#Governorship Advisory Council

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Edo poll: Election not war, IPAC Advises candidates

The Inter-Party Advisory Council has urged stakeholders not to view the Edo State governorship election as a war. IPAC stressed that the exercise is intended to select leaders who will promote good governance, accountability, and development. The National Chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Benin, the state capital, following a…

[hardynwa]

Imo ADP gov candidate slams Uzodimma over N54m billboard fee

The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party, Dr. Kachi Nwoga, has knocked the Imo State Advertisement and Signage Agency for demanding N54 million from political parties planning to erect campaign billboards ahead of the November 11 election. While sarcastically calling on Imo Governor, Hope Uzondimma, to allow opposition parties in the State to breathe, the ADP candidate described the advertisement fee as outrageous. Nwoga made the appeal in a letter written to the national headquarters of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, a copy of which was made available to journalists titled: “Petition Against N54m Campaign Levy Imposed on All Opposition Parties by Hope Uzodimma-led Imo Government.” Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the Imo politician expressed concern that the move to frustrate opposition parties was targeted at giving Uzodimma an advantage ahead of the November 11 governorship poll. He said, “The opposition is not allowed to breathe. I cannot go and put up a billboard today because, by the time they are telling me to pay N54 million naira to put up a billboard, it means I cannot put up a billboard. “I don’t know any state anywhere, even if you need to convert it to dollars, nobody can charge this kind of money. It’s obscene, It’s atrocious, It’s sinful. That’s what they’re asking the opposition to pay. “And I intend to ask since the entire state up and down is filled with the billboard of one particular person, I really want to know how much the state has made from that one person, if this is how much you have to pay for billboards.” Nwoga’s reaction was a response to a circular issued by the General Manager of IMSAA, Chibuzor Umunnakwe, notifying all political parties participating in the forthcoming governorship election to apply for permits before erecting political billboards, out-of-home displays, and ancillary materials. Although the letter was dated June 7, the agency maintained that the rates, terms and conditions had become effective from April 1. The letter reads: “Political candidates intent on deploying outdoor/public displays must obtain, fill and submit the IMSAA application for outdoor political campaign advertisement form. “A list of proposed billboard sites, including the ones for rental should be indicated in the form or as a separate attached document. If the sites are going to be built by the candidate or supporting parties, these would be treated as temporary structures. “On approval of the form content, candidates will make the appropriate fee payments as indicated below. IMSAA finds all processes satisfactory, candidates will get a compliance confirmation letter from the agency.” Umunnakwe stated that application form fee is pegged at N100,000; while the “gubernatorial Campaign Permit fee is N54,000,000.” He added that on approval of the campaign, site inspection fee attracts N50,000, adding that this fee was in respect of billboards built by the candidate but does not affect those rented, while the approval fee is pegged at N150, 000. Read the full article

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Ogun IPAC commends INEC, urges PDP candidate to Stop inciting chaos

The Ogun State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its performance during the March 18 governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the State. The State Chairman of IPAC and People’s Redemption Party (PRP) State Chairman, Mr Samson Okusanya, gave the commendation at a press conference in Abeokuta on…

[i-marshall2018-stuff]

Lagos Guber: Akinwunmi Ambode Support Group Petitions Adams Oshiomhole Over Jide Sanwo-Olu’s Endorsement

Lagos Guber: Akinwunmi Ambode Support Group Petitions Adams Oshiomhole Over Jide Sanwo-Olu’s Endorsement

The Ambode Mandate Support Group (AMSG) has sent a petition to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, over the endorsement of his opponent in the forthcoming governorship primary by the party leadership in the state.

The Chairman of the group, Mr Akeem Sulaimon, made this known at a rally on Sunday in Lagos to mobilise support for the second term bid…

[don-lichterman]

Opinion: Michigan’s blue trifecta will be judged by progress on environmental justice | Metro Detroit News | Detroit

Opinion: Michigan’s blue trifecta will be judged by progress on environmental justice | Metro Detroit News | Detroit

click to enlarge Courtesy photo Theresa Landrum is president of the Original United Citizens of Southwest Detroit and was selected by Governor Whitmer in 2020 to serve on Michigan’s Advisory Council for Environmental Justice. State legislators are taking their oaths of office this week, placing Michigan’s governorship and both chambers of the state legislature under Democratic control for the…

[streetreporters]

