Alhaji Kaugama Abdullahi, the INECs Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kaduna State has reiterated that there would be no voting in the March 9 Governorship and State Assembly elections without the use of the Card Reader.

Abdullahi stated this while addressing a joint news conference with heads of security agencies in the state a few hours before the March 9 polls in the state.

Once there is no card reader, there will be no voting, and if voting is enforced, it would not be recorded, Abdullahi said, in line with the guideline issued by the central Independent National Electoral Commission.

He said that once the card reader failed during the elections, there would be backup and technical experts would be on hand to rectify the gadget.

Abdullahi said that the Commission had addressed most lapses experienced in the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

He said voting materials had been dispatched and were already being distributed from the 225 voting areas (Wards) to 8012 polling units in the 23 local government areas of the state.

Late arrival of materials will be history in Kaduna State, as 80 per cent of voting materials have been moved to registration areas already are as speak being distributed to the polling units.

I am assuring that by 7:30 am tomorrow, materials will arrive at polling units and voting will commence by 8:00 am, according to INEC rule. Our ad-hoc staff are also ready, and they are people of integrity.

So the issues of late arrival of materials, card readers failure have been taken care of, and such will not be repeated at this Saturdays polls, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalled that, in the last poll, electorate waited for several hours before the arrival of the materials, a situation that led to the extension of the hours of the election period earlier scheduled between 8:00 am to 2:00 Pm to allow those on cue to vote.

Also fielding questions from journalists, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman said no local vigilante groups would be allowed to participate in the election exercise in the state.

The commissioner said that personnel from the various security agencies including the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, the Civil Defence Corp, and the Federal Road Safety Corps had been deployed to take charge of the process.

He said that the measure was taken to ensure a peaceful conduct of the Governorship and State Assembly Poll in the state.

After the last election, we sat and reviewed the security deployment and we deployed more security officials to where we found challenges.

Any Security official found attempting to disrupt the election will be arrested and local vigilante groups have been warned to stay off during the elections.

We are going to engage in Air surveillance with the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Air Force. All private vehicles on election duty must carry tags as means of identification.

No food vendors would be allowed because we realized that the presence of such vendors encourages vote trading and leads to eruption of violence in some parts of the country, he said.

The police boss said the PVC is the visa to move to your voting unit.

Only those on essential duty would be allowed to move around. No vigilante group is allowed to take part in the election, he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 42 political parties are fielding 436 candidates for the March 9 Governorship and State Assembly poll in the state.

NAN reports that 38 candidates including the incumbent, Gov Nasiru El-Rufai and Alhaji Isah Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party are running for the governorship seat in the state, while 398 other contestants are vying for the 34 State House of Assembly seats in the state.

Source: NAN

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Enugu State, Sen. Ayogu Eze has urged the INEC to include his name in the Saturday governorship elections as directed by an Abuja Appeal Court.

Briefing journalists in Enugu on Friday, Eze alleged that barely eight hours to the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had yet to include his name in the race.

Eze alleged that the removal of his name from the INEC final list of governorship candidates for the election a few days before the election was a calculated attempt to punish him and create room for INECs preferred candidate and party.

Even after the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the Federal High Court which formed the basis for INECs action, the commission has bluntly refused to return my name to the final list on the INEC official portal 24 hours after they were served the order of the court,.

He wondered why INEC was taking an apparently partisan position on a matter where they would otherwise have been impartial.

According to him, INEC is colluding with unidentified forces to rob me of my victory in the Saturday March 9 election.

He alleged that the whole plan was designed to discourage his supporters and deny him victory.

Eze said that barely eight hours to the election, his supporters were still confused whether they would participate in the election or not because of the development.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach Dr Emeka Ononamadu, the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner in Enugu State for reaction failed as his mobile phone was unreachable and he did not respond to messages sent to him.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday ruled that Sen. Eze remains the true governorship candidate of the APC in Enugu State.

The court affirmed the APC gubernatorial candidate barely two days to the elections.

In His ruling over the substantive suit by Eze challenging his removal by Federal High Court, the panel of judges led by Justice Abdul Aboki upheld the prayers of Eze in which he prayed that he was the duly elected candidate of the party.

The appellate court ruled that what happened at the lower court was a miscarriage of justice as Mr George Ogara has no case in the first place.

He stated that Ogara filed after 14 days of the result being published as allowed by law, so the lower court had no jurisdiction to entertain his case.

Justice Aboki directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to immediately restore the name of Sen.Ayogu Eze as the candidate of the party.

