Politics
Address All Irregularities Before 2023 Polls, Election Network Urges Stakeholders
Joel Ajayi
In its determination to ensure the vote of Nigerians count ahead of 2023 election, the Election Network, a digital media company delivering creative, intelligent and data-driven journalism around global elections, have called on all stakeholders to ensure all forms of election irregularities encountered in 2019 be addressed before 2023 General polls, in order to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
The election network gave this advice on Thursday, in Abuja, during the presentation of a documentary titled “Left Behind” put together by the organization, which provide great insight into 2019 elections in Nigeria.
In the documentary, it was revealed on how citizens were coarse to vote against their wise, how security agencies compromised and how electoral officers were forced to manipulate the original result for them to be alive.
In her welcome address, Asari Ndem, Editor, The Election Network, revealed that many Nigerians were interviewed and the findings show that many voters were unable to or chose not to vote during the 2019 elections as a result of factors like administrative shortcomings, intimidation, violence, vote-rigging, and apathy.
According to her, the 2019 elections was a setback for Nigeria’s electoral and democratic framework.
“Officially, over 80 million Nigerians collected their voter cards from INEC but only about 30 percent of those people voted during the elections, the lowest recorded voters’ turnout in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
“In 2019, we followed one of Nigerian’s significant elections and we saw how much electoral deficiencies have affected an average Nigerian to select their leaders.
“But what stood out the most is violence. Between 2003 and 2019 alone, over 1932 electoral-violence related deaths were recorded, with 626 of these deaths occurring in 2019 alone.
“To paraphrase one of our expert interviewees, we attribute the low voter turnout to voter apathy but what really exists is voter-fear, fear of intimidation and violence. The presence of heavy military and police personnel in certain regions aggravated this fear and prevented people from voting. In the 2019 general elections, there were at least 13 incidences of electoral violence as a result of military presence at polling units.
“Other barriers to voting were technical and administrative issues like the failure of card readers, and the lack of provisions for people living with disabilities.”
The group however said the essence of the documentary is to push for electoral reforms, independence of INEC as well as the push for electoral offender prosecution.
“In light of these findings, we are making the following proposals; the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill: Electronic Accreditation, Voting and Collation, Prosecution of Electoral Offenders: Transferability of Voters Card, Inclusion for People Living with Disabilities, Financial Accountability.
“With these submissions and the screening of this documentary, we hope to enact policy change that creates sustainable improvement to the Nigerian electoral ecosystem and contributes to the strengthening of our democracy.”
While answering some question raised during the event, the senior programmme managers, of the election network, Farida Adamu revealed that less than 30% of voters voted as result of many factors that need to be corrected before the next general election come 2023.
According to her, we see how people were disenfranchised, we want to speak with all stakeholders, INEC, Judiciary, Politicians, Voters on the need to have a an inclusive election that will enable citizen to vote and their votes will count come 2023.
News
Adamawa APC Showcases Tinubu’s Two-Year Achievements, Applauds Ribadu’s Role as Stakeholders’ Meeting Kicks Off in Yola
Joel Ajayi
Stakeholders of the ruling APC in Adamawa State have identified the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last two years since assuming the Nigerian presidency, describing such achievements as monumental and unprecedented.
The stakeholders also commended Mr. President for appointing one of their sons, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser, an appointment they emphasize has been justified by current results.
In a one-day grassroots engagement and sensitization meeting organized by APC lawmakers in the State Assembly, which was attended by various stakeholders of the Party from across the State and beyond, Monday, in Yola, speakers at the event posited that no Nigerian leader since Independence had in so short a time taken the various bold steps President Tinubu has undertaken in the last two years of his emergence as President.
Speaking as keynote speaker at the well-attended event, Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps,Rt.Hon.Yusuf Buba Yakub identified such projects as the construction of the 750-kilometre super highways from Calabar to Lagos and another one from Sokoto to Badagry in Lagos, as well as the one from Akwanga to Gombe and Yola and the one from Calabar to Abuja, including the Southeastern corridor railway lines,as monumental projects that are aimed at opening up the Nigerian hinterland for greater accessibility and overall development.
All of these, the Adamawa-born former federal lawmaker and leader said would not have been possible had the President from the first day of taking the oath of office not removed the hydra-headed fuel subsidy and floated the nation’s currency to bridge the yawning gap between the subsisting highly manipulated black and official foreign exchange markets.
“President Tinubu during his swearing-in ceremony took a bold step that no Nigerian leader in the past forty years in the history of our dear country was able to take. He removed the fuel subsidy before even taking over office!
“That move has turned around the fortunes of Nigeria such that today we can proudly beat our chests to say that we have become an exporter of finished petroleum products. In the past, despite our abundant crude oil we were busy importing petrol, which was very disgraceful.”
Buba, who commended President Tinubu for the two major decisions of removing the fuel subsidy and floating the Naira, against subsidizing the US Dollar as was the case in the past, said the decisions have saved Nigeria trillions of Naira. He recalled that during the 9th National Assembly one-third of the national fiscal budget for a particular year was completely eaten up by fuel subsidy claims.
“These decisions which have increased revenue earnings in our States in the last two years are the reasons you see today in serious States of the Federation the kind of monumental development taking place all over the place.”
Buba also commended President Tinubu for appointing one of their own as the National Security Adviser. He said Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s appointment, which was hailed across the globe as placing a square peg in a square hole at a time Nigeria was almost becoming ungovernable owing largely to the unfortunate activities of insurgent groups, was a masterstroke by Mr. President that has convinced all doubting Thomases as to the genuine intentions of Mr. President.
While chronicling other achievements of President Tinubu in the first two years of his Presidency, including the efforts at repositioning Nigeria in the global community through the TAC Scheme and the grand diplomatic engagements of the Foreign Affairs’ Ministry, his many social intervention programmes for the poor, investment in technical and vocational training as well as scholarships for students and many other highly commendable good governance initiatives, the NTAC DG concluded that Nigeria has never had it so good. He called on the people to brace up for the return of Mr. President for a second term in office.
Also speaking at the event, the National Vice Chairman of the APC in the Northeast Zone, Comrade Barrister Salisu Mustapha drew comparison of the state of insecurity in the land before the coming of President Tinubu and the present moment. While thanking the people for their support for answering the call to duty ,which gave them victory at a recently conducted bye election in the State, he said the message must be carried far and near that the Party was prepared to reclaim victory in the State in 2027.He acknowledged the significance of such a gathering initiated by members of the Party in the State Assembly.
He thanked other members of the Party from the neighbouring States of Taraba and Gombe and also solicited commitment from the Party stalwarts in Adamawa towards ensuring that such a gathering be replicated at the Ward level of the entire State.
Among those who attended the event were some members of the National Executive Committee of the APC from the Northeast Zone, the Adamawa State Chairman of the Party, Barr. Idris and members of the State Working Committee, Local Government as well as the Ward Executive Committee members of the Party and various stakeholders.
The event concluded with the endorsement of Mr. President and other leaders of the Party for onward movement to the next level.
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