Dr. Olusegun Mimiko

INEC can’t try me, says Ondo deputy governor. From Julius Alabi, Guardian

This is incredible!!!

IN a seemingly defiant manner, Ondo State deputy governor, Omolade Oluwateru, yesterday described the threat by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to present him for alleged electoral malpractice as a ruse.

He said that INEC cannot try him as he still enjoys immunity, being the state’s number-two citizen.

Oluwateru, who also denied the alleged snatching of ballot boxes and papers during the April 14 governorship and House of Assembly elections, said the prosecution could only be carried out when evidence have been gathered and collated.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Jola Oladumiye, while reacting to a newspaper report credited to the INEC which stated that the commission is ready to prosecute him for hijacking ballot boxes in Akure, lamented that a national officer of INEC erroneously made allegation of ballot box hijacking against him.

His words: “A few moments later, he indirectly retracted his statement by discouraging reporters from probing an issue he had no knowledge of. Since then, INEC has not brought the matter up. But sensational press and the rumour mill have engaged in what they do best, making mockery of their leaders.

“Perhaps, the newspaper and its ludicrous reporter should be reminded that a sitting governor or deputy governor enjoys immunity from prosecution, including that of INEC. But beyond that obvious stance is the

fact that prosecution is carried out only when evidence have been gathered and collated.

“The truth in this case is that Oluwateru did not snatch any ballot box”, he noted.

He said the story is a complete fabrication by the reporter and it is a calculated attempt to ridicule the victory of the PDP at the recent polls and to rubbish the deputy governor’s integrity.

“It is disturbing that a national daily of that status could throw decorum and decency into the wind and flaunt falsehood and conjecture as its headline story”, he stressed.

“Notwithstanding the continued intellectual harassment by these mischief-makers, one hopes that intelligent and patriotic Nigerians will read between the lines and filter truth from fallacy”, the statement added.

From Grandiose Parlor

The following excerpts from Nigerian dailies capture the strategy of an incumbent PDP governor in Nigeria [Ondo State] who has resolved to news media and some sycophants to validate his stolen mandate.

This is an excerpt from the Nigerian newspaper ThisDay on Ondo state deputy governor who hijacked some ballot boxes during the state elections in the state.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to prosecute the deputy governor of Ondo State, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru, for allegedly hijacking ballot boxes at Continental Area of the state capital, Akure, during the April 14 Governorship and State Assembly elections. Oluwateru, the sitting deputy governor, was the running-mate to the state governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Olusegun Agagu during the April 14 governorship and state assembly polls during which the duo sought re-election.”

Yet, a traditional chief in the state [Oba Adesina] sees what millions of the state residents didn’t. In a story featured in The Nation, the Oba described the governor’s re-election as:

“A clear testimony and appreciation by the people of Ondo State of his progressive governance and leadership, which had all along been sound, visionary and purposeful… It is our firm belief that, with this mandate, the laudable achievements of your government witnessed by the state through your people-oriented programmes during your first tenure in office, and which are clearly visible in all nooks and crannies of this state, would be multiplied and consolidated in another four years of governance.”

The statement credited to this traditional ruler defies any logical explanation. And he’s not the only one; several individuals and organizations in the state have sponsored congratulatory messages in the dailies.

Read the full post on Grandiose Parlor

Agagu to indigenes: my doors are open. The Nation

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu has called on indigenes who have meaningful contributions to move the state forward to come on board, no matter their political inclinations.

The governor extended the invitation when Akure indigenes,led by Oba Oluwadare Adepoju Adesina paid him a solidarity visit.

He said: “Our doors are open to accept anybody, no matter what political group he belongs as long as he has something to offer. The state is greater than anybody or political interest.”

He added:”There is so much to be done to transform the state and ensure it reaps abundantly from what the administration had laboured for in the last four years,”Agagu advised politicians in the state to always imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship.

Earlier, the monarch, while congratulating the governor on his re-election, had urged him to, in his “usual way of displaying maturity, continue to extend hands of fellowship to politicians in other groups, particularly to their leaders who showed keen interest in occupying the exalted position of governor of this state during the last polls.”

