Presidential Election: Buhari leads, PDP kicks

                             

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Clifford Ndujihe, Henry Umoru & Jude Opara
ABUJA — Erstwhile Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) was last night sustaining his lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in the declared results of the presidential elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last night.

President Jonathan has, however, protested results declared from Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States, alleging malpractices.

Jonathan’s protest articulated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was, however, followed by another statement late last night in which it claimed it was not perturbed by the results from the North-West, stronghold of Buhari.

Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC, has also protested the results submitted from Rivers State on the basis that there was no election in the state.

As at the time the commission suspended announcement of results late last night, Buhari had scored 10,101,497 votes from 21 states and the FCT, to President Jonathan, who has so far polled 6,798,254 votes, to second place.

The results were declared by the returning officers from the states.

Of the 21 states declared, Buhari won the polls in 13 states of Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna.

Jonathan won the polls in eight states namely Ekiti, Enugu, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Plateau. Jonathan also won the polls in the FCT.

Buhari had so far marshalled more than 25 per cent in 16 states while the president grabbed 25 per cent in 15 of the states so far declared.

The results from Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara were outstanding at press time and would likely be declared today.

The results earlier submitted from Rivers State, however, turned into a matter of investigation after the APC sent a strongly worded petition rejecting the results. The results returned had given Jonathan 1,487,075 votes, representing 95 per cent of the votes.

Under-aged voters

Addressing journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, gave the seven states the party has petitioned INEC for the cancellation of the polls to include Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States.

Secondus alleged that in the seven states, under-aged children were allowed to vote in contravention of the Electoral Act and he also alleged that voting took place late in the night in the affected states, adding: “In Kano and some of these states in the North, majority of voters were under-aged. Voting also took place in the night, and you know that in the night rigging can take place. We have completed our reports from the Kano State chapter.”

We’ll resist rigging—Fani-Kayode

Also yesterday, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO, reiterated its claim that its candidate, President Jonathan, was winning the presidential election.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Director, Media and Publicity of PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode threatened that any attempt to manipulate figures or rig out the PDP from any quarter would be firmly resisted.

Fani- Kayode said: “We wish to take this opportunity to make it clear to the Nigerian public that according to the figures made available to us, we are ahead in the presidential elections by at least two to three million votes.

“We have our own Situation Room and we have collated all our figures from the various polling booths, wards, local government areas and states in the federation.

“Despite the propaganda of the opposition, we are confident of victory. They and all other stakeholders can be rest assured that we will accept nothing less than the announcement of an election result that is truthful and that reflects the true will of the Nigerian people.

“Any attempt to manipulate figures or to rig us out from any quarter will be firmly resisted.”

INEC probes Rivers result

Announcing the constitution of a high-powered investigation team to investigate the allegation that voting did not take place in Rivers State, the commission in a statement issued by Mr. Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the fact-finding mission would ascertain the veracity of the claims and allegations and advise it and the Chief Electoral Commissioner/Returning Officer for the Presidential election appropriately.

Idowu said the committee of National Electoral Commissioners to handle the investigation included Mrs. Thelma Iremirem, Head and Supervisory National Commissioner for Rivers State, Col. M.K Hammanga and Professor Lai Olurode as members.

He said: “They have departed for Rivers State and it is expected that they will submit their report before the end of the collation of results of the other states and the FCT. Following the consideration of the report, the commission will make its decision known.”

The PDP also suffered significant losses in the Senate elections.

The APC swept the three seats in Kogi, Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Kebbi and Sokoto. The PDP, however, won in Abia, Imo and Ebonyi.

My vision of Nigeria in four years by Goodluck Jonathan

                               

President Goodluck Jonathan’s vision of Nigeria is one of a rosy future built on a secured environment, robust and diversified economy and well laid infrastructure to guarantee good life to all Nigerians.

In articulating his vision of where he wants to take Nigeria to, the president recalled his well known humble beginnings, his challenges in office especially the difficulties tackling Boko Haram which he claims as a worldwide phenomenon that has only lately landed in Nigeria and his achievements so far in office.

“When I was growing up in Otuoke, a small town in Bayelsa, as the son of a boat builder, life was hard. Of nine children to my parents, only two of us survived. But I had the chance to go to school. Many did not. I worked at my studies. God smiled on me. I am here today as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I tell you now: there is not a moment that I forget where I come from, or how tough life can be for so many of us.

