Politics
INEC frowns at political parties over acrimonious, parallel primaries
Published
10 months agoon
By
Ekwutos BlogThe Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday frowned at various infractions committed by political parties ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
The Edo State governorship election is scheduled to be held on September 21, 2024, while the Ondo State governorship election will be held on November 16 2024.
The representative of Edo Central Senatorial District, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was declared the winner of the Edo State All Progressives Congress governorship primary election.
Also, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, won the governorship primary of the Edo State Labour Party as the candidate for the party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
ROUNDTABLE:N35,000 Wage Award: 30 States Default, Labour Fumes, Pensioners Threaten Protest0.00 / 0.00
3
Asue Ighodalo emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the upcoming Edo poll.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, in the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja, noted that infractions such as acrimonious primaries, and the emergence of multiple candidates among others lead to ‘unnecessary’ litigation among party members.
Yakubu urged political parties to adhere strictly to its proposed dates and modes of primaries.
He said, “I urge political parties to adhere strictly to your proposed dates and modes of primaries. Frequent changes as we witnessed recently during the Edo primaries are not only disruptive but costly.
“The commission cannot mobilise, demobilise and remobilise our officials for the monitoring of party primaries at the convenience of political parties. Parties should stick to their proposed dates and modes of primaries for certainty and optimal deployment of resources.
“Similarly, political parties should avoid acrimonious primaries. Increasingly, the conduct of parallel primaries and the emergence of multiple candidates is a frequent occurrence. So too is the tendency to grant waivers to candidates who were a few days earlier card-carrying members of other political parties and nominating such persons to the commission as their candidates for election.
“Some of these infractions lead to unnecessary litigation among party members in which the commission is always joined as a party. The legal fees and cost of producing Certified True Copies of documents can be used more productively in other electoral activities by both the political parties and the commission. We must find a solution to this situation,”
The chairman added that only six parties contesting the Edo governorship poll have uploaded their nominations to the portal while 16 out of 19 parties indicated an interest in running for the Ondo governorship poll, warning that no extension of deadline would be granted.
He noted, “Already, party primaries for the Edo State Governorship election have been concluded. By the timetable and schedule of activities for the election, political parties have 20 days to upload the list and personal particulars of their candidates to our dedicated portal. We have trained party Liaison Officers and established a Help Desk for political parties. The portal opened on 4th March 2024 and will automatically shut down at 6 pm on Saturday 24th March 2024. Two weeks later, only six parties have uploaded their nominations to the portal.
“We urge you to keep to our schedule of activities and avoid last-minute rush that may undermine your ability to successfully nominate your candidates. There will be no extension of time beyond the deadline already published in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, to enable us to publish the personal particulars of candidates (Form EC9) on 31st March 2024 as required by law.
“For the Ondo State Governorship election, party primaries begin in the next two weeks on April 6, 2024 and end three weeks later on April 27, 2024. So far, 16 out of 19 political parties have indicated interest in participating in the election.”
Meanwhile, the National Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, noted that the council would be proactive to ensure that the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections meet the expectations of Nigerians and the international community.
“There should be no excuse for poor performance.
“IPAC will constantly engage INEC and major stakeholders to ensure the success of these elections and will be there for mobilisation of voters, sensitisation, and monitoring of polls,” Dantalle said.
He assured all that the council will engage leaders of political parties on strict adherence to internal party democracy in the nomination of candidates for various elective offices,” which will, in turn, reduce pre- elections litigation.”
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Politics
Councillors impeach two Edo LG Chairmen
Published
3 hours agoon
January 2, 2025By
Ekwutos BlogCouncillors impeach two Edo LG Chairmen
Two chairmen in Uhunmwonde and Orhionmwon local government areas of Edo State have been impeached by their councillors.
The events were marked by accusations of violence, illegal actions, and political interference.
A similar situation also unfolded in Owan East, where the chairman and his deputy faced what they described as an unconstitutional impeachment process.
In Uhunmwonde, the impeachment process turned violent as armed men attacked bystanders, leaving several people injured.
The council chairman, Kenneth Adodo, accused the attackers of being policemen sent from the government house.
In Orhionmwon, the councillors impeached the Leader of the House, Daniel Osariemen, on Wednesday.