Source: NAN

The Independent National Electoral Commission (lNEC) said it has replaced and reconfigured the 198 Smart Card Readers that were on Friday burnt in its office in lbesikpo Asutan Local Government, Area of Akwa lbom State.

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chair, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja said that in spite of the incident, polls in the state would proceed as scheduled.

Okoye said that the commission witnessed a fire incident its office, which occurred in the early hours of Friday.

He said that several sensitive and non-sensitive materials for Saturdays Governorship and State House of Assembly elections were destroyed including 198 Smart Card Readers, the printed Register of Voters, 13 generating sets as well as several Voting Cubicles and office equipment were destroyed by the fire.

Fortunately, the ballot papers and result sheets for the elections were not affected and are intact.

Acting on time, the Commission has been able to replace and reconfigure all the destroyed Smart Card Readers and reprinted the Register of Voters.

With the replacement and the salvage of other items, we are pleased to announce that the election will proceed as scheduled.

All registered voters in the Local Government Area are therefore requested to turn up to cast their votes between 8a.m and 2p.m tomorrow.
Okoye said that though the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, a report had been made to the law enforcement agencies and the Fire Service.

We are liaising closely with both agencies to investigate and ascertain the cause of the fire and if found to be a deliberate act, we will ensure diligent and vigorous prosecution of those responsible.

The commission according to Okoye also postponed the Nassarawo Binyeri State Constituency of Mayo Belwa LGA, in the Adamawa State House of Assembly to March 23.
Okoye said this was as a result of the death of one of the candidates, Adamu Kwanate, participating in the election earlier scheduled for Saturday. March 9.

Furthermore, the Commission has been informed of the death of Hon. Adamu Kwanate, who until his death was the member representing Nassarawo Binyeri State Constituency (Mayo Belwa LGA) in the Adamawa State House of Assembly.

He was also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the same Constituency in the election scheduled for Saturday March 9.

Consequently, INEC is compelled to reschedule the Nassarawo Binyeri State Constituency election for tomorrow and the same has been rescheduled to Saturday March 23, in line with Section 36(1) of the Electoral Act (2010) as amended.

The Governorship election in the constituency and all other state constituency elections will, however, proceed as scheduled tomorrow.

Source: NAN

Mr Emeka Ojukwu jnr, Son of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has said Igbo are moving on to the Next level with President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and should share in key appointments.

Ojukwu urged President Buhari to be more magnanimous in victory in the second term, especially to the Igbo.

Ojukwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Onitsha that the Igbo people supported President Buhari more in the 2019 elections than in 2015 with over 25 per cent votes in three states of the South East because of his achievements in office.

Ojukwu in November 2017 dumped the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which was founded by his father for the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing Igbo interest as his decision.

Buhari won Aba North Local Government Area based on his performance; he gave the business men and women in Ariaria market an independent power plant to boost their industries.

The votes also doubled in Anambra and Ebonyi. We have Senators and Federal Representatives elected on the platform of APC in the South East.

Ojukwu commended Buhari for committing N33 billion to the second Niger Bridge and for rehabilitating federal roads in the zone.

He however, urged the President to use his second term to address the perception that the South East and South-South were being marginalised.

We look forward to a better spread in terms of appointments and inclusiveness as he has promised.

We hope to see greater investment in the different sectors including power, roads and agriculture, he said.

He urged the president to ensure fairness and equity and to see that the country outgrows the old divides based on ethnicity in the interest of national development.

Mr President has served the nation in various high level positions and has reached the pinnacle; all that is left is his legacy.

What will he do in these next four years for the benefit of the entire nation and how will he be remembered?

The answer to these questions lies solely in his hands, Ojukwu jnr said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Voting begins throughout Nigeria at 8am today as voters return to the polls to elect state governors and legislators as well as chairmen and councillors for the six Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, 72.7 million or 86.63 per cent of registered voters who have collected their Permanent Voter Cards, are expected to take part in the election.

INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu was confident Friday that 119,973 polling units in all 1,082 constituencies will open simultaneously throughout the country by 8 a.m today.

Yakubu said that the commission had effectively tackled the challenge of logistics as materials for the election have been earlier delivered to all States and the FCT.

However, INEC has postponed till 23 March the House of Assembly Election for the Nassarawo/Binyeri State Constituency of Mayo Belwa Local Government Area in Adamawa following the death of a member of the assembly, Mr Adamu Kwanate, who was candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

Until his death on Wednesday, Kwanate was the member representing the affected state constituency.

Voters in the constituency will choose the governor for the state. There are 28 candidates, apart from the incumbent Muhammadu Jibrilla Bindow. And there also 313 candidates for the remaining 24 House of Assembly elections.

