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INEC’Il Not Use Incident Form In 2019 Polls -Imo REC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not use incident form in 2019 elections as the card reader will be effectively utilised.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo State, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, said this at a town hall meeting and sensitisation campaign of the commission on Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Egbema/Uguta Local Government of the State.
He said that the commission was upgrading the card reader machine to make it more functional and effective during elections.
He told the participants and politicians that the era of playing pranks with people’s permanent voter cards during elections was gone, adding that anyone with a card that the card reader did not recognise would be disfranchised and would not be given any incident form.
Ezeonu said that accreditation and voting would start simultaneously to avoid long queues and time wastage during elections.
He advised politicians and party faithful to ensure they did their home work well when campaigns commenced, adding that any plan to rig in whatever form would be a waste of time and effort.
“The essence of politics is development. Candidates should ensure they sincerely work towards getting the people’s mandate. Hijacking election materials will not work in 2019 elections,” he said.
The Head of Voters Education in INEC, Mrs Immanuela Ben-Opara, had earlier educated the stakeholders on the need for proper conduct during elections and for them to register to have their PVCs.
Some stakeholders during interaction, commended the Imo REC on its efforts to ensure free and fair elections.
They said that they were ready to work with INEC in the spirit of the current move to ensure credible elections and called on the commission to ensure it would abide by its assurances.
They also advised INEC not to change its trained ad-hoc staff with new and untrained ones during elections and to avoid being used by politicians to rig elections.
The Technical Committee Chairman in Ohaji-Egbema, Mr Ebenezar Amadi, commended INEC in Imo for what he called “an innovation”.
He said that the area was notorious for insecurity in the past, but normalcy had returned.
Imo Deputy Chief of Staff and an indigene of the area, Mr Kingsley Uju,also commended INEC on the sensitisation move.
He said that relative peace had returned to the hitherto crisis-prone area.
“I am happy INEC is beginning to do things in the right way by educating the people on their responsibility as voters for a free and fair election.
“With this move and its effective implementation, Nigerians will begin to believe and have confidence that INEC is ready to manage the electoral process well without intimidation.
“People are ready to work with INEC. I thank INEC for creating the opportunity to interface with the people in efficient electoral process. I, therefore, call on the stakeholders to give INEC adequate support, “Uju said.
Earlier, Mr Nwabueze Nwoke, the Electoral Officer in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government area, had said that the meeting afforded INEC and stakeholders a focal point to create the desired synergy needed to achieve maximum success “in this collective enterprise”.
He said that the commission in the LGA had been able to register 3,965 people since April 2017, saying the number of PVCs collected was 119, while 19,139 were yet to be collected.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.