The Lumine News

Tag: #INEC

  • Obidient Movements Set To Shut Down INEC Offices And Collation Centres Nationwide

    Obidient Movements Set To Shut Down INEC Offices And Collation Centres Nationwide

    Obidient Movements have called on its supporters nationwide to proceed on protest for the suspension of collation of results for the February 25th presidential election.

    In a release sighted by TheLumineNews and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Obidient Movements, Oluwasola Sunday,. indicates that members are to occupy all INEC offices and Collation Centres until INEC Chairman suspend the collation of results.

    The release reads in parts “All Obidient Movements are to occupy all INEC offices and Collation centres nationwide tomorrow at 9am, until INEC Chairman suspend the collation of results and step down.”

  • Court Sets November 24th For Judgment On Suit Seeking Disqualification Of Cross River APC Guber And Deputy Guber Candidates

    Court Sets November 24th For Judgment On Suit Seeking Disqualification Of Cross River APC Guber And Deputy Guber Candidates

    By Jonathan Ugbal, CrossRiverWatch

    Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie of the Calabar Division of the Federal High Court has reserved November 24, 2022, to deliver judgment on a suit by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and its Cross River guber candidate, Senator Sandy Onoh seeking the disqualification of the guber and deputy guber candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the 2023 general elections.

    The date was agreed upon by all parties after they adopted their processes during the hearing on Tuesday. The APC, her guber and deputy guber candidates – Senator Bassey Otu and Honorable Peter Odey as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, are listed as first, second, third, and fourth defendants respectively in the pre-election matter with suit number FHC/CA/CS/142/2022.

    The Argument

    The Plaintiffs, via their lead counsel, Mba E. Ukweni SAN while adumbrating after adopting their processes, said two key points formed the gamut of their originating summons. The first was that one needed to be a member of a political party to be fielded as a candidate and the second was that the third defendant has taken the oath of allegiance to the United Kingdom which questions his loyalty to Nigeria.

    He urged the Court not to allow the shifting position of the first defendant who denied the third defendant in their affidavit filed in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/976/2021 whose judgment is now a live appeal matter and is now claiming that he is a member of their party. Furthermore, he urged the Court to grant their prayers, especially on the fact that the first defendant will be deemed to have fallen short of the requirements to participate in the 2023 general elections as what affects the third defendant, impacts his ticket with the second defendant.

    The counsel to the first defendant, Essien H. Andrew SAN prayed the court to grant their preliminary objection which was raised on points of law on the fact that party membership was an internal affair and that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi since the Electoral Act 2022 did not contemplate the action they filed and as they have not said the fourth defendant failed in carrying out its responsibility.

    On the merit of the originating summons, he argued that the plaintiff was alleging forgery and pointed out that when a crime is alleged in civil procedures, the burden to prove is on the plaintiff which he said the plaintiff has tried to shift to the defendants. He prayed the Court to dismiss the suit.

    Benson Igbanor Esq. who led the argument of the second and third defendants, said they filed a motion of notice to strike out the suit and on the merits of the case, argued that the plaintiff did not controvert the issue of citizenship by birth which is the Constitutional requirement. He said the Oath of allegiance did not detract from the issue of citizenship by birth which confers the third defendant, the right to contest.

    He argued that the process commenced wrongly as the Supreme Court had last Friday held that when hostile pre-election matters with elements of the crime were brought forwards, the best way to commence such a suit was by Writ of Summons. The Court also granted his prayer to file an additional list of authorities to guide the Court.

    The Counsel to the fourth defendant, Matthew Ogwuocha Esq in his submissions averred that Section 28 subsection 1 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered had addressed the issue of citizenship by birth which he said the plaintiff have not controverted.

    On membership, he submitted that the fourth defendant does not go beyond the administrative scrutiny of the political parties and that the first defendant complied with relevant positions of the Electoral Act which means the fourth defendant has no option other than to accept the second and third defendants as the nominated candidates. He urged the Court to dismiss the suit.

