Update Anambra 2013: Several Protesting Women Injured

Anambra on Wednesday was thrown into Pandemonium as women protested against the Election that was conducted on Saturday. Reports gathered was that the protesters known as the 'Anambra Women' wanted a cancellation of gubernatorial election and are against the yet fixed Supplementary Election Date. 

Nigerian Policemen in their well known duty fired Tear gas into the air to dispersed the women injuring majority especially the elderly women among the protesters.

Mrs. Tina Akonobi, one of the leaders of the protesters, said they were at the INEC's office to “mourn for the disaster, destruction, doom, robbery and fraud that took place on the November 16.”

“The election was a sham aimed at insulting the integrity, intelligence and intellectual ability of the people of the state and Nigeria in general.

“INEC brought a fraudulent register three days to election where they removed names of voters whose name starts with the letter ‘O’ like Okonkwo and Okeke at Idemili.

“They brought fraudulent people to conduct election here; it was a scam and destruction of a generation and Igbo land.

“We are calling for the cancellation and resignation of Prof. Attahiru Jega for the doom that is impending because this is what will happen in 2015,” she stated.

Anambra Guber Election: INEC Was Excellent -- APGA (VIDEO)

The National President of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Victor Umeh, has described the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Anambra State governorship election as excellent.

source:youtube

Anambra's flawed Gubernatorial Election: INEC's test case for 2015 polls?

It is no longer news that last Saturday's gubernatorial election in Anambra state, an election expected to test INEC's readiness and competence to conduct controversy-free polls in 2015, fell far short of expectations. In fact, if the election was indeed a test for INEC, the nation's election regulator and organizer failed woefully

The gubernatorial election mimicked the 2015 elections in many ways: For instance, there were 3 strong parties and candidates, the APC (Chris Ngige), APGA (Willie Obiano), and PDP (Ifeanyi Ubah), the incumbent party had been in power for years, and the electorate was well informed. Furthermore, Anambra is a fairly populous state, which meant that the ability of INEC to coordinate logistics was always going to be better tested than it would have been if the election was in a smaller state like Osun. Finally, the fact that Anambra was the only state holding elections meant that enough attention was focussed on it, a scenario that is likely to be present in 2015 as well.

Anambra is a test case amongst the 36 states...it is clear that even though INEC has put all resources in terms of logistics, security, voters constituencies in place for the Election....yet reports showed elections held were not free n fair, coupled with late arrival of election materials and missing names in voters registers where original registration was made by voters..this shows when its time for the 36 states in 2015, these irregularities shall repeat itself on a larger scale. One of the peculiar problem Electorates have with INEC is the allegations of double registration by some people, a problem INEC hs been unable to solve since 1999.

From the look of things, INEC failed it its responsibility of conducting a free, fair, and representative election in Anambra state, and this does not bode well for the all-important 2015 general elections. The least INEC can do to redeem her image is to conduct fresh elections in a more effective manner, make sure that the mistakes made in Anambra are not repeated in Osun  come January next year 2014, and develop their logistics system in preparation for the 2015 elections.