Among the governorship contestants in Adamawa are four women; Lami Musa of Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Naama Bulama of Progressive People Alliance (PPA), Rukayya Audu of Action Peoples Party (APP) and Elizabeth Isa of Change Advocacy Party (CAP). There are also 25 women contending for the legislative poll.

In Rivers, 64 candidates are running for the governorship post to unseat Governor Nyesom Wike.

Forty four candidates are on the ballot in Plateau, 38 Kaduna, 18 in Jigawa, 50 in Delta, 26 in Cross River, 31 in Kebbi 31 and 41 in Ogun.

In Lagos State, there are 45 governorship candidates on the ballot, with pundits predicting a two-horse race between Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the ruling APC and Jimi Agbaje of the PDP. Also in the state, 640 candidates of various parties are eying the 40 seats in the House of Assembly.

Sokoto State has 51 political parties contending for the governorship seat, along with incumbent Waziri Tambuwal of the PDP. The APC is fielding Tambuwals former deputy Ahmed Aliyu and he is widely expected to upset his former boss.

Sokoto also has 462 candidates for the state House of Assembly election.

Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari has 18 candidates for the governorship seat and 316 candidates contesting for the 34 state House of Assembly seats.The ruling APC is expected to coast home to victory in the elections.

Abia has 32 candidates contesting the governorship seat and 353 candidates vying for the 24-member legislature.

In Yobe, there are 13 candidates participating in the governorship election. The incumbent Ibrahim Gaidam has completed his two terms and two weeks ago, won the election into the senate. .

Anambra has 518 candidates battling for the 30 assembly positions in the state.

In Kano State, 52 candidates are gunning for governorship and 769 candidates for the state assembly election; and in Enugu State 42 candidates are in the governorship race, while 310 candidates would be vying for the 24 seats in the legislature.

Thirty four candidates are on the ballot in Niger State for the governorship seat, including the incumbent, Abubakar Bello of the APC. There are 395 candidates for the state House of Assembly election.

Imo has 67 candidates jostling for the governorship slot and 981 slugging it out for the 27 seats in the state House of Assembly.

Ogun has 41 candidates contesting for the seat of governor while, 582 candidates are jostling for the 26 state constituencies.

The governorship race in Ogun is seen by observers as a straight fight between Prince Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress and Abdulkabir Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement. The other two main contenders are Gboyega Isiaka of the ADC and Senator Buruji Kashamu of the PDP.

The state in the last few days to the polls had witnessed alliances across party lines to boost the candidates of both APC and APM.

For the FCT Area Council election, a total of 105 candidates are contesting for the six chairmanship positions while 701 candidates seek to occupy the 62 councillor seats.

Similarly, 40 women are in the race for the chairmanship positions, while 88 women are seeking to be elected as councillors.

In addition to the election for governors and state legislators, INEC is also conducting supplementary elections in 14 States covering seven senatorial districts and 24 Federal Constituencies.

The elections in the affected areas were disrupted mainly by acts of violence including ballot box snatching, abduction of INEC officials, over voting and failure to adhere to regulations and guidelines in the national elections conducted on Feb. 23.

While cancelling the affected polls, the electoral umpire noted that number of registered voters in some polling units involved in each constituency was more than the votes received by some candidates with the highest number of votes, hence the need for supplementary elections to determine the actual winners.

Collation of results will take place in 8,809 Registration Areas or Wards, 774 Local Government Areas, 36 States and the FCT.

The polling units are expected to open by 8 a.m. and close by 2 p.m. with the last person on the line allowed to vote.

INEC has said that the use of Smart Card Readers and Permanent Voter Cards are compulsory for the elections.

Source: NAN

All electoral materials for Mbalom ward in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue, were in the early hours of Saturday, burnt by armed hoodlums.

According to a witness, the hoodlums on arrival fired shots in the air before setting on fire the RCM Primary School Aya, housing the materials.

Mrs Ngunan Yongo, the Electoral Officer for the local government area, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone conversation.

The EO said the materials were yet to be distributed to polling units in the ward when the attack occurred.

The entire materials are burnt, she lamented.

However, no official of the commission including ad hoc staff were hurt.

She explained that final decision over the conduct of the elections in the area would be communicated later.

Mr Thaddeus Ujah, a senior staff of the commission, also confirmed the early morning attack.

Right now I cant say anything, I am overwhelmed; we were not expecting anything of that nature. I am short of words. I cant see some of my people, they ran into the bush, some of them got injured. For me, the most important thing to me now is to get those people and take them back.

