As the Independent National Electoral Commission holds bye-elections in 11 states across the country on Saturday (today), the police have issued warnings of restricted movement in the affected 36 local government areas.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos State, Muyiwa Adejobi, on Friday, announced a restriction of movement from 6 am to 6 pm in Somolu, Kosofe, Epe, Ikorodu and Ibeju-Lekki LGAs in the state.
Adejobi, in a tweet, said, “Lagos-East senatorial election, no movement between 6 am and 6 pm of Saturday, December 5, 2020. Comply please.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, on Friday in a statement by Adejobi titled ‘Lagos East Senatorial and Kosofe Constituency II bye-elections: Police declare restriction order, sue for peaceful conduct’, added that the restriction was in place to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
Odumosu stated that the election monitoring team, comprising two police commissioners, assistant commissioners of police and other officers, led by the CP, Community Policing, Force Headquarters, Kola Okunola, had been deployed in the state to supervise policemen and other security agents detailed for the election duties.
The sta
tement read in part, “The command has deployed a reasonable number of police personnel and other security agents to cover and provide security at the 1,928 polling units in the areas.
“The Commissioner of Police reiterated that there would not be both vehicular and pedestrian movements in and out of the affected local government areas during the elections except those on election duties, essential services and accredited domestic and foreign election observers.
“The police boss, however, warned the electorate and political gladiators to play the game according to the rules and provisions of the Electoral Acts, 2010. He also warned that no police aides or security agents would be allowed to escort their principals or any Very Important Personalities to the polling units.”
Similarly, the Plateau State Government announced the restriction of movement in six LGAs ahead of the Plateau-South senatorial bye-election today.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof Danladi Atu, in a statement on Friday, said the restriction, which included all vehicles, would run from 6 am to 6 pm.
He said, “By this directive, only those on essential duties will be permitted to move around during the period of restriction. The government wishes to call on all citizens within the Southern Senatorial Zone to fully cooperate by observing this directive in order to ensure that the bye-election is successfully conducted.”
The statement added that security personnel had been properly briefed to ensure enforcement and compliance.
INEC also said it had deployed 36,223 staff members for the poll in 11 states today.
A document obtained by Saturday PUNCH indicated that a total of 4,215,523 registered voters were eligible to participate in 36 local government areas, 413 registration areas, 7,702 polling units and 69,921 voting points.
The details of the document obtained from INEC indicated that Bayelsa Central Senatorial District had 4,662 staff; Bayelsa West, 2,281; Imo North, 3,874; Plateau South, 6,347; and Cross River North, 4,042; Lagos East Senatorial District, 9,284; and Ngazai State Constituency, 362.
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Others are Bayo State Constituency (456), Bakori State Constituency (1,113), Bakura State Constituency (553), Isu Uzo State Constituency (562), Ibaji State Constituency (667), Kosofe 2 State Constituency (1,610), Obudu State Constituency (12) and Dass State Constituency (398).
We will prevent vote-buying –INEC
Meanwhile, INEC has warned against engaging in vote-buying during the bye-elections, while appealing for the cooperation of voters and stakeholders in the states with 15 pending bye-elections in its efforts to deliver credible, free and fair elections.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said this in a statement, following a meeting in Abuja on Friday.
The meeting, among others, reviewed the outcome of its quarterly engagements and consultations with critical stakeholders in the electoral process, and looked at the security situation regarding the bye-elections.
Following the #EndSARS nationwide protests, INEC had announced the indefinite postponement of the bye-elections in the six senatorial districts and nine state constituencies.
The pending bye-elections are Bayelsa Central Senatorial District; Bayelsa West Senatorial District; Nganzai and Bayo constituencies in Borno State; Cross River North Senatorial District; and Obudu Constituency in Cross River.
Others are Imo North Senatorial District; Lagos East Senatorial District; Kosofe Constituency II in Lagos State; Plateau South Senatorial District; Bakura Constituency in Zamfara; and Ibaji Constituency in Kogi.
INEC Supervisory National Commissioner in charge of the bye-elections in Lagos, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the commission would not tolerate any act that would discredit the polls, including vote-buying.
He said, “We are in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and other security agencies to ensure that people that perpetrate such acts are brought to book. The issue of making use of food at the polling units will be prevented.
“It (vote-buying) is something that appears difficult to curb. We can only do our best to prevent it on Election Day. We will put all hands on deck to ensure credible and transparent elections in Lagos.”
Abiru, Gbadamosi lock horns in Lagos-East
Meanwhile, the APC candidate for the Lagos-East Senatorial District election, Mr Tokunbo Abiru, and his PDP counterpart, Babatunde Gbadamosi, will lock horns today in Lagos-East.
Abiru, a former Managing Director of Polaris Bank, has been exchanging verbal attack with Gbadamosi over the past few weeks, and the electorate are set to decide who they want in the district.
Both candidates have boasted about victory while the two political parties have also pointed accusing fingers at each other on the issues of vote-buying and use of hoodlums for the elections.
The APC candidate, while speaking about his plans in an interview with our correspondent, assured Lagosians that he would not be a godson to anyone.
