The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would only continue to recognize and relate with Mr. Omoyele Sowore as the substantive National Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC). INEC's decision comes five days after one Mazi Okwy read a resolution of suspension to journalists in Abuja while installing the expelled secretary of the party, Leonard Ezenwa as acting party chairman. The electoral body in a statement signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, secretary to the commission on Friday said: "The commission after reviewing the content of the letter has established the following. There is no documentary evidence that a meeting of the AAC National Executive Committee (NEC) was convened by the National Chairman as required by Chapter 9 Section 59(a) of the Constitution of AAC.   "The party did not provide a 21-day notice of the NEC meeting as required by Section85(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). There are no minutes or evide...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why it postponed the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections. According to the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Commission considered the pleas from the Bayelsa State government. Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Oyekanmi said the state’s Deputy Governor, John Jonah said the initial date for the election, November 4 coincided with the State’s Annual Thanksgiving Day which is backed by the Bayelsa State Thanksgiving Day Law 2012. “Recall that on April 9, the Commission released a timetable and the schedule of activities for the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections for the elections to hold on November 2. “But after we released that time table, we received an appeal from the Bayelsa State government first from Governor Dickson. Then we got another letter from the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly. “Then we got appeals from ...

A file photo of Senator Ademola Adeleke. Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun. A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Odo-Otin local government area of Osun State, Mr Ajayi Shuaib, on Thursday denied filing fresh suit against Senator Ademola Adeleke, his party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). A fresh litigation with no FHC/OS/16/19 was on Monday, 13th of May instituted against Adeleke, PDP and INEC at the Federal High Court, Osogbo by Ajayi Shuaib on behalf of himself and concerned members of the PDP. However, distancing himself from the suit, Ajayi maintained that his name was fraudulently used by one Bukola Adewale to file fresh case against Adeleke, the PDP and INEC, contending that he knew nothing about the litigation. In a sworn affidavit deposed to at the Federal High Court, Osogbo, Ajayi said “on the 5th of May, 2019, one Bukola Adewole came to my house at Agbeye, Odo-Otin. I was not at home when he came, but he met my wife at hom...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has adjourned the collation of results for the Presidential elections at the National Collation Centre till 10am today, Tuesday, February 26. INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood made the announcement after collating results for eleven states and the FCT. The states already collated are Ekiti, Osun, Kwara, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Yobe, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi. INEC Chairman had on Monday commenced the process by calling on the party agents to inspect the materials for the collation of results and ensure that they are in order.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, has confirmed the death of the commission’s ad-hoc staff in Rivers State. Mr Yakubu said the staff, Amakiri Ibisaki, female, was hit by a “stray bullet”. He said the commission condemned the killing and will provide the necessary report to security agencies for investigation. “We have recorded the first fatality, an adhoc staff was hit by bullet,”  he said. “We condemn this attack and will forward a comprehensive report for security agencies to investigate.” It was not immediately clear whether Ms Ibisaki was a corps member. The bulk of INEC’s election duties staff is made up of university and polytechnic graduates undergoing a one-year compulsory national youth service. The presidential and National Assembly elections have recorded more than 20 deaths so far across the country, with Rivers State the worst affected. At least six people were killed in the oil-rich s...

Nigerians would have to wait another day to receive official results of the presidential elections as the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has adjourned the collation of the results until 11am on Monday, February 25, 2019. During the formal opening of the collation centre in the nation’s capital, Abuja, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu said he was adjourning the exercise because no state collation officer had arrived in Abuja with the results of the presidential elections. Agents from the various political parties, election observers and journalists are present at the collation center to learn the results of the presidential election. Earlier, Professor Yakubu had told journalists that Ekiti State had concluded the collation process and the officer was on his way to Abuja with the results of the presidential election from the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Niger State says no extension of voting in the state as elections in all the twenty-five local government areas were ended yesterday. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Samuel Egwu said INEC made sure every voter voted yesterday. At the moment, results are still being collated at the ward levels across the local government areas. However, results have started arriving at some local government Collation centers.