Ujah said he was posted newly in the area and could not ascertain the exact number of ad hoc staff that were missing until he takes a roll call.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, on Saturday joined hundreds of other voters to exercise their civic rights at polling unit 003 Kofar Baru III, Gidan Niyam, Daura, Katsina State

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president accompanied by his wife arrived the polling unit at about 8.00a.m, where both of them were accredited and issued ballot papers by the unit presiding officer, Aliyu Abdullahi.

The president and his wife, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) numbers 187 and 182, voted at exactly 8.08a.m to elect their preferred candidates for Katsina State governor and legislator.

The Nigerian first couple had performed similar civic duties during the February 23 Presidential and National elections at the same polling unit.

President Buhari defeated his closest opponent, Atiku Abubakar,the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when he polled15,191,847 as against 11, 255,978 scored by Atiku.

INEC had since offered President Buhari the certificate of return.

Source: NAN

Heavy security presence and strict enforcement of movement restriction were noticed in parts of Lagos on Saturday as residents of the state troop out for the Governorship and the State Assembly elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stern-looking soldiers manned many roads as early as 6 a.m to effect the restriction order.

This was unlike the Feb. 23 Presidential and National Assembly election, which had only a few areas blocked by the army officers. Drivers of commercial vehicles then exploited the loose security.

NAN correspondent monitoring the exercise reports that the soldiers shunned all appeals by almost all motorists to pass, as only officials of INEC and those on official duty were allowed to pass.

Some of the areas blocked include Abesan Gate, Ipaja, Moshalashi area, Alimosho, Idimu Road, Ikotun area among others.

However, many people were seen walking while others stood in groups in the frontage of their houses, in readiness to move to polling units to exercise their civic responsibility.

The polling units opened at 8.00a.m.

At polling units 1 to 13 in Gowon Estate in Alimosho Local Government Area, INEC officials were seen as early as 6.45a.m with their election materials.

While some INEC officials were busy moving materials and personnel out of their various Registration Area Centres (RAC) at about 7.00 a m, some were found at their various polling units.

Meanwhile, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Mr Sam Olumekun, had told NAN that the electoral body was good to go and ready to give residents of the state free and fair elections on Saturday.

Olumekun gave the assurance while speaking on the readiness of the commission for the exercise in the state, in an interview with NAN Friday night.

In Lagos, the electorate will go to the polls to elect a Governor and 40 members of the state House of Assembly on Saturday.

Supplementary elections will also take place in six federal constituencies in the state where the National Assembly elections held on Feb. 23 were inconclusive.

NAN reports that 45 governorship candidates across various political parties will be vying for the number one seat in the state.

Also, 640 candidates of various parties are eying the 40 seats in the Lagos State House of Assembly in the election.

Source: NAN

Mr Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Kwara has not withdrawn from the race and is still in the run.

Mr Abdulraheem Olawuyi, a member of the House of Representatives from Kwara, debunked the rumours circulating on Friday and urged supporters of APC to ignore it.

Olawuyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Saturday that the purported withdrawal of the APC candidate was the handiwork of the opposition.

The candidate himself in a tweet also debunked the rumour:

I have NOT withdrawn from the Kwara gubernatorial race. Beware of fake news. Kindly call in to tell your friends and family in Kwara to go out and VOTE APC. Theres no going back from this, Kwara State must be freed from the dynasty. Help spread this message with your RT, Abdulrazaq wrote.

According to the statement being circulated, Abdulrasaq was said to have stepped down due to an allegation, now in court, that he forged his School certificate.

We regret to announce that our candidate Abdulrahaman Abdulraq stepped down due to WAEC scandal in court; we direct our supporters to go for Accord Party. O to ge, the statement read.

Olawuyi said that the message was borne out of frustration and panic that the APC would emerge victorious in the governorship and state house of assembly elections.

He called on APC supporters not to be distracted by the news of the withdrawal, saying that such distractions were normal in a democratic contest.Olawuyi called on the people of Kwara to discountenance the message and go out en-masse to vote for the APC.

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

Voter apathy has been witnessed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as only very few people were seen at polling units for the area council chairmanship and councillorship polls.

Our correspondent who visited some of the polling units in Garki area 2, area 1, area 10, area 3, area 7 and area 8, reported that the voter turnout was abysmally low.

At a polling unit in area 7, as at 8:00 a.m. when our correspondent visited, only three voters were sighted on ground and ready to vote.

NAN reports that in all the polling units visited, the ad-hoc staff were on ground and some of them were already set to begin accreditation.

At the area 1 primary school which has the highest number of voters, fewer than 50 voters were on ground as at the time of this report, compared to over 2000 voters who were present at about the same time during the Presidential election.

