Politics
CAN, JNI Warn INEC, Security Agencies On Kogi Polls
Religious leaders in Kogi State, have warned the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies not to compromise the November 16 governorship election in the state.
The religious leaders, who gave the warning in Lokoja last Saturday during a stakeholders’ interactive session, said the rising tension in the state was an indication that all was not well with the people, INEC and the security agencies.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Jama’tu Nasril Islam, Council of Ulamah, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and other stakeholders.
They insisted that the only way to avoid violence during the election was to create a level playing field for all candidates and for results to reflect the wish of the people.
The State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop John Ubenu, said the lukewarm attitude of the group to the election was due to certain things that happened during the last general elections.
He said: “Some of the things that happened during the last elections discouraged us, but as elders, we have decided to move forward.
“We all know what to do and what to say, but the problem is with the implementation.”
He said CAN deployed observers to monitor the elections but expressed shock that those trained by the commission to conduct the last general elections were replaced.
The cleric said the biggest problem facing elections in Nigeria was at the collation centres where he claimed INEC and security officials “see an election not as a national issue but pocket issue”.
He said Nigeria was ripe for electronic voting, urging the National Assembly to work towards realising it.
The State Chairman of the JNI, Usman Bello, said the success of the election depends on INEC, police and the parties.
Bello said the only way to avoid violence in the election was to ensure justice, fairness and creation of a level playing field for all parties.
He added: “If they (government) are interested in peace, they should work for peace. The election must not be compromised.
“Let us not disturb peace, if you disturb peace, what you get is your own.”
Another speaker at the event, Alhaji Zaak Aliyu, claimed attempts were being made to compromise the election, saying some politicians had been sharing money.
He suggested INEC should facilitate a meeting between religious leaders, police and parties towards ensuring a peaceful election.
Chairman, state CAN youth wing, Pastor Alfred Owoyemi, stressed the need for the commission to warn its officials not to commercialise the election.
The State Secretary, JNI, Alhaji Isa Adeboye, suggested the use of common uniform for the security officials that would be on duty on Election Day to frustrate attempts by politicians to recruit fake security officers.
The state Resident Electoral Commission, Prof James Apam, assured the people that their votes would count in the coming election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted on the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise yesterday (Sunday) despite calls by some opposition political parties and civil society organisations for an extension over concerns that millions of citizens could be excluded from the 2027 general elections.
In a notice issued on its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the commission reminded the public that the exercise would end on Sunday, July 26, with designated registration centres open from 9am to 3pm.
“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the Commission stated.
INEC also reminded prospective voters that they could complete the registration process online through its dedicated CVR portal or visit designated INEC offices and registration centres nationwide for physical assistance.
The new Electoral Act stipulates that INEC is required to stop voter registration, updating and revision of the voters’ register 90 days before an election to allow for data clean-up, the printing of Permanent Voter Cards and other logistical preparations.
The law also requires the Commission to display the voters’ register for claims and objections within the stipulated period to enable eligible Nigerians to challenge omissions and errors and help ensure the credibility of the final register for the polls.
The INEC National Commissioner on Information and Voter Education, Mr Mohammed Haruna, told The Tide source that the Commission would not extend the deadline, stressing that the registration exercise had to close to allow the electoral body to begin cleaning the data already collected.
“By midnight on Sunday, voter registration ends. There won’t be any extension. There are so many things that we need to do at the back end. We have to draw a line; otherwise, we won’t be able to produce a clean copy of what has been posted,” he said.
Mr Haruna explained that the commission’s Information Technology team and the Voter Registration Department would begin processing the data immediately after the closure of the registration window.
He said INEC would deploy its Automated Biometric Identification System to detect and remove multiple registrations before the provisional voters’ register is displayed for public scrutiny.
“We have this automatic biometric system that will check whether somebody has registered more than once. They will publish the register for claims and objections. That is, if anybody thinks a name shouldn’t be on the register, or if he has some claims, for instance, that his name has been omitted or some of his details are incorrect,” he said.
