News & Announcements

Re-election has been ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in nine polling places in Ganaja Village, Ajaokuta Local Government Area, Kogi.

The decision became necessary because scheduled polls couldn’t take place in those units because of logistical issues, according to Alhaji Haliru Sule, Kogi INEC’s Chief of Voters Education and Publicity.

Sule reported that election supplies and officials had already been redeployed to the area early on Sunday morning in preparation for the poll to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja.

His words were, “We had some challenges holding the presidential and National Assembly elections in Ganaja Village in Ajaokuta Local Government on Saturday because of some logistic problems.

“We tried to see how it could hold the previous day but we couldn’t, so we have to shift it to Sunday.

“The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Hale Longpet, has given the go ahead for the election to hold this Sunday, Feb. 26.

“We don’t want a situation where some people will be disenfranchised in this very important election,” he said.

Sule urged the residents of Ganaja Village to turn out in large numbers so they could participate in the election and exercise their right to vote freely.

Comfort Muoneke, 73, was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for possessing 20 Permanent Voter Cards.

Afekhana Esther and Segun Osaimokhai, two of her accomplices, were also detained.

“Operations of the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, have detained three persons for being in possession of multiple Permanent Voter Cards,” the EFCC stated in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Sunday.

“One of the suspects, Afekhana Esther, was arrested at Ward 1, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ikpoba Okha, Benin City with 20 PVCs belonging to different people.

“She claimed that the cards were handed over to her by the duo of Comfort Muoneke, a 73-year-old woman and Segun Osaimokhai.

“The suspects have made useful statements and will be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation is completed.”

Voting in the presidential and national assembly elections in Cross River has been delayed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) until Sunday, February 26.

This information was provided in a statement made by Prof. Gabriel Yomere, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Cross River, and signed by Mrs. Anthonia Nwobi, Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity.

Nwobi claims that the extension was required in order for the presidential and national assembly elections to take place in regions of the state where they were unable to on the initial date of February 25.

Nwobi’s words stated, “The extension to Sunday was for the exercise to hold in polling units and wards in Cross River that election did not take place, including Bakassi Local Government Area, Dayspring 1 and 2 as well as Qua Island.

“Voting in the affected areas will resume by 8 am and end at noon.

“All stakeholders, including members of political parties, Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), Observers, the press, INEC staff and ad-hoc personnel for the 2023 general elections should be guided,” she added.

The panel guarantees all eligible voters of its resolution that no registered voter will be denied the right to vote in the general election of 2023, she continued.

ACG Several hoodlums were impeding people from moving, according to James Bassey of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who had earlier made that claim.

During the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kogi State, the Independent National Electoral Commission threatened to void the results in crisis-ridden regions.

Hale Longpet, the state’s resident electoral commissioner, issued the warning in response to the issues that broke out in a number of local government areas while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja.

According to reports, there were complaints of thugs interfering in several polling places in Anyigba, Dekina, and Mopa in the Kogi East, Kogi West, and some locations in the Kogi Central, where voting materials were allegedly taken by the thugs.

Reacting to the issues, the REC stated, “You know the electoral Law says that where there are disruptions to the process, the result will be cancelled, the very particular units’ results will be cancelled. The issues initially were only in the Kogi East and Central but I can’t tell exactly where and where in the state have been affected until the results are brought by the electoral officers.

“We understood that because of the violence, those affected areas couldn’t conclude election there. I’m shocked that people can go to that level and disrupt something that everybody should have enjoyed.”

The commissioner who lamented the deaths also lauded the orderly way in which some districts had held the elections.

He added, “Election is a peaceful and willful thing that people are offered to freely participate. Again, If people are given assurance that everyone will enjoy a pleasant experience, why then should we have thugs invading the whole town or the local government, disrupting the conduct of the elections?” he asked.

Mr Longpet added, “This is very sad and shocking when you look at the loss of lives involved.”

He explained that “Election is not war so If you were standing in for election to provide services for your people, you don’t need to engage in these destructive activities.”

He contends that those who want to improve their communities go out and vote or exercise their right to vote, and they shouldn’t be prevented from doing so or denied the chance.

Six of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System’s BVAS in the states of Delta and Katsina, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, have been stolen by political forces.

