Imo governor Rochas Okorocha has not been recognised as a senator-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The stance of the electoral umpire was reflected in the list of senators published on its website on Monday.

Okorochas name was conspicuously missing in Box 47, where his name ought to have been printed. Instead, INEC put an ominous note: Declaration made under duress, an accusation that dogged Okorochas victory two weeks ago for the Imo West senate seat.

The commission will on Thursday in Abuja present all senators-elect with certificates of return and has sternly warned that anyone whose name fails to appear on the list, is not invited.

Only members elect as listed on the Commissions website are invited to the ceremony, the commission said.

The commission has invited 63 elected APC Senators, 37 PDP Senators and one YPP Senator to the event slated to hold at the Africa Hall of the International Conference Centre, Abuja at 9.30 am.

There are 109 members of the Senate, the upper chamber of the legislature. INEC indicated that supplementary elections would be conducted in seven out of the yet-to-be-filled slots.
INEC also indicated that it is awaiting the court decision to determine the person elected as senator to represent Bauchi South.

However, the commission did not indicate how it would resolve the Imo West Senatorial seat, between Okorocha and the PDP candidate John Onyeriri.

Professor I. Ibeabuchi, the returning officer for the election held on 23 February had said that he was forced to declare Rochas Okorocha winner of the Imo West Senatorial election.

Ibeabuchi said he stopped the collation after announcing nine out of the 12 local governments in the district, saying he had been directed to return to Owerri, the state capital.

The electoral official claimed he was held up at the collation centre by supporters of Okorocha who insisted he must complete the announcement.

All the listed senators were asked to come with a photo Identification, such as drivers licence, national ID card, Permanent Voters card or International passport.

INEC also planned to present certificates of return to elected members of the House of Representatives later on Thursday at the same venue.

The Full list of Senators as published by INEC;

Source: NAN

The governorship election in Kano remained deadlocked Monday night as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to declare the winner between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his challenger, Engineer Abba Kabir-Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party.

INEC ruled that the election was inconclusive.

The Returning Officer for the Governorship election in the state, Prof. Bibi Shehu gave the ruling after the compilation of the election results from the 44 Local Government Areas in the state on Monday in Kano.

According to him, the declaration of the election as inconclusive is in accordance with section 26 of the INEC Act.

He said the number of cancelled votes cast is higher than the margin between the candidate with the highest votes and the runner up.

He explained that the difference between the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abba Kabir-Yusuf, who leads in the votes declared, and the APC candidate, Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, who came second, was 26,000 votes, while the votes cancelled were 128,572.

He said that INEC would fix a date to conduct election in 172 polling units, where the election was cancelled due to disturbances, over voting and non usage of the card reader machine.

The returning officer added that the election would also hold in Gama ward with over 40,000 registered voters whose result sheets got missing.

Shehu disclosed that PDP scored 1,014,474, and the APC had 987,819 votes, adding that 2,155,128 votes were recorded as valid and 49,761 rejected.

The Returning Officer said that the total registered voters in the state is 5,249, 989 while the total accredited voters was 2,211,528 and the total votes cast were 2,184,889.

Source: NAN

Emeka Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives has been declared the winner of the Imo governorship election.

Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared governor-elect by the returning Officer for the election, Professor Francis Ogbonnaya Otunta at 11:57 pm on Monday.

Ihedioha got 273,404 votes, while Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) and son-in-law of Governor Rochas Okorocha came second with 190, 364 votes.

Senator Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came third with 96,458 votes.

Both Uzodinma and Nwosu belonged to the APC until a nomination battle pulled them apart. A simple arithmetic showed that the number of votes jointly polled by both Uzodinma and Nwosu is higher than Ihediohas vote.

The governor-elect, Ihedioha took to Twitter early Tuesday to thank his people and pledged to rebuild the state.

Thank you Ndi Imo.

Its a victory for all of us!

I will not fail!

My word is my bond.

Emeka Ihedioha (@EmekaIhedioha)

Source: NAN

The federal government has been advised to tackle electoral fraud with the implementation of the recommendations of the Mohammed Uwais and Ken Nnamani led political reform committees.

The advice was made by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), in their preliminary reports as international election observers.

Dr Chris Fomunyoh ,Senior Associate and Regional Director , NDI, at a news conference said the suggestion was to create appropriate institutions to assist in elections.

We urge the government of Nigeria to expedite the adoption of comprehensive electoral reforms in order to lay the groundwork for an improved electoral framework.

Implement fully and expeditiously the recommendations of Nigerian-led reforms initiatives such as the Uwais 2008 and the Nnamani Committee 2017.

