Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has called on the electorate in the state to repeat their performance in last Saturday’s Presidential elections, come April 11 when they would be voting for House of Assembly members and the state governorship candidates.
Senator Amosun in a statewide broadcast, praised voters in the state for showing good character at the polls.
The governor is urging the electorates to vote candidates of the All Progressive Congress (APC), to consolidate on the development and transformation currently being recorded in the state.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to improve the electoral process, as the Governorship and state House of Assembly elections is due to hold on April 11.
Meanwhile, the people of Ogun have demanded the re-fertilization of the economy and especially the anti-corruption crusade, to put the country on the path of growth and progress.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has said only two states have finished collating their results.
Giving an update on the general elections in the INEC Situation Room in Abuja, Professor Jega said that “as I speak to you, no original results have arrived here yet. Very few states have collated results, I know that election results in Ekiti are collated.”
He advised Nigerians to be careful about making candidates winners because it is only INEC that can announce the winner.
Answering questions about INEC ad hoc staff not being paid because they are on contract, Prof Jega said advance payments were made and the balance would be paid after the election.
Collation of Results
Professor Jega promised that the commission would not commence collation unless the media is there to witness the exercise.
He said further: “We are doing our best but there would be lapses, every laps we identify is a lesson; inadequacies of materials, late commencement of election would not occur in other subsequent elections.”
Speaking further on the challenges INEC has had to contend with in this election, Prof. Jega said: “Crowd control is a challenge because a lot of voters came en mass to cast their votes. We would prepare for that in the subsequent elections.”
On the performance of INEC so far, Prof. Jega explained: “In general, there have been a remarkable improvement in the 2015 presidential election to the elections conducted in 2011.”
He also dismissed the hue and cry over the failure of the card reader, saying that it is insignificant given that only 1.25 per cent failure rate has been recorded out of 152, 000 of the device used.
Following the postponement of the general elections and the extension of voter card collection deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the daily turn out of residents at the various Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection centres is still low in Edo State.
INEC recently disclosed it is recording daily success in the distribution of PVCs in the state, having distributed over 1.1 million cards.
However, some residents who spoke to Channels Television at some of the PVC collection centres want INEC to urgently address the challenges they are facing in order to enable them get their cards and vote in the rescheduled elections.
So far, INEC has recorded a 76 per cent distribution of PVCs across the country. The umpire body has also guaranteed that there would be free, fair and credible elections, come May 28 and April 11.
INEC had extended the deadline of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) following the postponement of the 2015 general elections.
The commission in a statement signed by its Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, said following the rescheduling of the 2015 general elections, collection of the cards would continue for four more weeks until March 8th, 2015.
“The Commission hopes that this extension will finally avail every registered person yet to collect his/her PVC the opportunity to do so in readiness for the general elections,” Ogakwu said.
The electoral body had announced a shift in the general elections dates to March 28 and April 11.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Kayode Idowu has insisted that that the bye election in Adamawa State to be conducted by the commisison is to fill the void left in the State’s Government House.
Mr. Idowu who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily from Abuja via Skype on Wednesday, emphasised that the election in Adamawa State to be conducted on October 11, is a bye election to complete the tenure of the present dispensation which was made vacant as a result of the impeachment of former Governor, Murtala Nyako.
”It is a bye election to complete the tenure of the vacancy in power in the state”. Mr Idowu said.
He said INEC has put in place logistics for the success of the bye election even as the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) have been distributed all over the state except for five local government areas where there are security challenges.
”INEC is prepared for the bye election in Adamawa state as the permanent voter card is been distributed all over the state aside five local government areas, Madagali, Michika, Mubi North, Mubi South and Maiha for obvious reasons.
He said eligible voters in the state will use their PVC in the election, except people residing in the affected local government areas, who are expected to use their temporary voters card because of the security challenges.
Mr. Idowu said INEC has consulted widely with security agencies and the Inter Consultative Committee On Elections Security to fine tune their operation in the bye election.
With the tenure expected to end on May 29th 2015, Mr. Idowu insists that there will be another election in the state in February 2015 for the seat of the governorship election for another four year term.
Despite not giving in to argument about the legality of the bye election and the election thereafter in the state, Mr. Idowu reiterated that INEC is conducting the election based on strong legal advice.
”I can only speak about what the commission is doing and I am sure INEC is conducting the election based on sound legal advice.
”The much i know is that the commission will conduct the bye election in October and another election in February 2015”.
With the claims that the former deputy governor of the state went to court stopping the commission from conducting the bye election as he did not resign, Mr. Idowu insisted that there is no court order stopping INEC from conducting the bye election in Adamawa State.
”As we speak, there is no court order stopping INEC from carrying out a constitutionally mandated duty.
”So the commission have to work on specifics as the constitution says when there is a vacancy in power it has to be filled up within a certain time as stipulated and INEC is going by the code book”.
He revealed that the ongoing voters registration will commence after the bye election as the registration in Adamawa state has been scheduled to be among the twelve states in the third phase.
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has called on the electorate in the state to repeat their performance in last Saturday’s Presidential elections, come April 11 when they would be voting for House of Assembly members and the state governorship candidates.
Following the postponement of the general elections and the extension of voter card collection deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the daily turn out of residents at the various Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection centres is still low in Edo State.