INEC

By Ishaka Mohammed

While some people are after the quality of leadership, others are primarily concerned about the identities or affliliations of the people in positions of authority. Anyway, democracy gives us the chance to participate in the process of choosing our leaders. The responsibility of the electoral body, therefore, is to ensure free, fair and credible elections. But can this body be graded excellent by all the electorate or citizens?

The answer is no. It’s impossible for an agency like the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to avoid fierce criticisms. Provided some candidates lose elections, issues must be raised against the commission. However, this body can reduce doubts to the bare minimum if it scores high in terms of transparency. Sadly, it usually scores low in this aspect. 

INEC has rescheduled the governorship and state assembly elections to March 18, as against the initial date: March 11, 2023. That’s just a week difference. This decision comes with diverse consequences, but my main focus is on how it affects the suffering inflicted by the so-called cashless policy.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled on Friday, March 3, 2023 that the old naira notes (N200, N500 and N1,000) remain legal tender until December 31, 2023. Many Nigerians celebrated the pronouncement, but I was unsure if President Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria would honour the ruling. Expectedly, it’s been almost a week since the judgment, but neither of the two has issued any statement about it. However, there’s been a sense of relief as many banks are reportedly paying and accepting the old notes.

As for the President and the CBN, I expected them to say something, maybe a few days after the governorship and state assembly elections, as they might consider the scarcity of cash as an effective measure against vote-buying. So, I was counting down to the end of our suffering—our struggle for cash—when INEC scattered my thoughts by rescheduling the elections. With this postponement, we’ll have to endure the suffering a little longer.

This cashless policy introduced by the Federal Government of Nigeria has been disastrous for the the country. Businesses and individuals are facing tough times due to the scarcity of cash in the economy. The stress of queueing at banks and POS shops, more hunger for the majority, transport costs to and from banks, a depressed market for traders (particularly those running small-scale businesses dealing in perishable goods), difficult in commuting to workplaces or schools, etc. — these are just a few of what Nigerians are enduring.

While I was preparing to go to the bank a few weeks ago, an elderly neighbour transferred N5,000 to my account to help her withdraw. It would been easier for some of us (Jaiz Bank customers) until that time. I went to the bank, fully prepared for long queues, but there was no cash. The woman’s money remained in my account for a few more days until one afternoon, when she called me on the phone (while I was at work) to send it back to her. She’d seen a POS attendant somewhere with some cash. She quickly sent her daughter home to get her debit card, but within a few minutes, the POS operator exhausted the cash by serving other customers in the queue. He charged N200 for every N1,000 withdrawn, yet the queue was long. The woman regretted leaving her card at home; she needed money to cook for her children. Before that time, she had, on two or three occasions, gone to queue at banks as early as 5 a.m. 

Talking about businesses, although some business owners have started acquiring POS machines and accepting bank transfers, bad network remains an obstacle. Besides, most business owners can’t afford such because of many reasons, including illiteracy and the smallness of their business scales. These are enough proof that Nigeria has yet to be ready for the cashless policy.

I can say that with the presence of digital financial institutions like Opay and PalmPay, multiple debit cards, and my little exposure due to education, I’m better off than millions of Nigerians in terms of the capacity to cope with the scarcity of cash in the country. Despite my obvious advantages, when a student of mine gave me N300 to buy a book for her a few days ago, I kept the cash in my pocket and transferred the same value to the bookseller. Yes, I needed the cash to buy items like onions, tomatoes, etc.

Back to the rescheduling of the elections, I don’t know if I’m being somewhat pessimistic, but this is just what I think. Neither President Buhari nor Godwin Emefiele may say anything about the Supreme Court ruling until after the governorship and state assembly elections. As a result, the postponement of these elections means that we may have to endure the suffering for another couple of days, say 11 or even more.

Ishaka Mohammed wrote from Kaduna State. He can be contacted via ishakamohammed39@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Ahead of the March 11 governorship election, the Youth Society for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Social Vices (YOSPIS) has commended the FG’s cashless policy towards the election and the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in conducting one of the freest and fairest elections in the country.