“I have no sense of entitlement. I am not from a big family. I do not come from a profession or background that believes it has some God-given right to rule. I am here because of the will of the people and I will remain here because of the will of the people. I  am willing and able to serve, but I am not desperate to serve. I am living proof that Nigeria is a country that rewards hardwork, integrity and ambition. At its best, Nigeria is a country where, no matter where you come from, through honesty, hard work and by the grace of God, everything is possible.

“I shall win this election because Nigerians know exactly who I am, and what I stand for. I fight for what I believe in. I don’t walk out of the door when the going gets tough. Nigerians know what I have delivered and I want Nigerians to know what I will deliver in the next four years. Our plan will build on the platform we have laid in the last four years, to deliver growth, prosperity, peace and justice for all. We are ready to take Nigeria to the next level.

“The future I see and work for is for a Nigeria that works for all. I see a Nigeria where mothers and children do not die due to lack of medical attention. A Nigeria where no child goes to bed hungry or is out of school because of family circumstances. In the future of Nigeria that I see, the young and the youths will receive quality and sound education that provides them access to job opportunities and a higher standard of living.  A Nigeria where the elderly have access to the medical care they require and life expectancy is significantly higher than it is today.

“A country where the old people realise the benefit of their work and the disabled are not left behind. Nigeria will be a country of equal opportunities where every child is able to attain his or her full God given potential. Indeed, my dream is that someday, a product of the Almajiri Schools becomes the President of this great country. It will be a Nigeria where justice is not measured in any currency but available even to the most vulnerable in our society. My vision is that of a Nigeria that works for all, and not just a few.

“This has been a long campaign. I welcome the challenge of a vigorous campaign. Democracy needs competition, but it should be the right type of constructive competition. It is a sign of strength that Nigerians finally have a choice. In this document, I present to you a very clear choice and path to Nigeria’s progress. It is a choice and path based on the foundations that we laid during my first administration. You will find our plan for security, education, health. Also, our plans for the economy, jobs and the different forms of infrastructure to support our growth. We have not left out the environment and how we will leverage international economic cooperation for our growth and development. Most of our plans have been costed and some are obviously a continuation and completion of what we began. This is my promise to Nigeria, a vision for the next four years.

On security, the president said:

“Boko Haram is part of an international phenomenon. It is a terror that does not know borders or boundaries. We understood this from the beginning. Nigeria was on the right side of the argument in Mali against the extremists; and in support of democracy in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau. What we support abroad, we champion at home: democracy, freedom and the rule of law. It is a proud record and a reflection of Nigeria’s role and responsibilities in Africa and the broader community that we have upheld and deepened.

“We have formed a formidable team with Cameroon, Chad and Niger to effectively dismantle Boko Haram. In fact, everywhere that terror has been successfully tackled, it is through partnership. And that is what this government has championed. In the past four years we have worked hard to improve the capacity of security agencies. We have provided specialised training to our armed forces, established police academy in Kano to beef up policing capabilities. In addition, we have now provided better and improved equipment to our security agencies. This process is ongoing. We have made these investments in order to improve the capacity of security agencies to protect all Nigerians.

“There is still a real risk of further terror attacks, against the kind of soft, innocent target of which there are so many across the country. And there will be further battles ahead. But Boko Haram’s claims of a Caliphate have been shown to be as empty and bankrupt as the rest of their hateful philosophy. Nigeria remains one, and undivided. We shall root out Boko Haram.

Ballot papers arrive states tomorrow

                 
ABUJA—Ballot papers for this Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections are to be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN vaults from tomorrow, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has said. - See more at: 

Mr. Kayode Idowu, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, told Vanguard yesterday that already, all the non-sensitive materials have been distributed while the ballot papers where kept in the vaults of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branches across the country.

Mr. Idowu also dismissed any effect on the election arising from the theft of a card reader in Zamfara State as he said that the particular reader stolen had not been configured and will be useless to the thieves.

He also confirmed that the ballot papers for the different positions and locations had been customised in such a way that it will be difficult to be faked by anybody.

The commission he said, is ready with the logistics that will enhance a free, fair and credible polls across the country.

“The non-sensitive materials have long been sent to locations for onward distribution to polling units for the polls while the sensitive materials which are the ballot papers have been at the Central Bank vaults, and by this Wednesday, they will be distributed to the states. From the state offices they will be taken to the local government offices on Thursday and from there we distribute to ward levels on Friday. And by 5 am on Saturday people will move them from the wards to the polling units,” Mr. Idowu said.