“I don’t believe in the concept of godfathers and the APC is not a party of godfathers. It is a progressive party. Let me say that I come from a progressive political family. My younger brother is a member of the state assembly. At some point, he was the chief whip. That shows that it’s about one’s substance and not about godfatherism,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the PDP candidate, Gbadamosi, said the district had suffered neglect in the hands of the APC-led state and Federal Government and the situation would change, if he is elected.
He said, “I send the message of prosperity to all Lagosians and anything that will stand in the way of my message, I will fight it. That is what I hope to do and that is the message I am passing across to Lagosians. Any federal law that stands in the way of the interests of Lagosians, I will fight it.”
Also, speaking on the bye-elections, the APC Publicity Secretary for Lagos State, Mr Seye Oladejo, told our correspondent that the past performances of the party would work for them to secure victory in the polls.
Meanwhile, the PDP Publicity Secretary in Lagos State, Mr Taofik Gani, however, countered that the APC had lost out in favour and connection with the people, and this would be the party’s undoing.
One feared killed in Bayelsa as police deploy 5,000
One person was said to have been killed in Bayelsa State hours before the senatorial bye-elections rescheduled to hold today in Bayelsa Central and West.
The killing reportedly occurred in Eniwari, Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa Central on Thursday, when gunmen suspected to be working for a political party invaded the community “to intimidate their opponent.”
Suspected political thugs had, on Thursday, invaded the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, disrupting proceedings.
Hearing of a pre-election suit between the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Abel Ebifemowei; and Moses Cleopas of the Peoples Democratic Party, both from Bayelsa Central, had just been stood down by Justice Jane Inyang when the hoodlums attacked the court.
There were also reports that an explosive believed to be a dynamite was thrown on the premises of the court.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Mike Okoli, on Friday, urged voters to exercise their franchise, saying 5,000 police officers had been deployed to ensure peaceful polls.
While announcing a restriction of vehicular movement between 6 am and 2 pm, Okoli said, “We are deploying 5,000 personnel. Out of the 5,000, we have 10 (armed) Police Mobile Force units to cover the election. These mobile units will not be at the polling units.
“They will be at the outer rings to checkmate the activities of hoodlums and those who will want to disrupt the exercise. That will be the role of the armed policemen while the unarmed will be at the polling units.”
WASSCE continues
The police commissioner also noted that candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination were permitted to access their centres.
According to him, the pre-election violence recorded is “low-scale,” with the police moving in promptly to secure the Federal High Court.
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He, however, did not deny or confirm the armed invasion of Eniwari.
Police deploy 3,700 personnel for Imo North poll
The Imo State Police Command said it had deployed no fewer than 3,000 personnel for the Imo North bye-election holding today, while 700 additional officers from the Force Headquarters in Abuja would also be deployed.
The state Commissioner of Police, Isaac Akinmoyede, who spoke to journalists in Owerri, said the police were working in collaboration with other security agencies to ensure a hitch-free election.
He warned troublemakers to steer clear of the election, warning that the security agents would deal with people who try to undermine the integrity of the election.
Confusion over APC candidate in Imo-North
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday disqualified Chukwuma Ibezim as the All Progressives Congress’ candidate for the Imo North senatorial bye-election scheduled to hold today.
But the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, also on Friday declared Ibezim as the rightful APC candidate for the bye-election.
In declaring Ibezim as the APC candidate, the Court of Appeal sacked Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, who is Ibezim’s rival to the APC ticket for the bye-election.
The appellate court, in a judgment by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, faulted a November 6 judgment of the Federal High Court, which sacked Ibezim and announced Araraume as the APC candidate.
Justice Onyemena ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately enlist Ibezim’s name as the candidate of the party for today’s bye-election.
But Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday disqualified Ibezim on the grounds that he made false statements or declarations in the affidavit and documents he submitted to the APC and INEC.
The judge specifically held that Ibezim “bears two different and irreconcilable names” and presented three falsified West African Senior School Certificate Examination results.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1229/2020/, was filed by Asomugha Elebeke, one of the aspirants who had expressed interest to contest the party’s primary for the bye-election.
Justice Ekwo said Ibezim “bears two different names, ‘Ibezim, Chukwuma Francis’ and ‘Ibezim Chukwuma Frank’ without an affidavit to reconcile the difference in the two names”.
On the issue of presentation of three WASSCE results, the judge said, “The three results are in respect of one and the same May/June, 1980 with Examination Number as 11631041.
“In Exhibits A24 and A26, it was recorded that the 1st defendant sat for nine subjects, while in Exhibit A25, it was recorded that the 1st defendant sat for seven subjects.
“The three West African Examination Council results submitted by the 1st defendant are photocopies and/or computer printout.
“The documents were not certified or authenticated by West African Examination Council for the purpose of confirming that the 1st defendant truly sat the examinations or that the West African Examination Council issued the results/certificate.”
