INEC begins demarcation of constituencies for 2015

Jega’s 17-man panel to review lawmakers’ seats allocation

A major redrawing of constituencies, which may affect representation in the House of Representatives and State Assemblies, has begun.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) inaugurated yesterday a committee to redelineate the constituencies nationwide.

The 17-man committee, headed by INEC chair Prof. Attahiru Jega, will review the existing constituencies and the allocation of seats.

It will also identify imbalances in the existing arrangement and correct them.

Apart from the Senate where representation is based on equality of three per state, the House of Representatives and Houses of Assemblies’ seats are allocated based on population.

They are likely to be affected at the end of the INEC programme, which must nevertheless be approved by the National Assembly.

Mr. Kayode Oladimeji is the secretary of the committee.

The review of the constituencies is coming 18 years after the last one carried out in 1996. The country has 388 constituencies and the law provides for a review every 10 years.

The committee, according to Jega, is to consider the composition and boundaries of existing constituencies, as well as allocation of seats, and identify imbalances where they exist.

Jega said the programme would help deal with the inequalities in the constituencies and bring about equity in the weight of representation and votes in the constituencies.

He said: “Ideally, the weight of representation should be as nearly equal as possible. For every representative should be as nearly equal the number of the population quota.

“Every Federal constituency should be as nearly equal in size of 388,000. That ensures that weight of a representative in the parliament is as nearly equal with other representatives.

“In Nigeria there are wide-ranging disparities. There are constituencies that are as small as 122,000 and some as large as 1.3million.

“These disparities have existed because of population movement or original inequalities in the creation of constituencies.”

The INEC chief went on: “We are obligated by the constitution to periodically review these constituencies so that we can bring equity in the weight of representations and votes in the constituencies.

“It is very important in deepening democracy and fairness in representations.

We are required to do it either after every population census or in at least 10 years.”

Inaugurating the committee, Jega said: “In the kind of democratic system that we operate, where constituencies are based on single-member representatives, it is necessary, as provided by the constitution, and in line with international best practice, that the various districts and constituencies should be reviewed periodically.”

“This ensures that representations based on constituencies keep apace with demographic changes in the country, thereby ensuring that the process is equitable.

“Unfortunately, however, we have never been able to undertake this periodic review, important as it is, not only because of our chequered political development, but partly also due to lack of sufficient critical data and expertise to allow for an open, equitable and transparent constituency review.”

Jega said the challenge is for members to be absolutely impartial and transparent.

He told members of the committee that the assignment has presented them the opportunity to be part of history.

Other terms of Reference of the Committee are to: .review previous reports on the review of electoral constituencies; establish the methodology for carrying out a review of existing constituencies; .and to develop the delimitation guidelines, taking into account the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended), and international best practice.

The committee will also review the boundaries and composition of existing constituencies in line with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and international best practice; and make appropriate recommendations to the Commission. It will set up any number of sub-committees that may be necessary in the discharge of the delimitation assignment; and consider other issues that may be useful to a successful constituency review.

Other members of the committee are: Dr. Nuru Yakubu, Mrs. Thelma Iremirem, Mrs. Amina Zakari, Dame Gladys Nne Nwafor, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, Prof. Lai Olurode, Surveyor General of the Federation, Director-General, National Space Research and Development Agency, Director-General, National Boundary Commission, Director-General, National Population Commission, Prof. M. Mamman (ABU, Zaria) Prof. Mustapha Duze (BUK, Kano), Mrs. P.C Onokala (UNN, Nsukka), Prof. S.I Okafor (University of Ibadan) and Dr. Lisa Handley (international consultant).

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Osun poll: Tribunal upholds Aregbesola’s election

The Election Petitions Tribunal hearing matters arising from the August 9, 2014 Osun State governorship election has dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, against the victory of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, for failure to prove the allegations contained in the petition.

In a judgement read for about seven and half hours amid heavy presence of security men at the court premises in Osogbo, the tribunal’s chairman, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, said the petitioner failed to prove which provision of the Electoral Act the election contravened.

Omisore had dragged Aregbesola before the tribunal asking the panel to nullify the governor’s victory and declare him winner of the poll.

He had said that the election was vitiated by malpractices perpetrated by agents of the first respondent thus asking the tribunal to sack Aregbesola.

But the tribunal upheld Aregbesola’s victory and said the APC candidate scored 394,684 votes credited to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission, while Omisore polled 292,747 votes.

The petitioner challenged the election result in 939 polling units in 142 wards in 17 local government areas.