“So the commission is ready for the polls, we have concluded the training of the staff that will man the various polling units, so we anticipate a very successful outing this weekend.” Idowu stated.

Nigeria, others, have world’s worst energy access

                                         
Nigeria and other countries of the Sub-Sahara African region have the world’s worst access to electricity, the International Energy Agency, IEA, said in its latest report. - See more at:

The report said that the sub-region has 13 percent of the world’s population, but 48 percent of the share of the global population without access to electricity. The only other region with a similar imbalance is South Asia, with 23 percent of the world’s population and 34 percent of the people without access to electricity. This means that almost 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity.

Only seven countries—Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa, have electricity access rates exceeding 50 percent. The rest of the region has an average grid access rate of just 20 percent. Moreover, even when there is access to electricity, there may not be enough to go around, the report said.   Nigeria is the most populous country in Sub-Sahara Africa.

It explained that as regards consumption, Africa’s rates are far below other emerging markets. Average electricity consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, is only about 150 kilowatt-hours per capita. This is a fraction of consumption rates in Brazil, India, and South Africa. According to the report, sub-Saharan Africa has an extraordinary opportunity but will have to do a lot of work to take advantage of it.

The report noted that Sub-Saharan Africa is starved for electricity, as the region’s power sector is significantly underdeveloped, from the point of view of energy access, installed capacity, or overall consumption. “The fact that Sub-Saharan Africa’s residential and industrial sectors suffer electricity shortages means that countries struggle to sustain GDP growth. The stakes are enormous. Indeed, fulfilling the economic and social promise of the region, and Africa in general depends on the ability of government and investors to develop the continent’s huge electricity capacity,” it said.

“Countries with electrification rates of less than 80 percent of the population consistently suffer from reduced GDP per capita. The only countries that have electrification rates of less than 80 percent with GDP per capita greater than $3,500 are those with significant wealth in natural resources, such as Angola, Botswana, and Gabon. But even they fall well short of economic prosperity. Whether people can obtain electricity (access), and if so, how much they are able to consume (consumption) are the two most important metrics that can indicate the degree to which the power sector is supporting national development,” the report said.

It also projected that Sub-Saharan Africa will consume nearly 1,600 terawatt hours by 2040, four times what was used in 2010. “The forecast is based on a number of important factors, including a fivefold increase in GDP, a doubling of population, electricity-access levels reaching more than 70 percent by 2040, and increased urbanisation.

Petroleum Minister recounts achievements in Oil and Gas sector

                         

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has said that the upstream sector has recorded a renewed impetus in cost management, compressed contracting cycles and a reinvigorated pursuit of the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Mrs. Alison-Madueke stated this while delivering her keynote address at the 2015 Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition with the title “State of Industry: Achievements and future Direction” at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Represented by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Joseph T. Dawha, Mrs. Alison-Madueke disclosed that in the Midstream, new Gas Pipelines are being constructed in furtherance of the Federal Government‘s Gas Development Initiatives. She noted that in the downstream sector, products supply and availability has been sustained adding that NNPC‘s Retail network has continued to expand in order to improve product availability.

The Petroleum Minister however said the accomplishments in the Oil and Gas sector have now been challenged by the current low in Oil price environment which is characterized by dramatic revenue declines.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke stated that persistent depressed Oil prices may limit the Industry scope to maneuver in growing long term production and reaching the target of 4million barrels of Crude Oil per day by 2020.   In his welcome address, a board member of the Central Working Committee, Dr. Alirio Parra commended the Federal Government for its determination to transform the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry through the draft Petroleum Industry Bill which is currently before the National Assembly.

Step by step process for voting

                           

Nigerians turning out to vote on March 28 and April 11 will follow almost the same steps in exercising their preference on voting day.

By Jude Opara
On March 28 voters will be voting for three offices, namely, presidential, Senate and House of Representatives.

However, the election on April 11 will be for the office of governor in 29 states and House of Assembly in all 36 states of the federation. The states where governorship elections will not hold are Bayelsa, Kogi, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Anambra and Edo states.

It will, however, be a total holiday for voters in the Federal Capital City given that the territory neither has a governor nor a legislative House.

