The Amnesty International has urged Federal Government of Nigeria to investigate alleged cases of political thuggery and violence on journalists and electorate during the supplementary election conducted in Kano State.
Showing posts with label governor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label governor. Show all posts
The Amnesty International has urged Federal Government of Nigeria to investigate alleged cases of political thuggery and violence on journalists and electorate during the supplementary election conducted in Kano State.
Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, yesterday, visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he presented himself to President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm that he is alive and contrary to earlier reports, he was not involved in an accident. El-Rufai also said that he was seeking to arrest the peddlers of the news that he was involved in a fatal accident, saying if located, the peddlers of the false story would be made to face criminal charges.
The three-member panel said during its ruling in Abuja Friday afternoon that the rerun election that held on September 27, 2018, was illegal.
The tribunal, therefore, deducted the votes scored by the APC candidate Gboyega Oyetola at the rerun after declaring the rerun illegal.
The tribunal said Mr Adeleke won the election at the first ballot on September 22 and the rerun that INEC devised to reach a final conclusion a week later was illegal.
“The declaration of Oyetola is null and void,” the tribunal ruled in a majority decision with one member dissenting.
“The petitioner (Mr Adeleke) having fulfilled the constitutional requirements and scored the majority lawful vote is declared winner and returned as governor.
“The rerun in the seven cancelled units are hereby declared null and void and of no electoral effect.”
The tribunal ordered the withdrawal of the certificate of return issued to Mr Oyetola and ordered that a new certificate of return be issued to Mr Adeleke.
History
It has been reported how in the first ballot in the Osun governorship election, the PDP candidate won majority votes of 254,698 votes while Mr Oyetola of the APC came a close second with 254,345 votes.
Mr Adeleke’s margin of lead, 354 votes, was lower than the cancelled votes which were 3,498. Hence the re-run in seven polling units.
At the end of the supplementary election, the PDP’s initial victory had been upturned and Mr Oyetola was declared the winner of the poll. At the end of the tally of votes, the APC candidate scored a total of 255,505 votes while the PDP candidate scored a total of 255,023 votes.
However, with the cancellation of the rerun election by the tribunal, the initial result was recognised thus leading the tribunal to declare Mr Adeleke the winner.
Going by precedence, however, Mr Oyetola and the APC are expected to appeal the ruling at the Court of Appeal. Mr Adeleke may also appeal parts of the judgement he is not comfortable with.
While the appeals go on, Mr Oyetola will continue in office as Osun governor.
He is expected to remain in office, irrespective of the ruling of the appeal court, until the Supreme Court decides on the matter.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has scorned the state’s former governor, Godswill Akpabio, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Nsima Ekere, and other candidates of the party who lost their ambitions during the general elections in the state.Despite contesting under the platform of the ruling party at the Federal Government level, APC, Akpabio, a former Minority Leader of the Senate failed to get a re-election while Ekere was defeated by incumbent governor Udom Emmanuel with a wide margin of votes.
Mr Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 9 governorship polls in Imo, has emerged winner of the election.
Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, on Tuesday in Katsina told newsmen that his recent outburst that the state is under security siege has paid off through increased attention on the state by different security agencies through increased number of personnel and the deployment of needed equipment to checkmate armed banditry and other crime-related activities especially in the frontline local government areas of the state.
There is palpable tension and fear in the Kosofe area of Lagos State as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protested the disappearance of nine ballot booklets.The party members claim that nine ballot booklets went missing at the Ogudu collation centre for Ward 4 voting centre in the Kosofe area of Lagos State, but were later found.
According to a PDP agent identified as Kunle Aladiyan, the missing booklets were later discovered this morning while INEC officials were distributing election materials to each ward.
Read also: Absentee INEC ad-hoc officials stall voting process at Osinbajo’s polling unit
Aladiyan noted that the same issue occurred in the 2015 elections and warned that the party was not going to participate in the election without the missing booklets.
He said; “That is how we lost 2015 election. We participated in the exercise thinking it would favour us, only for the missing booklets to find their ways to the ballot. We don’t want to be fooled again.”
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State, Senator Ayogu Eze has boycotted the ongoing election in the State.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in penultimate Saturday’s presidential election Atiku Abubakar voted in Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly election in Adamawa State not convinced his vote will count.
Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has decried low turnout of voters in Kaduna.
El-Rufai who is the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) however expressed optimism that the turn out will improve before the close of voting.
Also, the wife of the governor, Hajiyah Ummi El-Rufai decried low turnout of voters, but was optimistic there will be turn-up as the voting continues.
The governor arrived his polling unit at Ungwar Sarki ward at exactly 8:27 am and joined the queue.
El-Rufai who insisted in joining the queue said, that is the right thing to do as a patriotic citizen.
While reacting to the low turnout of electorate, the Governor said, “I am very optimistic that the turnout will improve. I think people are taking their time to come out and cast their votes for the candidates of their voice”.
Speaking on the security situation, the governor lauded the security agencies for being proactive. “The military are out, although, they are not close to the polling unit, but they are out to ensure that everyone is safe.
“On the part of INEC, they have done well and we hope to have a peaceful election”, the governor said.
While reacting to the low turnout of electorate, he says: “I am very optimistic that the turnout will improve. I think people are taking their time to come out and cast their votes for the candidates of their voice”.
