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Coalition Expresses Concern Over November 2023 Off-Season Guber Elections

- • Urges Mahmood to ensure credible polls
Ahead of the scheduled off-season elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa; Saving Our Votes, a coalition of INEC registered civil society organisations and consultative partners, has expressed concerns and observations in electoral preparations while calling for credible polls.
In a press briefing jointly signed by Intercontinental Leadership Initiative, Christian Empowerment & Development Initiative, Centre for Strategy Ethics and Value, Centre for Social Value & Early Child Development, Initiative for Civic Obligation and Sustainable Peace, Grassroots Initiative for Promotion of Peace, Love Unity & Ethics, Water Light Initiative, Citizens Right for Peace and Non-Violence Initiative, Centre for Strategic and Conflict Resolutions and Centre for Positive Change & Civic Responsibility, the coalition reiterated that “the credibility of every election starts with the Integrity of the Voters’ register.”
The statement read by the principal convener, Comrade Prince Stafford Bisong, highlighted concerns and observations which should be looked into in order to observe and ensure a seamless, credible and fair elections especially in the area of voter registration, accreditation and the portal for real time result viewing direct from the polling units in line with the electoral act 2022.
“In consonance with section 19(I) of the electoral Act 2022, we observe that INEC DID NOT display or publish for public scrutiny the voters’ register in the LGAs, Political Wards and registration area across the three states (Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi) where off-season elections are scheduled to hold on 11th November 2023 and on its websites or any website established by the commission for that purpose in line with the above section of the electoral act.
“It is against this background that we (Saving Our Votes) a coalition of INEC registered civil society organisations have taken time to scrutinize the voters register in the aforementioned states to see, observe and discover for ourselves the state of affairs and level of preparation of INEC to deliver credible elections in those three states in November, 2023.
“Upon Inquiry as to why the voters register was not published, INEC informed us that they had published the voters register in November 2022 and at the same time, given to all political parties before the 2023 general elections and the same register Will Be Used in the Governorship elections in November 2023 in the respective states.
“Over the years many electoral commissions in Africa have seen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an institution to learn from about good conduct of elections and election management but in recent times, our democracy has been epileptic with several records of malpractices leading to negative publications in the social and international media discrediting the entire electoral processes that has been painstakingly built.
“Our areas of concern as we approach November 2023 elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo include;
• The integrity or otherwise of the state’s voters’ register
• The conduct of security agencies before, during and after the elections should be in line with the International best practices.
• Because of peculiar riverine terrine in these states, INEC should make adequate logistics preparations in ensuring that both sensitive and non-sensitive material get to the polling units on time.
• While we applaud technological advancements in the electoral process, INEC should find solutions in creating a seamless process for efficiency of the BVAS machines.
• We call on politicians to recalibrate their minds knowing the leadership is a Trust for selfless service to the people and politics is the game that produces such leaders. Politicians should STOP seeing politics a Do or Die Affair, and discourage violence perpetrated by their followers.
• The Nigerian Judiciary and Politicians should be informed that the BVAS has broken the thuggery and ballot snatching jinx and has ended massive thumb printing. Hence the need to stop trying to manipulate the electoral process.
• That all electoral stakeholders should advocate for judicial reforms and a review of the powers of the Election Petition Tribunal and Courts pre and post elections. Sanitizing the Judiciary will largely reduce the number of upturned and re-run elections emanating from the influence of politicians.
• We want to use this opportunity to commend INEC on the notable gains in our electioneering process while asking for more deliberate improvements.
• We use this opportunity to challenge the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to demonstrate his commitment to leaving behind a legacy of credible elections in Nigeria in line with the 2022 Electoral Act which is meant to bring sanity to our electioneering process.
• Finally, in the words of Thomas Jefferson and I quote, “We do not have government by the majority, we have government by the majority who participate in the election process”. It added.
The CSOs however, encouraged every eligible voter in these three states to ensure with their permanent voters card full participation in the electioneering process while urging all stakeholders to desist from vote buying, a menace threatening the dividends of democracy.
News
SERAP sues Akpabio over ‘failure to reverse unlawful suspension of Natasha Akpoti’

