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INEC Plans Relocation Of Sensitive Materials From CBN
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, said it would employ both the manual and electronic methods in the transmission of the 2023 election results.
The commission also said there is a possibility of moving sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to another location.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said these during a consultative meeting with the media in Abuja, yesterday.
Responding to a question on the political ambition and partisanship of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, Yakubu said the commission might be forced to find another arrangement for the handling of sensitive materials.
The INEC chairman said the CBN is responsible for the storage and movement of sensitive materials, adding that the commission has never doubt the capacity of the CBN to discharge that responsibility.
He said, “But I understand the context in which the question is asked. But you should also understand the context in which events are unfolding. As we speak, our director, litigation and prosecution is in court.
“There is a case in court. We have been invited to state our own side of the story. We usually refrain from talking about such issues because there is essentially subjudice.
“But we are already started talking about what alternatives are available to us in case we need to change the arrangement for the handling of sensitive materials. We have started thinking about it. We are aware of the situation. We will watch the situation. We still have nine months before the next general election.
“Things may be addressed before then. I want to assure you that we will not jeopardize the conduct of the election by creating a misconception around the situation in the process.”
According to him, INEC would partner with the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to check the spending of political parties during the 2023 election.
Yakubu added that the provision of the Electoral Act 2022 in the management of results was still basically manual involving the recording of results on forms and their delivery to various levels of collation until declaration and returns are made.
While declaring, however, that the law still provides for e-transmission of results, Yakubu quoted Section 64 of the Electoral Act, saying electronic transmission of results would only be done in the event of a dispute during the course of collation.
He said there was need to clear the misconception around e-transmission of results, saying many Nigerians equate it with electronic voting where voting can take place from any location.
A brief contained in the implementation procedure for electronic transmission of results given to journalists at the parley said the presiding officer is expected to transmit a clear image of form EC8A (result sheets) for purpose of collation which goes to the INEC Results Viewing Portal.
According to the document, the PO is also expected to deliver the hard copy of EC8A and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS to the Registration Collation Officer.
Niger Delta ex-agitator Endurance Amagbein has cautioned the leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, against politicising the plight of the Niger Delta people over issues surrounding renewal of pipeline surveillance contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL.
In a statement on Saturday, Amagbein condemned IYC leaders who took a protest to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, demanding the sack of Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited.
The IYC had claimed that the protest was due to non-performance, financial mismanagement and other allegations, but Amagbein refuted the claims.
Amagbein accused the IYC of derailing from its core mandate and delving into partisan oil surveillance politics.
“Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil); Dr Samuel Ogbuku, MD/CEO of NDDC; and Chief Dennis Otuaru, the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, are all Ijaw people, but sadly, nobody remembers this to thank Mr President.”
“It is so said that oil politics in the Niger Delta has infiltrated into the affairs of the IYC, and its leaders have allowed surveillance contractors to direct policy statements of the youth body.”
The Tide source reports that Ojulari had said NNPCL is under attack over his leadership stance.
The National Orientation Agency, NOA, has begged Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying that his reforms and initiatives would in no distant time transform the nation’s economy, security and social landscape.
The Akwa Ibom State Director of NOA, Mkpoutom Mkpoutom, made the appeal in Uyo at the weekend during a sensitization programme organized by the Federal Information Center with focus on the milestones of Tinubu’s administration.
Mkpoutom, who was represented by Mrs Atim Otoyo, Deputy Director Planning, Research and Strategy, recalled that Tinubu on assumption of office on May 29, 2023, had embarked on ambitious reforms and initiatives that would better the lives of Nigerians.
He said the President’s focus is on revitalizing Nigeria’s economy by swiftly addressing the fuel subsidy crisis that had long plagued the nation’s finances.
According to him, by removing fuel subsidies, resources are now reallocated towards critical areas such as infrastructure and social welfare programs.
“This bold decision, although met with public discontent due to rising fuel prices, was a necessary step towards fiscal responsibility,” he said.
Mkpoutom also stated that security remains a paramount concern in Nigeria, stressing that Tinubu’s administration has prioritized the issue since the onset of his administration.
“His administration has focused on strengthening the military and security agencies to combat terrorism, banditry and separatist movements. This includes boosting funding for the Armed Forces and implementing community policing strategies to foster better relationships between law enforcement agencies and local communities.
“President Tinubu’s administration has championed various projects aimed at improving transportation networks, electricity supply, and public amenities as well as initiating programs to create technological hubs to promote digital literacy among young Nigerians,” the NOA official said.
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Kayode Opeifa, has apologised to the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Federal Capital Territory Chapter, over his assault on its member and a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Ladi Bala.
Opeifa apologized at a press conference at the NUJ FCT secretariat in Abuja on Sunday.
The apology comes after NUJ FCT condemned the unwholesome treatment meted out to its members who were covering the recent Abuja-Kaduna train derailment incident.
The NUJ demanded a public apology from Opeifa over the incident.
In his apology on Sunday, Opeifa said he was carried away in the heat of the moment.
“I wish to offer my apology for the regrettable remarks I made, which were not only directed at a seasoned journalist but also reflected unfavourably on the NUJ FCT and the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ.
“Acting in the heat of the moment under pressure, and in my attempt to ensure safety, I made certain unkind statements. For this, I take full responsibility, and I am sorry.”
Chairman of NUJ FCT, Grace Ike, had called for calm among journalists over the incident.
Recall that six passengers were injured after the Abuja-Kaduna rail derailed in Jere on Tuesday.