Headline

APC/PDP Battle For The Soul of 6 States

Published

7 years ago

March 23, 2019

Editor

By Ajibade Morakinyo

After declaring elections of six states- Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, and Adamawa ‘inconclusive’, citizens and residents of these states are back at polls today to elect their Governors and House of Assembly elections.

The supplementary election were ordered for a number of combination of reasons by the Independent Natonal Electoral Commission but this decision has no doubt triggered a controversial debate in the polity because the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party recorded higher number of votes in five of the six states, while the ruling party, All Progressive Congress leads in one state.

However, it would be recalled that ills like discontinuation of use of the Smart Card Readers midway into the elections or the failure to deploy them, over-voting, and widespread disruption in many polling units, made the election vulnerable to the ‘inconclusive’ syndrome.

Although the move to conduct a supplementary election was never out of the dictates of the law. Since the “Margin of Lead Principle” stated in Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act and paragraph 41(e) and 43(b) of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines, stated that the commission cannot declare a winner if the number of cancelled votes can mathematically affect the outcome of the election.
Hence, no winner can be declared if upon final collation, the margin of victory between two parties with the highest numbers of votes is less that than number kf cancelled votes abdand thus the need for the reruun

BAUCHI STATE
In Bauchi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Bauchi state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) stated that the supplementary poll will hold in 36 polling units spread across 29 wards in 15 Local Government Areas of the state because the margin of lead between the two candidates is 4, 059 votes.
He however said election would not hold in Tafawa Balewa local government – one of the three Local Government Areas Speaker Yakubu Dogara represents in the House of Representatives, which has 139, 240 registered voters, pending the decision of the Court.
KANO STATE
In Kano state, elections will be conducted across 28 affected local government areas, which have 75 Registration Centres, 207 polling units and 279 voting points with the total number of 128,324 registered voters.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Riskuwa Arab-Shehu, disclosed that the governorship election was cancelled across 15 LGAs due to violence and 116 polling units were affected, adding that in these affected areas, the total number of voters is 73,173.
SOKOTO STATE
In Sokoto state, election will take place in 22 Local Government Areas across 136 polling units, respectively.
Professor Fatima Muktar, the INEC Returning Officer, said the number of cancelled votes exceeded the margin between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congressives (APC), which is 3,413 votes.
Meanwhile, PDP’s Aminu Tambuwal is currently leading in the race for re-election, polling, 489,558 votes, while the APC polled 486,090 votes.
Additionally, the number of rejected votes is 30,082, while the total votes cast is 1,018,024.
PLATEAU STATE
In Plateau state, election will be held in 14 local government areas, out of the 17 in the state. These include Jos East, Jos North, Jos South, Kanam, Langtang North, Langtang South, Mangu, Panshin, Kanke, Mikang, Quanpan, Riyom, Shendam, and Wase.
The returning electoral officer, Richard Kimbir, said the reasons why results in some polling units were cancelled were due to over-voting, manual voting, and violence.
BENUE STATE
In Benue State, the election was declared inconclusive because the total number of accredited voters in areas where election was not held, was more than the margin of lead.
State Returning Officer for the Benue state governorship election, Prof. Sebastien Maimako, revealed that the 81,554 margin of lead and the total number of cancelled votes which stood at 121,019, the election could not be declared as conclusive.
Prof. Maimako said: “By the first maximum votes of 410,576 scored by PDP and the second maximum votes of 329,022 scored by APC, 81,554 is the margin of lead. Therefore, the total number of rejected votes in the areas where election was not held is above the margin of lead which is 121,019.
ADAMAWA STATE
In Adamawa state, INEC declared the Adamawa governorship race inconclusive because the lead margin was lower than the total number of votes cancelled in certain areas.
However, a High Court in Adamawa on Thursday ordered the indefinite postponement of the governorship election in the state. This came after an ex parte motion filed by the Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD) that claimed that its logo was excluded from the ballot paper for the March 9 election.
The judge, Abdul-azeez Waziri, said the polls should be put on hold until he rules on an application for an interlocutory injunction barring INEC from conducting the polls.
The judge then adjourned the matter to Tuesday to give the ruling.
Obviously, the contest is usually between the top two candidates which in these states are between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but all the candidates involved in the elections are still legible to participate in the supplementary elections, and not just the top two as it would happens in a runoff election.

For sure the die is cast and whatever happens, winners must surely emerge.

Headline

Court Validates PDP 2025 Convention in Ibadan, Affirms Turaki-led NWC

Published

8 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Eric

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has affirmed the validity of the 2025 Elective Convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which produced Dr. Kabiru Turaki as the substantive National Chairman of the party.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Ladiran Akintola upheld the convention in its entirety, ruling that it was conducted in full compliance with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions governing party elections in Nigeria.

