POLITICS

Wednesday, 08 February 2023 05:57

'Thick veil of violence' around Nigeria's elections - Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch said Monday that there is a "thick veil of violence" surrounding elections scheduled to take place in Nigeria later this month. The violence "undermines people's fundamental right to vote," said Anietie Ewang, HRW's Nigerian researcher, who called on Nigerian officials to install secure systems that would allow Nigerians to vote safely. "It is important for the authorities to swiftly restore public confidence in their ability to hold those responsible for electoral violence accountable and ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians," Ewang said in a statement. In the capital city of Imo state, Owerri, where violent…

Wednesday, 08 February 2023 05:56

Printers lose out as more election adverts, publicity move online

A loud whir filled the back of a print shop in Nigeria's capital Abuja as machines churn out grinning faces of presidential election frontrunners on posters, flyers and food packaging. Workers poured cassava flour into blue and green bags sporting the governing All Progressives Congress party's acronym and stashed them next to a pile of red and green opposition rice packets. The advertising campaign season is in full throttle. The run-up to a vote is usually a chance for small businesses like Shimatex Prints to cash in on election paraphernalia ranging from hats and flip-flops to tissue boxes and cooking…

Tuesday, 07 February 2023 05:59

In split decision, Supreme Court says Lawan is APC Yobe North senatorial candidate

In a split judgment of three to two justices, the Supreme Court on Monday declared Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the February 25 Senatorial election for Yobe North Senatorial District. The majority decision delivered by Centus Nweze, made the declaration after setting aside both the decisions of the Court of Appeal and trial court which earlier affirmed Bashir Machina as candidate. According to Nweze, the lower courts lacked the necessary jurisdiction to hear the suits because it was commenced by originating summons, adding that the dispute in the case was one that cannot…

Tuesday, 07 February 2023 05:55

Aisha Buhari talks about Aso Rock cabal, but she’s a member - Naj’atu Muhammad

Naj’atu Muhammad, a former senatorial candidate, says Aisha Buhari, wife of the president, is a member of the “cabal” manipulating governance in the country. Last week, Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, alleged that there are “elements” in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration working against the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming elections. A few hours after, Aisha shared the video clip of the interview on her Instagram page, which many believed to be a demonstration of her support for the claims by the Kaduna governor. The president’s wife had, on several occasions, publicly complained about fifth columnists…

Monday, 06 February 2023 06:01

Nigeria’s presidential race goes down to the wire - The Economist

Three candidates still have real hopes of victory If presidential elections were won by advertising, Bola Tinubu of the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) party would win Nigeria’s by a landslide. His face grins relentlessly over all corners of the country. “Posters don’t vote,” quips a member of the campaign team for Peter Obi, the candidate of a rival minor party who unexpectedly leads the polls in what is usually a two-horse race. The contest is close, chaotic and crucial to the future of Africa’s most populous country and biggest economy. Nigerians, who will vote on February 25th, are poorer…

Monday, 06 February 2023 05:59

Naira notes scarcity: Peter Obi pleads for FG, CBN; tells Nigerians to bear with govt

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), says the currency redesign policy the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) comes with pain, but in the long run, it has significant economic and social benefits. In October 2022, Godwin Emefiele, governor of the CBN, announced the plan to redesign the N200, N500, and N1,000 notes, and asked Nigerians to deposit their old notes before January 31, 2023, when they would cease to be legal tender. Although the deadline has been shifted to February 10, many Nigerians have found it difficult to obtain the new naira notes. The former Anambra…

Sunday, 05 February 2023 06:08

Osun tribunal judgment taught us useful lessons - INEC chair

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) did not fail during the last Osun State governorship election. INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said this in an interview with reporters while monitoring the BVAS mock accreditation exercise in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday. Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke for over-voting at over 700 polling units in the 16 July 2022 governorship election in the state. Speaking on the matter for the first time, Yakubu who clarified that the BVAS machine was not on trial as being insinuated in some…

Sunday, 05 February 2023 06:07

Al Jazeera: Peter Obi started a movement. Can he become president?