Anambra Guber:"I Did Not Rig Alone" - Arrested INEC Official

A principal actor in the controversial Anambra governorship election of November 16 has reportedly made sterling revelations to his interrogators in Abuja. Mr Okeke Chukwujekwu, the electoral officer in charge of Idemili North local government area of Anambra State, currently in police detention over his role in the electoral saga, was said to have told his police investigators that he was “being used and dumped”. The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, had, in the heat of the controversies generated by the flawed poll, admitted that the “electoral officer” in Idemili North “messed up” and that he would be handed over to the police for prosecution. Chukwujekwu was moved to Abuja on Sunday, just as INEC said it was conducting a probe into the deliberate sabotage of the governorship election. A top official involved in the election confided in LEADERSHIP yesterday that the arrested INEC official had made useful statements even as he was apprehensive that top directors of INEC might be “implicated”. “The way this whole thing is going, it looks as if many heads will roll in INEC because the young man has made useful statements and if what he said is anything to rely upon, it then means that some big names in that commission might fall with him. “At first, he was trying to rationalise his action in that local government area when he was verbally quizzed before the intervention of the police; but, after some time, especially at the point of his detention, he started to cooperate but the cooperation is loaded because he has mentioned some top officials of INEC, especially directors and a PDP chieftain, as those who ‘put him in trouble’. Although the source declined to disclose the identities of those involved, he said “preliminary confessions” point to the fact that the bungled election in most LGAs of the state was “packaged by aggrieved politicians in connivance with top INEC officials both in Abuja and Awka” adding: “It was a well-funded package.” “All fingers point to some aggrieved politicians and it was a well-funded package that involved quite a lot of people; that is why the man is saying he has been used and dumped,” he said. Meanwhile, Jega has said all enquiries regarding arrests made in the bungled Anambra election should be referred to the police. Jega’s chief press secretary, Kayode Idowu, told LEADERSHIP on the telephone that INEC would not comment on the arrested official who allegedly played a key role in the flawed poll. “One, I cannot say anything on his matter because the police has taken over a larger chunk of the matter; only the police can say something on the role of the man arrested and how far they have gone with their investigation; so you have to contact the police. “Again, it will be out of place for me to reel out what the commission intends to do. Mind you, INEC is also carrying out its administrative interrogation on his matter,” he said. INEC does not need court order to cancel tainted poll - APC The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused INEC of being economical with the truth by saying only the courts can order the cancellation of last Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra in which about 1.3 million of the 1.7 million registered voters were unable to exercise their franchise. In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party reminded INEC that it did not wait for a court order to cancel the National Assembly elections in 2011 when it was obvious that many voters across the country could not vote due to the late arrival or non-delivery of voting materials. ‘’In announcing the cancellation of the National Assembly election in 2011, INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega said, among others, that it was to ‘maintain the integrity of the elections and retain effective overall control of the process’,’’ it said. APC said the situation in Anambra last Saturday was even more serious because, in addition to the fact that voting materials were either late or not delivered at all, most voters were disenfranchised by an INEC official who apparently tampered with the 2011 voters’ register for the state. ‘’Therefore, there are more compelling reasons now to cancel the Anambra governorship election than what led to the cancellation and rescheduling of the National Assembly election in 2011, unless of course INEC is still acting out the script handed to it for the ill-fated election,’’ the party said. Apologise to Nigerians, HURIWA, TCN tell Jega In a related development, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and the Transparency Center Network (TCN) have asked INEC chairman Prof Attahiru Jega to apologise to Nigerians for the apparent failure and administrative flaws that marred the November 16, 2013, governorship poll in Anambra State. The groups also asked the hierarchy of the electoral body to name, shame and prosecute all the electoral officials that in one way or the other colluded with reactionary political forces to undermine the transparent conduct of the bungled election which was declared inconclusive. According to the groups, the bulk of blame and responsibility lies with INEC which is constitutionally empowered to conduct free, fair and transparent elections nationally. The groups stated this in a joint statement signed by the national coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who is also the deputy chief of mission for Transparency Center Network (TCN), an officially accredited election observer to the Anambra election, as well as the national director of media affairs of HURIWA, Miss Zainab Yusuf. They noted that the failure of INEC in Anambra is an unfortunate foretaste of what may happen in 2015 unless and except comprehensive reforms are executed in INEC by the National Assembly to make it transparent, accountable, effective and efficient. SOURCE:LEADERSHIP

APC Demands For The Cancellation Of Anambra's Election From INEC.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold a supplementary election and insisted on total cancellation of the  election.

Interim national publicity secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement said the party is also calling on INEC to come clear on how the election was sabotaged from within the electoral commission itself, with a view to establishing how entrenched the forces of evil within the commission are and also to avert a looming national disaster iAPC said it is now apparent that INEC is indeed not taking seriously the opinions of Anambra residents as well as local and foreign observers that most of the registered voters in the state were willfully disenfranchised on Saturday.
‘’First, the electoral commission proposed make-up election in only 65 polling units in Obosi before scaling things up to a supplementary election ‘in those areas where election was cancelled’. But we say, without equivocating, that a total cancellation of the election and the organization of a fresh poll, under the supervision of a credible Resident Electoral Commissioner, will be acceptable to our party,’’ it said.
 The party also challenged INEC to quickly carry out an internal investigation to determine the extent to which Saturday’s election was sabotaged and compromised to the embarrassment of the nation, saying what occurred on Saturday may actually be treasonable.
It however said is not enough for INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to tell the nation that an INEC official sabotaged the election in a certain part of the state, saying INEC must tell the nation  fellow and who he/she is working for.
The party said the INEC chairman must also tell Nigerians why 16 Electoral Commissioners, who migrated to Anambra days before the election ostensibly to supervise things, could not ensure the success of an election in a single state, when even a polling unit behind the INEC office in Awka did not get voting materials till after 9 am on election day.
APC also accused the PDP of being an accessory to the electoral malfeasance going by the statement credited to the party that the election was free and fair.

