ONLY COURT WILL DETERMINE FATE OF RIVERS LAWMAKERS WHO DEFECTED FROM PDP – INEC CHAIRMAN

download 2024 05 10T203247.291 3 jpeg

ONLY COURT WILL DETERMINE FATE OF RIVERS LAWMAKERS  WHO DEFECTED FROM PDP – INEC CHAIRMAN

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has finally broke its silence on the controversy trailing the status of the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly that crossed from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who formally reacted to it in his remarks at the second quarterly consultative meeting with media organisations held in Abuja on Wednesday, stated that the commission is waiting for the law courts to make pronouncement on their positions before taking an appropriate steps.

Yakubu further explained that there are 32 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly elected during the 2023 general election, emphasising that the commission has no business with the resignation of the Assembly members.

While urging those resigning to address their letters to the Clerk of the Assembly not INEC, Yakubu said: “32 members were elected in the last general election into Rivers State House of Assembly.

“We have been bombarded with letters from those emerging as Speakers and even the PDP urging us to declare their seats vacant.

“INEC has no business with anybody resigning from the State House of Assembly. He should direct his letter of resignation to the Clerk of the House of Assembly. In one day, I received three letters, but it is not our duty,” he said.

The electoral umpire boss further admitted that the commission was aware that the matters werere in courts and would wait for the pronouncement of the courts to act accordingly.

“Our position remains that where matters are in Courts, we wait for judgments before taking steps. We are not the Courts so it’s not our responsibility to interprete cases. It is when Courts have given judgments that we now do what we as the electoral body should do, but untill such happens, we will not take any step that is not our constitutional responsibility.

“The National Assembly make laws, the judiciary interprets the laws so, it is not our duty to do that. It is within the Courts pronouncement we act,” he emphasised.

Commenting on the preparations for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo states off-cycle governorship elections, Yakubu reassured that the commission was ready.

“Taking into consideration the limited time to the governorship elections, the commission has decided to conduct the registration at Ward level and our State headquarters instead of our Local Government offices and a few designated centers as was the case in the past.

“This means that there will be 192 Ward registration centres in Edo State and 203 centres in Ondo State in addition to our State offices in Benin City and Akure, making a total of 397 walk-in registration centres in the two States.

“There will be no online pre-registration option in the two States because of time constraint. Each centre will be managed by two officials drawn from our regular staff and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). In the next few days, the Commission will commence the training of at least 794 officials for the exercise. The locations of the registration centres as well as other relevant information have been compiled in a detailed 28-page document included in your folders for this meeting.

“The same information has already been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.”

Yakubu urged the media to join the commission in mobilising prospective registrants for the exercise, particularly on the need to register early and not wait until the deadline approaches when the registration centres will be inundated by eleventh hour registrants.

“In addition to the registration of voters, the commission will also make available the uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for collection during the CVR. In the coming days, the list of uncollected PVCs will be published in our offices in the two States and simultaneously uploaded to our website.

“We believe that doing so will make it easier for voters to know the availability of the cards and identify the locations to collect them. However, no PVCs will be collected by proxy. Registered voters should come in person to collect their cards. Again, we seek for the support of the media in encouraging voters to locate and pick up thier PVCs as was done in the past.“Still on our preparations for the two Governorship elections, the Commission has published the final list of candidates for Edo following the conclusion of party primaries and the end of the period for withdrawal and substitution of candidates as provided in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election,” he said.

  • Dons Eze

    DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.

    Related Posts

    GANDUJE, EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET

    GANDUJE EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, has come under attack from northern leaders and groups over his call on the North to bury any ambition of contesting the presidency in 2027. They accused him of working against the interest of the North just to please President Bola Tinubu. The controversy surrounding Ganduje’s statement highlights the complex dynamics of Nigerian politics, particularly regarding zoning and power rotation. As the country prepares for the 2027 presidential election, it remains to be seen how this debate will unfold. Ganduje had urged northern politicians nursing presidential ambition in 2027 to bury the idea, insisting that President Tinubu would serve two terms. Apparently reacting to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who, in a post on his verified X handle, threatened that in 2027, the North would give Tinubu the same treatment meted out to former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. But Ganduje, while hosting leaders and members of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre, PBAT Media Centre, and Tinubu Northern Youth Forum, TNYF, at APC National Secretariat in Abuja, said expectations that the North would produce the President in 2027 should be “perished.” “When a leader from the northern part of this country was in office for eight years, we advocated that the next president in our party should come from the South”, he stated. “And luckily enough, we worked very hard with the cooperation of Nigerians. Our President has come from the South and is going, insha’Allah, for a second term in 2027. And then after that, it will be turned to the northern part of this country”. ‘Dangerous precedent’The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, said the statement wasn’t surprising, adding that Ganduje was doing the bidding of his “benefactor.” National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said: “It is a political statement, and he is representing the party. Whether he likes it or not, the President is the main man for the party, and the benefit he would get comes through the President. “So, whether he is from the North or wherever, he just has to support the President. It is, therefore, not surprising that, in spite of the Northern resistance for whatsoever reason, he is supporting the President, so it is not surprising. “However, there are things we need to learn from the behavior of the North. There is this thing they call ‘Takiya.’ It is a holy deceit. It is practiced in the North in some things. “So, what he says may not exactly be what he meant. So, let’s hope and believe that what he said was what he meant, and that was not a deceit aimed at appeasing those he wants to, with the intention of doing something else. “This is something our Southern brothers do not seem to know or understand. But for those of us in the North, when one of us says something, we weigh it properly based on the action that might follow.” ‘Disturbing questions’ On his part, National President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, said Ganduje’s position raised disturbing questions about Nigeria’s democracy. He said: “Ganduje’s call for politicians from the North to drop any ambition of contesting against Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election raises important questions about the principles of democracy and the right to political participation. “It is essential to analyze this statement in the context of democratic principles and the right to political participation. In a democratic society, every citizen has the right to contest for political office and present themselves as candidates for election. “This right is enshrined in the constitution and is a fundamental aspect of a functioning democracy. Ganduje’s call for politicians from the…