The decision marked a significant legal victory for the party’s leadership and brought clarity to the dispute surrounding the convention’s legitimacy.

The ruling followed an amended originating summons filed by Misibau Adetunmbi (SAN) on behalf of the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, in Suit No. I/1336/2025.

In a comprehensive judgment, the court granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, effectively endorsing the processes and outcomes of the Ibadan convention.

Justice Akintola held that the convention, organised by the recognised leadership of the party, satisfied all laid-down legal requirements as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The court found no breach of due process or statutory non-compliance in the conduct of the exercise.

In the same proceedings, the court dismissed the Motion on Notice seeking a stay of proceedings and suspension of the ruling, filed by Sunday Ibrahim (SAN) on behalf of Austin Nwachukwu and two others. The applications were described as lacking merit.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court had also rejected a bid by Ibrahim to have his clients joined in the suit.

Justice Akintola ruled at the time that the joinder application was unsubstantiated and consequently dismissed it.

Headline

Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly, which President Bola Tinubu swiftly signed into law.

The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:

“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Some of the opposition leaders present in at the event include former Senate President David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, all from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, and other prominent members of the NNPP, notably Buba Galadima, were also in attendance.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure.

According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.

They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They characterised the polls as a “complete fraud” and said the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

They warned that increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed.

In their joint statement, the opposition parties pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic system.

On February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026 into law following its passage by the National Assembly. The Act introduced several reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and revised election timelines.

However, opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also called for further amendments, particularly over the manual transmission fallback clause, which critics say leaves room for manipulation.

The president said the law will strengthen democracy and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

Tinubu defended manual collation of results, questioned Nigeria’s readiness for full real-time electronic transmission, and warned against technical glitches and hacking.

The Electoral Act sparked intense debate in the National Assembly over how election results should be transmitted ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society groups under the “Occupy NASS” campaign demanded real-time transmission to curb manipulation.

In the Senate, lawmakers clashed during consideration of Clause 60, which allows manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a formal vote to remove the proviso permitting manual transmission, arguing against weakening real-time electronic reporting.

The move led to a heated exchange on the floor, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially suggesting the demand had been withdrawn.

After procedural disputes and a brief confrontation among senators, a division was conducted. Fifteen opposition senators voted against retaining the manual transmission proviso, while 55 supported it, allowing the clause to stand.

Earlier proceedings had briefly stalled during clause-by-clause review, prompting consultations and a closed-door session.

In the House of Representatives, a similar disagreement came up over a motion to rescind an earlier decision that mandated compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to IReV.

Although the “nays” were louder during a voice vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of rescinding the decision, triggering protests and an executive session.

Headline

AFP: How Tinubu’s Govt Paid Boko Haram ‘Huge’ Ransom, Released Two Terrorists for Kidnapped Saint Mary’s Pupils

Published

4 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a “huge” ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, an AFP investigation revealed Monday.

Two Boko Haram commanders were also freed as part of the deal, which goes against the country’s own law banning payments to kidnappers. The money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram’s Gwoza stronghold in northeastern Borno state on the border with Cameroon, intelligence sources told AFP.

The decision to pay the militants is likely to irritate US President Donald Trump, who ordered air strikes on jihadists in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day and has been sent military trainers to help support Nigerian forces.

Nigerian government officials deny any ransom was paid to the armed gang that snatched close to 300 schoolchildren and staff from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri in central Niger state on November 21. At least 50 later managed to escape their captors.

Boko Haram has not been previously linked to the kidnapping, but sources told AFP one of its most feared commanders was behind the mass abduction: the notorious jihadist known as Sadiku.

He infamously held up a train from the capital in 2022 and netted hefty ransoms for the release of government officials and other well-off passengers.

Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency since 2009, is strongest in northeast Nigeria.

But a cell in central Niger state operates under Sadiku’s leadership. The St. Mary’s pupils and staff were freed after two weeks of negotiations led by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, with the government insisting no ransom was paid. Nigeria’s State Security Service flatly denied paying any money, saying “government agents don’t pay ransoms”.

However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the pupils back. One source put it at 40 million naira per head – around $7 million in total.

Another put the figure lower at two billion naira overall. The money was delivered by chopper to Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in the northeast, three sources told AFP.

Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde had to cross into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.

Nigeria has long been plagued by mass abductions, with criminals and jihadist groups sometimes working together to extort millions from hostages’ families, and authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.

Source: Africanews