Daily Trust

Amanbra Guber Polls: One Contest Too Many Knocks, Intruges

Anambra Guber Poll: One contest too many knocks, intrigues

on November 19, 2013   /   in Politics 1:00 am   /   Comments

By CHARLES KUMOLU
THE conduct of the governorship election in Anambra State did not fall short of pre-election predictions that the exercise would fall in line with the state’s predilection to political drama.
Across the 21 local government areas last Saturday’s gubernatorial election was characterised by intrigues and seemingly calculated political anomalies.
No less a person than the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega confessed last Saturday that the governorship election in Anambra State was sabotaged.
The election was indeed one that was for many candidates, party supporters, and voters that was heralded by suspicion, fear, tension and unusual electoral permutations.

Ngige, Obiano, Ubah and Nwoye

Though the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had boasted that the exercise would witness remarkable improvements on previous polls, its outcome, was to a large extent a mockery of that pledge.
So when early yesterday, the Returning Officer Professor James Epoke, declared the election inconclusive, not many were surprised or shocked by the development.
Early alarm by candidates
While promising a credible election at a stakeholders forum held three days to the election in Awka, INEC chairman, Prof Atahiru Jega had said, “we have made meticulous arrangements to ensure that the election is free and fair. We want to make Anambra elections the best elections we have conducted in this country.
We have done some in the past and we have learnt from our mistakes.”
Jega’s pledge was also strengthened by the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar who at the forum said, “It is possible to have a peaceful election but it depends on the people, because we have provided adequate security. I am appealing to Anambra people especially party chairmen to give peace a chance.”
However, whether the commission creditably conducted the polls, is in doubt given the outcome across the 4,608 polling units in the state.
Indications that the elections might not be as smooth as promised by INEC emerged at the stakeholders’ forum, where the All Progressive Congress, APC, candidate Senator Chris Ngige said INEC was yet to prosecute electoral offenders who ensured that his supporters did note vote at the 2010 governorship elections in most parts of Anambra Central and other parts of the state.
Ngige’s assertion added to claims made by some persons within and outside INEC in the days leading to the election that the exercise had already been programmed to favour a particular candidate.
Instructively, Ngige said “I contested in 2010 but could not enter some violent prone areas, we had no agents there but the results were declared.  Result sheets were not brought in some areas and our people were manhandled but results still came out and were recognized by INEC .  There are times when SPOs will come to deliver materials but will not drop result sheets as stipulated in the electoral act.  We need categorical statement on this. This is the first time three commissioners of Police are coming to Anambra for elections but I don’t know what the police has done with the previous reports.”
Election Day realities
In most areas visited by Vanguard on Election Day, it was discovered that materials arrived late, leading to the late commencement of accreditation and subsequently, voting.
The exercise, which was scheduled to commence at 8:00 am, did not kickoff until 11 am, when accreditation started in most polling units across the 4,608 polling units in the state.
Nonetheless, at most polling units in Awka South, Anaocha and Aguata, areas known as the home base of the incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi and All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, accreditation and voting started early enough.
Eligible voters
For instance when Vanguard visited Ichi Ward 2 polling unit Nnewi, the base of Labour Candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Uba most eligible voters complained about being disenfranchised.
Ubah corroborated this in his country home, that day when he said, “there are a lot of inconsistencies especially on the voters register. For instance in a ward that has about 700 voters, you will discover that only seventeen names will be found in the register. This situation does not speak well and does not signal that we will have a free and fair exercise,” Ubah added.
Across other senatorial districts, it was also the same tale of massive disenfranchisement, late and non arrival of electoral materials, alleged monetary inducements by agents of some candidates, forceful ejection of party agents among others.
Uncommon realignment between friends and foes
Prominent among the surprises thrown up is the uncommon realignment between hitherto political friends and foes.
This played out with the common voice echoed by three aggrieved candidates of the ACN, PDP and LP candidates, who called for annulment.
This development is against the backdrop of the consensus of the trio that the polls were allegedly programmed by INEC to favour APGA.
For analysts and some aggrieved voters, the move by the  candidates, is regarded as  a germane step  towards bringing their grievances to public glare.
At a press briefing jointly addressed by the trio, Ngige, who spoke on behalf of the candidates called for the cancellation of the eventual outcome.
Though the mood across the state is relaxed, many who spoke with Vanguard in Awka and its environs, expressed dissatisfaction that they could not vote despite turning out in their numbers.
For this and other reasons, they called for a fresh exercise.
But APGA is not taking the claims of rigging lightly. Its chairman, Umeh dismissed calls for annulment, adding that the exercise was credible.
He described those, who want cancellation as failed contestants, who have no stake in the state.
“INEC has done well but the few lapses are regrettable, the exercise was free and fair. The people crying blue murder are disappointed that they could not arm-twist INEC, “he added.