Unlike in the Presidential and National Assembly polls, the streets around polling units were not filled up with cars, while the roads were very empty.

Some of those at the polling units who spoke to our correspondent said that the voter apathy was not unconnected with the February 23 elections.

Some of them said they were disappointed their preferred candidate failed to win the presidential election.

At the area 1 Primary school, Mr Joseph Peter who was seen in night wears just strolling out of his house, said he was only coming to see the situation not to vote

Peter said he had gone through so much stress during the presidential election and was not happy with the final results hence his decision to boycott voting.

At area 2 National Library polling Unit 006, (National Library), an Engineer Mr Uche Alex also said that some people were unhappy with the presidential election results, won by President Muhammadu Buhari, by close to four million plural votes.

Atiku Abubakar, the preferred choice of Abuja residents lost the election.

However, a party agent at the Ward 005, Area 2 recreational park, attributed the low turnout to lack of interest in local elections.

He said that Nigerians were more interested in Presidential and National Elections than the chairmanship and counsellorship elections.

You know in Nigeria we pick interest in national elections more than local elections, what is going on today is a local election and that is why the parties engage more canvassers to get people to come and vote.

Many of the residents of the FCT do not even know what the chairmen or councillors do. Many people just complain about tenement rates and ground rent.

I believe the time between the national election and local election is too short so there was not enough time to canvass, he said.

Source: NAN

Sultan Saad Abubakar III said the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari for another four-year term should be seen as what Almighty God had ordained and should not be challenged by anyone.

The Sultan spoke today in Abuja when he led the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria to Abuja to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari. The Sultan is the national chairman of the council.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Feb. 27 declared the president winner of the 2019 presidential election held on Feb. 23.

Buhari was declared re-elected having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 11, 255,978 votes.

However, Atiku, who won in 17 states and the FCT to occupy the second position, insisted that he would challenge the result of the election in court.

But the Sultan described the result of the election as the will of the Almighty God.

Your election as president for the second tenure should be seen as what God has destined which no man could have changed that destiny.

This result is the will of the Almighty God and therefore we call on all to give you maximum support for the achievement of peace, development and progress of our dear nation.

The traditional ruler urged the president to reciprocate the gesture of the electorate by making sure that his administration continued to ensure justice and fairness in all its dealings with Nigerians irrespective of their geo-political backgrounds.

We urge you Mr President to reciprocate by continuing to lead with justice and fairness as you openly said in your acceptance speech after the receipt of the certificate of return, he said.

He stated that the council had resolved to continue to offer its unflinching support to the federal governments cardinal objectives of transforming the economy, securing the country and the fight against corruption.

In his remarks, the co-chairman of the council and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, reaffirmed the Councils determination to work closely with the government for the general good of the country.

He challenged the president to listen to criticism of his administration in `a very constructive manner.

He added: We know that you are very passionate about the people of this country especially the common people.

We want to urge you to continue to play that fatherly role. Let the whole nation see you as the true father; let the whole nation see you as the true president that will actually consolidate what has brought all of us together.

Responding, President Buhari sought for more understanding and support from the royal fathers.

The President, who thanked God for an opportunity to serve the nation for another four years, re-stated his belief in Nigerias multi-cultural population and the continued existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity.

He said: I am very happy that you have come to congratulate me for coming to my second and final term of office. I believe in this system, such a multi-national and multi-cultural country like Nigeria, a country with more than 250, 000 cultures.

According to the President, the traditional rulers have a big role to play in securing the country, because of their unique role in the society.

He, therefore, challenged them to always expose all criminals in their domains

I realise that really if you want the security of the country, which is very important to us and one of our three main areas of focus. As traditional rulers, you know everybody in your constituencies and you know which family has hardened criminals and which family has respectable people so there is no way any government at any level can survive creditably without your support.

This is the honest fact whether people accept it or not.

So, we always depend on you because you know the weaknesses of our system and the society. We certainly need your cooperation on day to day basis to make sure that we consolidate on what we promised the whole country, he added.(NAN)

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari said today that he holds former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the highest esteem despite their political differences.

Buhari said this today in a message of congratulations to the former military and civilian ruler, who clocked 82.

The president described Obasanjo as a passionate and great patriot who deserves accolades for his immeasurable contributions to our democracy and national unity.

Regardless of our political differences with Obasanjo, I still hold him in the highest esteem because his contributions to the development of the country overshadow those differences.

Chief Obasanjo gave a good account of himself and inspired his juniors with his wit and other leadership skills.