The Executive Director of YOSPIS, Zainab Ahmad Nasir, who made the call on Thursday, said, “We would like to commend the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government for conducting a free, fair and credible Presidential election in Nigeria. We hope and pray the same will happen next week for gubernatorial elections across the country.

“The vote buying was hugely reduced due to the new naira policy implemented by the Federal Government. However, despite its readiness, the commission [INEC] failed to provide some materials on time, like cubicles, among other materials. Many polling units in the State experienced the faults of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), late arrival of INEC officials and materials, change of polling units, absence of cubicles, violence and overvoting in some areas.”

The Director also urged the general public to remain calm and peaceful during the elections process and report any suspicious act to the security personnel.

She said, “We hope the electorates will continue to remain calm, peaceful and confident in the electoral process and report any wrongdoing they witness.”

The Daily Reality gathered that the Presidential elections last week had left many families in deep mourning of their relatives who were burnt to ashes or sustained gunshot wounds on election day in Kano.

Several reports indicated how Alhassan Ado Doguwa, the Majority Leader of the House of Representative of Nigeria, had allegedly shot three people and instructed thugs to set ablaze the Campaign Office of the New Nigerian People Party (NNPP) in Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano.

The development had allegedly led to the death of no fewer than fifteen innocent souls who happened to be inside the building when it was set on fire.

Miss Nasir concluded that “We hope the perpetrators of this dastardly violence will be brought to book and face the consequences of their actions.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmad Tinubu, has received the Certificate of Return as the President-elect of Nigeria.

On Wednesday, the certificate was presented to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Tinubu was accompanied by his beloved wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima and a retinue of governors and party chieftains.  

Tinubu had polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 6,984,520.

The Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, also collected his certificate of return alongside his principal.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A pressure group, Voice of New Fagge, has demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declare the winner of the Fagge Local Government’s National Assembly election held on Saturday.

Dr Muhammad Suleiman Abdullahi Fagge, the spokesperson of the group, made the request in a letter addressed to the chairperson of INEC in the Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State on Tuesday.

According to Mr Fagge, tension and uncertainty are brewing in Fagge over the refusal of INEC to declare the winner in the election on time.

He said: “We write in order to notify INEC about the growing tension, apprehension, anger and uncertainties brewing in Fagge Local Government’s communities over the recently concluded National Assembly elections. We also want to notify all the authorities concerned that the Fagge Local Government’s National Assembly election winner should be declared without wasting time.”

Mr Fagge also alleged that plans are underway by Hon. Aminu Suleiman Goro to increase the number of cancelled votes in order for him to comfortably thwart the will of the electorates.

He said: “There’s an allegation that Hon. Aminu Suleiman Goro, who is the third in this election, is working tirelessly to increase the number of cancelled votes to pave the way for him to rig the election in his favour, and this will not augur well with our democracy and the peace of the people of Fagge Local Government. It is upon this background that we call on INEC to immediately declare the winner of Fagge Local Government’s National Assembly election. This is in order to preserve the peace of the good people of Fagge Local Government and Kano State in general.”

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Reports reaching the Daily Reality (TDR) indicate that voting at 141 polling units in Bayelsa state has been suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, the exercise was suspended due to disruption as the voting process had been interfered with.

This was stated on Saturday when the INEC chairman addressed journalists at the collation centre in Abuja on the ongoing general elections.

As of the time of filing this report, TDR has not been able to gather more details about the decision taken by the electoral body.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed worries over the current incessant fuel scarcity in the country.

The electoral body said that the development could negatively affect its arrangements during the election due to the unavailability of products.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at a consultative meeting with officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Tuesday.

Fuel scarcity is one of the lingering issues many people have continued to decry in the country.

A recent investigation by the Daily Trust claimed that the menacing issue of fuel scarcity in the country is artificial.

