‘Fake news may affect 2019 elections’

A British technology entrepreneur of Nigerian descent, Joel Popoola, has said fake news on social media may negatively impact the general elections.

Popoola, creator of a democracy app, Rate Your Leader, in a statement, said the app is a global online platform that helps politicians to engage voters in their constituencies in an abuse-proof way.

The entrepreneur noted that the unwillingness of social media giants to crack down on fake news has adverse effects on users.

He said with more than 40 million Nigerians using Facebook, the fake news phenomenon could affect the presidential election.

Popoola said: “Around the world, from President Donald Trump’s supporters in America to Jeune Gillets in France, to Brexit’s supporters in the United Kingdom, people are feeling more and more out of touch with politics; and it is only a matter of time until something similar reaches Nigeria.

“One in three Nigerians uses Facebook; and technology offers the opportunity to connect politicians and people like never before. That dichotomy is driven by social media giants being unwilling, unable or both, to effectively crack down on trolls and bots.

“Democracy is now digital, which means social media companies have a responsibility to provide a safe space for both politicians and our democracy and they are evidently failing on both fronts.”

210,504 PVCs ready for collection in Taraba – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Taraba on Friday said 210,504 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are ready for collection in the state.

Alhaji Baba Yusuf, the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, disclosed this at a news briefing in Jalingo.

Yusuf also announced that the commission has decentralised the collection of PVCs to the registration areas (ward level), to enable people who were yet to collect their PVCs to do so ahead of the general elections.

“The Commission has decided to move the collection of PVCs closer to the people beginning from Jan. 16, to enable people collect their PVCs.

“Normally, the collection of PVCs is done at the local government level, but the Commission has decided to move it closer to the people at the Registration Areas to encourage prospective voters to collect their PVCs.

“The exercise will only last for five days and I want to call on the people of the state to take advantage of the opportunity to go to their various electoral wards and collect their PVCs,” he said.

Yusuf, who assured the people of Taraba that INEC would print out all PVCs before the elections, explained that the distribution of PVCs would stop one week to elections.

He urged those who are yet to have their PVCs printed to exercise patient as the commission was doing everything possible to ensure that all those who registered during the Continuous Voter Registration get their PVCs before the elections.

Bariga LCDA councillorship by-election: LASIEC presents certificate of return to winner

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission ( LASIEC ) has presented Certificate of Return to Mr. Olufemi Nurudeen Sowande, the winner of the Councillorship by-election into Ward C ( Owode Orile ) in Bariga Local Council Development Area of the State, held on Tuesday.

While congratulating the newly elected Councillor, the Chairman of the Commission, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, urged him to be magnanimous in victory, adding that with the mandate he had been given through his victory, he was expected to represent the collective interests of the entire constituents of the area regardless of any political differences.

The Chairman, whose address was presented by an Electoral Commissioner of the Commission, Olusegun Ayedun, further noted that since election into political offices was meant to serve as a platform for elected representatives to serve the people, the newly elected Councillor must demonstrate commitment to the service of the people not only in his Ward, but in his Local Council Development Area as a whole.

Speaking on voter turn-out for the election, Phillips pointed out that the Commission observed a high rate of voter apathy during the by-election, adding that many eligible voters in the area felt so unconcerned about the election which made many of them stay away from polling units where they were expected to cast their votes.

She noted, “If we agree that democracy is about majority rule, we must all work together to ensure that people elected into political offices are actually elected by majority of the eligible residents of a community.”

The Chairman, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders, particularly leaders of political parties to step up efforts to complement the efforts of the Commission on voter education and sensitization with a view to increasing voter participation in the electoral process by eligible residents of the State.

In his response after receiving his certificate of return, Mr. Sowande commended the Commission for providing a conducive atmosphere for a free, fair and credible election. He also expressed appreciation to his political leaders and supporters for standing by him before, during and after the election, promising that he would work hard to justify the confidence reposed in him by the people.