According to Buhari, Nigerias successful transition to democratic rule in October 1979 was one of Obasanjos remarkable contributions to national development.

As he celebrates his 82nd Birthday, I wish Chief Obasanjo more good health, knowledge and wisdom in the service of Nigeria and humanity, President Buhari said.

Earlier today, Obasanjo said he would continue to criticise President Buhari. He spoke at the event marking his birthday in Abeokuta.

According to him, governance is not a family affair, adding that democracy involves criticisms and consideration of all sides to an issue.

There is nothing personal between President Buhari and I.

In a democracy, you can criticise a policy, a government or a leader because democracy is not a family affair.

If it is my brother that is occupying the leadership role and he is not doing what I believe he should do, he must be criticised and that is what democracy is all about.

I have been in that position longer than any Nigerian will ever be there.

So if I say anybody in government in Nigeria is not doing well, let that government prove that it is doing well, he said.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday said that the votes of the Akwa Ibom people allegedly stolen during the elections of Feb. 23, would be reclaimed.

Buhari said this during a town hall meeting held in Uyo to thank the people of the state for casting their votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections.

President Buhari, who was represented by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo encouraged the people to defend their votes during the coming Governorship and House of Assembly Elections.

He decried the circumstances, under which Sen. Godswill Akpabio lost his re-election into the senate in spite of his popularity across the state.

He alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) robbed him and the party of victory.

He assured Akwa Ibom people that all the wrongdoings during the Presidential and National Assembly elections would be addressed.

What happened on the 23rd of February was robbery. The votes of the people were stolen, but we are not deterred.

The president sent me to thank you today. We are going to make sure that everything that was stolen on February 23 would be restored.

It is not possible that Sen. Godwill Akpabio lost. We are in no doubt that Senator Akpabio is the elected senator of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.

I and Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the party have been in the opposition for long and we cannot be defeated anymore.

Everyone of you should go out to vote on Saturday and defend your votes, we cannot be cheated; not only you but tell your neighbours to vote for Obong Nsima Ekere and all APC candidates.

Wait for your votes to be counted. It is the duty of the Federal Government to provide security and we will do that. We will recover every one of our votes, he said.

The National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said the party was not in the state to lament but to appreciate the people of the state for doing their jobs and voting President Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo.

He alleged that INEC colluded with some of the electoral officers to deny the state of its electoral victory on Feb 23, even though the people voted for APC.

We have not come here to lament that our mandate was stolen on February 23. We have come to thank you that you voted for President Buhari, and all members of the party. You did your job but some armed robbers in INEC stole your votes.

You think that those who stole your votes will have peace? We have come to reaffirm our commitment with democracy.

We have come to affirm that no robber will go unpunished, but when an electoral umpire is corrupt and collude with the opposition, we have the witnesses and we have lawyers to deal with that.

On Saturday we are not going to wait for them to steal our votes. We call on Akwa Ibom people to protect their votes. We must maintain our sanity even in this hour of provocation.

Those who committed democratic abortion would be brought to book, Oshiomhole said.

The APC governorship candidate in the state, Mr Nsima Ekere, encouraged the people not to be deterred by the Feb. 23 elections, but to go out and vote during the March 9 elections, saying the party was sure of victory.

He said that the people of the state were in need of change, as demonstrated by him during his campaign across the 31 local government areas of the state.

He assured the president that after March 9 elections, Akwa Ibom would not be in the opposition but would be reunited with the centre

Thank you for what you are doing for APC. The people voted for you, that vote is a re-validation of what the people want. You put Nigerias economy back on track.

We are here because we have faith in you and Mr President, the opposition and INEC have no choice than to give us back our mandate.

Whosoever shall attempt to work against the collective will of Akwa Ibom people, we shall collectively resist.

We send a message to the electoral umpire and the other parties that they must respect the votes of the people, every vote must count. Akwa Ibom people love APC, Ekere said.

Source: NAN

Abba Kabir-Yusuf, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Kano State, said he remains the partys flag bearer in spite of the court ruling that nullified the PDP governorship primary.

Kabir-Yusuf, who is the son-in-law of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, made the claim in a statement signed by his spokesman, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, issued to newsmen in Kano on Monday.

The court ruling today (Monday) does not in any way affect the candidature of Engr. Abba Kabir-Yusuf as the case is against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which we believe that the party has taken the most appropriate action of appeal.

As far as we are concerned, our campaign activities will continue till Thursday night, March 8 when the deadline of campaigns will elapse as contained in the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

According to him, the case has nothing to do with him as the party flag bearer, but an internal issue the party had taken step to resolve.

