Category: Politics

In line with the existing electoral act 2010 (as amended), there would be manual transmission of results in this year’s elections, this was made known by the National Commissioner in charge of Operations, Okechukwu Evans of (INEC) yesterday. He stated this while presenting the 2019 general elections guidelines yesterday in Abuja, adding that it is empowered by extant laws to use the smart card reader technology for accreditation during the forthcoming polls. It said it has residual powers under the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) to adopt any accreditation and…

A rally organised for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, went bloody as three journalists we’re shot. The rally was held at Skypower field, Ikeja, Lagos. Among those that were hit by the gun was the group political editor of Nation newspaper, Emmanuel Oladesu, NewsTelegraph correspondent, Temitope Ogunbanke, Ibile Television cameraman, Abiodun Yusuf, among others. A number of persons were also injured, robbed and beaten at the rally. Trouble started at about 1:30 pm when Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode was delivering his speech. Suspected…

A middle- aged man, Chimezie Dike, was allegedly stabbed to death by an All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader in Rivers State and her son, for placing campaign posters in their neigbourhood. It was learnt that the posters bore the image of APC candidate, Collins Owondah, who is contesting the PHALGA Constituency II in the House of Representatives. It was also learnt that the suspects attacked the victim because their preferred candidate lost to him (Owondah) during the party’s primary election for the slot. An eyewitness said that there was…

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidency, Friday, denied the allegation that one of the commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Hajiya Amina Zakari is a niece to President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that she does not share any family relationship with the President. Amina Zakari explained that for the fact that an inter-marriage occurred in their extended families does not translate to blood relationship. The statement read, “In another mendacious press release, the Peoples Democratic…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appointed Mrs. Amina Zakari as head of the agency’s collation centre committee for the 2019 presidential election. Zakari is widely believed to be President Muhammadu Buhari’s niece. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday rejected the appointment of Zakari who had been INEC’s national commissioner in charge of welfare and health. Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the party said the appointment would compromise the presidential election, particularly on account of “her blood relationship” with Buhari who is a candidate in the poll. PDP’s…

Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s denial of the continued threats of the Boko Haram insurgency has made the demand for mental test for all presidential candidates imperative. Atiku in a statement on New Year’s day, also faulted Buhari’s declaration at the Uyo All Progressives Congress, APC, rally that he had fulfilled all his election promises as he drew to light the fact that under the APC administration the number of Nigerians living under extreme poverty had reached an alarming 90 million persons.…

“In the first place this character is an obscure individual who in 2015 had neither a recognizable name nor political clout,” these were words from a statement issued on behalf of ex-president, Jonathan Goodluck by Ikechukwu Eze, his media adviser . Continuing, it reads, “the point has to be clearly made that former President Jonathan has never met this man who was obviously not relevant in the national politics of 2015, let alone someone who was handpicked as a commissioner. “If the former President did not offer anyone bribe, having…

Alarm has been raised by the Independent National Electoral Commission that some politicians in Oyo State were mounting pressure on the commission to sell unclaimed 914,529 permanent voter cards in its custody to them.  The commission said it was not giving in to such pressure aimed at rigging the forthcoming polls because “INEC is determined to ensure that people’s votes count in the free, fair and credible elections in 2019.” Speaking on the theme, “Online journalism and Media integrity in Nigeria,” Agboke declared that some politicians, whose identities he did not…

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has described the killings in Zamfara State as barbaric, unacceptable and has also called on the security agencies to swiftly devise a strategy to put an end to the ugly situation in the state.  He also said that the killings was a major threat to our democracy, particularly as we move towards election period in the next 50 days. Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that the situation in Zamfara State is a demonstration that…