Tag: ELECTIONS

INEC explains why it spends so much to conduct elections

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday gave an insight into why much funds went into the conduct of elections. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, gave the insight while responding to questions at an interactive session with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) tagged The Editors Forum in Lagos. According to him, cost of logistics, highly-secured ballot papers, allowances for personnel, among other reasons, are responsible for the huge funds used in conducting elections in Nigeria. In France, the ballot paper is like an A4 sheet of paper,…

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Elections: ‘Poverty encourages vote-buying’ UN women Rep.

Aminu Imam

The United Nations (UN) Women Representative to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Ms. Beatrice Eyong, says poverty is a major cause of vote-buying in Nigeria. Eyong stated this when she received the national officials of the Women’s wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (WOWICAN), in Abuja. The WOWICAN women representatives were at the UN House in Abuja to seek for collaboration to end gender-based issues in Nigeria. According to Eyong, the UN’s women planned to initiate programmes to curtail the problem of vote-buying in…

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UN chief welcomes peaceful elections in Somalia

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir
FARMAJO, HASSAN SHEIK OF SOMALIA

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Monday welcomed the peaceful presidential elections held in Somalia on Sunday and congratulated the president-elect. Guterres, in a statement by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, congratulated the President-elect, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on his election as the 10th president of Somalia. The 66-year-old politician prevailed against 35 candidates in the election for the countrys highest office, including the incumbent president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who had replaced Mohamud in power in February 2017. Parliamentary and presidential elections were long overdue in Somalia, where Farmajos term expired in…

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Partisan Politics: NLC faults Head of Service, urges her to withdraw circular

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHSF) to withdraw the circular that `claims to prohibit civil and public servants from engaging in partisan politics. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said on Monday in Abuja. Wabba was reacting to a circular issued by the OHSF entitled, Re- Clarification on the Provision of Public Service Rules (PSR) vis-a-vis the Supreme Court Judgment as it relates to Participation of Civil Servants in partisan Politics. The NLC president described it as ill-conceived…

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Lebanese opposition makes unexpected gains in parliamentary elections

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Lebanese opposition groups made some unexpected gains in parliamentary elections in crisis-ridden Lebanon, against major political groups they blame for the countrys economic woes, preliminary unofficial results showed on Monday. The early results from Sundays elections also showed that the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement has lost major allies in Mount Lebanon and south and north Lebanon, to members of some opposition groups, which could lead the movement to lose its majority in the 128-member parliament. According to the preliminary results quoted by Lebanese media, the opposition managed to snatch around 10 seats.…

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Women challenged on engaging critical stakeholders, media on electoral process

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Women have been challenged to engage critical stakeholders in the electoral process as well the media to set agenda for political leaders.This came to the fore at a one day engagement facilitated by Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn PERL with citizens groups, women and media in Kaduna.Chaired by Abel Adejoh, the session is expected to strengthen citizens voice including women and other normally excluded groups to articulate their demands to be used in engaging the electoral cycle and hold elected representatives to account base on their commitments.Participants are also…

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Elumelu advocates stiffer sanction for electoral offence

Aminu Imam

The minority leader of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu has advocated for a stiffer sanction against any politician or party involved in electoral fraud. Elumelu made the call in a lecture at the 5th Biennial Convention of Class of 84 of St. Pius Grammar School, Onitcha-Ugbo, which held on Saturday in Umunede, Delta State. In the lecture, titled, The Role of Enhanced Electoral Awareness in Improving the Quality of Leadership in Nigeria, Elumelu noted that drastic measures are needed to sanitize the electoral system. The Reps minority…

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Libyan electoral commission prepares for coming elections

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Libyan National High Electoral Commission (HNEC) discussed with the chairmen of boards of electoral departments of the Commission in all Libyan regions preparations for the general election due in December next year, an official source said in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. The Managing Director of the HNEC, Yahya al-Jadid, met with more than 20 participants via the Zoom technology to discuss obstacles, challenges and the means to overcome them. In a statement, the commission said al-Jadid underlined the importance of that communication between the general department and its offices,…

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Bayelsa guber Polls: Gov. Diri wins at Supreme Court

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed Douye Diri as the duly elected governor of Bayelsa. A seven-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta in a unanimous judgement, dismissed the six appeals filed against the governor and his Deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. Justice Ngwuta predicated the dismissal of the appeals on the withdrawal of the six appeals by lawyers of the appellants. The appeals dismissed were filed by the Alliance for Democracy, Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), Labour Movement (LM) and Accord Party (AD). Diri of the Peoples…

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Biden wins in Georgia, closing with 306 electoral votes

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Media projections indicate that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will win the election in Georgia, becoming the first Democrat to claim the southern state in 28 years. With this, Biden is expected to finish the presidential race with 306 Electoral College votes, having earlier been projected to win Arizona. Manual recount of nearly five million presidential election votes is ongoing in Georgia where Biden is leading with a margin of 14,111 votes. On the other hand, President Donald Trump is projected to win in North Carolina, bringing his electoral votes to 232.…

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