Less than 14 days to the off-cycle elections in three states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is still at the mercy of the court in Imo and Bayelsa states.
The polls will hold on November 11 in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states.
But two outstanding cases in Bayelsa and Imo states have created anxiety for political parties and propped up last-minute logistic challenges for INEC on the printing of ballot papers.
Following a court order on the inclusion of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the poll in Imo State, INEC has had to destroy 2.4 million ballot papers.
The ballot papers were printed a month ago and kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It was learnt that a case on the last governorship election in Imo State was still pending before the Supreme Court.
It could not be immediately ascertained if the apex court will deliver its judgment on or before November 11.
In Bayelsa State, INEC is still awaiting the decision of the Court of Appeal on the fate of the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva.
A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “INEC is set for the off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states, but the commission is at the mercy of court decisions.
“For instance, INEC had to destroy about 2.4 million ballot papers in order to abide by a court judgment which directed it to include the PRP governorship candidate in Imo State.
“INEC had a month ago printed and kept the ballot papers for Imo Governorship Election with the CBN. Imagine the loss to the nation with the destruction of the ballot papers.
“Again, there is an outstanding case in the Supreme Court on the last governorship poll in the state.
“Concerning Bayelsa State, INEC is waiting for the verdict of the Court of Appeal on APC candidate, Timipre Sylva, to wrap up its final preparations.
“In obedience to the order of a High Court, Sylva was removed from the list of governorship candidates pending the final judgment of the court.”
Responding to a question, the source said: “Unless there are new amendments to the Electoral Act, INEC will continue to be on the edge.
“Most of the cases involving INEC arise from pre-election matters of parties, including eligibility of candidates and the conduct of party primaries.
“We are handicapped; we have to obey court orders.”
Last week, while defending the credibility of the 2023 elections, INEC, in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, indicted parties and their members for resorting to litigations.
It said: “It is pertinent to note that the grounds for challenging the outcome of an election as provided in Section 134 of the Electoral Act, 2022 are not limited to the conduct of election by the commission.
“An election may be questioned on the grounds that the winner of the election was not qualified to contest the election by virtue of his academic qualifications, age, etc.
“Many of the petitioners did not challenge the conduct of the elections by INEC but the eligibility of candidates or their nomination by political parties.
“Under the law, INEC has no power to screen candidates. Similarly, only the courts can disqualify candidates.
“A report blames the pre-election cases arising from the conduct of primary elections by political parties on INEC.
“These are intra-party cases involving party members in which they join the commission and seek for reliefs binding on it.
“As everyone knows, INEC does not conduct primaries for political parties.
“Thirdly, in pursuit of their right under the law, many litigants in Nigeria unfortunately file election petitions over the most improbable cases and later withdraw them or they are dismissed by the tribunals.”
Kogi Central stands still for APC as massive crowd converge on Okene
The people of Kogi Central Senatorial District Saturday trooped out from all corners of the zone to declare their total support for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Usman Ododo ahead of the November 11 governorship poll.
The unprecedented crowd that converged on Agassa Junction, Okene, some indigenes said, was a clear sign that Kogi Central would deliver votes en bloc for the ruling party in the election the state governor, Yahaya Bello, says will be free, fair and peaceful.
Various speakers at the rally described as the most attended in the history of the state, stressed that the massive turnout was an indication of pending resounding victory for the ruling party.
Addressing the excited supporters made up mainly of Ebira indigenes, the Minister of Steel Development and Director General, Kogi State APC Governorship Campaign Council, Shaibu Abubakar Audu, said: “The crowd gathered here today is unprecedented in the political history of Kogi State. In my years of following the politics of Kogi State, without mincing words, this is a game changer, a final nail on the aspiration of the opposition political parties in the state.
“The vision of Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo, which has attracted this crowd, is to provide agricultural revolution across the state with massive crops produced across the senatorial district.
“We are here to pursue a Kogi agenda and not an ethnic agenda. The incoming administration will build on the legacies of Governor Yahaya Bello in massively providing infrastructure and empowerment for the people.”
Audu said the Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is interested in the revitalisation of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.
“He has asked that Ajaokuta be declared an industrial park. The President is also interested in ensuring that the free trade scheme across Nigeria is reviewed so that Ajaokuta can be declared a free trade zone.
“Once that is done, it would create massive jobs; 500,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created for our teeming youths. This is the reason the President is concerned and has said we cannot afford to outsource a critical State like Kogi State to a hostile opposition party.
“Kogi State will remain an APC state,” he declared.
In his remarks, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mohammed Jamiu Asuku, said the people of Kogi Central had, by the mammoth crowd, testified to the great achievements of Governor Bello.
“The mammoth crowd is a testimony that indeed Governor Yahaya Bello has done more than enough for the people of the state. The mammoth crowd is a testimony that indeed the APC has chosen an acceptable candidate.
“The people of Kogi Central have, by today’s turnout, resolved to vote massively for Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo and Comr. Salifu Joel,” he said.
One of the key stakeholders of Kogi East Senatorial District, Hajia Halima Alfa, commended Governor Bello for bringing a new dimension to politics in the state, describing the governor as a prophet well respected at home.
Alfa said: “I have never seen this kind of crowd in Kogi State in my entire political life and since I started attending rallies in 1999. Kogi Central is no doubt APC. History will no doubt be made come November 11, as the district will produce the highest vote for the APC.”