When submitting a preliminary report on the Presidential and National Assembly Elections at the National Collation in Abuja on Saturday, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu revealed this.

According to him; “In Oshimili LGA of Delta State, thugs attacked a polling unit and two BVAS machines were lost in the process. But again, determined that the election must continue, we were able to  replace the stolen BVAS machines, reinforce security and voting continued in that polling unit. 

“Similarly, in Safana LGA of Katsina State, thugs attacked one of our voting locations and snatched 6 BVAS machines. But again, we were able to recover and use the spare BVAS machines and reinforce security for voting to continue in that location. 

“Happily, security agencies have recovered three of the BVAS machines but three are still held by the thugs. So in these locations, the target of attacks was actually the BVAS machines, no longer our ballot papers or ballot boxes”.

Residents of the neighborhood have maintained that they must cast ballots after hoodlums in Lekki interfered with the general elections.

Earlier, hoodlums broke into the polling places in Lekki, disrupting the ongoing election.

After running for cover, Lekki residents flocked to the streets in large numbers to protest hours later. At the ongoing elections for the National Assembly and Presidency, they argued that their vote must be counted.

They were heard chanting, “We must vote,” stressing that nobody would deny them the right to vote.

Thugs stormed a polling site outside the Oba Elegushi Palace at Ikate in Eti-Osa, Lekki, Lagos State.

On Saturday afternoon, the thugs reportedly assaulted the area, taking away voting boxes and ejecting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s chairperson.

A resident in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The information I’m getting is that the violence erupted outside the Oba’s palace.

“The ballot boxes were snatched and everybody ran away. Thugs are still hanging around the area.”

Also, a well known tweep Samuel Otigba, who voted in the polling unit inside the palace tweeted, “The vote outside the palace was scattered by area boys. Ballot box jacked. Chased the presiding officer away.

“They just physically assaulted @EditiEffiong because he was videoing the whole thing. He tried running into the palace when they saw & chased him but they locked the gate. This is madness. The police officers here just stood & did nothing. They took his phone and deleted the video.

“Was outside when they chased and assaulted @EditiEffiong, tried recording but they are beating anyone recording here & taking your phone if they spot you. Area dey hot.”

Governor Nyesom Wike arrived to the crowded facility at 11 a.m. with his wife, Justice Suzette Wike, but was dismayed when the BVAS refused to take him through the accreditation process.

GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike just exclaimed, “I’m highly disappointed” in the process the BVAD failed to function on arrival at his Polling Unit 7A of Ward 9, Rumuepirikom, Obio/Akpor LGA, Rivers state for accreditation.

“We are highly disappointed. INEC told us they were ready for the election and that BIVAS are working. You can see the crowd here I don’t think that most people will be allowed to vote with slow working of the BIVAS.

“I have stayed about 25 minutes here and I was told to go and come back that they will rectify the BIVAS. We are highly disappointed. If a number of people are disenfranchised, what do you expect?

“People will lose their temper and anything could happen. INEC ought to have been completely ready before telling the people they are ready. There is no violence anywhere in the state thus far”,  the governor said as he walked into his father’s home in waiting to return for accreditation.

Voters in the Dekina Ward’s Ogege Road, Odaba Polling Unit have left the polling area due to the actions of political thugs who arrived in huge numbers to sabotage voting materials.

The hoodlums with weapons and machetes seized ballot boxes, destroyed chairs, and scattered voters.

Voters and INEC officials have scattered as of the time this report was filed.

A soldier fatally stabbed a suspected hoodlum known as Ojochenemi Atidoga for interfering with the election at the polling place in Anyigba, Kogi state’s Dekina Local Government Area, Open Space University Village.

Before the incident, it was reported that the hoodlum was on the loose and threatening to kill everyone who supported a political party other than the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Several voters who did not support the APC were forced to flee the voting location.

He was apprehended, beaten, and stabbed in the lap by military personnel who were on election duty. He was then left on the ground, where he bled to death.

But, as the soldiers departed the pooling unit, there was a series of chaos.

Okada riders, who they claim to be his fellow hoodlums, allegedly broke into the voting booth, disrupted the election, and fled with his body to an unknown location.