: vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguar
Page 7: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019—
Page 11 and 12: VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
Page 17 and 18: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
Page 19 and 20: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15 , 2019
Page 27 and 28: Rajab 8, 1440 A.H. Hajj 2019: Lagos
Page 31 and 32: Ethiopian Airline Crash…and the s
Page 37 and 38: VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019—
Page 39 and 40: NZERI I, formerly known as Miss Nze
Page 43 and 44: VANGUARD, FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2019 —
Page 47 and 48: Champions League Draw Barca players

15032019 - INEC kicks as court stops make-up polls in Adamawa

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?