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NEC Releases 2019 General Election, Stakeholders Engagement Reports

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INEC makes U-turn, admits ownership of server
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By John Onah, Abuja

The Report of two Committees set up by the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce the official account of the
conduct of the 2019 General Election and to review the election based
on the outcome of the Commission’s Retreats and Stakeholder
Engagements held from 28th May to 12th July 2019 have been released
to the public.


Speaking at the presentation ceremony Friday, the INEC Chairman Prof
Mahmood Yakubu said the report  is presented in 13 Chapters covering
the major issues associated with the conduct of the election.


These are according to him, include the vision, mission, opportunities
and challenges of the Commission upon its inauguration on 9th November
2015.


It also touched on the lessons learnt from the conduct of over 170
off-cycle governorship elections and bye-elections, the review of the
2012-2016 Strategic Plan (SP) and Strategic Programme of Action (SPA),
the 2015 Election Project Plan (EPP) and the design, formulation and
implementation of the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan, Strategic Programme of
Action and the 2019 Election Project Plan.

The report  also examines in detail the key activities, preparations
and challenges associated with the conduct of the 2019 General
Election ranging from registration of new political parties, conduct
of continuous voter registration, monitoring of party primaries,
candidate nomination process and party campaigns, the recruitment and
training of ad-hoc staff and the accreditation of election observers
and party agents.

The report further discussed the processes and procedures for the
conduct of the General Election, including the deployment of personnel
and materials, the operation of the Situation Room and Collation
Centres and the organisation and management of the Counting, Collation
and Declaration of results at National, State, LGA and Registration
Area levels.


Again, the report deals with pre-election and post-election
litigations. The last section of the report focuses on the preparation
and delivery of the election in the 36 States of the Federation and
the FCT. The concluding part of the report dwells on the critical
issues and challenges associated with the preparation and conduct of
the election, lessons learnt and specific recommendations for
addressing them.

Speaking further, the Chairman said that the Second report was about
the review of the 2019 General Election based on the outcome of the
Commission’s Retreats and Stakeholder Engagements.
“It covers the outcome of internal debriefing meetings and external
engagements with electoral stakeholders held from 28th May to 12th
July 2019. The aim was to evaluate the Commission’s actions, processes
and procedures before, during and after the election”.

“While the internal review involved the Commission’s debriefing
sessions with its Electoral Officers, Administrative Secretaries,
Directing Staff and Resident Electoral Commissioners to critically
appraise its performance in the conduct of the election, the
engagement with external stakeholders involved meetings with leaders
of political parties, members of the Inter-Agency Consultative
Committee on Election Security (ICCES), Civil Society Organisations
and the Media”.

According to the chairman,the engagements which consisted of a total
of 12, in six separate internal and external meetings.

He disclosed that the review exercise enabled the Commission to listen
to its officials, receive feedbacks from relevant stakeholders and
learn vital lessons in the continuing effort to improve the conduct of
elections in Nigeria.


“Presented in 16 Chapters, the Report identifies the main issues
discussed in the review exercise and provides detailed assessment on
the opportunities and challenges associated with each of the issues as
well as actionable proposals for resolving them. Although the
Commission has undertaken such a review in the past, this is the first
time that the report is published and disseminated with the public”,
he added.


“It contains 180 recommendations that either require administrative
action by the Commission or amendments to strengthen the existing
electoral legal framework by the National Assembly. Some of the
recommendations that require administrative action by INEC are already
being implemented resulting in improved management of the electoral
process as seen in the recent off-cycle Governorship elections in Edo
and Ondo States. We are similarly engaging with the National Assembly
on aspects of the recommendations that require legislative action’.

He assured all Nigerians that the hard copies of the two reports will
be widely disseminated while soft copies will be uploaded on our
website on Monday, November 9.

Earlier in his welcome remark,  the National Commissioner, Elections
Operation and Logistics, Prof Okechukwu Ibeanu said the report
represents the commission’s sense of accountability and the and
analysis of the 2019 elections.


The report according to him, also represent the story of the
commission on the election and its quest to build strong virile
institutional memory as well as a reference gift from the commission
to researchers and the general public.


While thanking the international partners for their support, he called
on the public to rally round the commission noting that elections is
not just the business of the commission alone.

POLITICS

I Didn’t Call for Ganduje’s Resignation – Alia

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue has denied calling for the resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Tersoo Kula.


The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CPS was reacting to some media reports that the governor has called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.