On the two voting days, polls are expected to open as from 8.00 a.m. when accreditation of voters will commence.

STEP 1. As soon as the voter arrives at the polling unit, he will present his voter card to the presiding officer who will carry out the process of verification, identification and authentication using the card reader. The card reader will prop up the bio-data of the voter including his picture and finger prints.

This first step would authenticate the voter card to be genuine or not. If genuine, the voter would be passed on to the next stage. If not genuine, the possessor of the voter card would be asked to leave the polling station and failure to adhere to the instruction would prompt the presiding officer at the station to order security men to arrest or compel the person to leave the polling station.

STEP 2. If the card reader authenticates the voter as having an authentic voter card, he will be taken through the next step of the accreditation process which is to biometric exercise which is to confirm that the person with the valid voter card really owns the card.

This process would involve placing either the index finger or thumb at the top of the card reader for the purpose of matching the finger print with the one embedded in the voter card. Then he will be certified for voting.

Given the experience from the mock exercise penultimate Saturday, it would be expected that some fingerprints may not be read.

In such cases based on the judgment of the presiding officer, such persons who fail the biometrics would be passed on to the next stage of voting but note will be taken of such cases in an incident form available at the station.

All voters accredited to vote will be given a number based on when they were accredited.

STEP 3. At the end of accreditation officially by 1 pm, voting will begin and the supervisory presiding officer and his assistants will then arrange the voters in an orderly manner beginning from the first person to arrive the voting area.

STEP 4. The voter will mention the number which was given to him during the accreditation and this will guide the presiding officer to check through the INEC register to cross check that it was still the same person that was accredited that has turned up to vote.

STEP 5. If confirmed that the person was the same person accredited earlier, the presiding officer will issue him a ballot paper to go and exercise his franchise.

On March 28, voters will be issued three ballot papers one each for the presidential, senatorial and house of representative elections. The ballot papers are customized for each position. The presidential ballot is red, senatorial ballot is black while the House of Representatives ballot is green in colour.

STEP 6. Three ballot boxes would be provided each for the three elections and they are also customized in line with the ballot papers. The voter will cast his ballot in respect of the ballot paper.

STEP 7. After the last voter on the queue would have cast his ballots, the presiding officer will begin with the process of sorting of the ballots from the three ballot boxes and dropped in their rightful places that is the presidential, senatorial and house of representatives.

Previous regulation

Based on a new regulation exclusively published by Vanguard last Wednesday, INEC has altered its procedures for counting. Under the previous regulation ballot papers placed in the wrong boxes were to be discarded and rejected.

That is if a voter places a Senate ballot paper in a House of Representatives ballot box it would be discarded. However, the commission has now altered the regulation to allow wrongly placed ballot papers to be sorted into the correct box.

Following that the ballots for the different parties would be sorted and counted.

STEP 8. The voter is expected to wait if he or she likes for the counting and announcement of the outcome of the election; but voters must do so in an atmosphere of peace. However, any voter who wants to leave after voting is equally free to do so.

STEP 9: At the end of the counting, the presiding officer would announce the result at the polling station and place the results in a conspicuous place around the station.

Jonathan may win 2015 election by 13% – UK based research firm

                          

Kevin, Charlyn & Kimberly Associates, a UK based research and political risk consultancy firm has stated that incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party will win the 2015 Presidential Election with a margin of 13 per cent   (probability).

The group which used both ‘monkey survey’ and ‘Political Risk Index’ to forecast the Nigerian election projected a Jonathan’s win if everything remains constant.

In a statement by Mr. O.C Vince, the Vice President of the firm for West Africa while addressing a press conference today in Abuja, explained that the firm has no partisan interest in the outcome of the election which is left for the people of Nigeria to decide. The company said it decided to conduct the survey because of the general global interest the Nigeria election has generated. ‘Many people around the world, including political leaders and investors are focusing on Nigeria to see how the process of democracy is managed’. Mr. Vince said the ruling Peoples Democratic Party appear to be facing its toughest challenge in 16 years and hoped the efforts they have made will help deepen and strengthen democracy in Nigeria and enable the different contending parties manage their final push toward 2015.

Here’s the full statement:

We randomly conducted a nationwide opinion poll focusing on the six geo-political regions of Nigeria: North East, North West, North Central, South West, South East and South- South. The sampled population were asked three questions centering on human rights, the economy and security:

The US Missionary Kidnapped in Kogi State Nigeria has been released

An American woman kidnapped by masked gunmen in central Nigeria last month was released on Friday and handed over to US government officials.