It would be recalled that the Councillorship seat in the Ward became vacant following the death of the former occupant of the seat a few months ago.

Also present at the ceremony were other Electoral Commissioners of the Commission: Hon. Olusegun Ayedun, Chief ( Mrs.) Toyin Ibrahim- Famakinwa, Dr. Noah Lawal -Jinadu and the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Sesan Ogundeke, Directors of the Commission as well as political allies of the new Councillor.

LASIEC Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Phillips

LASIEC holds bye-election Tuesday

Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) will on Tuesday conduct the councillorship bye-election into Ward C (Owode Orile) in Bariga Local Council Development Area.
Two political parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are participating in the bye-election.
The bye- election is necessitated following the death of Solomon Awokoya, the Councillor representing the Ward.
At a briefing on Monday in Sabo, Yaba LASIEC headquarters, its chairman Justice Ayotunde Phillips (retd) said the election would be conducted between 9am and 3pm.
She urged eligible voters in the affected area to cast their votes for candidates of their choice.
According to her, there would be no restriction of movement during the period since the election would be organised within a small community.
Justice Phillips said the commission would set up an Election Support Centre at the headquarters to monitor reports from its personnel and promptly respond to any challenges that might arise.
The commission, she said, had held an intensive training programme for the ad-hoc personnel to be used for the conduct of the election to guard against avoidable mistakes or errors that could cast doubts on the integrity of the election and the commission.
The chairman added that the commission was working in collaboration with security personnel to ensure a hitch-free election.
She warned that any miscreants or criminally–minded people caught for a breach of the peace would be prosecuted.
Justice Phillips appealed to the media to continue to assist Election Management Bodies by educating eligible voters to participate in the electoral process to reduce the high rate of voter apathy across the country.
She stressed the commission had regularly sensitised stakeholders on the need to participate actively in the electoral process to strengthen democratic rule in the state.

INEC working with ruling party to rig polls, says Secondus

PEOPLE’S Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus has accused Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of working in conjunction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the 2019 elections.
He cautioned INEC to ensure credible elections in 2019.
Secondus warned that any attempts to manipulation the election would be a recipe for crisis and that INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu would be held accountable.
The PDP chairman, who spoke in Abuja yesterday while receiving Election team of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), added that history would be unkind to the INEC Chairman, if he failed to conduct free and fair elections next year.
According him, INEC used the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states as dress rehearsal to rig the 2019 polls.
Secondus said: “They have finished their rigging arrangements with preloaded cards and special election result sheets all doctored to favour the ruling APC.
“The INEC Chairman has no strong will to follow our electoral laws and constitution as well as the laid down international standards in his processes towards 2019 and we want to let the world know this before it happens.
“They have finished plots to isolate states like Kano, Benue, Rivers, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Imo, Kwara and Lagos for disruption during the general election so they can plan well to mobilise for rigging.”
The party chair further alleged that the commission’s rigging agenda was being propelled by the security agencies.
The five-man ECOWAS team, led by Mohammad Conteh stressed the need for Nigeria to have credible elections in 2019, saying it would go a long way to deepen democracy in the sub region.

INEC to Tribunal: Ekiti election free, fair

A Deputy Director with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sylvester Aigbogun, on Tuesday told the Ekiti Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in the FCT High Court, Apo that the July 14 governorship election in the state was free and fair.

Aigbogun, who was the Electoral Officer for Ikole Local Government Area of the state during the election, stated this while testifying for the electoral body in the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Prof. Olusola Kolapo.

The petitioners dragged INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Gov. Kayode Fayemi, the winner of the election in contention, as respondents before the tribunal.

The petitioners are challenging the declaration of Fayemi as the winner of the election by the first respondents, INEC.

Aigbogun, while being cross examined by Yomi Aliyu SAN, counsel for APC, stated that his assertion that the election was free and fair was based on what he saw while visiting some polling units in the local government during the election as well as what was presented to him from various units and wards.

