Politics
Booby-Traps On The Roads To 2011
As the countdown to the 2011 general elections in Nigeria begins, political parties are yet to announce plans for ward congresses which many believe, would provide the platform for the election of candidates that will fly the party flags come next year’s general polls.
Investigations conducted by The Tide indicate that majority of the political parties are waiting for directives from their national offices before swinging into action, but the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be pre-occupied with sensitisation of party members, wooing others into its fold and reshuffling its political cards for future political gains.
While awareness of party members on ward congresses is at its lowest ebb, feelers indicate that many party faithfuls may be caught up when the lid for the congresses is removed by INEC.
Rivers State Chairman of National Movement of Progressives, Hon Ronarth Dappa told The Tide that there was no way the party would organise ward congress without official directive from its national office, noting that the moment the national body of the party came out with a timetable, the party would go ahead with the congress.
Since the party is relatively new, he said it had commenced grassroots mobilisation to woo members into the party. Dappa noted that the ward congress would be a major launching pad for his party.
Similarly, Hon Christian Finebone of the National Majority Democratic Party (NMDP), said it was too early to organise ward congresses.
The Rivers State Secretary of NMDP declared that machineries needed to be put in place before holding the exercise, assuring that before the year runs out, it would conduct its ward congress elections.
The Tide learnt that the posture of most of the political parties may not be in connection with the plans of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make public its election time table in March.
INEC chairman, Prof Maurice Iwu, said in Abuja at an interactive session with newsmen that the commission would release the timetable for the 2011 general election in March, thsis year.
Iwu justified the measure on the need for political parties and aspirants to have enough time to plan their activities.
On what would happen to the timetable if the National Assembly amended the constitution especially, the sections that deal with election timetable, Iwu said INEC was ready to make necessary changes to take care of such developments.
On speculations that 2011 general election would be shifted to November, the INEC boss said that this would only be possible if the constitution and other relevant laws were amended before then.
However, since the inception the of the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration in Rivers State, party politics may have been kept in a cooler in order not to distract the administration’s lauded development agenda in the state.
Two years into his administration, and with enviable record of remarkable service delivery of good governance, the PDP government of the state appears to be set to swing into action of party politics.
In line with this, the chairman of PDP in Obio/Akpor Local Government area, Chukwuemeka Aaron said the party has begun grassroot sensitisation to shape party members and other faithfuls into action for election.
Aaron, in a telephone chat with The Tide said the success of the sensitisation programme of the party would be a litmus test for the PDP to re-enact its success story in the LGs and the State elections. He advised party men and women including the youths in respective areas to close rank and work with a common purpose to take PDP to the next level of democratic success.
Aaron’s counterpart in Eleme Local Government area, Hon Abel Onungwe, agreed that PDP had swung into action on the sensitisation of party members and electorate in the area, preparatory to the congresses and the general elections in 2011.
A PDP chieftain in Gokana LGA, Hon Baiate Giadom said waiting was the name of the political game for now. “We are patiently waiting on the directive of our party on the congresses,” he said, adding that as soon as the directive was given from the national body, all other things would be put into shape for action.
Giadom, a former councillor, said there was no negative implication on the waiting game, arguing that each political party, had internal mechanism in organising party activities.
He, however, advised Rivers people to remain supportive of Amaechi administration in the efforts to re-position the state and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
Perhaps, it is the waiting game that has influenced the docile activities of the parties at their respective secretariats, and this The Tide learnt may have far-reaching implications on the political development of the parties ahead of the 2011 general elections.
A chieftain of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Igoniwari Haliday said the hope of HDP to relaunch itself into political reckoning was being kept alive with its grassroots moblisation.
Halliday said HDP was recording successes in its mobilisation drive, but declined comments on the speculation that a governorship aspirant of HDP was warming up to wrest power from Governor Amaechi. Sources described the HDP female governorship hopeful as an Amazon that has all it takes to make a statement in the political history of the state.
Philip-Wuwu Okparaji & Enoch Epelle
The Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Asari Toru Local Government Area, Hon. Orolosama Amachree, has attributed the emergence of Sir Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State to divine intervention.
According to him, Governor Fubara’s leadership was ordained by God to liberate the Kalabari people from underdevelopment.
Hon Amachree made this statement when the Ido Community Council of Chiefs paid him a courtesy visit.
He highlighted Governor Fubara’s numerous contributions to the Kalabari people, including the award of the original Trans-Kalabari road project worth N225 billion.
The CTC Chairman emphasized that the Kalabari people had no option but to support Governor Fubara’s administration wholeheartedly.
He criticized the defected former Rivers State House of Assembly members representing the five Kalabari state constituencies for aligning with enemies of the state government.
Hon Amachree praised Governor Fubara for declaring Asari-Toru as his second home and demonstrating immense love for the people, citing the completion of the Emohua-Kalabari road and approval for the reconstruction of the Buguma-Degema-Abonnema road project as examples of the Governor’s commitment to the ethnic nationality.