Phyllis Sortor, a missionary with the Free Methodist Church, was seized on February 23 in the village of Emiworo in Kogi state.

"She has been rescued and given to the American authorities," Kogi state police spokesman Collins Sola Adebayo said, adding that no ransom was paid "as far as police are concerned."

The 71-year-old Sortor appeared unharmed with no visible signs of abuse.

Kogi's police chief Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi said she was dropped by her captors in the bushlands outside the village of Eru and "raised an alarm which attracted the villagers."

Police deployed to the area and brought Sortor to Lokoja.

Her church confirmed the release but declined to provide details on the circumstances.

"As a matter of sound policy, and to help protect the many, many people who helped secure Phyllis' freedom, we will have no comment concerning the efforts that were undertaken to secure her release," Bishop David Kendall said in a statement.

US embassy officials in Abuja were not immediately available to comment.

Sortor had spent years living in Africa, including Mozambique - where she spent much of her childhood - later working in Rwanda and, since 2005, Nigeria, Kendall said

Her work in Kogi was focused primarily on educational development and conflict resolution between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities who frequently clash in central Nigeria's Middle Belt region, the church statement further said.

Foreign nationals have often been kidnapped in Nigeria by local gangs who typically release hostages following a ransom payment.

Such abductions are especially common in the southern, oil-producing Niger Delta, where expatriates working with large oil companies have been a frequent target.

A number of foreigners have also been kidnapped in the north of the country, but those attacks claimed by Boko Haram or the associated Islamist group Ansaru are considered a different phenomenon, and not necessarily motivated by a desire for ransom.

Boko Haram has been blamed for previous attacks in Kogi, including two raids targeting the same prison in 2012 and 2014.

Nigeria's Islamists groups have in the past publicly claimed the abduction of expatriates and the lack of such a claim following Sortor's kidnapping led many to believe that Boko Haram and its affiliates were not involved.

Odunade Adekola Completes His Multi-Million Naira Hotel In Abeokuta Ogun State

Popular Nollywood Yoruba star Odunlade Adekola as just complete an ultra modern hotel @ Abeokuta Ogun State worth an estimate of 40 million naira which took about 14 months of completion

The Ogun State born actor who was a formal Glo ambassador is one of the richest actors in NollywoOd Yoruba industry amidst others.

These goes against the notion that Yoruba actors earn lesser in the industry, because this is a prove that they are fending pretty well and achieving greater heights

Thou He has been telling people that the hotel belongs to his father and his just supervising, but we are sure that it’s just a camouflage  and a distraction from his wealth. Rumors also have it that he may have funded the project from his contract as a formal Glo ambassador and his present assignment in Ogun state

All said and done…we are happy for u…more greeze to your elbow

Odunlade Adekola is currently a student of Unilag, studying Business Administration. His married to Mrs. Ruth Adekola and  are blessed with three wonderful kids

Stella Oduah, Minister of Aviation together with some other Ministers leaves Jonathan Administration.

See the list of ministers that was sacked and their replacement.
Ms. Stella Oduah, Minister of Aviation replaced by Minister of State for Trade and Investments, Mr Samuel Ortom.
Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Niger Delta Affair replaced by Mr Darius Isiaku
Caleb Olubolade, Minister of Police Affairs replaced by The Minister of State for the FCT, Missus Olajumoke Akinjide.

The announcement was made this evening by Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, who said president Jonathan asked the  ministers go after they had 'indicated their interest to pursue other goals in the country'

Amnesty International: Gays arrested in 4 states

Lagos -  Amnesty International says police have arrested 10 people suspected of being gay in four majority Christian southern states in the highly religious nation.

It says the arrests follow President Goodluck Jonathan's signing of a law outlawing gay organizations and meetings as well as same-sex marriage.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that 38 "gay suspects" have been arrested in the mostly Muslim northern state of Bauchi since Christmas. Amnesty says police in Bauchi are keeping suspected gay people under surveillance.

Nigerian human rights defenders say they fear further persecution of gay people under the law in a notoriously corrupt country where police are known to make arrests to extort money and blackmail victims.

Jonathan signed the law, which includes penalties of up to 14 years in prison, over international condemnation.