He said: “We anxiously expect that other leaders of our state would honourably join hands with you in your noble quest to further transform the state to a place of pride for all of us.”

Adesina described the governor’s re-election as “a clear testimony and appreciation by the people of Ondo State of his progressive governance and leadership, which had all along been sound, visionary and purposeful.”

He said the visit was an opportunity for his people to express their support for the fresh term of office given to the governor by Ondo State people.

He said: “It is our firm belief that, with this mandate, the laudable achievements of your government witnessed by the state through your people-oriented programmes during your first tenure in office, and which are clearly visible in all nooks and crannies of this state, would be multiplied and consolidated in another four years of governance.”

Fraud rocks INEC, files on sale. By Paul Mumeh, Daily Independent (via Odili.net)

Conspiracy and fraud have again been uncovered at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja, where it was learnt on Wednesday that officials make tidy sums off the backs of election candidates.

The cheery news is that the INEC, going by its own confirmation, has deposited N6 billion with Zenith Bank to pay temporaryemployees who worked for it during the elections.

It directed them to collect from the state resident electoral commissioner, personal identification forms signed by him, the administrative secretary, and the council electoral officer to claim their allowances at the bank.

The story of the fraud, though, is that INEC officials sell the files of election candidates to their opponents in preparation for cases at election tribunals.

Such contain bio data and other vital credentials, and could be sold for up to N5 million each.

In turn, officials in INEC legal department ask the victims to fill another set of forms on the excuse that their files are missing.

A new form filled without the exact information contained in the original could be used as evidence against them at the election tribunals.

INEC Chairman, Maurice Iwu, has met with commissioners and heads of departments where it was agreed to set up a probe panel.

However, both INEC Director of Public Affairs, Segun Adeogun, and Iwu’s Chief Press Secretary, Andy Ezeani, could not be reached for comment on the matter.

Before the elections, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested some INEC commissioners and directors over alleged fraud. The case is still being investigated.

Several women adorned in black on Wednesday invaded the national headquarters of the INEC to protest the elections, which they described as flawed.

The protest by the Women Action Organisation (WAO), led by Roibito Ekpiken-Ekanem, coincided with the arrival of another group of women, led by Theresa, the wife of Imo State Governor Chike Udenwa, which praised the INEC for conducting a credible ballot.

Nigerians living in the Diaspora will today take to the streets of London in protest of last months general elections. The demonstrations, to be held in front of the Nigerian High Commission at Northumberland Avenue, in Charing Cross at 12 noon, is the first of a two-part protest being held to urge both the Nigerian Government and the International Community to disregard and also annul the much maligned elections results.

Although, the move is being coordinated by South-East based Democracy Watch Initiative, DWI led by Dr Philip Idaeawor, other organizations including Concerned Nigerians Abroad, Foundation for Good Governance and Development in Nigeria (FGGN), Nigeria Watch (UK), Global Afrikan Congress (UK) and New Dawn (UK) have identified with the initiative and all have decided to operate under the umbrella body of Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD, UK). Two political parties, the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP (UK) and a factional arm of Action Congress (UK) led by Dr Owoade, have also joined up for the mass protests, the second of which comes up at the Prime Minister’s residence, No 10 Downing Street, on Saturday afternoon.

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April 21 presidential election was a miracle — Iwu Punch

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Maurice Iwu, on Wednesday, said it was a miracle that the electoral body was able to conduct the April 21 presidential election despite the immense logistical challenges it faced.

He said but for divine intervention, the commission would not have been able to overcome the logistic problems that had endangered the poll.

The INEC boss spoke in Abuja when a delegation of women from Imo State, led by the First Lady of the state, Mrs. Theresa Udenwa, visited the commission.

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Agagu, Denies Alleged Indictment, ThisDay

Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu has refuted the allegation that he was indicted for corruption by a Judicial Commission of Enquiry chaired by Justice Obiora Nwazota.