“The election was free and fair. This was based on what I saw and what was presented to me.

“PDP and its candidate, Professir Kolapo did not make any complaint to me on the conduct of the election in my local government.”

While answering question from R O Balogun SAN, counsel for Fayemi, the witness stated that APC won in Ikole LGA without any hitches with a total of 14,522 votes as against PDP’s 13,961.

He asserted that the election was conducted substantially in line with the Electoral Act and the manual for the election issued by INEC earlier tendered and admitted as Exhibit RA9.

The witness stated that he did not see any presiding officer or other persons deliberately voiding ballot papers during his visit to some polling units in the course of the election.

Aigbogun, told the tribunal, under cross examination by the counsel for the petitioners, Adebayo Adelodun SAN, that entries on Form EC8A had to tally with those on the pink copy issued to agents of parties at polling units.

According to him, wherever an alteration in the entries was not initialed by either the presiding officers or collation officers, there was no way he could know that such was an honest mistake.

Another witness, Akinyemi Shamsudeen, who was the Electoral Officer for Ido-Osi LGA, informed that he did not receive any complaints from the petitioners in his local government on the conduct of the election.

He informed that the ad hoc staff deployed in the election were train to initial any mistakes made, adding that when they failed to initial such mistakes and there was no complaint from anybody, “I would take it as an honest mistake.

Akinyemi stated that there was no reports from PDP that there were no compliance with procedural steps as contained in Exhibit RA9.

While being cross examined by the petitioners’ counsel, the witness stated that a void ballot could not be caused by deliberate action, declaring that, “I am not familiar with the word voided as far as our work is concerned.”

Dada Emmanuel, the Electoral Officer for Ilejemeje LGA, there was no protests from any agents of parties in the local government, adding that none of the presiding officers who worked under him reported any problems to him.

He also said that there was no complaint from the petitioners about the conduct of the election in Ilejemeje LGA, declaring that Exhibit RA8 tendered by INEC was the true result of the July 14 election from his local government.

Emmanuel, told the tribunal during cross examined by the petitioners’ counsel that void ballot could be as a result of deliberate action, though he said voided ballots were not deliberately done by INEC officials.

Another witness, Kayode Bamidele, the Electoral Officer for Ikere LGA, told the tribunal that there were no irregularities in the election as complained by the petitioners.

He stated that he would be surprised “if anyone says INEC officials deliberately voided ballot papers and thumb printed ballot papers”.

Meanwhile, INEC, through its counsel, Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan SAN, tendered in evidence the certified true copy of the certificate of return it issued to Governor Fayemi after the election.

While counsel for the other respondents did not oppose its admissibility, Adelodun said the petitioners had issue with its certification and would address it later.

The document was admitted by the tribunal and marked as Exhibit RA10.

The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Suleiman Belgore, later adjourned to Wednesday at the instance of the first respondent.

Olusola and Fayemi

INEC commences display of voters register in Enugu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State has commenced display of voters’ register in all the 260 wards of the state.

Mr. Emeka Ononamadu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Enugu State said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

“As of today, we are already pasting the voters register for display beginning from tomorrow (Nov. 6) in line with the Election Project Plan (EPP).

“The exercise will be done on ward-to-ward basis across the 17 Local Government Areas of the state,’’ he said.

The REC said preparations were in top gear to make sure the general election was not only hitch-free but fair and credible.

“In Enugu State, INEC has concluded the monitoring of all party primaries in schedule and we have also displayed the particulars of the presidential, governorship, National and State Assembly candidates.

“The printing of the last tranche of the permanent Voters Card (PVC) will soon be completed so it can be available to the electorates before the election.

“These and many I have mentioned just to show that the commission is beating deadlines and in trying to beat deadlines, it is not defaulting in any of the electoral plans based on the EPP,’’ he said.

Ononamadu disclosed that the commission had embarked on Voters Education and Publicity (VEP) using the mediums of radio, newspapers, Television, churches and mosques.