The governorship candidate urged his teeming supporters to remain calm and continue with the electioneering campaigns to ensure victory for the party on Saturday.(NAN)

Source: NAN

Sen. Masud El-Jibril Doguwa, the factional leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State, said his group has dumped the party because it has lost its popular appeal among the people.

Doguwa, along with other members of the partys Executive Council defected to All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, five days to the governorship and state Assembly elections.

He said at a news briefing on Monday in Kano, that the PDP as an opposition platform had lost its steam, because all its major stakeholders have been sidelined.

The influence of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kano has been strongly weakened in the face of the persistent war of attrition against those that are supposed to be carried along.

Those who are supposed to be highly recognised for internal cohesion to prevail are not being carried along, he said.

According to him, lack of unity and sincerity of purpose were also responsible for the current mess rocking the top echelon of the party in the state.

He explained that the partys goal of achieving greater success would never be feasible and realistic with dictatorship.

Doguwa said as a prominent political figure who had been in PDP since its inception, he had on other option than to defect as a way of venting spleen.

Since the time the governorship flag bearer came on board, we were never contacted by him on how to go about the business.

All we know is that, every decision taken must reflect our interest as part of the requirement for internal democracy which was not respected by the so-called party hierarchy.

Its a bad omen for democracy, the PDP has completely lost focus and direction, as being portrayed by the cavalier attitude of those who are supposed to be honest, sincere and upright in their conduct.

We have lost our populist appeal in all the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano State: we are leaving the PDP because the party is now in a fix, he added.

Doguwa predicted landslide victory for Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje and all other APC candidates on Saturday, as the APC is reaping from the rot permeating the PDP in the state.

With the key figures defecting at the eleventh hour, the party (PDP) is on the road to extinction in the state. he predicted.

Source: NAN

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win Saturdays Governorship and State Assembly elections in Kwara with higher margin than the Presidential and National Assembly polls.

The minister, who is the leader of APC in the state, said this on Monday after a meeting with the party leaders from the 16 local government areas.

He said the meeting reviewed the past elections and strategised on how to garner more votes in the Saturdays governorship and state assembly polls.

Mohammed urged voters in the state to ignore the threat by the opposition to disrupt Saturdays poll, assuring them that the government would provide adequate security to protect them.

He said he got the information that the opposition was planning to unleash political thugs to attack and intimidate voters during Saturdays polls.

We have been hearing a lot of things that they have imported a lot of thugs to Kwara to disrupt Saturdays elections.

If anyone does so, he or she will be risking his or her life.

We are appealing to our people that the Federal Government is going to provide adequate security for all, he said.

The APC won the Presidential, all the three senatorial and six House of Representatives seats in Kwara in the Feb. 23 elections.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, lost his bid for re-election into the Senate from Kwara Central on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Saraki lost to Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe of the All Progressives Congress, in the senatorial election.

Oloriegbe polled 123,808 votes to defeat the Saraki, who scored 68,994 votes in the four local governments of Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari assured voters in Delta of adequate security in Saturdays governorship and House of Assembly elections and declared the state as a major focus.

Buhari was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the meeting in Warri on Monday.

He said that the issue of security was fundamental to the electoral process.

The president said that special attention would be focused on security to enable the electorate exercise their franchise and check any form of intimidation.

What happened at the Presidential and National Assembly elections was a great victory, but the completion of the victory will come on Saturday when Great Ogboru will become the governor of Delta.

Delta cannot be the same again. Delta was our focus of attention, we wanted to see what will happen.

Delta has proved a very important point that it is ready for a change to the next level.

Security is a fundamental issue and we will pay special attention to it, he said.

The president also urged leaders and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unite, saying when we work together, we will emerge victorious on Saturday.

Also speaking, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomohole, commended the people for voting massively for the APC in the recent poll.

He urged the voters to be courageous and vote overwhelmingly for Ogboru in Saturdays gubernatorial election.

You have substantially weakened the rigging machine of the PDP.

No one will provide unlawful security. Security operatives should ensure that votes are counted because President Buhari wants to have a cleaner election, he said.

Dr Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister for State for Petroleum Resources, described the occasion as a unifying day for us to come and work together.

Ogboru, in his opening remarks, had urged the government to provide adequate security to avoid a repeat of the violence witnessed in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Security issues should be looked into seriously, if there is adequate security, the electorate will turnout en masse to cast their votes, he said.

Participants, who spoke at the interactive session, all stressed the need for adequate security during Saturdays elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by traditional rulers from the three senatorial districts of the state, religious and opinion leaders as well as market women and youths. (NAN)

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured voters in Delta state of adequate security in Saturdays governorship and House of Assembly elections.

Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a town hall meeting in Warri on Monday, said that the issue of security was fundamental to the electoral process.

The president said that special attention would be focused on security to enable the electorate exercise their franchise and check any form of intimidation.

What happened at the Presidential and National Assembly elections was a great victory, but the completion of the victory will come on Saturday when Great Ogboru will become the governor of Delta.

Delta cannot be the same again. Delta was our focus of attention, we wanted to see what will happen.

Delta has proved a very important point that it is ready for a change to the next level.

Security is a fundamental issue and we will pay special attention to it, he said.

The president also urged leaders and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unite, saying when we work together, we will emerge victorious on Saturday.

Also speaking, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, commended the people for voting massively for the APC in the recent poll.

He urged the voters to be courageous and vote overwhelmingly for Ogboru in Saturdays gubernatorial election.

You have substantially weakened the rigging machine of the PDP.

No one will provide unlawful security. Security operatives should ensure that votes are counted because President Buhari wants to have a cleaner election, he said.

Dr Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister for State for Petroleum Resources, described the occasion as a unifying day for us to come and work together.

Ogboru, in his opening remarks, had urged the government to provide adequate security to avoid a repeat of the violence witnessed in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Security issues should be looked into seriously, if there is adequate security, the electorate will turnout en masse to cast their votes, he said.

Participants, who spoke at the interactive session, all stressed the need for adequate security during Saturdays elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by traditional rulers from the three senatorial districts of the state, religious and opinion leaders as well as market women and youths.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night hosted members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) to a victory dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those in attendance at the dinner included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, some cabinet ministers and presidential aides.

The president had on Feb. 27 hosted members of the PCC Situation Room to a similar victory dinner at the State House.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Feb. 27 declared the president winner of the 2019 presidential election held on Feb. 23.

Buhari was declared re-elected having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 11, 255,978 votes.

Atiku won in 17 states and the FCT to occupy the second position.

Source: NAN

Sultan Saad Abubakar III said the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari for another four-year term should be seen as what Almighty God had ordained and should not be challenged by anyone.

The Sultan spoke today in Abuja when he led the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria to Abuja to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari. The Sultan is the national chairman of the council.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Feb. 27 declared the president winner of the 2019 presidential election held on Feb. 23.

Buhari was declared re-elected having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 11, 255,978 votes.

However, Atiku, who won in 17 states and the FCT to occupy the second position, insisted that he would challenge the result of the election in court.

But the Sultan described the result of the election as the will of the Almighty God.

Your election as president for the second tenure should be seen as what God has destined which no man could have changed that destiny.

This result is the will of the Almighty God and therefore we call on all to give you maximum support for the achievement of peace, development and progress of our dear nation.

The traditional ruler urged the president to reciprocate the gesture of the electorate by making sure that his administration continued to ensure justice and fairness in all its dealings with Nigerians irrespective of their geo-political backgrounds.

We urge you Mr President to reciprocate by continuing to lead with justice and fairness as you openly said in your acceptance speech after the receipt of the certificate of return, he said.

He stated that the council had resolved to continue to offer its unflinching support to the federal governments cardinal objectives of transforming the economy, securing the country and the fight against corruption.

In his remarks, the co-chairman of the council and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, reaffirmed the Councils determination to work closely with the government for the general good of the country.

He challenged the president to listen to criticism of his administration in `a very constructive manner.

He added: We know that you are very passionate about the people of this country especially the common people.

We want to urge you to continue to play that fatherly role. Let the whole nation see you as the true father; let the whole nation see you as the true president that will actually consolidate what has brought all of us together.

Responding, President Buhari sought for more understanding and support from the royal fathers.

The President, who thanked God for an opportunity to serve the nation for another four years, re-stated his belief in Nigerias multi-cultural population and the continued existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity.

He said: I am very happy that you have come to congratulate me for coming to my second and final term of office. I believe in this system, such a multi-national and multi-cultural country like Nigeria, a country with more than 250, 000 cultures.

According to the President, the traditional rulers have a big role to play in securing the country, because of their unique role in the society.

He, therefore, challenged them to always expose all criminals in their domains

I realise that really if you want the security of the country, which is very important to us and one of our three main areas of focus. As traditional rulers, you know everybody in your constituencies and you know which family has hardened criminals and which family has respectable people so there is no way any government at any level can survive creditably without your support.

This is the honest fact whether people accept it or not.

So, we always depend on you because you know the weaknesses of our system and the society. We certainly need your cooperation on day to day basis to make sure that we consolidate on what we promised the whole country, he added.(NAN)

Source: NAN