Disqualifying Ibezim, the judge held, “Now that I have found that the information contained in the affidavit and other documents submitted by the 1st defendant to the 2nd and 3rd defendants is false, I enter judgment as follows:
“A declaration is hereby made that the 1st defendant is not qualified/eligible for nomination to contest Imo North Senatorial bye-election, having made false statements/declarations in the affidavit and documents he submitted to the 3rd defendant for the purpose of contesting Imo North senatorial bye-election.
“An order of injunction is hereby made by restraining the 3rd defendant from accepting the nomination of the 1st defendant as the 2nd defendant’s candidate for the Imo North senatorial bye-election.
“This means that this court has issued an order disqualifying the 1st defendant from contesting the Imo North senatorial bye-election election.”
Reacting to the judgment of the Court of Appeal, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Okoye, told one of our correspondents that the commission would comply with the court judgment.
Okoye said, “Since there has been a judgment of the Court of Appeal in reaction to the Imo North Senatorial District and we are served with a copy of that judgment or a certified true copy of the order, the commission will definitely comply with such an order.
APC’ll remain on ballot paper in Imo – INEC
Meanwhile, a National Commissioner of INEC, Dr Ademola Ogunmola, said despite the conflicting court judgements, the APC would remain on the ballot paper to be used in the election.
Speaking on a Channels TV programme on Friday evening, Ogunmola noted, “In the case of Imo North Senatorial election, there are a lot of cases that have been taken to court. We will rely on the judgement of the court to take a final position.
“But as of now, what is important for us is to include the logo of the political party to which these people belong on the ballot paper, because generally, the votes belong to the party. At the end of the day, the final pronouncement would be made by the court and INEC will be able to determine the candidate for the party.”
When asked if INEC had been served the court judgements, he said, “We have received some of the court orders, but that is immaterial for now because what is important is for the logo of the party to be on the ballot paper. You will recall that some judgements in the past have indicated that whatever vote a candidate scores belongs to the party.”
INEC deploys ad hoc staff, materials in C’River
The electoral commission, on Friday, deployed thousands of its personnel and ad hoc staff to various registration area centres for the Cross River North senatorial bye-elections on Saturday.
Okoye, who supervised the deployment in Ogoja, Obudu and Bekwarra LGAs, said, “We will make sure nothing goes wrong during the election. We are ready. All logistics have been taken care of.
“Thousands of ad hoc staff have been deployed to RACs across the five LGAs where the elections will take place.”
On the controversy over the rightful candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, following Thursday’s conflicting Federal High Court judgments in Abuja and Calabar, Okoye said the commission would stick with the name on the published list of candidates and their political parties.
Two PDP stalwarts, Stephen Odey and Jarigbe Agom, had been engaged in a legal battle for the party’s ticket. While a Federal High Court in Calabar on Thursday ruled in favour of Odey, another in Abuja declared Agom, who is a member of the House of Representatives, as the lawful candidate of the party.
Okoye said, “In terms of the Cross River Northern Senatorial District bye-election, we have a final judgment. There is a candidate for the PDP. The court has made a final judgment. The name is on our list.”
Odey’s name is on the INEC list the commission attributed to a court order.
PDP alleges APC violence plot in Zamfara
The PDP has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress to unleash mayhem in the Bakura Federal Constituency bye-election of Zamfara State.
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The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday, in a statement titled ‘Zamfara Bye-election: PDP Exposes APC’s Rigging, Violence Plot,’ alleged that the PDP had uncovered a plot by the opposition APC to use compromised security agents and hired thugs to unleash violence in Bakura.
He said, “Already, there is a siege on innocent citizens of the state, where at least two supporters of our party, the PDP, have been gruesomely murdered by suspected APC thugs in the full glare of security operatives.
“We have been made aware of how, in its bid to perfect a siege on the constituency, the party plans to crush the people and prevent them from exercising their franchise. The APC has brought in special forces of the IRT and STS, three DIGs of police, two police commissioners, six deputy commissioners of police, 10 assistant commissioners of police and no less than 800 soldiers into the constituency.
“Needless to say, the two special units of the police will be abandoning their vital role of securing the Kano-Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, thereby further exposing motorists to grave danger and deaths, just because the APC wants to muscle votes (sic) in Bakura constituency.
“In addition, 200 Velarus Special Forces of the Nigeria Police, as well as 10 armoured vehicles, have been reportedly ordered to move to Bakura Constituency, all to ‘monitor’ a single state constituency election.”
Ologbondoyan added that the PDP had recorded an influx of alleged “APC riggers” to Zamfara, including five sitting governors, seven senators, members of the House of Representatives and ministers.
The party said such level of “desperation” had exposed the “unpopularity” of its opposition in the state, particularly in Bakura constituency, which it said was “undisputedly a PDP stronghold,” while hailing the “supremacy of the Governor Bello Matawalle-led PDP in the state.”
While warning the APC to perish the thought of forcefully taking over the PDP stronghold, the PDP appealed to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and INEC to use the poll to prove to Nigerians that they were committed to credible elections.
Efforts to get the APC to respond to the PDP’s allegations proved abortive as a response was still being awaited as of 8.05 pm.
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