This is to create appropriate institutions to oversee political parties and prosecute electoral offences, responsibilities that currently impede INECs focus on election administration.

Fomunyoh said that there was also a need to investigate the actions of the military and hold accountable those who violated the electoral and other laws.

He called on the National Assembly to undertake and pass amendments to the election laws that address the challenges and lessons learned from the 2019 elections.

He also urged NASS to prioritise legislation that would promote women.

Earlier , Mr John Tomaszeski ,African Regional Director , IRI, said that the organisations monitored the elections and noticed that it was marred by irregularities, instances of intimidation ,vote buying and violence .

Tomaszeski said that the delegation was also informed of the loss of lives as a result election violence.

He said that the mission deplored the losses and expressed its deepest condolences to the bereaved and the people of Nigeria.

He said that these actions and impunity with which some actors conducted themselves undermined citizens confidence in elections and threatened the legitimacy of Nigerias democracy.

He called on Nigerians to claim, protect and defend their democracy and respect the rights of fellow citizens to participate in the political process. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba was on Tuesday declared the winner of Taraba governorship polls.

The INEC returning officer of the state, Prof. Shehu Iya of the Federal University of Technology, Yola made the announcement at the state Collation centre in Jalingo.

The returning officer said Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having scored the highest votes of 520,433 was returned and declared reelected.

He added that Ishaku defeated his close rival Alhaji Sani Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who polled 362,735 while Sen. Aisha Alhassan of the United Democratic Party (UDP) polled 16,289 to come third.

Iya said that the PDP won in 12 local government councils of the state while APC won in four local government areas.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the political parties agents that participated in the election accepted and signed the result excluding that of APC.

Ishaku thanked the people of the state for the overwhelming support which gave him a resounding victory.

Ishaku pledged to sustain his development programme to put the state on the path of sustainable growth.

He called on traditional rulers, community and religious leaders to continue to champion the crusade for peaceful co-existence among residents.

Police Commissioner in Taraba, Mr Alkasim Sanusi described the exercise as one of the best conducted in the history of this nation.

Sanusi, however, warned against post election violence, adding that anybody caught perpetrating such act would face the wrath of the law.

Also, Alhaji Bello Yero, the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said the victory for the governor was a continuation of the rescue agenda.

The governor has done so much for the people of the state and deserved a second term.

Gov Ishaku is a man of peace, a man of integrity, a man of wisdom and a caring leader who is committed to development of the state, he said.

Source: NAN

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Bitdelia
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BitPesa
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Coindirect
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Luno
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NaiaraEx
NairaEx is a trading company established by Nigerians for the Nigerian residents. Apart from Bitcoin, you can trade Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin cash on the platform. With a strong distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection, NairaEx ensures that activities/transactions are done under a secure network. Again, the speed of doing business as well as the responsiveness of the customer support is quite impressive.

Remitano
Remitano ticks all the right boxes when discussing about the best exchange platforms around. It has presence in more than 50 countries with a vibrant customer base in excess of 1.5 million persons. The company offers top class services which makes it difficult to see negative remarks in reviews on Remitano. While the trading of six different cryptocurrencies is feasible through its platform; storage (wallet) is only available for Bitcoin. To ensure the convenience and satisfaction of its customers, Remitano has set up a very responsive live chat support, and mobile app is in place for iOS and Android device users. Visit https://remitano.com/btc/ng

By Francis Onyeukwu

Five hundred and eighteen candidates are contesting the March 9 election for the 30 legislative seats in the Anambra State House of Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Awka North State Constituency with 23 candidates has the highest number of candidates, followed by Awka South with 22 candidates.

Mr Leo Nkedife, Head Voter Education and Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told NAN on Friday in Awka, that Ayamelu and Anaocha fielded the least number of candidates. Thirteen candidates are contesting in each of the state constituency.

He noted that only the prominent political parties such as: APGA, APC, PDP, SDP YPP presented candidates for the election.

NAN recalls that governorship election would not hold in Anambra as it held in the state in November, 2017.

Nkedife also said that INEC has distributed sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the conduct of the election.

From 12 noon today (Friday), our men and materials will be moved to Registration Area Centres, from where our men will sleep over so as to enable them trek to the polling units.

As you can see, we now have less activities at INEC state headquarters now because all activities are now at local government area levels, he said.

Source: NAN

By Johnson Eyiangho

The Defence Headquarters reiterated on Friday that the role of the Armed Forces in the ongoing elections is to support the police in providing security for voters to exercise their franchise.

The Governorship and House of Assemblies elections, as well as the Area Councils elections in the Federal Capital Territory are scheduled to hold on Saturday.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja ahead of the elections, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Acting Director Defence Information (DDI), said the militarys role in election is contained in Section 271 of the 1999 constitution.

