Cross Rivers: Tribunal grants order for ADC National Assembly candidate to inspect INEC card readers, other materials

POLITICS

Cross Rivers: Tribunal grants order for ADC National Assembly candidate to inspect INEC card readers, other materials

 

The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State capital has granted an order for the candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency seat, in the 2019 General elections, Innocent Ovat, to inspect the Smart Card Reader machines that were deployed in each polling unit during the elections.

The Order, which came from a motion ex-parte, also directed “the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State to forthwith produce, provide and release to the petitioners, for their own use in this petition, certified true copies of the printout of data of accredited/verified voters of each polling unit as recorded by the smart card readers deployed for the election to the membership of the House of Representatives of Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency.”

Other materials, which the Tribunal Order INEC to release to the petitioner include the certified true copies of Form EC 8A of all the polling units/voting points in Etung and Obubra Local Government Areas.

The petition with suit number EPT/CAL/HR/12/2019 further requested as granted, “an Order mandating, compelling and directing the REC of INEC (3rd Respondent) to forthwith produce, provide and release to the petitioners for their own use in this petition CTC of 3rd Respondent letter of 22/02/2019 and captioned: Forwarding of Commission’s decision in pursuant of order Court Suit No: FHC/CA/CS/731/2018, Hon Godwin Etim John vs APC and others”.

The chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Vincent M. Agbata, who read the Order on behalf of the 3-man panel, said the petitioners will have accesses to the inspection and the materials as ordered in the company of the secretary of the tribunal.

Petitioners in the case are Innocent Ovat and African Democratic Congress while the respondents are Hon. Michael Irom Etaba, Peoples Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Ovat, who spoke with newsmen, said he had written to INEC and held meetings with the REC, requesting to have access to the materials to help his petition to no avail, hence his ex-parte application to the tribunal. The matter was adjourned for date to be communicated to the parties.

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Afenifere Calls On National Assembly To Sanction Buhari For Corruption Over $496m Aircraft Purchase

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Afenifere Calls On National Assembly To Sanction Buhari For Corruption Over $496m Aircraft Purchase

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday tagged the anticipatory approval and payment of $496 million by President Muhammadu Buhari for the purchase of the A29 Super Tucano Aircraft as an act of ‘corruption and misappropriation of public funds.’

It called on the National Assembly to ensure that the full wrath of the law was brought to bear on the issue.

Rising from its monthly meeting at the home of their leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, Afenifere also condemned the statement credited to the President in London, where he degraded youths.

Reading the group’s communiqué, its Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin said Afenifere “frowned at the anticipatory approval and payment of $496 million to the US government by President Buhari for the purchase of 12 A29 Super Tucano aircraft.

“It is disturbing that this impetuous act was carried out by the President, who is now asking the National Assembly to include money he already spent in 2018 Appropriation Act under consideration.

“This is against Section 83 of the 1999 constitution. Since there was no act of National Assembly for this money, it is clear that the President’s action is a clear subversion of 1999 constitution.

“It is an act of corruption and misappropriation of public funds and we call on the National Assembly to ensure that the full wrath of the law is brought to bear on this issue because this act of impunity is getting too much.”

                                                  

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BREAKING NEWS Senate Speaks On Buhari's Refusal To Assent Electoral Act Amendment Bill

​BREAKING NEWS

Senate Speaks On Buhari's Refusal To Assent Electoral Act Amendment Bill

The Nigerian Senate has spoken on President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the National Assembly’s amendment of the Electoral Act.

Spokesman of Nigerian Senate, Senator Sabi Abdullahi said that members of the Senate were yet to deliberate on President Buhari’s letter rejecting the amendment to the Electoral Act.

He disclosed this on Tuesday after plenary where President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, read the letters by Buhari rejecting amendment to the act.

He said: “If I’m speaking on behalf of the senate and the senate has not discussed an issue, is it fair for me to speak on that? “Yes the letter has been read and definitely this is not the first time letters coming from Mr. President would be read.

“It’s just the same normal communication from Mr. President and all communication from Mr. President will definitely go through the same legislative processes. Which means we have received it now, it’s for us to look at it.

“The Peace Corps came, the same thing. All of it is going to receive attention and senators and members of House of Reps as the case may be will begin to look at it because it’s a document coming to the National Assembly.

” Remember if we pass a bill for third reading, as long as the House of Reps has a similar thing and they’ve not concurred, we can’t start talking about the next stage.

“So, what we have here clearly is a letter coming back to us, it has been read, it’s going to be approved tomorrow in the votes and proceedings and when it is approved, subsequently if there is going to be any action we’ll tell you what the actions are going to be.”

President Buhari on Tuesday, turneddown the bill in two separate letters addressed to the Senate president Bukola Saraki and speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara.

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BREAKING NEWS 2019 Election: Former PDP Legal Adviser, Dayo Calls On National Assembly To Re-order Nigeria Election

BREAKING NEWS

2019 Election: Former PDP Legal Adviser, Dayo Calls On National Assembly To Re-order Nigeria Election

Former Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Lagos State, Mr Dayo Ogunjebe, has said that it was within the power of the National Assembly to re-order the 2019 general election.

According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as a creation of the National Assembly will have no issue but to follow the law as passed by the lawmakers.

The Nigerian senate and the House of Representatives have agreed on the order of the 2019 general elections.

Based on the reordering, the National Assembly election is to hold first, followed by gubernatorial and state assembly, and then the presidential election.

This decision, however, did not go down will with some persons, a development that has sparked nationwide reactions.

Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, Ogunjebe said the essence of the re-ordering of the election dates was to avoid a bandwagon effect and to ensure that every elected officer at the state and national levels won election on the strength of his or her campaign.

He said: ”I don’t understand the issue now. Suddenly there are complains over the re-ordering of dates for the election. Some people have argued that the governors and president don’t really campaign, that they wait for the lawmakers to secure their votes, which the governor or president in turn, aggregate. But with the re-ordering, the governor will campaign, same applies to the president.

“Unless, we have some other thing in mind, as far as I am concern, it is the best option , so that our elected officials get to power on the strength of their campaigns and promises at all levels. Every Nigerian should support this.”On the fortunes of the PDP in Lagos, he said that with the abysmal performance of the All Progressives Congress, APC at the national level, it was clear that Nigerians have seen that the APC has nothing to offer and will vote in the party (PDP) in the next general election.”

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Reps Urges Central Bank To Accept National Identification Number For Transaction

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Reps Urges Central Bank To Accept National Identification Number For Transaction

The House of Representatives, Tuesday, urged the Central bank of Nigeria and other commercial Banks to accept the national identification number as a statutory document for carrying out legitimate transactions in the country.

It also mandated its committee on banking and currency to interact with the CBN and other stakeholders on the need to recognize and accept the NIN Slip as a means of Identification and report within four weeks for further legislative action.

The green chamber argued that the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, was established to manage the identity of Nigerian citizens by birth and naturalization.

Hon. Ahmed Yerima who sponsored the adopted motion said NIMC had deployed the latest biometric data capturing technology to fulfill its mandate and ensure the originality of personal data.

But the lawmakers were worried that Central Bank of Nigeria, as a statutory body, has hitherto refused to recognize the NIN slip which is a means of Identification.

It further emphasized that since the issuance of the permanent identification card is a process which takes time, the continued rejection of NIN slip may cause untold hardships by the holders to carry out normal banking and other transactions in the country.

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