    In their response on points of law, counsel to the plaintiff submitted that the practice direction of the Court guides the commencement of a suit and prayed the Court to discountenance the Supreme Court judge whose authority was not cited.

    On Locus, Ukweni SAN submitted that there are provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended that make the fourth defendant a clearing house and when weighed with the third schedule of the Constitution, grants the plaintiff’s locus.

    On the issue of waiver to swearing an oath of allegiance by the third defendant, he submitted that it was an exception and specific to the third defendant, hence the onus lies on him to prove that he never swore an oath of allegiance but was granted a waiver.

    Furthermore, he argued that the plaintiff never raised an issue of forgery or perjury, but they relied on the documents submitted and deposed to by the first and third defendants which they also accepted to rely on

  • Court To Hear PDP’s Suit Seeking To Disqualify Cross River APC Guber And Deputy Guber Candidates Tomorrow

    Court To Hear PDP’s Suit Seeking To Disqualify Cross River APC Guber And Deputy Guber Candidates Tomorrow

    By Jonathan Ugbal, CrossRiverWatch

     

    Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie who presides over Court 2 in the Calabar Division of the Federal High Court on Monday adjourned to tomorrow, the hearing of a suit that seeks to disqualify the gubernatorial and deputy gubernatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State from participating in the 2023 general elections.

    The case, with suit number FHC/CA/CS/142/2022 has the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and Senator Sandy Onor as plaintiffs while the APC, Senator Bassey Otu, Honorable Peter Odey and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.

    The matter which was listed for hearing was stood down after it was called because counsels to the defendants were appearing before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu in Court 1 for a judgment on a suit seeking to replace the current APC guber candidate.

    When it was called again, lead counsel to the plaintiffs, Mba E. Ukweni, SAN said they were ready to proceed. The lead counsel to the first defendant, Essien H. Andrew, SAN said they had filed a preliminary objection which Justice Dugbo said will be taken when the need arises.

    But, counsel to the second and third defendants, Benson Igbanor informed the Court that they had just received the processes of regularization from the plaintiff and they were still within the three days required for them to reply to the plaintiff’s regularization process and on points of law.

    He argued that so long as the Court’s registry was still open and there was nothing such as a half day, they still had time to file their processes.

    While trying to explain further, he was cut off by Justice Dugbo who adjourned the matter to tomorrow for a hearing while ordering the next case to be called.

    The parties are expected to adopt their processes tomorrow and adumbrate some teething issues while judgment will be fixed for another day.

    The suit which was commenced by originating summons raised six questions for determination including whether the APC is eligible to participate in the 2023 guber elections in Cross River without presenting qualified Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates; whether Senator Otu and Honorable Odey are qualified to contest the guber elections; and whether INEC can publish Honorable Odey’s name as deputy guber candidate of the APC which has in her affidavit in a live appeal matter said he is not their member.

    Also, the plaintiffs are seeking for determination, of whether Mr. Odey is not disqualified to contest as Deputy Guber candidate of the APC, having acquired citizenship in the United Kingdom and lied on oath that he did not do so; whether INEC can legally publish the second and third defendants as candidates if the first two questions are resolved in favor of the plaintiff and whether if any other question is resolved in the plaintiff’s favor will mean that the second defendant is also disqualified from contesting in the 2023 general elections

  • Independent National Electoral Commission Commences Distribution Of Permanent Voter’s Cards

    Independent National Electoral Commission Commences Distribution Of Permanent Voter’s Cards

    The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has Commenced the distribution of permanent voter’s cards to those who registered between June to December, 2021.

    In a release made available to The Lumine News and signed by the Administrative Secretary, Mr Davis Obo Eldrea indicates that the voter’s cards for fresh registrants who registered between June and December 2021 in Cross River State are ready for collection at the 18 Local Government Area offices from Thursday 28th April 2022.

    The release reads in parts “The management of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Cross River State wishes to notify the general public that the voter’s cards for fresh registrants who registered between June and December 2021 in Cross River State are ready for collection at the 18 Local Government Area offices from Thursday 28th April 2022.