    GANDUJE, EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET

    GANDUJE, EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, has come under attack from northern leaders and groups over his call on the North to bury any ambition of contesting the presidency in 2027. They accused him of working against the interest of the North just to please President Bola Tinubu. The controversy surrounding Ganduje’s statement highlights the complex dynamics of Nigerian politics, particularly regarding zoning and power rotation. As the country prepares for the 2027 presidential election, it remains to be seen how this debate will unfold. Ganduje had urged northern politicians nursing presidential ambition in 2027 to bury the idea, insisting that President Tinubu would serve two terms. Apparently reacting to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who, in a post on his verified X handle, threatened that in 2027, the North would give Tinubu the same treatment meted out to former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. But Ganduje, while hosting leaders and members of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre, PBAT Media Centre, and Tinubu Northern Youth Forum, TNYF, at APC National Secretariat in Abuja, said expectations that the North would produce the President in 2027 should be “perished.” “When a leader from the northern part of this country was in office for eight years, we advocated that the next president in our party should come from the South”, he stated. “And luckily enough, we worked very hard with the cooperation of Nigerians. Our President has come from the South and is going, insha’Allah, for a second term in 2027. And then after that, it will be turned to the northern part of this country”. ‘Dangerous precedent’The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, said the statement wasn’t surprising, adding that Ganduje was doing the bidding of his “benefactor.” National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said: “It is a political statement, and he is representing the party. Whether he likes it or not, the President is the main man for the party, and the benefit he would get comes through the President. “So, whether he is from the North or wherever, he just has to support the President. It is, therefore, not surprising that, in spite of the Northern resistance for whatsoever reason, he is supporting the President, so it is not surprising. “However, there are things we need to learn from the behavior of the North. There is this thing they call ‘Takiya.’ It is a holy deceit. It is practiced in the North in some things. “So, what he says may not exactly be what he meant. So, let’s hope and believe that what he said was what he meant, and that was not a deceit aimed at appeasing those he wants to, with the intention of doing something else. “This is something our Southern brothers do not seem to know or understand. But for those of us in the North, when one of us says something, we weigh it properly based on the action that might follow.” ‘Disturbing questions’ On his part, National President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, said Ganduje’s position raised disturbing questions about Nigeria’s democracy. He said: “Ganduje’s call for politicians from the North to drop any ambition of contesting against Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election raises important questions about the principles of democracy and the right to political participation. “It is essential to analyze this statement in the context of democratic principles and the right to political participation. In a democratic society, every citizen has the right to contest for political office and present themselves as candidates for election. “This right is enshrined in the constitution and is a fundamental aspect of a functioning democracy. Ganduje’s call for politicians from the…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    CATHOLIC PRIEST, TWO OTHERS FREED AFTER FOUR DAYS IN CAPTIVITY

    • By Dons Eze
    • February 16, 2025
    • 27 views

    POLICE INSPECTOR DEAD IN OGUN HOTEL, FEMALE COMPANION FLEES SCENE

    • By Dons Eze
    • February 16, 2025
    • 54 views

    TINUBU SETS BALL OF SOUTH EAST DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ROLLING AS OKOYE PILOTS AFFAIR

    • By Dons Eze
    • February 16, 2025
    • 60 views

    GANDUJE, EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET

    • By Dons Eze
    • February 16, 2025
    • 38 views

    GANDUJE, EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET

    • By Dons Eze
    • February 16, 2025
    • 15 views

    PDP CRISIS ESCALATES AS POLICE TOLD TO INVESTIGATE ALI ODEFA, UDEH-OKOYE OVER FORGERY

    • By Dons Eze
    • February 16, 2025
    • 43 views