According to him, the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after the biometric verification and the claims and objections process.
“So, it’s after all that has been done that we will have a final figure, which we will now add to the existing 93 million or so. That will then become the voters’ register. We are mandated to give every political party a copy ahead of the election,” Mr Haruna added.
Responding to concerns over the number of Nigerians who may be excluded from the 2027 electoral process by the closure, the national commissioner said INEC could only account for eligible citizens who presented themselves for registration.
He added that the commission had recorded registrations through its online platform, physical registration centres and INEC offices across the 774 local government areas.
According to a public announcement signed by Mr Ariyo Rufus, Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity on behalf of Mr Oluwatoyin Babalola, the INEC Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the said exercise is aimed at assessing its operational readiness and testing the efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the governorship poll.
INEC stated that the exercise would simulate Election Day accreditation procedures but clarified that no voting would take place during the exercise.
The commission explained that “the mock accreditation would be conducted in selected polling units spread across the three senatorial districts of Osun State, covering Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West.
“In Osun Central Senatorial District, the selected local government areas are Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun and Boripe, with designated polling units identified for the exercise.
“For Osun East Senatorial District, the exercise will take place in selected polling units across Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun local government areas.”
INEC also listed Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo local government areas as the selected councils for the mock accreditation exercise in Osun West Senatorial District.
The commission urged all registered voters whose polling units were selected to participate in the exercise, stressing that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be accredited.
“This exercise is designed to test the functionality and efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under conditions similar to Election Day. There shall be no voting during the exercise,” the Commission stated.
INEC reaffirmed its appreciation to residents of Osun State for their continued cooperation and support throughout the electoral process.
INEC also assured political parties, the media, civil society organisations and other stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election in Osun State.
Mr Dare made the remark while criticizing Alhaji Abubakar for hiring a United States of America lobbyist with $1.2 million, in preparation for the 2027 elections.
In a statement he personally signed, Mr Dare said the former vice president can’t take Nigeria down the path of self-destruction.
The statement read in part: “Worse still, for a man who presumes to offer leadership to Africa’s most populous nation, his recent resort to grievance offshoring, outsourcing political warfare to Washington and reportedly paying $1.2 million to an American lobbying firm to peddle petitions against a sitting Nigerian President, stands as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a vote of no confidence in its democratic institutions.
“It is also a stinging slight, an implicit condescension directed at generations of Nigerian journalists, policy analysts, academics, and public intellectuals who have spent decades analysing, critiquing, and carrying the burden of the nation’s democratic evolution.
“The Atiku Abubakar of today cuts a pitiable figure, a grotesque portrait of what a politician becomes when ambition overwhelms judgment and every political faculty becomes programmed for self-destruction.
“No, Atiku cannot take Nigeria down that path with him. He must travel it alone. But first, Nigerians deserve Atiku Abubakar’s report card. Charity, they say, begins at home, not in Washington.
“Nigerians deserve to know whether the Atiku Abubakar who has long presented himself as a democrat is, in reality, a politician of many colours. He has erected for himself a throne built simultaneously on sand and bayonets. It is time to explode the bayonets.”
-
Politics24 hours agoBuhari Administration Originated Fake PFIPC, Budget Office Tells Reps
-
Politics24 hours agoTinubu Felicitates Umahi @63, Says Works Minister Outstanding
-
Politics24 hours agoCHRISTIAN FORUM PASSES CONFIDENCE VOTE ON TINUBU, WIKE, OTHERS
-
Politics24 hours agoHow I Paved Way For Other Govs To Join APC — Eno
-
Politics24 hours agoSpeak For Yourself, Otti Tells Uzodimma Over Tinubu’s Reelection Bid
-
Politics24 hours agoVotes Will Count In 2027, INEC Assures Nigerians
-
Business1 day ago$50m Steel Pipe Facility: NCDMB Lauds Brentex, Assures Industry Patronage
-
Niger Delta1 day agoCommunity Elects Monarch After 55yrs Interregnum … As King-elect Preaches Unity