…Achieves 100 percent Card Reader Reconfiguration …Says, Supreme Court already sealed Rivers APC fate By Omeiza Ajayi The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has said the conclusion of declaration of the 2019 Presidential Election results would not take longer than the 2015 elections in spite of the sheer number of presidential candidates, size of the result sheets and increased voter population. INEC boss, Prof Mahmood Yakubu This was as the commission said it has achieved a 100 percent reconfiguration of its 180, 000 smart card readers ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections on Saturday. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the state of preparedness of the commission for the polls. “At yesterday’s briefing, we reported that we achieved 95% configuration of the Smart Card Readers SCR nationwide. The Card Readers were introduced in the 2015 general elections to facilitate t...

Lagos – A head of tomorrow’s rescheduled presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday said it would not conduct elections in volatile areas where security agencies said the safety of their officials could not be guaranteed, especially in some parts of the North East where Boko Haram insurgents had displaced thousands. It would be recalled that in 2015, the presidential election was shifted from February 14 to March 28, 2015 while the governorship and Assembly elections scheduled for February 28 were shifted to April 11 because of security issues. Also, the convoy of Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, was last week attacked by the Boko Haram splinter group loyal to the Islamic State, West Africa Province, in Gamboru area of the state while the governor was on election campaign. Speaking with Daily Independent on whether INEC would go ahead with the elections tomorrow despite the security situation in the...

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, disclosed this at a press briefing on the progress made by the commission in Abuja. on Wednesday. The INEC chairman said the card readers were reconfigured to the new election date to make them impossible to be used illegally. “They are configured to specific polling units and only open for use at 8 am on the election day; they will automatically shut down by 10 pm in order to forestall any illegal use before the appointed time for elections,” he said. “Yesterday, I reported 95 percent completion of the configuration. I am pleased to report that we have now achieved 100 percent completion of the configuration. We are good to go on this call.” Yakubu added that the electoral body had made progress on logistics. He disclosed that the deployment of materials in all states across the country and the federal capital territory (FCT) had been completed. He also added that 10 states had already begun the movement of the materials to local governme...

Nigeria’s electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission, Thursday said at least 72 million Nigerians have collected their permanent voter cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2019 elections. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chief announced this at a press briefing in Abuja. He said the 72.7 million Nigerians who have collected their PVCs represent 86.3 percent of the over 84 million registered voters in the country. Details later

The chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has promised automatic employment to members of the National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, who “do exceptionally well during elections” as INEC ad hoc staff. Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Yakubu made the promise on Wednesday during the commission’s daily briefing in Abuja. He also said that the commission values NYSC members very highly and will never joke with their welfare. File: NYSC members He was reacting to questions posed at him concerning the welfare of corps members who would work as INEC ad-hoc staff this Saturday. Recall that INEC had, last Saturday, postponed the presidential and parliamentary elections in the country to this coming Saturday, 23rd of February, 2019. INEC had cited, among others, technical issues and the cause for the postponement. Meanwhile, just as condemnations trailed INEC’s post...

•Sensitive electoral material belonging to Kano lands in Oyo The Resident Electoral Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in charge of Kwara state, Mallam Garba Attahir Madami, yesterday said the results sheet meant for the state for the presidential and National Assembly elections postponed last week was mistakenly taken to the commission’s office at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.He also said the one meant for Lagos was mistakenly delivered in Kwara while that of Lagos was taken to Nasarawa state. Madami made the disclosure while addressing party agents at the commencement of distribution of sensitive elections materials from the Ilorin office of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to local government areas in the state.It was witnessed by representatives of various security agencies including the Police, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Prison Service, and the media. ...

  The Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr Cyril Omoregbe, vowed that he will not hesitate to cancel the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly polls on Saturday should the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headquarters delay to send all electoral materials to the state. This may not be unconnected to the fact that prior to last weekend’s postponement, Omoregbe said the commission did not deploy election materials to the field owing to non-receipt of some sensitive electoral materials. He warned during a media chat in Asaba, saying  “if all of the electoral materials which have not been supplied but which we have notified INEC Abuja has not arrived by Friday 2.00 p.m. I will not hesitate to cancel the election. I will not wait till 2.00 a.m. to cancel the poll. Some of the discrepancies we spotted in the materials include those of other states wrongly sent to Delta and vice versa. Some local government areas did not have result ...

  Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,  After the tongue lashing by virtually all segments of the public for last Saturday’s last minute postponement of the presidential and National Assembly election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday began the public confidence rebuilding process, telling Nigerians that it is now ready to hold the poll rescheduled for Saturday nationwide. Its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in his first progress report told the media in Abuja that the hitches that caused the poll shift have been cleared and that the fresh time-lines for the conduct of the election are now being met. Specifically, he said the commission has achieved 98 per cent reconfiguration of its smart card readers, saying it is a significant milestone towards the conduct of the election and assured that the remaining two per cent would be completed today. Responding to media reports that a couple of its senior officials are being quizzed by the Department of S...

FEBRUARY 16, 2019 has become a date Nigerians may never forget in their calendars. It was indeed an exceptionally ‘inactive’ Saturday in history: without any wedding ceremonies, launchings, burials or any events across the nation. Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had scheduled the Presidential and National Assembly elections on the date, but at the 11th hour dashed the high hopes of the populace who had waited earnestly to either renew or reassign mandates to candidates of their choice. Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) They woke up with a shocking breaking news pinpointing to postponement of the polls. It was like a mirage as all ardent electorate had travelled to their respective domains for electoral franchise, including President Muhammadu Buhari to Daura. Buhari retired home for the election after the APC mega rally in Katsina on Thursday, February 14. Amidst the quandary...

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu (file). The Independent National Electoral Commission has reacted to the allegation that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, offered the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa State, Kashim Gaidam, $1m and a house in Dubai. INEC condemned the allegation in a tweet on Monday. READ ALSO:  INEC Reopens Political Campaigns The tweet was in reaction to a social media post which alleged that the former vice president had compromised the elections in Adamawa, his home state. But INEC condemned the post, saying, “The Adamawa INEC REC completely dissociates himself from the allegation that he had an offer of $1m and a house in Dubai as no offer whatsoever was ever made to him by anyone.” This comes two days after the electoral body postpone the general elections, which was initially scheduled to commence on Saturday last week, by one week. Following the postponement, INEC reopened campa...

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Tuesday claimed that the Department of State Services (DSS) will today arrest the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioner in charge of operations and logistics, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu. Imo Ugochinyere, CUPP spokesman, in a statement on Tuesday, also alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to sabotage and shift the rescheduled February 23rd election, and has directed DSS to invite and detain the federal commissioner. He said the planned arrest of the official was due to his alleged refusal to help the All Progressives Congress (APC) government sabotage distribution and compromise of sensitive election materials. Ugochinyere said: “The Refusal of INEC to proceed with staggered election during the aborted Feb 16 election which ruined Buhari APC rigging plan is the reason for the new offensive action against INEC to intimidate them into submission. “The idea to detain the Federal Commissioner...

Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Rivers State have recovered 31 Electronic Card Readers (ECRs) believed to have been stolen from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The SRCs were recovered in a bush on Rumuji-Emohua axis of the East-West Road in the Southsouth state. They were allegedly thrown into the bush by thugs who were fleeing to escape arrest. The thugs were believed to be working for one of the major political parties. SARS yesterday notified the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers State, Mr. Obo Effanga, seeking for more information and the cooperation of the commission and its officials to ensure detailed investigation. A top official of the SARS in Rivers, said that the hoodlums, who drove in a brown Toyota Camry saloon car around 9am on Saturday, were given a hot chase by operatives of the squad, making them to escape, after throwing a bag containing the 31 card readers into the bush. The SARS chief also reve...

Police operatives in Abia State have arrested three officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission for allegedly being in possession of over 10,000 Permanent Voter Cards, TheCable reports. It was gathered that one of the suspects, simply identified as Stella, was arrested at a checkpoint at INEC head office in Umuahia, the state capital. Stella was said to have stuffed the PVCs in the booth of her Honda Accord saloon car with Registration No.AKD 953 FN. It was gathered that the suspect was arrested while trying to move the PVCs illegally to a location where they were to be used to rig elections in favour of some politicians in the last Saturday’s postponed presidential and National Assembly elections. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof. Joseph Iroh, confirmed that the suspects were employees of INEC. He said they were on an official assignment in Ikwuano Local Government Area before they were arrested. Iroh added that the INEC office in...