Vanguard

INEC: Anambra Election Inconclusive

The Independent National Electoral Commission has today  declared  the result of the governorship election in Anambra State  inconclusive. despite earlier declaration of APGA candidate, Willie Obianao winner
The chief returning officer of the Anambra State Governorship election, Prof. James Epoke, on Monday morning declared that the governorship election was inconclusive and that the date for the supplementary election will be announce soon

Details soon

Anambra: Market Women Protesting Against INEC In Awka

Hundreds of women Sunday marched on the streets of Awka, Anambra State capital, protesting alleged disenfranchisement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the governorship election. The women, most of who are from Idemili North Local Government Area, said they were denied the right to choose their leader due to late arrival of materials at the polling units on Saturday and the rescheduling. The women said rescheduling the election to Sunday morning when most of them were in church was “a wicked act” by INEC. They sang songs depicting their anger, saying: “We no go gree oo, we no go gree, anyi aturo vote (we did not vote), we no go gree.” As they attempted the march on INEC headquarters in Awka, police officers stationed at the junction leading to the commission’s office stopped them. The women dared the police to shoot them, singing in Igbo: “Iwe na ewe anyi, ehh, iwe na ewe anyi, anyi aturo nu vote oo, iwe (we are angry because we didn’t not cast our votes).” One of the women said: “It’s our right to choose our leader. Jega promised us free and fair election, yet he failed us. “Election didn’t hold in many local government areas yet they are preparing to announce results. Which results do they want to announce? Where did they get the results? It is a rigged result.” Meanwhile, final collated results are still being awaited at INEC headquarters.

source:naijnews

"INEC May Plunge Nigeria Into Crisis" - APC

The call according to the party is based on ” the massive disenfranchisement of people across the state, caused by the blatant incompetent and/or deliberate sabotage by the electoral commission itself. ”
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,the party said the call for total cancellation supersedes its early call for a rerun in four local government areas,and is based on the report it received from its agents as well as from local and foreign observers during the poll.
It said that INEC, which was saddled with organizing the election, inexplicably used a voters’ register that is totally different from what it gave to political parties ahead of the election, with the result that the new register did not contain the names of most of the registered voters in the state.
Worse still, APC said, delivery of materials to the strongholds of the APC candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, was either done very late or not at all, a development that further robbed over 300,000 of his supporters in three key local governments of Idemili North, Idemili South and Awka South of their franchise.
”After consultations with our agents as well as with local and foreign observers, we have discovered that what we earlier complained about was a child’s play, compared to the widespread disenfranchisement that was orchestrated by the same body given the responsibility of ensuring a free, fair and creditable election on Saturday.
”We discovered that INEC has set up a multi-layer arrangement to ensure that most voters in the state were disenfranchised, apparently acting out a script to manipulate the result of the election in favour of a certain candidate. Where voting materials were supplied, the commission provided wrong voters’ register.
”Coming after the charade in Delta, this is a serious development that raises questions about the ability of INEC to conduct a free, fair and transparent elections anywhere in Nigeria. It is particularly serious because if people who registered to vote are not able to do so, and even the votes of those who managed to cast them do not count, then anarchy is looming,” the APC said.
It called for a probe of INEC to determine why it has taken it upon itself to sabotage its own elections, even when people are determined to endure the orchestrated inconveniences and shun all acts of violence, as was witnessed in Anambra on Saturday when people waited patiently and peacefully, only to go home in total disappointment.
”This is a new low for INEC, and unless something is done urgently, the electoral commission may plunge Nigeria into a crisis from which it may not recover,” APC warned.


source:naijnews

READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/52229.html