APM Governorship Candidate in Enugu State Says It's A Better Deal In 2023

APM Governorship Candidate in Enugu State Says It’s A Better Deal In 2023

Former chairman of the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC) in Enugu State and the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Barr Kenneth Ikeh has given insights into the preparedness of his party ahead of the 2023 general elections. The governorship candidate, who spoke in a chat with newsmen in Enugu also spoke on the need to trust the Independent National Electoral Commission…

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POLITICS NEWS: IPAC condemns ADP over Kano gov candidate replacement

POLITICS NEWS: IPAC condemns ADP over Kano gov candidate replacement

Publish date: 2022-08-30 10:10:03 | Author: Tukur Muntari | Source: punchng.com The Inter-Party Advisory Council, Kano State chapter, has condemned the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party for being “unscrupulous” in not fulfilling the promises he made to the state governorship candidate of the party, Nasiriu Koguna, who was persuaded to withdraw his candidature. The condemnation…

[theanonymousscrooge]

Another Excerpt from "The Empire" (2)

"Despite the amount of effort I put into reining Clarina in, she still managed to cause the downfall of my Empire. At the tender age of 21, she left the Imperial City in order to take her rightful place as Queen of the Halmyrian Dominions. This did not bother me at first, since the Imperial Commission, chaired by the Imperial Ambassador, was in place to give advice and counsel to the Queen. And for three years, that is exactly what they did. When the Queen attempted to procure additional arms for the Dominion's troops, the Imperial Commission vetoed her decision, stating that the presence of the Imperial Legion in the area negated the need for a stronger armed forces. While this militaristic move bothered me, I was assuaged by the fact that Clarina immediately respected the Commission's decision.

This assuagement, however, was misplaced.

Slowly but surely, Clarina began to undermine the will of the Imperial Commission. She set up her own advisory council, and she increasingly boycotted the sessions of the Imperial Commission. She also stripped the members of the Commission of their governorships of the Dominion's provinces, leaving them with less power to influence the Queen's policy. The final straw came when she accused them of treason against her. During an Imperial Commission meeting called by the Ambassador to discuss the Queen's belligerent acts, the Queen barged in with her elite guard, and ordered the arrest of the Imperial Commissioners. The Ambassador was also declared persona non grata from the Dominions, and given a mere 24 hours along with the rest of the Imperial Staff and Legion to leave the area.

This was the beginning of the Halmyrian rebellion."

[hardynwa]

Guber Poll: Opposition protest N54m Campaign fee in Imo

The Imo State government has revealed that opposition parties must pay the sum of N54 million to obtain permission to erect campaign structures for the upcoming governorship election in the state. The chairmen of the opposition parties, consisting of Accord Party, PDP, Labour Party, APGA, Action Alliance, ADC, NNPP, SDP, YPP, ADC, and APP, made this known through their spokesman, Chief Uchendu Ahaneku, when they addressed newsmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital. They operate under the aegis of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC-G12) Imo State, comprising 12 political parties in the state. Describing the fee as outrageous, the chairmen also alleged that the move represents an attempt by the state government to stifle opposition and ensure that only the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was given a space to breathe in the state. In a document that purportedly emanated from the Imo Signage and Advertisement Agency (IMSAA) and signed by its general manager, political parties are instructed to seek a permit with the sum of N54 million before mounting campaign structures, including billboards, posters and other means. Titled, “’Schedule of Rates and Terms for Political Advertising and Ancillary Signage Displays in Imo State for Gubernatorial Campaigns 2023,’” the document also mandated candidates to pay the sum of N100,000 as Form/Processing Fee; N50,000 for site inspection and N150,000 as approval fee. The document also came with the stipulation that IMSAA reserves the right to reject approval of the erection of campaign structures even after the payments. Chief Ahaneku, stressed that the policy is obnoxious, violates the Electoral Act and Constitution of Nigeria. Ahaneku, appealed to Governor Hope Uzodimma to call the agency to order, stressing that they will not hesitate to take legal actions against the state government if it does not rescind the obnoxious policy. Read the full article

[thisdaynews]

Edo Election: Heavy Security, As INEC Begins Distribution Of Sensitive Materials (Photos)

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/edo-election-heavy-security-as-inec-begins-distribution-of-sensitive-materials-photos/

Edo Election: Heavy Security, As INEC Begins Distribution Of Sensitive Materials (Photos)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of sensitive materials, ahead of Saturday’s Governorship election in Edo state.

Igbere TV had reported how the sensitive materials for the conduct of the election, arrived the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Benin City, on Wednesday.

Early Thursday, our correspondent observed the inspection of the materials in cartons, including the ballot papers and the results sheets.