    “The time for collection is between 9.00am and 3.00pm from Monday to Friday except for public holidays”

    The release stressed that “the cards must be collected in person and not proxy”

  • Communique: APC Has No Justification To Be On 2023 Ballot – PDP Govs Forum

    Communique: APC Has No Justification To Be On 2023 Ballot – PDP Govs Forum

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party PDP Governor’s forum held its meeting on Wednesday, 23rd March, 2022, at Aba, Abia State.

    The meeting reviewed the excruciating hardship and suffering being meted out to Nigerians by a failed APC led Federal Government; the near collapse of the APC as a viable political party, the readiness of the PDP to take over and offer qualitative leadership options to rescue the nation and issued the following Communique:

    1. We lament the terrible pain and hardship facing Nigerians in virtually all aspects of life. The meeting noted that life was much better in 2015 under the PDP than today under the APC as exemplified in the following Comparative Indicators obtained mainly from the National Bureau of Statistics:

    a. Diesel which is critical for running of SMEs was N131.47 in 2015, it now costs above N700
    b. Fuel: Official and Black-Market was N87/155 in 2015, it now costs N167/350.
    c. Aviation Fuel/Air Ticket Rate on Domestic Flights was N110 per Litre/N18,000 in 2015, it now hovers around N700 per Litre/N70,000, where available. Indeed, the scarcity of fuel which has resulted in loss of several man hours is a disgrace to Nigeria.
    d. The collapse of the National Grid (126 times in 7 years – (June 2015 to March 2022) and its consequences for non-availability of power is most unfortunate.
    e. Kerosene (NHK) used by the ordinary Nigerian for cooking and power was N180 in 2015, it now sells at ₦450.
    f. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) – 12.5kg Cylinder sold for N2,400 in 2015, is now sold at between N8,750 and N10, 000.
    g. Prices of basic food stuffs are now three times higher than what they used to be in 2015. Staple foods such as rice, beans, cassava flakes are now slipping out of the hands of average Nigerians. Indeed, a Bag of Rice sold for N8500 in 2015 is now N39,000.
    h. Electricity was N14.23 per kilowatt in 2015, it is now N38.530, and not even available.
    i. Unemployment rate was 11.4% in 2015, it is now over 33%, one the highest in the world.
    j. The poverty rate in 2015 was 11.3% but now about 42.8%.
    k. Accumulated Inflation in 2015 was about 4%, it is now 15.50%; Inflation Rate was 9.01% in 2015 and now 15.7%.
    l. Perhaps the Exchange Rate has been one of the most disastrous. N150 to a dollar was the parallel market (patronised by most businessmen and Nigerians) rate in 2015, it is now about N580 to $1 in the parrel market and still rising.
    m. Debt and Debt Servicing:
    Domestic Debt of N8.4T and External Debt of USD 7.3b was incurred between 1999-2015.
    While Domestic Debt of N7.63T (June 2015-Dec 2020) and USD28.57b as at Dec 2020 was incurred. External debt of USD21.27b was incurred between June 2015 and 2021.
    n. National Debt to GDP Ratio was 23.41% (2016) it is now 36.88% (2022).
    o. The Corruption Index has risen from 136 in 2015 to 150 now.
    p. Nigeria’s Misery Index, an indicator used in determining how economically well off the citizens of a country are, is usually calculated by adding the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to the annual inflation rate, has moved from 14.75 percent in 2015 to 50.48 (2021).
    q. The major threat to the agricultural sector and food security in Nigeria is insecurity. In the northeast of Nigeria, it is estimated that no fewer than 70,000 hectares of arable farmland have been abandoned in the affected States and Local Government areas. The trend is the same all over the country. This further contributes to food inflation. The APC led Federal Government must take steps to cooperate with States to bring security down to the grassroots.

    2. The Forum is surprised that in the face of these statistics of complete failure in all ramifications and areas, the APC still wants to be on the ballot in 2023.

    This shows how uncaring and insensitive the APC is.

    3. The Forum urges Nigerians to reject the APC, a party run undemocratically by a Committee contrary to the Constitution (S.228) with Mr. President regularly issuing instructions and dictates. It is impossible for a party so disorganized to offer good governance to the people of Nigeria.