The disputed local government areas are Ayedaade, Atakumosa East, Boripe, Ede North, Ede South, Ejigbo, Ifelodun, Ilesa East and Ilesa West.

Others are Irepodun Local Government, Irewole, Iwo, Obokun, Olaoluwa, Olorunda, Oriade and Osogbo Local Government Area.

However, Justice Ikpejime held that the petitioner failed to prove the allegations contained in his petition.

The dismissal of the petition triggered jubilation as APC supporters took to the street to celebrate the victory.

But Omisore’s counsel, Mr. Nathaniel Oke, said though the judgement was binding on his client, there were some areas of disagreements.

He said that his client would appeal the judgement.

Meanwhile, Aregbesola dedicated the victory to the people of the state.

He said in a statement made available to our correspondent that the verdict was the demonstration of the wish of the people.

The governor said in a sane society, Omisore would not have approached the election tribunal because there was no redress to be sought.

“It is pertinent to state here that those who went to the tribunal knew that the petition lacked any substance whatsoever; it is a share waste of the time of the judiciary,” he said.

Omisore urges NJC to probe tribunal members

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has called on the National Judicial Council to probe the activities of Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime- led Election Petition Tribunal which dismissed his petition against Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The call came as the petitioner’s reaction to the dismissal of his petition which the three-man panel unanimously agreed could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Omisore, who said this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Saturday by his media aide, Mr. Victor Oriola, said he would appeal the judgment.

He described  the  dismissal of his petition   by the panel as a travesty of justice.

The allegation of corruption came as a surprise to many because one of the counsels to the petitioner, Mr. Nathaniel Oke ( SAN) had commended the panel while closing his case that the panel had maintained their integrity and none of the parties in the case had written any petition against any of them.

Oke reiterated his comment on the integrity of the panel on Friday after the judgment but said while the verdict was binding  on them it was not the final because they had some areas of disagreements.

Omisore’s statement read, “We had thought that the tribunal  members were of impeccable characters when our supporters were calling our attention to unholy liaison between Aregbesola’s agents and tribunal  members.

“Indication that the judgment was procured emerged shortly after the tribunal  began its ruling around10.00am on Friday when APC supporters were jubilating that they had won. It is instructive to note that the tribunal  commenced its ruling at 9.10am and rounded off by 4.38pm.

” The question to ask is: If the APC was not privy to the judgment, why were they jubilating when the tribunal  has not pronounced its judgment?

“The National Judicial Commission  should beam its searchlight on unscrupulous judges who had compromised and desecrated the judiciary with a view to rid our law court of corrupt judges who have penchant for perverting justice.

“We approached the Tribunal with the abiding faith in God that Justice will be done no matter how long it takes and we are unwavering in our belief that the appellate court would do justice to the petition.

“We want to urge our teeming supporters not to despair despite this momentary setback as we shall surely retrieve our mandate in due course.”

It will be recalled that the  President of the Court of Appeal had constituted a three man panel headed by Justice I.M. Bako to try the petition but Bako was removed following a petition written against him.

Justice Sulieman Ambrusa was appointed to lead the panel after Bako’s removal but the APC kicked against this and petitioned the Nigeria Judicial Council that Ambrussa should be replaced.

The entire panel was dissolved and a new panel headed by Justice  Ikpejime was constituted to try the case. Other members of the tribunal which eventually tried the petitioner are:  Justices Vincent Ofosi and A. I. kutigi.

Kano, Kaduna, Lagos top PVC collection list –INEC

Prof Attahiru Jega

The Independent National Electoral Commission has listed Kano, Kaduna and Lagos as the states leading in the collection of Permanent Voter Cards.

The electoral body said it was committed to its earlier position that the Temporary Voter Cards would not be allowed for voting during the next general elections.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, in his submission to the Council of State meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday, said the commission would not reverse its decision to use PVCs for the elections in order to enhance the credibility of the polls.

A copy of the submission titled: “Preparations for the 2015 general elections: Progress report,” presented to the Council of State meeting by Jega stated that a total of 45,098,876 PVCs had been collected across the country as of Wednesday.

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A document tagged “Attachment 2” attached to Jega’s presentation claimed that the figure represents 65.81 per cent of the 68,833,476 total number of registered voters nationwide.

The document indicated that 3,190,417 voters had collected their PVCs out of the 4,975,701 registered voters in Kano State representing 64.11 per cent of the registered voters.

In Kaduna State, 2,976,628 voters, representing 87.36 per cent, have collected their cards out of 3,407,222 registered voters.