Also among the materials are the Braille ballot guide for persons with disabilities, especially the visually-impaired.

Igbere TV observed Thursday morning that INEC had begun the distribution of the sensitive materials to various Local Government Areas in Edo state.

It was gathered that the Inter Party Advisory Council, including party agents in the state were invited by INEC to inspect the materials at the CBN.

Some election observers including Yiaga Africa, told newsmen that, “everything is intact, we just inspected the materials and we are satisfied.”

Escorting the materials to the various local governments are security agents, party agents and election observers, who vowed to observe the movement of the materials to LGAs.

Mr Timidi Wariowei, INEC Head of Voter Education and Publicity in Edo, reiterated the Commission’s readiness for the Saturday election, as well progress made so far.

[newsvillepost]

Edo election: How PDP sponsored APC disqualify Obaseki - Oshiomhole

The previous National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said the screening council of the gathering depended on archives from the People groups Fair Gathering (PDP) to exclude Senator Godwin Obaseki when they prosecuted him in 2016. Oshiomhole expressed this on Thursday when he was tending to a horde of supporters, who invited him to Benin City, the Edo State capital. As indicated by him, the claim initiated by the PDP was struck out in light of the fact that the gathering recorded out of time. Oshiomhole claims APC gained from what occurred in Bayelsa State and chose to rehash the misstep in Edo State. He stated: "PDP took Obaseki to the court that he manufactured authentication. "You recognize what befallen us in Bayelsa. So I have to guarantee you that the choice of the screening advisory group to preclude the sitting representative depended on the proof gave by PDP which they saw as right and you don't rehash a similar misstep twice." Obaseki will challenge the Edo governorship survey under PDP after he was precluded from the APC primaries. Read the full article

[upshotre]

