2023: We are fully ready, assures INEC

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reassured that it is fully ready for the 2023 general election, assuring that every valid vote will count.

The Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute (BEI) of INEC, Prof Abdullahi Abdu Zuru gave the assurance on monday in Abuja at the training of party agents by the commission.

Prof Zuru equally reiterated that the will of the people will prevail in the forthcoming general elections.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are slated for February 25, while the governorship election (in 28 States) and States’ Houses of Assembly election will hold on March 11, this year.

The Chairman of the BEI restated that INEC is committed to the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification, authentication and accreditation.

According to Prof Zuru, “The Commission is determined to ensure that every valid vote will count, the will of the people will prevail, and the 2023 General Election will be free, fair, credible, inclusive, transparent and verifiable.

“Therefore, be reassured that we are indeed very ready for the 2023 General Election”, he said.

Continuing, the Chairman of BEI added, “May I at this juncture, reiterate that the Commission is committed to the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification, authentication and accreditation.

“To ensure absolute transparency, the BVAS will also be used to upload accreditation data and election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time on Election Day to enable all Nigerians and foreigners to follow the election as it happens.

“To this end, we just concluded nationwide Mock Accreditation Exercise on Saturday 4th February 2023 where we tested the field performance of the BVAS.

“The results of the test were very successful and response of Nigerians across the country very pleasing”, he stated

Prof Zuru restated that the last day for campaigns by Political Parties remains Thursday 23rd Feb., 2023 for Presidential/National Assembly and Thursday 9th March, 2023 for Governorship/State Houses of Assembly.

His words, “The Last day for campaigns by Political Parties: Thursday 23rd Feb., 2023 for Presidential/National Assembly & Thursday 9th March, 2023 for Governorship/State Houses of Assembly and Date of Election: Saturday, 25th Feb., 2023 for Presidential/National Assembly & Saturday 11th March, 2023 for Governorship/State Houses of Assembly”, he explained.

Ganduje blasts Emefiele, says CBN gov fighting back for losing presidency

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state has lambasted the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele over implementation of naira swap policy.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, Ganduje said the new money policy, introduced by Emefiele is ill timed.

According to Ganduje, who made the scathing criticism during electioneering campaign rally, held in Tsanyawa Local Government on Sunday, Emefiele had untimely implemented the policy as “fighting back strategy for failing to get presidential ticket under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The Governor, according to the statement, emphasized that, “The CBN Governor is only doing this to cause confusion in the forthcoming elections for not just reason.

“He has not been in good mood for long, because he failed to secure Presidential ticket on the platform of our great party, the APC,” Ganduje was quoted as saying in the statement.

He insistied that Kano state government and APC in the state are totally against the action of the CBN Governor.

“Currency redesign is done across the globe, but not in the way we are witnessing in our country. The timing is wrong, the deadline given is very wrong and deliberate,” he said.

Part of the measures taken by the governor to cushion the effects of the hardship caused by Naira swap development, he reveals that, “We will summon bank managers very soon to interrogate the shortage of new Naira notes in banks.

“They should come over and explain to us, why our people are still suffering over this issue of Naira Swap. And i will go to them individually to supervise what is happening and why,” the governor disclosed.

On palliative measures, Ganduje reminded that, during COVID-19 pandemic state government distributed palliatives to citizenry across all the 44 local governments.

Disclosing that, “We have a plan in the pipeline to start distributing palliatives very soon across all the 44 local governments, to cushion the effect of the hardship caused by the CBN Governor, to our people.”

At the palaces of the District Heads of Kunchi and Tsanyawa local governments, he urged community leaders to create awareness within their jurisdiction to let people know that, “… hardship people facing is singlehandedly caused by the CBN Governor, to purposely cause confusion in our democratic process.”

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Supreme Court of Nigeria, in a dissenting judgement, declared the Senate President, Almed Lawan as the authentic APC senatorial candidate for Yobe North in the forthcoming general elections.

By this judgement, the lead majority of three Justices against two, set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal Abuja Division, which had on November 28, 2022, affirmed Bashir Sherrif Machina.

The lead majority judgement was delivered by Justice Centus Nweze.

The Apex Court in the majority judgment voided and set aside the judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal which affirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the candidate having won the May 28, 2022.

The ground of voiding the two earlier judgments by the Supreme Courts new judgment was that Bashir Sheriff Machina adopted originating summons to invoke his case at the Federal High Court.

Justice Centus Chima Nweze who delivered the majority judgment of the Apex Court held that Bashir Sheriff Machina ought to commence his case at the Federal High Court with Writ