News

APC Releases Timetable, Guidelines for Ward Congresses, Grants Waivers

Published

4 years ago

July 18, 2021

Eric

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released the approved schedule of activities and guidelines for the conduct of the Party’s nationwide Ward congresses scheduled for Saturday July 31, 2021.

According to the notice signed by the National Secretary of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, purchase of nomination forms for Ward, Local Government/Area Councils and State Congresses will take place from 19th July to 28th August, 2021.

Screening of Aspirants for the Ward Party positions is scheduled for July 29th to 30th July, 2021. Ward Congresses will hold 31st July, 2021. Appeals Arising from Ward Congresses will hold August 2nd to 7th August, 2021.

The notice reads in parts:

In line with Article 11:A sub-section (i-xiii) and article 16(i) of the Party’s Constitution (as Amended), the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be organising its congresses across the 36 states and FCT to elect its Wards, Local Governments and States Officials. Only Wards and Local Government Areas stipulated in Sections 156 of the Electoral Act and in part I&II of the First Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as Amended) are recongised.

The Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the Party, in a bid to ensure open, credible and fair congresses that reflect the sanctity of internal democracy in the Party, issues a guiding regulation for the nationwide congresses of the Party. It is binding on all persons coordinating and participating in all Congresses.

WARD CONGRESS COMMITTEE (WCC)

Each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) shall for the purpose of the Party’s 2021 congresses have a committee of 7 persons who are to be selected based on their proven integrity. They shall be appointed and supervised by the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). This committee shall be referred to as the Ward Congress Committee (WCC). The members of the committees will be posted to places outside their states of recruitment. It shall be composed of a Chairman, Secretary and 5 other members, One (1) of whom shall be a woman (where possible). The committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the Ward congress exercise in their place of posting.

The Ward Congress Committee (WCC) shall appoint 3 persons from any other part of the State other than the Ward in which they will serve (to be referred as Local Ward Congress Committee (LWCC). Who shall be responsible for the conduct of the Screening/Congress in their assigned Ward under the directives/supervision of the WCC. The WCC shall ensure that the exercise is all-inclusive

APPEALS COMMITTEE

There shall be an appeal committee for the Wards. Each state and FCT shall have a 5-member Ward Congress Appeals Committee whose members are recruited from outside their states of origin by the CECPC. They shall be responsible for the hearing of appeals arising from the Ward Congresses.

VENUE (Ward Congresses)

The election venue shall be the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward offices where they exist. Where none exists, or the existing one for any reason, becomes unsuitable, the Ward Congress Committee (WCC) shall identify a convenient and conducive venue for the congress (provided it is not a private residence or place of worship or office). The general public must be notified of the venue at least 12 hours before the commencement of the congresses.

COMPOSITION OF CONGRESSES

The Ward congress shall consist of all registered members of the party in the ward. All newly registered members from the updated 2021 Party Membership Register are eligible to participate in the Ward Congress.

BUSINESS OF THE CONGRESSES

The Ward Congress shall carry out the election of;

Ward Chairman
Ward Vice Chairman
Ward Secretary
Ward Assistant Secretary
Ward Legal Adviser
Ward Assistant Legal Adviser
Ward Treasurer
Ward Assistant Treasurer
Ward Financial Secretary
Ward Assistant Financial Secretary
Ward Organising Secretary
Ward Assistant Organising Secretary
Ward Publicity Secretary
Ward Assistant Publicity Secretary
Ward Welfare Secretary
Ward Assistant Welfare Secretary
Ward Women Leader
Ward Assistant Women Leader
Ward Youth Leader
Ward Assistant Youth Leader
Special (Physically Challenged) Leader (the position must be occupied by such a person as described)
Ward Auditor
Ward Assistant Auditor
Four Ex-Officio Members elected at Ward Congress (one of whom shall be a woman, where possible)
Five (5) Local Government Area Congress Delegates one of whom shall be a Woman (where possible).
Five (5) State Congress Delegates one of whom shall be at least a Ward Chairman and a Woman (where possible).

NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR PARTY POSITIONS

Aspirants to party positions in the Wards will be elected at the various Congresses and must be persons with the highest degree of good Character, Competence, and Capacity. They shall pay the specified fees for the party nomination form.

SALE OF FORMS (Wards)

Aspirants for the position of Ward Chairman will purchase forms at the cost of N10, 000. Forms for Ward Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer positions cost N5,000. Other offices cost N2,000. All delegates will pay N1,000 for the form.

WARD LEVEL NOMINATION OF ASPIRANTS FOR PARTY ELECTIONS

(Chairmanship Aspirants shall require 1 sponsor per Polling unit within the Ward, while other positions shall require 1 sponsor from at least half of the Polling Units within the Ward)

All Female Aspirants shall pay 50% of the prescribed fees for each position.

Persons with disability shall pay 50% of the prescribed fees for each position.

All payments for purchase of Nomination Forms shall be made directly into All Progressives Congress accredited banks.
Following the purchase, the completed forms must be returned at least three working days before the conduct of the election.

MODE OF ELECTIONS AT THE CONGRESSES

a. Consensus

All Party positions prescribed or implied by the Party’s Constitution as above stated for the congresses shall be filled by democratically conducted elections at the respective congresses. However, for peace and harmony, the party encourages emergence of candidates through consensus in the first instance; provided that where a candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of “Yes” or “No” by ballot or voice shall be called.

b. Election

Utmost transparency is required in all elections. Therefore, in all respects, votes must be counted and results announced and recorded on the spot.

In the event of a tie in any ballot, the election for that particular office shall be repeated for the tying candidates until a winner emerges. The winner of an election shall be determined by a simple majority of total votes cast and declared winner in an open view.

Ward Congress Mode of Election;
After membership accreditation, elections at ward level shall be by open ballot. Accredited party voters shall queue behind the candidate of their choice or his/her picture or poster.

*Congresses Special Provisions*

The Ward Party Registers/Membership Registration Forms shall serve as the Voter Register, while the Registration slip serves as the Voter’s card in each voting precinct (Ward).

Aspirants contesting for any post in the party must have INEC Voters Card.

In addition to waivers granted to officers seeking re-election, Waiver is hereby granted to persons who joined the party recently to vote and be voted for, provided that their names are in the Ward Registers.

Accreditation of intending party voters for all congresses shall be conducted and approved by the respective National Congress Committees at all levels.

The Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) reserves the right to cancel any election in areas where there are irregularities or violence in the conduct of election.

The Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is the final appeal authority in all election disputes.

Any aspirant that is indicted of any irregularity, violence or electoral malpractice shall, subject to a fair hearing, be either suspended or expelled from the party and shall forfeit his/her right to participate in any future elections of the party for any position.

The WCC shall respectively display/announce the names of candidates vying for party positions in Wards congresses and the positions they are vying for before the conduct of the election.

The National Executive Ccommittee (NEC) has granted waivers to new Members ( those who applied for such ) and also to all Officers at Ward, Local Government and State levels in line with the provision of Article 13 (4) xv, provided that no officer elected in this exercise shall serve in the same capacity beyond the maximum term prescribed in Article 17 I & ii of the APC Constitution (as Amended) a member who started or continued with litigation against the Party after the directives of NEC is not eligible to vote or be voted for in the respective congresses. Without prejudice to these guidelines, all aspirants with valid court Judgement(s) with respect to previous forms purchase are eligible to participate in the exercise .

All persons vying for the position of youth leader must be persons aged between 18-35years.

All Aspirants must show evidence of financial membership of the Party.

News

Communal Conflicts: Adeleke Establishs Holding Camps for Displaced Residents

Published

7 hours ago

March 26, 2025

Eric

Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the immediate establishment of three holding camps for displaced people from Ifon, Ilobu and Erin Osun.

The Governor issued the directive after he confirmed the implementation of his earlier directive for the distribution of food and relief materials to the displaced people through the palaces of each troubled town.

“Now that the distribution of food and relief materials has commenced, I have directed the state emergency agency to proceed to set up camps for displaced people.

“Each town is to have a camp, probably their town halls or any place of their choice. Security agencies are to screen displaced people for transportation to the camps.