Kogi/Bayelsa elections: INEC, police on the spot as electorate vote

Over the years, elections in Nigeria have been marred by violence that is believed to be promoted by the political actors to win the elections at all costs. Unfortunately, apart from deriding the electoral processes, many lives have been lost alongside wanton destruction of properties. It is just one week to the conduct of the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. As was the case in the February/March 2019 general elections, the political atmosphere in the two states has become charged and politicians who have perfected the art of playing the blame games are at the top of it. Their sole interest is how to induce mayhem as part of their do-or-die strategies to get their parties into power at all costs. In Bayelsa State, for instance, the All Progressives Congress has accused the state government of withdrawing a whopping N17.5bn as part of plans by the Peoples Democratic Party-led government in the state to induce voters during the election. The party has, therefore, called on the anti-corruption agencies to freeze the account of the state over the recent alleged suspicious withdrawals by government proxies. The state APC governorship candidate, David Lyon, alleged that the PDP was planning to use the money to rig the election through vote-buying. The party did not end there as its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yekini Nabena, further alleged that it had uncovered fake Permanent Voter Cards manufactured in large numbers by the PDP ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state. However, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Bayelsa, Senator Douye Diri, dismissed the allegations by the APC, claiming the rival party was not ready for peaceful polls but to deploy violence. While that is allegedly happening in Bayelsa State, a chieftain of the PDP in charge of security in the Wada/Aro Campaign Organisation in Kogi State, Suleiman Abutu, was arrested with six others in Dekina Local Government Area of the state for illegal possession of firearms. The development is coming on the heels of persistent fears that politicians are arming thugs ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the state. Several instances of this nature which helped to charge the atmosphere during the just concluded 2019 general elections is again resurfacing despite several debates to avoid its reoccurrence. The unwarranted use of force by security operatives to disrupt the electoral process is also an issue of concern. In a bid to avert vote-buying ahead of the elections on Saturday in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the Independent National Electoral Commission has promised to deploy operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to polling centres to arrest vote buyers. The commission’s Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, during a quarterly meeting with the Inter-Party Advisory Council, said the EFCC and the ICPC would play active roles during the elections to try to dissuade and prevent vote-buying. Yakubu said, “We are going to deepen our collaboration with the EFCC and the ICPC in this respect. They will keep an eye on the movement of cash during campaigns and election day. “Before 2015, some suspected vote-buyers were arrested by the EFCC. Some have been charged to court. The latest update that I received indicated the EFCC has secured the first conviction in Gombe State. That is certainly a cause for celebration.” The INEC boss said the commission would be working with all security agencies to ensure the safety of both men and sensitive materials during the elections. However, at another event in Abuja, Yakubu raised the alarm on the likelihood of the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states being disrupted by political thugs. Yakubu said the outcome of the risk assessment conducted by the commission identified some flash-points in the two states. “There are already warning signals in the two states. Both are politically volatile. Elections have been disrupted by violence in the past. Our risk assessment, which will be shared with the security agencies at this meeting, has identified some flashpoints. “We are also concerned that thugs have been mobilised from within and outside the states with the aim of either influencing the elections or disrupting the process on behalf of partisan sponsors.” He stated that the development called for a robust response before the elections, election day and during the process of collation and declaration of results. “Nigerians expect that by now, we have learnt enough lessons from previous elections to ensure a swift security response to increasing desperation by political actors to disrupt elections and subvert the will of the electorate. “If that happens, many Nigerians will blame the electoral umpire and the security agencies. We must continue to rise to this challenge,” he added. As also expected, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, has pledged that the police would be professional and neutral in the conduct of the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. Adamu said the police would draw from its experiences from the 2019 general elections to ensure free, fear and credible elections in the two states. But the problem, according to pundits, is the ability of the major stakeholders to stick to the rules of the game. For instance, while the politicians have their huge blames, the ability of the electoral umpire to prosecute electoral violators and secure judgments in their favour has come under scrutiny. The Chairperson of Transition Monitoring Group, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said as part of ways to ensure lasting peace, there is a need for the citizens and government to activate the section of the Electoral Act that punishes those who promote violence in elections. “The political parties are responsible for heating the polity, we need to reduce their influence on the citizens’ ability to vote, and there is a need for citizens and government to activate the section of the electoral law that punishes those who promote violence in elections. “The antecedents of the two states are a great concern. Steps must be taken by the police to ensure that innocent citizens are not caught up in the violence being orchestrated by political parties,” she stressed. Akiyode-Afolabi also tasked the electoral commission to increase its relationship with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that all those found culpable were prosecuted and convicted. “The election management body needs to also increase its engagement with police and other security agencies to prevent violation of electoral guidelines such as (voter inducement and transaction of PVC) as well as violence pointers. “It is also important that parties, candidates and their supporters should desist from any form of physical attack or use of foul language. Voters should also ensure that they vote their conscience by refusing to transact their PVCs for peanuts or short-term gains while citizens should be ready to cooperate with INEC and security agencies by reporting any form of malpractice or act of criminality to ensure a peaceful transition of power. “The onus is also on the security to ensure that all reported cases of criminality particularly, recruitment of thugs and storing of arms and ammunitions to prevent an outbreak of violence must be properly investigated and managed,” Akiyode-Afolabi added. President, Voters’ Assembly, Mashood Erubami, said until electoral violators were made pay for their crime, the situation may remain the same. He, therefore, tasked the electoral umpire, politicians and security operatives to be guided by the rules of the game. Erubami said, “Peaceful and fair conduct of the elections have always been our desire, but this can only be achieved through the adherence of the stakeholders, namely political parties, politicians themselves and security operatives that we can have a peaceful conduct of the exercise. “Note that before the commencement of every election in the past, there had always been assurances from all quarters that they were set to ensure peaceful conduct, whereas when the elections came, all the issues that we identified and condemned ended up being repeated. “So, we need to get the concrete commitment of politicians before elections are conducted because they are the ones who mobilise thugs, bribe security operatives and also buy votes. Once they agree that they are not going to do anything contrary to the electoral law, then you can rest assured we would have peaceful elections. “The electoral body has always got politicians to sign a peace accord, but when the rules are breached, what happens? The INEC alone cannot achieve peaceful conduct; they must work with all the stakeholders to achieve this desired peace. Politicians too must begin to stick to the rules of conduct that they signed to ensure peaceful exercise while the security operatives must learn to stick to the rules. They must all do it in a way that no party can perpetrate electoral offences.” Explaining other steps that should be taken to bring about lasting peaceful conduct of elections in Nigeria, the immediate-past National President of Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Malachi Ugwummadu, said the political class had the biggest role to play. He also charged INEC to take the bold step of prosecuting and securing judgment on those identified to have perpetrated violence during elections. “The debate about the peaceful electoral process had been on for as long as we have elections in Nigeria but I do think that a few variables must be taken into consideration in securing violent free elections. The first is the level of sensitisation based on voters’ education. “On this call, INEC, which is the electoral umpire, has been making a lot of efforts, particularly through the electoral institute. However, the real voters’ education ought to be by the political parties themselves. It is the political parties that should promote and champion electoral discipline. “The politicians should mobilise their party members on the implication of violent behaviours which is abhorred by extant laws; the Electoral Act (2010) and the existing criminal codes. “For those who have been fingered to have conducted themselves violently in the past they should be prosecuted and conviction secured to serve as a deterrent to others in the future. In this respect, I am referring to section 150 of the Electoral Act (2011) which insists that INEC is empowered to prosecute electoral offenders. “But what it has turned out to be is that those who perpetrate electoral offences and violence are never brought to book and in the next round of election they become emboldened to wreak more havoc to the detriment of the society. “Beyond that, the security operatives conduct themselves in a manner that compromises the process, unfortunately, we have not had any of them that have been reprimanded or sanctioned. There are rules of engagement,” he said.