Yakubu said, “The commission shares your concern about the fuel situation in the country and its impact on transportation on election day. 

“The truth is that our arrangements may be negatively affected by the non-availability of products.

“For this reason, the commission will this afternoon (yesterday) meet with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to look into ways to ameliorate the situation.

“I wish to assure Nigerians that we will continue to engage every national institution for the success of the 2023 general election.

However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) assured the electoral commission of an adequate supply of fuel during the election.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Owerri, Imo State, came under heavy bombardment by gunmen in the early hours of Monday.

According to reports, the gunmen threw grenades through the commission’s fence, destroying several offices and vehicles parked in the premises.

However, the police stationed at the INEC office engaged the gunmen in a heavy shootout, leaving three of the gunmen wearing charms and Biafra camouflages dead.

The Imo State Police Command through its spokesperson, Michael Abattam, confirmed that attack at the command headquarters in Owerri, where the lifeless bodies of the hoodlums were paraded. He said five rifles, two vehicles, charms, locally made bombs, phones and money were recovered from the slain gunmen.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned a decision by the Lagos State Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold its meeting inside a church in Ikeja, Lagos State.

Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the MURIC Director, made the condemnation in a statement released and issued to journalists on Thursday.

It was gathered that the Lagos headquarters of INEC scheduled a meeting for Thursday and picked Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja, as the venue of the meeting.

Akintola advised INEC Lagos headquarters not to hold any of its activities in any church except those meant for church members alone and that same goes for mosques and shrines.

He added that INEC has no business using places of worship for their activities, adding that the development is ‘very disappointing’.

The statement read, “This is very disappointing. How can an electoral body of INEC status pick a religious house of worship as venue for its meeting? Is the meeting for the Christian wing of INEC or what? Is INEC meeting members of the church? It is unacceptable.

“The choice of a church as venue for a meeting of INEC is very insensitive particularly given the very volatile situation, we are in Nigeria today. It is an open secret that Christian pastors are deeply involved in political campaigns.

“Many of them have turned 2023 election into a straight fight between them and the Muslims.

“INEC Lagos Headquarters has taken a false step. Holding an electoral body’s meeting inside a church is like holding it inside the secretariat of one of the political parties.

“It erodes confidence. It is totally wrong particularly in a situation whereby the church has publicly revealed that it is an interested party in the ongoing electioneering exercises.

“Why pick a church when there are hundreds of neutral places all over Lagos? Is INEC promoting the church’s vested interest in the 2023 election? Is some kind of connivance in the offing?

“INEC Lagos headquarters must prove to Lagosians that their votes will count. We call on Lagosians to watch the activities of INEC from now on because we are not convinced that it is going to be neutral,” Akintola said.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Zamfara State has lamented that thousands of permanent voter cards (PVCs) are yet to be picked up by their owners in the state.

The State Residence Commissioner, Professor Saidu Babura Ahmed, said the 2023 elections would be different from others because plans have been made for a free and fair process.

He made an appeal to traditional leaders, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other stakeholders to give necessary support to the Commission.

He said that the commission had made sufficient preparations in response to the inflow of internally displaced people to ensure that they would exercise their civic duties, noting that polling places will be built in locations where they would feel safer exercising their right to vote.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Reports reaching The Daily Reality have revealed that the Sokoto State Police Command has detained one Nasiru Idris of the Sabon Birni Local Government Area in possession of 101 permanent voter cards (PVCs).

The suspect was apprehended on October 10, 2022, in Sabon Birni, Police Commissioner Hussain Gumel said to reporters during a briefing.

He, according to the police commissioner, was unable to explain where he obtained the 101 PVCs, adding that, “It is envisaged that owners of these cards are not only from Sabon Birni local government but could be from other parts of the state because we could not trace the rightful owners of the PVCs.”

The CP promised that after a month, the police would hand over all of the unclaimed PVCs to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also urged members of the public, especially those whose identification cards were lost or stolen, to visit the command headquarters and check for identification.