The CTC Chairman assured the Ido Council of Chiefs that his administration would continue to prioritize the wellbeing of the people and announced the approval for the provision of three public conveniences for the community.
Earlier, the spokesman of the Ido Community Council of Chiefs, Chief Igbigioyibo Emmanuel, expressed the loyalty and support of the Chiefs and people to Governor Fubara’s administration.
He thanked the Governor for his love and the appointment of Hon Amachree who has embarked on various empowerment programmes, as well as the rehabilitation of key infrastructures to better the lives of the people at the grassroots.
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has reassured stakeholders in Edo State that the commission is prepared for the upcoming governorship election on September 21.
Addressing the stakeholders in Benin on Wednesday, Prof. Yakubu emphasised the importance of cooperation to ensure a credible election process.
He highlighted that the meeting, traditionally held before major off-cycle governorship elections, is co-hosted by the INEC Chairman and the Inspector-General of Police to discuss election preparations.
Prof. Yakubu detailed that the session aimed to engage with political parties, candidates, accredited observers, media, and other stakeholders to review preparations for the election.
He noted that the Inspector-General of Police would address security preparations, while he himself would cover electoral preparations. Together, they would address any issues or concerns raised by the attendees.
The INEC Chairman outlined that preparations for the election began last year with the release of the timetable and schedule of activities, in accordance with legal requirements.
Out of 13 statutory activities listed from the publication of the election notice to election day, 11 have already been completed.
Prof Yakubu reported that the final list of candidates had been published, with minor adjustments made following court orders. The Labour Party’s running mate was replaced as directed by the court, and the National Rescue Movement (NRM), which missed its nomination deadline, was included on the ballot after a court order.
With the conclusion of the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Edo, 184,438 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been issued 119,206 for new voters and 65,232 for various updates and transfers.
Edo State now has a total of 2,629,025 registered voters. A detailed breakdown of PVCs collected for each of the 4,519 polling units will be published soon, while uncollected PVCs will be secured in the Central Bank of Nigeria until after the election.
Prof Yakubu also revealed that INEC has accredited 134 groups (124 domestic and 10 international) to deploy 1,836 observers and 114 media organisations with 721 journalists.
Thousands of agents representing candidates and political parties will be present at the 4,730 polling and collation locations across the state.
The BVAS machines will be used for voter accreditation and uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Dr. Greg Igbinomwanhia, Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), urged political parties to adhere to the rules to ensure a free, fair, and credible election. Political party chairpersons and candidates also delivered goodwill messages and raised concerns regarding the election.
More than two million voters will be participating in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state.
They would determine the fate of 17 governorship candidates of the political parties participating in the election.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Mrs. Toyin Babalola, disclosed this in Akure, at a seminar organized by the International Press Center (IPC) and funded by the European Union (EU).
The programme was part of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGNII) project, with IPC serving as the lead partner under Component 4, which focuses on support to the media.
Mrs Babalola also said that the INEC has said it would deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing (IReV) during the election.
According to her, “Ondo State has a total of 2,053,061 registered voters. They would be participating in the governorship election scheduled for November 16, this year. INEC has made necessary arrangements to ensure a free election”.
The REC noted that efforts and preparedness were in place to ensure a credible, inclusive, free, and fair gubernatorial election.
Mrs Babalola added that the portal for media registration for the election had opened.
Speaking on BVAS and IREV, the REC, said that the commission would ensure the use of BVAS and IREV during the election to ensure a free, fair, and credible poll.
She said similar arrangements have been made in Edo State for the September 21 governorship election.
In his welcome address, IPC Executive Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, emphasized the essential role of the media in promoting electoral integrity.
Mr Arogundade noted that elections were the cornerstone of democratic societies, highlighting the importance of capacity training for journalists in preparation for election coverage.
He said that the dialogue aimed to foster collaboration among critical stakeholders, ensuring that the media remains fair, accurate, ethical, and professional in covering the upcoming Ondo State election.
The Executive Director, also underscored the importance of journalists’ involvement in voter education, helping to inform the electorate about their rights and responsibilities.
A Senior Lecturer at Elizade University, ilara- Mokin, Dr Tunde Fajimbola, spoke on the media’s role in addressing key issues in the governorship election.
The Founder of the Journalism Clinic, Mr Taiwo Obe, guided participants on asking the right questions and telling impactful stories during electoral coverage.
In his remarks, CEMESO Executive Director, Dr Akin Akingbulu, emphasized that off-cycle elections had become a significant feature of Nigeria’s electoral calendar. He highlighted the need for journalists to be well-equipped to contribute to credible electoral processes.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Prince Leke Adegbite, commended IPC for its efforts in building journalists’ capacity through training.
Adegbite acknowledged that the media dialogue came at the right time and assured the organizers that participants would strive to achieve set goals.
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