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PDP Unveil High-Powered Anambra Governorship Campaign Council

PDP Unveil High-Powered Anambra Governorship Campaign Council

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has, once again, taken bold steps to position the party to win the November 6, 2021 election with the unveiling of a star-studded campaign council, Advisory Council, Elders Forum, and Campaign Committee, which will serve as the PDP Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation, Anambra State. The announcement of the campaign structures was done at a press briefing held…

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POLITICS NEWS: IPAC cautions parties against violence, inducement

POLITICS NEWS: IPAC cautions parties against violence, inducement

Publish date: 2022-07-13 21:33:24 | Author: Bola Bamigbola | Source: punchng.com The national leadership of the Inter Party Advisory Council, on Wednesday, pleaded with political parties fielding candidates in the Saturday’s Osun governorship poll not to resort to use of hoodlums to cause violence or inducement of security men during the poll. This was contained in a statement by the IPAC…

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Kogi Governorship Poll: Governor Yahaya Bello Accused Of Bribing Opposition Candidates With Millions Of Naira

Kogi Governorship Poll: Governor Yahaya Bello Accused Of Bribing Opposition Candidates With Millions Of Naira

Investigation further revealed that the governor was working with the Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Chief Peter Ameh, who was assigned to share the money for candidates who were disqualified on the basis of age limit.

As the race for Kogi State governorship election heats up, SaharaReporters has exclusively obtained an audio conversation of how Governor Yahaya Bello of the…

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Plots to retain running mate tear Bayelsa PDP

Members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State have threatened to defect following plots by the party to retain Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor as running mate. The nomination of Ewrujakpor, who hails from Sagbama Local Government, has kept the PDP on edge ahead of the November 16 governorship election. Governor Seriake Dickson convened a stakeholders’ meeting to review the controversies surrounding the candidate and explore the possibility of substituting Ewrujakpor’s name before the September 23 deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for candidate substitution. Members were, however, not happy that no statement was made on the matter after the meeting. Besides, many stakeholders did not attend the meeting where Dr. Nimibofa Ayawei was appointed director-general of the Senator Douye Diri Governorship Campaign Organisation. Ayawei, who chairs the Bayelsa State Internal Revenue Board, was a frontline aspirant in the primaries, which produced Diri.   A statement by the Secretary, Chief Godspower Keku, said Ayawei’s appointment was part of the key resolutions of a meeting by the Governorship Campaign Advisory Council. Though the stakeholders kept mum on Diri’s running mate, it was gathered that the candidate briefed them on the issue. A party member said Diri was under pressure to retain  Ewrujakpor. He added that he told stakeholders that there was no need to substitute his running mate. The source, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “Most of the party members are waiting for the decision to be made public. If the party leadership fails to make it public and the name remains till the expiration of the September 23 deadline, there will be mass exodus in the PDP. “The only way to save the party is to zone the deputy governorship to Bayelsa East. We need their votes. People are not happy at the development and they have communicated their grievances. We are asking the governor and other party leaders to save the PDP.” Following Diri’s election as the party’s governorship candidate, some leaders abandoned PDP and aligned with APC. A member of the House of Assembly representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 2, Target Sekiibo, moved to APC with his supporters. Gabriel Jonah, younger brother to Deputy Governor Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), led thousands in Nembe to APC. Similarly, a grassroots mobiliser and Dickson’s Special Adviser on Urban Crime Management, Abednego Don-Evarad, dumped the party in Ogbia for APC. Following the running mate crisis, Dickson sacked his aide, Hellen Bob, who reportedly pitched tent with APC. The source added: “Many people are warming up to leave the party but they are waiting for the decision of the party’s leadership on this running mate palaver. Some PDP lawmakers have travelled to Abuja to meet with the leadership of the APC and negotiate their way out of the PDP. We are still begging the party leadership to listen to the voices of its members and resolve this issue.” Read the full article