Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has hinted on plans to deploy undercover agents to pulling units for the 2023 general elections, in a bid to cut down on the menace of vote buying.

The INEC Chairman on Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, stated this in Abuja during a citizens’ election dialogue themed, “What makes a good election in Nigeria.”

According to Okoye, the commission will deploy undercover security personnel on election day.

He said, “We have also made sure that people do not enter the voting compartments with their mobile phones that can take pictures and we’re also collaborating with the different security agencies under the auspices of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security to make sure that plain cloth security personnel is deployed to some polling units on election day to stem the issue of vote buying and vote selling.

“This commission is focused and determined to give Nigerians a good election. In terms of the issue of vote buying, the commission has reconfigured the various polling units to guarantee the secrecy of the votes.

“It’s fashionable to grandstand relating to the commitment of the INEC to free, fair and transparent elections. But you should also flip back and look at some of the party primaries that some of the political parties conducted and how well they conducted them.”

Okoye reiterated the commission’s commitment to delivering free, fair and credible elections for all Nigerians in collaboration with security agencies.

According to the INEC National Commissioner, the commission will continue to train its members of staff towards ensuring a hitch-free poll.

He said the training will ensure that election officials know how to configure and position the voting cubicle to guarantee the secrecy of the votes.

“INEC will make sure technology is deployed and we’re also going to make sure that we transmit polling unit results into our INEC viewing portal,” he added.

 

Also, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disowned a purported ad hoc staff recruitment portal for 2023 general election, describing it as fake.

 

INEC said this in a release on its official social handles on Wednesday, urging members of the public to disregard the fake link.

 

“Our attention has been drawn to a fake ad hoc recruitment link inecnigeria.govservice.site being circulated online.

 

“INEC official link: pres.inecnigeria.org and Inecpress-app.com/pres

 

“We implore Nigerians to disregard the fake link & avoid falling victims of swindlers,” it said

 

Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed the nomination of 19 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

It also confirmed on Wednesday, the nomination of Muhammad Sabo Lamido as Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NUPRA).

 

The confirmations were made sequel to the consideration of the reports of its Committees on Electoral Matters, and that of Upstream Petroleum Sector respectively.

 

The Resident Electoral Commissioners confirmed are: Ibrahim Abdullahi(from Adamawa); Obo Effanga (Cross River); Umar Ibrahim(Taraba); Agboke Olaleke(Ogun); Samuel Egwu (Kogi); Onyeka Ugochi(Imo); Muhammed Bashir(Sokoto); Ayobami Salami (Oyo); Zango Abdu (Katsina), Queen Elizabeth Agwu (Ebonyi) and Agunndu Tersoo (from Benue).

 

Others are: Yomere Oritsemlebi, Delta; Yahaya Ibrahim Makarfi, Kaduna; Nura Ali, Kano; Agu Uchenna, Enugu; Ahmed Yushau Garki, FCT; Hudu Yunusa, Bauci; Uzochukwu Chijioke, Anambra and Mohammad Nura from Yobe.

 

Presenting his report, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Kabiru Gaya said, “to determine their suitability for the positions which they were nominated, nominees were asked questions that bothered mostly on partisanship, membership of political parties, and how they hoped to improve the electoral process if and when their nominations for appointments are confirmed”.

 

The nominees, Gaya said, assured the committee of their non-partisanship, non-membership of any political party, and promised to discharge their responsibilities diligently according to the laid down laws.

 

He said the committee found no merit in the petitions against four nominees that bordered on alleged membership of political parties, partisanship, compromise and incompetence.

 

“The committee did due diligence on the petitions by listening to the defence of the nominees and carrying out detailed examination of the petitions to determine the validity or otherwise of the allegations against the four nominees”, Gaya said.

 

 

However, Ahead of the 2023 general elections, INEC in Lagos State says 394 candidates of  different political parties are jostling for the 40 seats in the state’s House of Assembly.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls  that governorship and houses of assembly elections were scheduled to hold across the country on March 11, 2023.

 

According to the Final List of governorship and house of assembly candidates displayed on Wednesday at the commission’s office in Yaba,  16 candidates of different political parties are contesting for the  2023 governorship election in Lagos state.

 

The list was signed by Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the Secretary of INEC.

 

According to the list, the candidates for the assembly seats in Lagos state are contesting on the platform of 16 out of  the 18 registered political parties in the country.

 

The list showed  that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Labour Party (LP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) had  contestants in all the 40 state constituencies.

 

While the  Action Alliance (AA) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) fielded candidates in 36 state constituencies each, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Boot Party (BP) had candidates for  34 state constituencies each.

 

The African Action Congress (AAC) is contesting in 21 state constituencies while Accord (A), Action People’s Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and People’s Redemption Party (PRP) filed candidates  in less than 10 state constituencies each.

 

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) did not field candidates for the state assembly election in the state.

 

NAN reports that the governorship list shows that only 16 of the 18 registered political parties fielded contestants, out of which only two candidates are female while the remaining 14 are male.

 

Only candidates of APM and APP are female, Mrs Funmilayo Kupokiyi, 51, and Mrs Abiola Adeyemi, 44 respectively.

 

The other governorship candidates are Messrs Dickson Olaogun (A), Abdulrasaq Balogun (AA), Akeem Olayiwola (AAC), Olufunso Doherty( ADC), Bamidele Ishola (ADP), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (APC), Olawale Oluwo (BP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (LP) and Olanrewaju Jim-Kamal (NNPP).

 

Others are: Braithwaite Ishola (NRM), Olajide Adediran (PDP), Taofeek Uthman (SDP), Wasiu Ajayi (YPP) and Adenipebi Mode-Adekunle (ZLP).

 

APGA and PRP did not  field candidates for the governorship seat in the list published  for the 2023 general elections.

 

According to the list, Olaogun (65) of Accord Party is oldest while Rhodes-Vivour (39) of LP is the youngest. (NAN)