Agagu’s defence on the alleged indictment was contained in a counter affidavit his lawyer, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), filed to a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The suit, filed by four indigenes of Ilaje Local Government of Ondo State is seeking to void the clearance given to Agagu to seek re-election as governor on the basis of the alleged indictment.

The plaintiffs alleged that Nwazota Panel, in 1999, indicted Agagu for corruption and embezzlement and recommended that he refunds about 43.5 million to the Federal Government, which he allegedly did.

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 April Polls: INEC to Prosecute Agagu’s Deputy for Rigging. ThisDay

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to prosecute the deputy governor of Ondo State, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru, for allegedly hijacking ballot boxes at Continental Area of the state capital, Akure, during the April 14 Governorship and State Assembly elections.

Oluwateru, the sitting deputy governor, was the running-mate to the state governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Olusegun Agagu during the April 14 governorship and state assembly polls during which the duo sought re-election.

INEC National Commi-ssioner in charge of Information and Publicity, Mr. Philips Umeadi (Jnr), had confirmed on national television after the election that Oluwateru was found to have hijacked ballot boxes during the governorship polls but did not say what the commission would do on the matter. A member of the INEC hierarchy, however told THISDAY last night that the commission’s resolution is to prosecute Olu-wateru.

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Labour to INEC: don’t doctor results . The Nation

With barely few days to the commencement of sitting of the Election Petitions Tribunal in Ondo State, the Labour Party (LP) has cried out over alleged moves by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in connivance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to doctor last month’s election results.

The party alleged that already, electoral officers and other ad-hoc staff used by the INEC in the April 14 and 21 elections have been compromised with huge sums of money “to put its cooked books in order before the sitting of the Election Tribunal.”

According to a statement issued by LP’s Director of Press, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, collation officers, electoral officers and other officials engaged by INEC for the election all over the 18 local government areas, including party agents “are now being lured to the INEC Offices in the councils” headquarters and INEC head office in the Alagbaka area of Akure, the Ondo State capital, under the guise that they should come for their allowances and subsequently were presented with monies ranging from N250,000 to N500,000, depending on the area they worked during the elections and they were made to write incriminating reports indicting the Labour Party of electoral fraud.”

“For instance, in Akure South, INEC officials at the commission’s area office asked unsuspecting collation officers to write reports in form of petitions that thugs loyal to the LP forced them to sign the results which LP won overwhelmingly under duress and thus denounced the initial one they signed. After this, they are called into their office and paid monies ranging from N250, 000 and N500, 000. This was replicated in all the councils’ area where election took place and which, of course, the LP won by a very wide margin.

“The plan of the PDP and their colleague in crime, the INEC, is to now put these new reports inside the INEC’s file and attempt to use it to implicate the LP. Any wonder then why the INEC had not deemed it fit to make available the result of the April 14 governorship and House of Assembly elections done almost three weeks ago to political parties in the state despite series of demands for it.

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Court rules on Agagu’s eligibility to contest May 13. By Tobi Soniyi, Punch

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday said it would deliver a ruling on May 13 on whether it has jurisdiction to continue with the hearing of a suit challenging the eligibility of Chief Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State to contest as the governor after the election in question has been held.

Although the suit filed by four people from Ondo State commenced before the governorship election was held, the case could not be determined to finality before the election was held.

The substance of the suit is that Agagu was not qualified to seek election into the office of the governor having been indicted by a panel.

The governor said the high court should allow the election tribunal to handle the case. But the plaintiffs said no.

Justice Abimbola Ogie fixed the date after listening to the submissions of counsel to both parties on the objection against the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.

Agagu‘s lawyer, Mr. Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), said that the court had lost its jurisdiction to hear the matter once the election, which the action sought to challenge, had been conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the winner already declared.

He said that the court derived authority from section 32 (4) of the Electoral Act and that sub section 5 of the same provision restricted the court‘s power to entertain pre-election matters.

Replying, Femi Falana representing the plaintiffs argued that it was wrong to hold that once election had been conducted, it dispossessed the aggrieved party of the right to be heard in the high court except through the tribunal.

He said that section 32 (4) of the Act did not stipulate that once an election was conducted the matter should come to the end.