Obi has inspired a zealous movement of mostly youths and disrupted Nigeria’s traditional two-man presidential contest. But can he go all the way and win the vote? This month, after eight years of a Muhammadu Buhari presidency under which Nigeria emerged as the world’s poverty capital and endured two recessions in five years, Nigerians will head to the polls to elect his successor, hoping for a new era. Since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, Nigeria’s presidency has rotated between two political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now in opposition, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But…

Sunday, 05 February 2023 06:07

El-Rufai made certain claims in the controversial interview he had with Channels TV. The Cable fact-checked them and returned these verdicts

CLAIM 1: “Right now the federal bureaucracy is over-bloated. There are over 800 ministries departments and agencies.” VERDICT: True. Speaking about the complexity of the Nigerian state, and the need for a functional public service, el-Rufai noted that the present structure of the public service is ineffective and hampering national development. TheCable searched the official website of the federal civil service commission which listed 1,316 ministries departments and agencies. CLAIM 2: “Members of the legislature are allowed to have their own businesses.” VERDICT: False. Nigerian legislation doesn’t approve or permit full-time public officers to own or run private businesses, trade,…

Friday, 03 February 2023 06:03

El-Rufai to ‘Villa cabals’: ‘We’re respectful but if you show us you’re not an elder, I swear we’ll fight you.’

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has dared the Aso Rock “cabals” he believes are opposed to the Presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election. El-Rufai had sparked a controversy on Wednesday when he said some persons in Aso Rock were working against Tinubu. While responding to a question in a yet to be fully released interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai said, “Respecting people is not fear, I swear we don’t fear anyone in this country, so we are not fearful, we are respectful but if you show us you…

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Friday, 03 February 2023 06:02

Court orders INEC to accept LP’s candidates in 24 states

A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept nomination of candidates of the Labour Party (LP) in 24 states for the 2023 general elections. Inyang Ekwo on Thursday, while delivering judgment in the suits filed by LP to challenge the non-recognition of its candidates in 24 states, held that INEC violated sections 31, 33, and 36 of the Electoral Act 2022 in rejecting the party’s candidates in the affected states on the ground of non-functioning of its nomination portal. The judge, therefore, ordered INEC to accept the list of candidates in the…

Thursday, 02 February 2023 05:51

Aisha Buhari promotes El-Rufai’s conspiracy theory on ‘elements’ within Aso Villa working to ensure Tinubu loses

Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has shared a video clip of an interview featuring Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, on her Instagram page. Earlier on Wednesday, el-Rufai, in an interview on Channels Television, said there are persons in Buhari’s administration working to ensure the All Progressives Congress (APC) loses the presidential election. “Most of the people in the villa are not members of our party. I believe there are elements in the villa that want us to lose the election because they didn’t have their way,” el-Rufai had said. “They had their candidates, and their candidates didn’t win the…

Wednesday, 01 February 2023 05:49

Tinubu, again, attacks Buhari over Naira value; says exchange rate went from N200 to N800 on president’s watch

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Calabar, Cross River State, slammed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government over the depreciation of the nation’s currency. This comes few days after Tinubu criticised the government. According to Tinubu, when the government took over, the naira/dollar exchange rate was about N200 to a dollar, but it has depreciated to about N800 to the dollar on the parallel market. “Today, they moved the exchange rate from N200 to N800. If they had repaired it, if they had arrested this, we won’t be where…

Sunday, 29 January 2023 06:05

INEC extends PVC collection deadline again, for the ‘last time’

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for the collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs). This is the second time INEC will extend the deadline for PVC collection. The previous deadline was January 29. In a statement, Festus Okoye, national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee, said the decision was taken after a meeting on Saturday. The new deadline for PVC collection is February 5. “The Commission met today, Saturday, 29th January 2023 a day after its meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal capital Territory,…

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