    4. The meeting expressed concern and alarm over various reports and claims of incidents of stealing of crude oil ranging from 80% to 95% of production made by industry practitioners and called on the Federal Government to set up an appropriate mechanism to reverse this trend and bring perpetrators to account.

    5. The PDP Governors once again decried the inability of the NNPC to make its statutory contributions to the Federation Account, inspite of Oil selling at above $110. It is patently unconstitutional for NNPC to determine at its whim and discretion when and what to pay to the Federation Account, as it is a mere trustee of the funds for the three tiers of Government: Federal, States and Local Governments. We once again, call for investigations and audit of the quantity of consumption of fuel ascribed to Nigerians and for deployment of technology at the filling stations to determine in a transparent manner the volume of consumption.

    The Governors would resist any further attempt by NNPC to ascribe unsubstantiated subsidy claims to other tiers of government.

    6. Furthermore, S.162 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended stipulates that “The Federation shall maintain a special account to be called “the Federation Account” into which shall be
    paid all revenues collected by the Government of the Federation…”
    and S.162 (10) states that “For the purpose of subsection (1) of this section, “revenue” means any income or return accruing to or derived by the Government of the Federation from any source and includes –
    (a) any receipt, however described, arising from the operation of any law;
    (b) any return, however described, arising from or in respect of any property held by the Government of the Federation;
    (c) any return by way of interest on loans and dividends in respect of shares or interest held by the Government of the Federation in any company or statutory body”

    a. As of today, 18 (Eighteen) Federation Revenue Agencies are not paying/remitting any revenue to the FAAC Account. These include (i) Central Bank of Nigeria (ii) Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) (iii) Nigeria Liquefied National Gas (NLNG) (iv) Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) (v) Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) (vi) NPA (vii) Security and Exchange Commission etc

    (b) FIRS and DPR takes cost of collection of 4% (Four percent) of Revenue collected while Customs collects 7%. In March 2022 for instance, FIRS took N15.4Billion as cost of collection and Customs took N8.4b. If these are annualised, FIRS and Customs collects about N1.84Billion and Customs N100B per annum. Obviously, some states of the Federation’s capital budget does not come close to these.

    (c) Nigeria Federation has 49% shareholding in NLNG. According to the Minister of Finance during the 2020 budget performance brief at the National Assembly stated that the federation received dividend of N144billion (One Hundred and Forty Four Billion) from NLNG. These figure to the best of our knowledge was never paid into the Federation Account.

    (d)) NNPC deducts N8.33Billion monthly for the rehabilitation of the Refineries in Nigeria. Till date no refinery is working.

    (e) On priority projects of the Nation’s oil industry, NNPC deducted N788.78Billion for various investments between 2018-2021 without recourse to FAAC.

    (f) NNPC in 2021 alone claimed to have paid over One Trillion Naira as petroleum subsidy. Indeed, the month of March 2022, N220Billion was deducted as oil subsidy with a promise that N328Billion will be deducted in April 2022. This is unacceptable.

    (g) NNPC and FIRS as well as other remitting Agencies continue to apply an exchange rate of N389/$1 as against the Import and Export window of N416/$1. The extent of this leakage can be better felt, if this rate is compared to the current N570/$1.

    (h) From available records about N7.6T is withheld between 2012 and 2021, by NNPC from the Federation Account. All these are said to be payments for oil subsidy.

    (i) Conclusively, we believe that all these leakages in NNPC have been made possible because the President is also the Minister of Petroleum. The urgent separation of these two portfolios have become necessary

    7. The Forum noted the approval by the PDP NEC of the Time Table and Timelines for Congresses and Convention of the Party and urged all party members and party leadership to remain focused and united to win power in 2023, to tackle the myriads of problems facing the country.

    8. The PDP Governors congratulated the host, His Excellency, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, the PDP Governors’ Forum Vice Chairman, for his generosity and hospitality in the hosting of the meeting.