In Lagos State, 2,267,039 voters, representing 38.39 per cent, have collected their PVCs out of 5,905,852 registered voters.

In Katsina State, 2,245,303 voters (79.40 per cent) have collected their cards out of 2,827,943 registered voters.

Bayelsa State has the least number of voters with PVCs. In that state, 386,125 voters (63.26 per cent) have collected their cards out of 610,373 registered voters.

In Abuja, 464,769 voters (52.73 per cent) have collected their cards out of 881,472 registered voters.

In Ekiti State, 496,536 voters (67.83 per cent) have collected their PVCs out of 732,021 registered voters.

Jega, however, said the commission would not conduct elections with TVCs because they (the TVCs) had no chips and could therefore not be authenticated by card readers.

He added that if TVCs were allowed, millions of people who were involved in multiple registration and whose names had been removed from voters register for the next elections would approach polling units on election days, whereas their names would not be in the register.

The INEC chairman said, “The nation has invested a lot in the Card Readers and Permanent Voters Cards technology and the commission believes that using them in the 2015 general elections would confer remarkable transparency and credibility to the electoral process.

“There have been demands that the commission should revert to the use of TVCs issued during the 2011 registration and the subsequent Continuous Voters Registration.

“The TVCs have no chips and therefore cannot be verified or authenticated by the card readers. Also, there are more than four million cases of multiple registration; people with TVCs, who have been removed from the certified register of voters for the 2015 elections.

“Once the use of TVCs is allowed, many of these people would inundate polling units on election day; their names will not be in the register, and they would start agitation that they have been ‘disenfranchised’ as was the case during the Anambra State governorship elections in November 2013.

“In any case, people who collected PVCs no longer have TVCs because they used them to exchange for PVCs.

“Additionally, a high percentage of voters had to use the attestation forms provided to collect their PVCs due to loss of TVCs on account of floods, insurgency, etc.”

Meanwhile, Jega regretted that due to funding constraints, the commission could not do enough hands-on training for its Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers on the technology of the PVCs and card readers.

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I sacrificed my presidential ambition for Buhari –Tinubu

A former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Friday said he sacrificed his presidential ambition for the All Progressives Congress candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu stated this while addressing a crowd of APC supporters at the party’s presidential rally in Lagos.

He said Nigeria was facing an economic crisis and an internal war and needed a person with Buhari’s experience because of the General’s reputation of anti-corruption and military warfare.

Tinubu said, “People define patriotism as putting the country first but this is what the ‘Poverty Development Party’ refuses to understand. We chose Buhari not because Bola Tinubu is not interested in the Presidency. I am capable, competent, qualified, younger and richer but there comes a time that people must make sacrifices for their nation.

“I prayed that Nigeria would get better and we would not need a man like him (Buhari). But today, we are in a great crisis; we face a lot of challenges. When South Africa was in a great dilemma and was about to disintegrate, they called Nelson Mandela of 74 years old.

“He used his wisdom to save his country. When the United States was in economic depression, they called 73-year-old Ronald Reagan because he was frugal and incorruptible.

“When America was faced with depression and war, they called a retired General, Dwight Eisenhower, to rescue the country and the country was returned on a path of success. “When France was faced with war and economic depression, they called a retired General, Charles De Gaul, to rescue the country.

Tinubu added that whether Buhari presented a certificate or not, he was still qualified to rule the country.

“So what do we need now? Buhari. This is the time for us. General Buhari, whether you are qualified or not qualified, we are calling you to come and rescue us in Nigeria,” he said.

Also speaking at the rally, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said President Goodluck Jonathan had done nothing for the people of the state despite the fact that the President got over 1.2 million votes from the state in 2011.

He said every project that the Federal Government was supposed to have assisted Lagos in executing had been frustrated by the Jonathan administration.

He, therefore, asked the people of the state to vote for the APC at all levels.

Buhari, who was the last person to speak at the rally, said the failure of the PDP-led Federal Government was unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.

Buhari said, “We all know what we have gone through in the past 16 years under the PDP. The APC has identified three core problems that must be tackled immediately. First is insecurity, two is the destruction of the economy and three is corruption.

“But whatever we have to do, we will have to secure Nigeria first. What is happening in the North-East where hundreds of people are being killed is unacceptable. We known that the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army are capable of bringing peace and stability into the country but they just need good leadership.”

Source: Nigeria Punch News

BY ENIOLA AKINKUOTU

Regards: Foreman Abiola