Mohamed Idris, son of a former governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris, who publicly declared his support for the APC candidate, urged the people of Kogi Central and the state at large to follow the man and party that know the road, insisting that there was no vacancy in Lugard House for opposition political parties.
Governor Yahaya Bello, who was visibly elated by the unprecedented turnout, described the sea of heads at the rally and the acceptance displayed as a show of love for the APC and appreciation of the party’s achievements under his watch.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for his quality leadership and for his unflinching support for Kogi State, assuring that the party in the state would not disappoint the President and would win by a landslide in the coming election.
He said: “This unprecedented crowd is an indication that the APC has won. We have no opposition in Kogi Central and in Kogi State. We did it before, we will do it again come November 11.
“As an administration, we have done our best by uniting the people of the state. We met, on assumption of office, fault lines of disunity, ethnicity and injustice. But under our administration, we have been able to mend all the fault lines and Kogi State is now united.
“We have created employment. We built infrastructure. We empowered our women and youth like never before under any administration in the state since creation. We have made fairness, equity, justice our priority.
“I can assure you that we are leaving Kogi State better than we met it for the incoming administration. Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo is a capable hand. He is competence personified. Let’s support him to build on the legacies we have created.”
The governor assured the people that the elections would be violence-free, noting that the APC governorship candidate was not coming to learn on the job, not promoting ethnic agenda, and would hit the ground running with visible results in terms of building on the achievements of his administration.
He called on security agencies to continue the good job they had been doing in the state and clamp down on criminals before, during and after the elections.
The APC governorship candidate, Usman Ododo, expressed confidence that Kogi would remain an APC State after the November 11 governorship election.
“I will continue to deliver on the mandate of our party for the development of Kogi State and the wellbeing of our good people.
“We are serious about meeting the yearnings and aspirations of our people. We have been doing that under my mentor, Governor Yahaya Bello, and we will continue to do so,” he said.
The high point of the rally was the massive defection of members of the SDP, PDP and other political parties to APC.
Uzodimma reveals plan to hand over to zone in 2027
Imo State Governor Senator Hope Uzodimma has challenged the leaders in Owerri Zone of the state to unite and forge a common front to enable them succeed him in 2027 when he would serve out his second term.
The governor reiterated his determination to hand over to Owerri Zone at the end of his second term in 2027 based on the Imo Charter of Equity and the overwhelming support his administration has enjoyed from the zone for his re-election.
Governor Uzodimma gave the assurance at the Owerri Zone youth and women endorsement rally held at Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square, New Owerri, on Friday.
He recalled that the Imo Charter of Equity is for unity, peace and fairness to all the zones, adding that he will use his office and political networks to implement it.
Uzodimma urged the zone to unite for peace to attract local and foreign direct investments to the area, noting that “unity will bring prosperity, cure poverty, provide jobs that will engage the youths and reduce violence in the zone and Imo State in general.”
He called on the youths to shun violence, vandalism and destruction “because such behaviour will not bring anything good, rather it will bring destruction and stigmatisation to them.”
The Governor appealed to Owerri zone leaders, youths and women to tell those sponsoring violence in the state to stop and allow peace to reign.
“The youths should shun violence and those engaged in it because they are not our friends,” he said, pledging to continue to uphold the Nigerian project “because Nigeria is our heritage and Imo State will not abandon her heritage.”
He pleaded with everyone to unite in order to reap the gains of bigger Nigeria.
The governor recalled how he met the state in a shambles when he took office, “devastated and in turmoil” in 2020 before he “recovered it from the cemetery, revived it and today the narrative has changed.”
Governor Uzodimma further recalled how he recovered the state secretariat, reconstructed Owerri Relief Market Road in addition to the reconstruction of the three main road corridors leading in and out of Imo State when there was scarcity of funds to do that.
The governor hinted that his administration has reduced the debt profile of Imo State from N320 billion to N148 billion as well as increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N600 million to about N3 billion per month.
The Governor said he had discovered that the major problem of insecurity and youth restiveness was unemployment. Hence he decided to create both skilled and unskilled jobs for Imo youths.
He said that the first set of 15,000 unskilled jobs and 20,000 digital skilled jobs through the Cohort 1 and 2 Skill-Up Project had been created.
He also said his administration has transformed the health sector by rehabilitating the 305 primary healthcare centres, acquired mobile health clinics and built three brand-new general hospitals in the oil producing local government areas of the state.
He decried the reckless way land grabbing has been elevated to a religion and promised that by the end of the month, the IGIS will be activated and people whose lands were wrongly taken away would have them returned.
The governor thanked the people of Owerri zone, especially the youths and women, for their enormous support and appreciated them for coming out en masse to show their solidarity for his re-election.
Earlier, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State, Dr Macdonald Ebere, said that the “Governor has done well in all sectors of human endeavours in the state,” adding that “all local governments in Owerri Zone are standing up in his support because already, God is with the Governor and nobody will take it away from him.”
The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Chief Henry Njoku (Haritex), told the governor that all youths and the women in Owerri Zone were with him, “especially as they have firm belief in the implementation of the Charter of Equity, which will guarantee the zone the Governor of Imo State by 2027.”