  • David Umahi: How Defection Invalidates His Certificate Of Return BY FIRST BABA ISA

    David Umahi: How Defection Invalidates His Certificate Of Return BY FIRST BABA ISA

    DAVID UMAHI: HOW DEFECTION INVALIDATES HIS CERTIFICATE OF RETURN

    Find attached the Certificate of Return issued to David Umahi before he was sworn in as Governor.

    Get any certificate of any Governor in Nigeria, or any elected official, let’s have this conversation; please, constantly look at the Certificate of Return as we progress.

    Section 75 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010, states that “A sealed Certificate of Return at an election in a prescribed form shall be issued within 7 days to every candidate who has won an election under this Act.” See section 72 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022.

    Without a Certificate of Return there is no evidence that a candidate won an election and he cannot be sworn into office. A Certificate of Return is the gold medal of an election; without it, you can’t lay claim to be a winner.

    Now, let’s look at the Certificate of Return issued to Umahi.

    It says: “I hereby certify that Nweze David Umahi of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been elected to the office of Governor of Ebonyi State…”

    Did you see that?

    “Nweze David Umahi of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)…”

    Let’s look at the meaning of the proposition or the word “of”.

    “Of” is used in expressing the relationship between a part and a whole.

    So, the Certificate of Return made it abundantly clear that Nweze David Umahi (is a part) OF Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (the whole)…” One cannot exist without the other in governing Ebonyi State. That’s why the Federal Government led by President Buhari is known as the APC Government. This is how it is all over the world that practise partisan democracy.

    You can never divorce your government from your political party. In fact, the president or governor is the leader of his political party at the Federal or State, respectively.

    When the people voted for you, it was your party’s manifesto, aims, objectives and proposed plans that they voted for. They saw the manifestoes of other political parties but chose yours. You are expected to implement your party’s manifesto as Governor. You can’t convince people to vote for one manifesto and then turn round to defect and adopt another one they rejected at the polls. That’s criminally dishonest.

    Back to the Certificate of Return, a new one has not and cannot be issued to David Umahi after his defection. The only Certificate of Return he holds that empowers him to be Governor of Ebonyi State, is the one that reads: “Nweze David Umahi of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)…”

    You cannot hold a Certificate of Return that says you are of the PDP, while you have declared publicly that you have left the PDP. By this singular action, you have invalidated the Certificate of Return, the only document that gives you the power to be Governor.

    As long as David Umahi maintains he has left the PDP, and as long as the only Certificate of Return issued to him by INEC states that: “I hereby certify that Nweze David Umahi of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been elected to the office of Governor of Ebonyi State…”, Umahi cannot continue to be Governor.

    He might be righteous but he has destroyed his foundation. And as the Psalmist lamented in Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

    This applies to other Governors, like Ben Ayade of Cross River State, who have also decamped but holding Certificates of Return carrying the name of another political party.

    – By Firsts Baba Isa (FBI)

  • APC Needs 21-day Notice To Change Buni, Says INEC, Declines Invitation To Party’s NEC meeting

    APC Needs 21-day Notice To Change Buni, Says INEC, Declines Invitation To Party’s NEC meeting

    Culled from The Nation Newspaper
    By Yusuf Alli, Abuja 

    There seems to be no let up in the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Yesterday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the party could only remove the National Chairman of Caretaker /Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni, and other officers after a 21-day notice to the electoral body.

    INEC said it cannot attend the emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of APC next week because the party was yet to comply with relevant laws and regulations.

    It faulted the party for notifying it of its NEC meeting without the signatures of Buni and the Secretary of CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedohe.

    It asked APC to follow due process if it wanted to effect change of leadership.

    INEC made its position known in a March 9, 2021 letter to APC by the Secretary, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

    The letter was in response to APC’s March 8, 2021 notice to INEC to hold a NEC meeting to ratify the choice of Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello as its new chairman.

    But the electoral agency said the laws do not have provision for emergency change of leadership by any party.

    INEC’s letter reads: “RE: INVITATION TO THE EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (NEC). Please refer to your letter Ref. APC/NHDQ/INEC/019/022/32, dated 8” March 2022.