The Kula said the governor at no time called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
He said the governor enjoyed a good relationship with the Ganduje-led leadership of APC.
“It is imperative to clarify that at no point did Governor Alia assembled, attended and sent a representative or participated in any meeting to discuss the removal or call for resignation of Alhaji.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“The Benue State governor remains firm in his support and allegiance to the leadership of the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Alhaji Ganduje.
“Furthermore, at no point, whether publicly or privately, has the governor advocated or expressed any desire for the resignation of the National party chairman”, he said.
He said the governor was focused on positively changing the fortunes of the state.
“He is alive to his responsibilities as the leader of APC in Benue State and is doing everything legitimate to reposition the party for future victories.” Kula said.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Benue State said it has withdrawn the only case filed by the embattled state chairman of the party, comrade Austin Agada that was pending before High Court 4 in Makurdi.
It said the said case has been consequently struck out by Justice T.A. Kume.
The state publicity secretary of the party, Daniel Ihomun,  said this was done in compliance with the directive of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in its 146th meeting held on the 20th March, 2024, wherein resolutions targeting peace were made directing all pending cases filed by members of the party in Benue State against the party or concerning the party and its members be withdrawn within 7 days.
Mr. Ihomun in a statement, made available to newsmen in Makurdi, said the State Legal Adviser of the APC, Alyebo Mathew Esq, at the instance of the state chairman, filed a Notice of Withdrawal on the 25th March, 2024, in the only case filed by the chairman that was pending before High Court 4 in Makurdi.
The party urged all members affected by the directive to withdraw all matters in court to clear the way for proper reconciliation that will ultimately pave the way for peace in the party.

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POLITICS

Mutfwang Meets PDP North Central Leadership Calls for Unity among Officials

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From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has called for unity a purpose among officials of the North Central geopolitical political zone towards the growth of the party in the region.
He noted that the region has consistently remained a stronghold for the PDP since its inception, attributing it to the party’s ideologies and its developmental impact on the citizens at any given opportunity.


Governor Mutfwang made the commendation during a meeting on Wednesday with PDP officials from the North Central, led by the zonal National Vice Chairman, Hon.
Theophilus Dakas Shan, at Plateau House in Abuja the nation’s capital.

While applauding the dedication, patriotism, and steadfast support of the PDP officials in the region for their role in promoting unity and internal democracy in the party reiterated that such dedication will not be forgotten by the party.
Governor Mutfwang through his Director of Press and Public Affairs expressed his gratitude to the zonal officials for their commitment during the 2023 general elections, an effort he said aligned with the party’s principles.
He reiterated that the party’s mission is to govern not for personal gain but for the people’s liberation, voicing his expectation that the PDP will continue to be the people’s party, deserving of significant involvement in its administration.
As the opposition party, the Governor emphasized the need to strive for the governance Nigerians aspire to, stating, “We must offer constructive criticism to the government and ensure the Nigerian people are not shortchanged.”
The Governor announced plans to reform the party into a robust, dependable, and credible political platform that enables Nigerians to run for elections and fulfill the promise of democracy.
The National Vice Chairman of the PDP North Central Zone, Hon. Theophilus Dakas Shan, congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his election and Supreme Court victories.
He pledged full support to his administration, noting that the Governor’s unique position as the sole PDP-elected Governor from the zone will not be taken for granted.
He acknowledged the North Central’s role in electing the National Chairman of the PDP by consensus before the 2023 elections. However, recent political events in Benue State, has set aside the Chairman from office adding that the zone needs to address the matter as a family.
Hon. Shan said plans are underway to hold congresses of the Party and called for unity to ensure that the process is reliable, credible, and universally accepted, thereby minimizing potential litigation.

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POLITICS

FG Seeks Swedish Govt Support on Technical Education

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Federal Government is seeking the support of the Swedish Government to help drive its ongoing efforts of integrating technology and skills into the education sector.The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman who made the appeal while hosting the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Annika Hahn-Englung, on a working visit to the ministry on Tuesday in Abuja, said it was important to leverage Sweden’s technical expertise.

The Minister also said the Federal government is seeking the support of the Swedish government in the development of indigenous languages to aid sound educational development in Nigeria.
He said: “The presence of (Swedish) tech companies in education and training is very important for us because one of the major things this ministry is focusing on now is to bring technology and skills into our education system right from the very early stage of education and we feel it is a very important mechanism tool for learning and teaching.
”And so we will be looking at your experiences to see how we can grow from that because what we want is right from primary school we want our students to be exposed to technology and skills so that at that stage they can grow with it and nurture critical thinking capabilities.“Right now education is not all about just providing training for jobs and skills of today, but preparing them to think about the skills of tomorrow and the best way to do that is by nurturing critical thinking capability right at the early stage.“So we will be leveraging your expertise and experience in order for us to develop our plans and integrate skills and technology into the curriculum at all the levels of our education system in Nigeria.”Mamman who noted that some agreements had been signed between Nigeria and Sweden in the past, however, stressed the need for both countries to deepen bilateral relationships by committing to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in several areas of partnerships.The Swedish envoy had earlier named some Swedish firms in Nigeria engaged in educational and entrepreneurship programmes.Hahn – Englung who expressed Sweden’s readiness to deepen existing relationships, especially in the area of education, noted Sweden’s desire to have more students study in the country’s institutions of higher learning.“We have quite a number of companies especially when it comes to EdTech but then also, we have ideas to see what we can do more together.“We have many Nigerian students going to Sweden every year. They are very competitive students we have noticed but we will like to see that expand more.”

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