The section stipulates that the military can be deployed to assist the police in maintenance of law and order during elections.

He said: In carrying out this onerous task, the Armed Forces of Nigeria is guided by the code of conduct and rules of engagement that have been provided for military personnel deployed to maintain security during elections.

We assure Nigerians that in tandem with our mandate, we will continue to compliment and support the efforts of the Nigerian Police in ensuring that all abiding citizens of this nation and members of the international community go about their legitimate duties and obligations in an environment devoid of violence and insecurity.

Nwachukwu restated the Chief of Defence Staffs (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin directive that personnel had the right to vote during the ongoing elections, but must approach polling units in mufti.

Additionally, any military personnel who is not on election security duty found in military uniform on election day will be arrested and sanctioned in accordance with military justice system, the CDS had said.

Nwachukwu reminded commanders to ensure that sanity prevailed in their areas of responsibility.

He said their assigned tasks apart from ensuring security include the arrest of personnel in uniform but not on election duty, adding that civilians caught in uniform would be treated as impostor.

On soldiers killed by suspected political thugs in some states during the Feb. 23 elections, the DDI said the military would not carry out reprisal attacks.

In spite of the unfortunate attacks on our personnel by political hoodlums during the last elections, the armed forces of Nigeria, as a professional and reputable institution wishes to reassure the public that no reprisal attack will be carried out by military personnel, unit or formation.

He commiserated with the families of the deceased soldiers, saying that no one, including military, civilians, electoral officers or observers deserved to die for elections.

The DDI appealed to politicians and their supporters to embrace peace and conduct themselves within the ambit of the law.

The Defence Headquarters solicits the support and cooperation of Nigerians and the media toward the sustenance of peace and security before, during and after the elections, he said.

Source: NAN

Senator Abdullahi Gumel has expressed optimism that the All Progressives Congress(APC) would win in Akwa Ibom and other Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) states in March 9 governorship elections.

Gumel (APC-Jigawa), made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

He said there was no doubt that the party would clinch most states as evident in the Feb. 23 elections, where President Muhammadu Buhari clinched many states, particularly Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) states.

He stressed that, APC will win overwhelmingly in the Governorship and House of Assembly elections because of the trend of elections from 2015 to date.

Nigerians have realised that the opposition party does not have much to offer, while the APC government has since 2015 demonstrated good governance.

So, I am expecting that we will win in Gombe, Akwa Ibom and other PDP states, he said.

The lawmaker urged Nigerians from the South, particularly those from the Southeast, to come out massively and vote for APC candidates.

He further urged them to show support for the ruling party to enable it continue with its developmental projects.

He said, the advice I have for people in Southeast is that now we have the Federal Government.

They should try and be part of this government. They should not alienate themselves anymore and return to cry that they were marginalised and not given appointments.

Let them show the APC that they are serious. Let them come out and be part of those of us that are going to the Next Level so that they will enjoy.

It is a simple principle. If you come with me you enjoy, if you are not with me then you cry. That is politics.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, of the 36 states, 29 states will be going to the polls on March 9 to elect their governors and House of Assembly members.

The seven states that will not be going to the polls are Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Anambra and Ondo.

Source: NAN

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari has advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) to consider only card-carrying members for political appointments.

She made the call at a dinner to celebrate the victory of President Buhari in Daura, his home town on Thursday 7th March, 2019.

The event took place at the Daura Stadium and attracted women and youth supporters of the APC from across Katsina state.

Aisha noted that the constitution of the party specifies that appointments to offices in an APC led government should go to card-carrying members.

She thus advised that the party constitution should be respected.

She expressed appreciation over the support that the party enjoyed in the last Presidential election, especially from women and youth and assured them that government will do more to improve their lives.

I wish to thank the women and youth of this country for the number of votes they gave President Buhari in the 2019 election and to assure that he will continue to do his best to make Nigeria a better country.

One of the speakers at the event, Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika praised the electorate for choosing President Buhari, whose integrity, he said, is time-tested.

He assured them that the second tenure will result in development in all spheres of endeavour.

He commended Aisha for her initiative in engaging women and youth during the presidential campaign, which resulted in the massive votes recorded.

Goodwill messages were delivered by many politicians including Woman Leader of the APC Women and Youth Presidential Campaign Team, Mrs. Binta Muazu, and Senator Fatuhu Mohammed, representing Daura Zone.

The event was attended by wife of the Governor of Katsina state, Zakiyya Masari, wife of the Deputy Governor, Mannir Yakubu and wife of Minister of Interior, Hadiza Dambazau.

Various artistes performed at the occasion.

Source: NAN