    “The commission draws your attention to the fact that the notice for the meeting was not signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the CECPC contrary to the provision of the Article 1.1.3 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Poiitical Party Operations (2018).

    “ Furthermore, the APC is reminded of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 which requires “at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting convened for the purpose of “merger” and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective offices.”

    “While hoping these issues are noted for compliance, please accept the assurance of the commission’s warm regards.”

  • Breaking: INEC Issues Jarigbe Agom Certificate Of Return

    Breaking: INEC Issues Jarigbe Agom Certificate Of Return

    The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has issued Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom certificate of return as the authentic winner of the September PDP primary election.

    Recall that both Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom and Dr. Stephen Odey had laid claim to the flag of the PDP after the primary election.

    While the Rt. Hon. Jarigbe camp had the backing of the INEC national officials, Dr. Stephen Odey had the support of INEC, Cross River State.

    Jarigbe had approached the vacation court in Port Harcourt to challenge the outcome of the primaries which he claimed was in total breach of the directives of the court for the PDP to use the authentic list of ward and chapter exco members.

    The 4th of December, 2020 was memorable as two  federal high courts of equal jurisdictions, delivered opposing judgement on the authentic winner of the PDP primaries.

    While the Federal High sitting in Calabar ruled in favour of Dr. Stephen Odey, the Federal High in Abuja ruled in favour of Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom.

    Effort to halt the inauguration of Dr. Odey by Jarigbe failed and he was sworn in on the 15th of December, 2020 as the senator representing Cross River Senatorial District.

    Barely 24 hours after the inauguration, the Court of Appeal in Abuja presided by Justice Binta declared Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom as the winner of the PDP primaries and directed INEC to issue certificate of return to Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom.

  • Court Of Appeal Declares Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe PDP Senatorial Candidate For Cross River North

    Court Of Appeal Declares Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe PDP Senatorial Candidate For Cross River North

     

    The battle for the Cross River North Senatorial seat which was won by the Peoples Democratic Party at the December 5, rescheduled elections has taken a different twit 24 hours after Dr. Stephen Odey was sworn in by the Clerk of the Senate.

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has just declared Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe as the duly nominated candidate of the PDP and the rightful winner of the election against Dr. Odey who was declared by INEC and sworn in by the Senate.

    The Court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to immediately issue a Certificate of Return to Hon. Jarigbe and withdraw the one earlier issued to Dr. Stephen Odey.

    In its unanimous judgment, the court of Appeal upheld the judgment of the trial court that the primaries which produced Jarigbe was conducted with the correct and authentic list of delegates and that Hon Jarigbe having scored the highest number of valid votes in the primary election is the validly nominated candidate of the PDP.

    The Appeal Court also upheld the position of the Federal High Court that the primary election was duly monitored by the INEC in line with the law hence was a valid primary election of the PDP.

    This judgment has abruptly halted the seeming advantage Dr. Stephen Odey got yesterday when he was invited by the Clerk of the Senate to take his oath of office and allegiance. This is despite another order of the FCT High Court which restrained the Senate from swearing Dr. Odey in as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    By this judgment and until the Supreme Court gives its final judgment, Hon. Jarigbe is expected to be sworn in immediately to sit to represent the good people of Cross River North Senatorial District.

  • BREAKING: INEC Announces December 5th For All Bye Elections

    BREAKING: INEC Announces December 5th For All Bye Elections

    By Elijah Ugani

    The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has fixed December 5, 2020 for all pending bye election in the country.

    The decision was taken today after a critical meeting with all stakeholders by the Commission.

    In a release sighted by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Voters Education, Mr. Festus Okoye Esq., indicates that all bye elections will hold on December, 5th 2020.

    The release reads in parts “Based on these consultations, the Commission believes that security in the affected states has improved while the environmental challenges has reasonably abated. Consequently, the Commission has decided to hold all pending bye elections on Saturday, December 5th, 2020”

    Recall that the Commission had met with all Resident Electoral Commissioner on  October 22, 2020 and postponed the bye election that was fixed for October 31 due to the security and environmental challenges.