He added that the one day meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) held in Enugu was also part of Voter Education for the electorates.

On the issue of uncollected PVC’s, Ononamadu said the commission was beginning to overcome such through the effort of major stakeholders.

“Enugu State today is part of the states with the lowest number of uncollected PVC,s and I must commend the relevant stakeholders for ensuring that we achieve this feat.

“For three weeks now, our officers have been going from ward to ward in all the 17 Local Government Areas of the state to distribute the PVCs.

“People also go to our offices in all the local government areas everyday to collect their PVCs because I am aware of this and it is encouraging.

“However, the names of those whose cards are available but are yet to collect them have been printed and would be posted in communities and other strategic points.

“The essence is for friends, relatives and other well meaning individuals who come across such list to help notify the affected persons through word-of-mouth communication,” Ononamadu noted.

The INEC REC also said sensitization of its Ad-Hoc staff especially corps members to prepare their minds before the proper training had started.

He however,said the date of the training for its Ad-Hoc staff in the state would be announced soon.

Ononamadu said the commission was aware of its numerous challenges especially at the state level and it was working to surmount them and deliver on its mandate of conducting credible and fair elections.

“Also, the commission is not unaware of the new twist that election in Nigeria is beginning to take and the dynamics that played out during the recently conducted elections and party primaries.

“We are working hard to block such loopholes and make sure the coming election is very transparent and devoid of any electoral manipulation.’’

The INEC Commissioner, therefore, warned that any information not coming directly from INEC or its reliable channels and platforms should be disregarded.

The REC noted that certain individuals might want to take advantage of the electioneering period to pass wrong information and make people fall victim.

Location of Enugu in Nigeria.

Vote buying, threat to credible elections – German foundation

Dr Vladimir Kreck, the Resident Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a German foundation in Nigeria, says vote buying remains a threat to credible elections.
Kreck, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, appealed to the Nigerian electorate to refrain from selling their votes in 2019.
He advocated intense sensitisation of the electorate on voting according to their conscience.
“ This is a very serious issue because it threatens free and fair elections.
“I believe that people have to be informed about their constitutional duty to trust their conscience.
“ They should vote for that candidate who does not only campaign for their votes but who reliably promises that he would act in the interest of the country and in the interest of these voters,’’ he said.
He called on Nigerians to always vote candidates of their choice without ethnic or religious bias.
“I would advise Nigerians to trust their conscience to vote for candidates regardless of their ethnic or religious line.
“They should vote only because they trust these candidates that they will act in their best interest and in the best interest of the nation,” he said.
Kreck also urged religious leaders to contribute their quota by ensuring that elections were devoid of religious bigotry.
The foundation representative, who noted that religion and politics have a sensitive and critical relationship in Nigeria, said it was important that this was discussed in order to ensure successful polls in 2019.
“This is part of our assignment in Nigeria; to provide the public and the stakeholders with knowledge and information about the upcoming election in 2019,” he said.

Vote Buying

2019: Air Force ready to assist INEC with logistics

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, says the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is ready to support Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with logistics for 2019 general elections.
Abubakar, who disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, during his conference with NAF field commanders, said that the support to the commission would be in transportation of election materials across the country.
He, however, said that it would render such assistance if INEC requested for it.
The air chief cautioned the officers not to be dragged into partisan politics as the general elections approached.
”I want to draw your attention to the 2019 election coming up; while we have the right to vote, be careful not to be drawn into politics,” he said.
He advised the commanders to remain focused on the discharge of constitutionally-assigned tasks of the Force.
“We must restrict ourselves to the discharge of our constitutionally assignment,” Abubakar said, and assured that NAF would continue to operate in lines with its mandate.
He said that NAF would also continue to work towards ensuring that the sovereignty of Nigeria was not undermined by any group or individuals.
The conference was intended to provide channel of feedback from the various NAF units so as to further enhance its operational efficiency and service.