“The emergency agency will be providing food materials and accessories for the displaced people while the situation normalizes. The emergency agency has also reached out to NEMA for further support “, the Governor was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has commended security agencies for promptly implementing his directive for the grilling and prosecution of key ringleaders in the communal crisis.

“All the culprits must be brought to book. There must be accountability. I expect suspects to be charged to court as soon as possible ”, the Governor noted.

The 24-hour curfew continues amidst further tightening of security surveillance in the towns.

News

INEC Faults Natasha’s Recall Petition, Says Petitioners Failed to Provide ‘Contact Details’

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2025

Eric

The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Tuesday, raised concerns over the petition for the recall of the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The commission, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, acknowledged receiving the petition, which includes six bags of documents that are said to contain signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.

However, INEC pointed out that the petitioners failed to provide the necessary contact information, such as their addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, as required under the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.

The petition, presented on behalf of the constituents by Charity Ijese and received by INEC’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, on Monday, was said to be lacking clear contact details for the representatives, with only the phone number of the lead petitioner provided.

Also, INEC noted that the petition represents voters from five local government areas—Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene—covering 902 polling units across 57 registration areas.

However, the commission criticised the petitioners for providing a vague address—simply listing “Okene, Kogi State”—which does not meet the standards outlined in the commission’s regulations.

The statement read in part, “The commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Tuesday, 25th March 2025. Among other issues, the meeting discussed the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

“The process of recall is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 as well as the commission’s detailed Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, available on our website. All petitions will be treated in strict compliance with the legal framework.

“The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene.

“The commission’s immediate observation is that the representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines.

“The address given is ‘Okene, Kogi State’, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of ‘the lead petitioner’ is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners.”

The commission emphasised that the recall process is governed by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s own detailed guidelines and that once the petition meets all the legal requirements, INEC will initiate the verification of signatures in an open process at each polling unit.

It said the verification will be limited to registered voters who signed the petition, and both the petitioners and the senator facing recall will have the right to nominate agents to observe the process.

Signature verification will be conducted using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, and media and other observers will be accredited.

Olumekun explained, “The commission wishes to reiterate that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them.

“Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, the commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each Polling Unit in an open process restricted to registered voters who signed the petition only.

“The petitioners and the member whose recall is sought shall be at liberty to nominate agents to observe the verification, while interested observers and the media will also be accredited. At each Polling Unit, signatories to the petition shall be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.”

INEC assured the public that the recall process would proceed in accordance with the law, provided the petitioners fulfill all necessary guidelines.

However, in the absence of complete contact information, the commission is exploring alternative methods to notify the petition representatives.

INEC also urged the public to disregard any rumours or speculations circulating on social media and reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the process is carried out in full compliance with the legal framework.

“Consequently, if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the commission will announce the next steps in line with the extant laws, regulations and guidelines.

“In the absence of a definite contact address, the commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation.

“The commission reassures the public that it will be guided by the legal framework for recall. The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media,” the statement concluded.

The recall petition follows several controversial events involving Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate on March 6 for alleged “gross misconduct” following a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The petition, titled “Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence,” called for her removal due to accusations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and a pattern of deceit.

The Punch

News

Natasha vs Senate: Akpabio’s Accusation of Bias Forces Judge to Withdraw from Case

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2025

Eric

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has withdrawn from the case filed by the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the leadership of the senate.

Justice Egwuatu, recused himself from the matter on Tuesday after lawyers to the parties in the suit announced their appearances.

He said he was stepping down from the matter because of the petition written by Senate President Godswilll Akpabio, alleging he was biased.

The presiding judge said he would will return the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, so the matter could be reassigned to another judge.

Justice Egwuatu had on March 4, given an an interim order that stopping the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from going ahead with the disciplinary proceedings started against t Akpoti-Uduaghan who was alleged to have broken senate rules.

The judge gave the senate leadership 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.

But the Senate Committee still went ahead to hold its sitting where it recommended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months suspension.

However, the judge later amended the interim order by vacating the aspect that stopped the Senate from from taking any action pending the outcome of the suit.