They claimed Osariemen was working to remove the council chairman, Newman Ugiagbe, and his vice, Midwest Ogbebor.
Following his impeachment, Osariemen allegedly led unknown persons to take over the council secretariat in Abudu.
He reportedly resumed work there as the acting chairman, but Ugiagbe dismissed his actions as illegal.
In Owan East, the chairman, Prince Aminu Okodo-Kadiri, and his vice, Clement Ojebuovbo, were also impeached.
Okodo rejected the impeachment, calling it unlawful and saying it did not follow proper procedures.
He argued that the law requires a seven-member investigative panel to handle such cases, but no panel was formed. He also claimed he was not given a chance to defend himself.
Okodo further pointed out that the mace used during the impeachment was not the official one for the Owan East Council, which he said made the process invalid.
He accused two suspended councillors of being part of the impeachment, even though they had not been reinstated officially.
The chairman also responded to allegations from the state governor that council chairmen misused ₦50 million meant for salaries.
Okodo said these claims were false, explaining that monthly salary expenses in most councils are higher than ₦50 million.
He added that all salaries had been paid up to November and that bank records showed no mismanagement of funds.
Okodo described the impeachment as politically motivated and vowed to take legal action.
He expressed confidence that the court would overturn the decision and restore his position.
Politics
Breaking News: I am An Igbo Man, Anioma is Igbo, Nothing like Delta Igbo. We are all Igbos – Ifeanyi Okowa
Published
5 hours agoon
January 2, 2025By
Ekwutos BlogBreaking News: I am An Igbo Man, Anioma is Igbo, Nothing like Delta Igbo. We are all Igbos – Ifeanyi Okowa
Governor Okowa said there is nothing like delta igbo or Anioma igbo. He stated that we are all igbo people.
Igbo language to be included in school curiculum in all schools in all the igbo areas in delta state.
Me:
Okowa Dalu…Bini Land grabbers…Cry more…how can you even be claiming someone who does not understand your language, practice ur culture and bear your naive names… Anioma Igbo.
Follow us Sylvester Joseph
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Politics
JUST IN: Governor Sim Fubara Signs N1.1 trillion Rivers state 2025 Budget Into Law.
Published
5 hours agoon
January 2, 2025By
Ekwutos BlogJUST IN: Governor Sim Fubara Signs N1.1 trillion Rivers state 2025 Budget Into Law.
His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has signed into law the 2025 Rivers State Appropriation Bill, totaling 1.1 trillion naira.
Below are the statements of His Excellency as he signed into law the Appropriation Bill, tagged “Budget of Inclusive Growth & Development.”
“Let me first thank the Rivers State House of Assembly for doing a very diligent job and also realizing that what we have ahead of us is to continue to work for Rivers people. So, I want to thank you for working very, very hard and ensuring that we hit the ground running in this new year.”
“I want to say this, maybe for some persons somewhere who are still mixing up issues: we have only one Assembly, and that Assembly is headed by Rt. Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo. A group of friends about nine or ten months ago embarked on what they call a “Sinbad Journey.” Halfway through the journey, while they were coasting, they realized they were entering into the den of devils and sharks. They now retrieved, but it is too late. The truth is, we are not going back. We have given enough room for peace. As it stands now, our majority target is the interest of Rivers State and to continue to defend the integrity of governance. As far as I’m concerned, we have moved on.”
“Let me thank everyone who made this possible. We made a promise to you that we would continue to keep the interests of Rivers State first. So now that this bill has been signed, I can assure you that every projection in it will be kickstarted so that the record of performance accorded to this administration in the year 2024 will be surpassed in this year.”
“Let me thank my management team, that is, my exco, for all the support, most especially my deputy and everyone—the Commissioner for Finance, Budget, and the acting Internal Revenue Chairman—for the wonderful job they did last year. We expect you to do more because we have a bigger task ahead of us.”
“We have made some promises to our people in education, health, and agriculture. We must ensure we make a good impact, just like we have done in the areas of road infrastructure and other aspects of the economy.”
“Let me, on this note, thank everyone and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year ahead as we continue the journey of making Rivers State great again.”
“Thank you.”
– John Martins®️
Thursday, 02 January, 2025
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