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The group argues that the suspension is unlawful and violates her fundamental right to freedom of expression.
SERAP is seeking a court order compelling Akpabio to reverse the six-month suspension, reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan, and restore all her legislative privileges. The organization also wants an injunction preventing the Senate from imposing further disciplinary actions against her for expressing her views.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended after she reportedly spoke without permission and rejected a new seat assignment in the Senate chamber. As part of her suspension, her salary and allowances have been withheld, and she has been barred from identifying as a senator.
In its suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP contends that the suspension deprives Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents of political representation. The organization also argues that penalizing a senator for exercising free speech creates a chilling effect on other lawmakers.
“No one should ever be punished for speaking without permission,” SERAP stated. “The Senate should uphold the rule of law and protect human rights, not suppress them.”
The group cites constitutional provisions and international human rights treaties, including Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
SERAP maintains that the Senate Standing Orders cannot override constitutional guarantees of free speech. The lawsuit emphasizes that restricting a senator’s expression undermines democracy and violates Nigerians’ right to receive information and participate politically.
No date has been set for the hearing of the case.
News
Market associations, women groups knock el-Rufai, rally support for Tinubu, Gov Sani

Ahead of the 2027 elections, hundreds of members of market associations and numerous women groups in Kaduna state at the weekend, occupied Kaduna metropolis in a peaceful demonstration where they reiterated their loyalty and support to the administration of
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The protesters who alleged that they had bitter experiences during the El-Rufa’i administration, said they would remain where Governor Uba Sani stood and advised the citizens of Kaduna not to be deceived by doing the contrary.
They recounted their ordeals during the 8 years of the previous administration, alleging that hundreds of market shops belonging to individuals were either seized, demolished or confiscated, a situation that triggered ill health in many traders and business owners leading to paralysis and multiple deaths of their colleagues.
“We’ve been in the market for over 40 years and have never experienced the kind of set backs we suffered under the previous Governor.”
“A lot of lives were lost,a lot of finances were ruined by reason of his kind of policies. We are here to speak with one voice and say that anything that would kind of revive such kind of philosophy in Kaduna market, we don’t want it,” Daniel Audu Maigari, a stakeholder of the Kaduna Market associations, has said.
He explained that “this incumbent Governor began by healing the wounds, the wounds that were really severed by the former Governor. Governor Uba Sani has been doing so,so very well and that’s why we’ve been with our leader, Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, who like Governor Sani,has been charting the right course, ensuring programmes and plans that will heal these wounds .”
He said there was never been a time they are having the impact of leadership in Kaduna market, like they are having now.
” Now we’ve lots of incentives, lots of policies that are driving us to progress .We are now standing with one voice to denounce anything that would reverse this,” he said.
Alhaji Daiyabu Ismail Mai Gwanjo, Chairman Stakeholders of the Kaduna State Market Traders associations, said on behalf of their leader,Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, his EXCO and all trader leaders in the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, they have gathered to unilaterally declare an unalloyed support to Governor Uba Sani who had taken care of them and protected their interests.
According to him,” we have to say so,haven had the harrowing experience in the hands of the past administration. The scar still remains and many are yet to recover.”
“But when Almighty Allah sent Governor Uba Sani to us,he declared he would not do anything bad to traders because the world thrives on businesses.All the most cherished countries like China, Canada, UAE, India,are very proud of and supportive to their traders and other business persons.”
“Unfortunately, we found ourselves during the previous administration that neither showed empathy nor sympathy to traders. An approximate number of 36 markets were demolished at that time.None of these markets was completely rebuild ,till date,and we are suspicious of the collaboration between the previous administration and the market developers.”
“We are therefore calling on Governor Uba Sani, our Governor of sympathy and understanding, to look at this issue with a view to resolving it.We are with Uba Sani a hundred percent, ” he added.
Hajiya Hadiza Abdulaziz,a woman leader of the market association,said they have gathered in multitudes to reiterate their support to the APC and Governor Uba Sani who has tremendously supported the market men and women in Kaduna State.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.
She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.
“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.
The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.
She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.
“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.
The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
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