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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday
denied that specific states will miss Saturday’s National Assembly due to
ballot paper issues, saying the commission will be certain of the affected
areas after an ongoing assessment ending Thursday.

Officials said the announcement specifying the areas affected,
which the Chief Press Secretary, Kayode Idowu, had earlier said will be “few”,
will be made by the commission’s chairman, Attahiru Jega on Thursday, two days
before the rescheduled elections on Saturday.

Mr Idowu said the position will be clear after an internal audit
of the materials deployed on Saturday which will enable the commission to be
certain of the extent of the errors recorded on the ballot papers, and where
there are needs of reprint.

“It may not even be states or local governments, but it may be
mere wards, just a few places,” he said yesterday.

The situation ahead of the shifted election nationwide remained
unclear yesterday after a prolonged meeting between Mr Jega and the 36 Resident
Electoral Commissioners (REC) in Abuja which lasted for more than seven hours.

Chairman shuns conference

Mr Jega shunned a press conference earlier billed to hold after
the meeting with the RECs late in the evening, amid a waft of speculations
spreading from an overhaul of the states’ logistics mechanism, to allegations
that he again offered to resign. His aides denied any of such came up at the
meeting. “We do not respond to rumours,” said Mr Idowu.

The commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Emmanuel Umenger,
and Mr Idowu, said Mr Jega took “far reaching” decisions at the meeting with
the RECs, issuing fresh directives particularly on logistics and transportation
plans for the elections.

A review of the process of last Saturday, when massive shortage
of materials forced a postponement of the election, was made and each REC was
asked to present a report, they said.

They added that Mr Jega delayed an address after the meeting to
allow for the completion of certain directives on the RECs who will deliver a
feedback before Thursday. However, staff conversant with the discussions at the
meeting, said the delay was to conclude the assessment of the materials to
allow the commission to be certain on the areas where elections will not hold
on Saturday.

Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel yesterday denied any
agreement with former Lagos state governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to work for the
victory of the Action Congress of Nigeria {ACN} in the upcoming election as a
way to give him {Daniel} soft landing at the expiration of his tenure.

Mr. Daniel, who reacted through his Commissioner for
Information and Orientation, Sina Kawonise said reports that the governor
recently had a meeting with Mr. Tinubu is ‘absolute falsehood’. “The truth is
that both Daniel and Tinubu have not had any meeting together in the last few
years. As such, any claim that Daniel met Tinubu to reach an accord between the
Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to work
together in the forthcoming election is false in its entirety,” Mr. Kawonise
said.

Desperate propaganda

The state official also said the claim of the meeting is a
propaganda by desperate politicians in the state to cause confusion and deceive
people in order to sway their votes He called on voters not to be deceived into
voting for the wrong party. Mr Daniel, although nominally a member of the PDP,
has been campaigning for the PPN, on which platform his candidates are running
for office after they were rejected by the PDP. ‘‘Gbenga Daniel therefore urges
voters in Ogun State, who trooped out last Saturday to vote for PPN and its
candidates, to do so again on Saturday and ensure the continuity of good
governance, progress and a better future for our children,” he said”. the
release emphasized.

Meanwhile, a group of young professionals in the state, Light
To Nigeria Group {LNG}, yesterday called on the national chairman of
Independent National Electoral Commission {INEC}, Attahiru Jega to distance
himself from politicians as the elections draw nearer. ‘‘This is national
assignment, don’t misuse the power, you have to be faithful to the nation and
not to any individual or group,’ the group said. The group also called on the
INEC Chairman to properly monitor his subordinates at the state level so that
they don’t derail the plan for free elections that would usher in credible
leaders.

The Chairman of the Ado Ekiti Local Government Area, Sunday
Ibitoye, has declared that the security of a former governor of Ekiti State,
Ayodele Fayose, can no longer be guaranteed in the state.

Mr Ibitoye, a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
said Mr Fayose has provoked the indigenes by his inciting statements against
the traditional council of Ado Ekiti.

Briefing newsmen in Ado Ekiti yesterday on the statement
allegedly made on a radio station, Mr Ibitoye said it was wrong for the former
governor to be inciting the non-indigenes against the traditional chiefs in the
name of politics Acting on the information that some Ado Ekiti chiefs were
moving round farms and allegedly threatening the Ebiras, Tivs and Igedes living
in the farms that they would be banished from Ado Ekiti if they voted for
Fayose during Saturday’s senatorial election, the former governor was said to
have told the non-indigenes to disgrace whoever spreads such information in
their domains.

Fayose lashes out

Mr Fayose on the live programme was said to have told the
non-indigenes in the state to vote for candidates of their choice, saying
nobody under the law has the power to banish any other Nigerian.

The statement, according to Mr Ibitoye, was unfortunate and
provocative, which he said was capable of heating up the polity and degrading
the respect for the traditional ruler of Ado Ekiti, Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe “The
provocative statement is highly unfortunate and condemnable. We condemn it in
its entirety. It has provoked the indigenes of Ado Ekiti. So, due to this high
level of provocation, I can no longer guarantee the security of the former
Governor in the state capital,” Mr Ibitoye said.

Mr Fayose, who urged his supporters to disregard the statement,
said “I remain a leader in Ekiti more than any personal interest. I have no
reason to disrespect the traditional institution. I want to caution desperate
politicians against blackmailing me for them to have their ways “I have done
enough for Ado Ekiti and up to now, I remain committed to its development. So I
urge politicians to play politics of maturity rather than character
assassination. “For me and Labour Party, we remain law abiding. No party can
wish us away on the politics of this state. So, Mr Sunday Ibitoye is not in
position to guarantee my security. The people are behind me and nothing can change
that “And I want to say that Mr Ibitoye will be held responsible if anything
untoward happens to me and members of my party,” Mr Fayose said.

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday protested an
alleged inducement of some troops deployed for last Saturday’s election by
leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.

Mr Oshiomhole who spoke at a press conference in Benin, said
PDP leaders in the state used the military to arrest and brutalise ACN
supporters during the botched National Assembly election.

“The conduct of the officers and men in various places on
Saturday strongly indicated that their operational order was not to give effect
to Mr President’s resolve to provide adequate security during the elections.
Rather, the Army actively executed the bidding of the PDP, as the various
contingents were deployed to harass ACN leaders and members in order to pave
the way for the rigging of the election,” he said.

“PDP thugs, including those hired from neighbouring states wore
special red and yellow arm bands, which became symbols of immunity even in the
face of the premeditated violence they unleashed. The pre-agreed colours
allowed PDP thugs easy passage.” He alleged that military men deployed to the
state, who were supposed to provide security for the elections, turned out to
be tools of intimidation and harassment of innocent citizens on the orders of
PDP chieftains in the state.

Fair to all

He said even though he supported the deployment of the military
as a way of ensuring credible polls, it was unacceptable for the security
outfit to become a willing tool in the hands of members of the ruling party to
harass innocent citizens.

The governor further alleged that the PDP leaders had boasted
openly about their resolve to use both retired and serving military officers
during the elections in Edo South senatorial district.

“We do not believe that this criminal subversion of the Nigeria Army is
being perpetrated to the knowledge of Mr President. This is why we are compelled
to draw President Jonathan’s attention to this attempt to use the army to
soften the ground for the PDP to rig the elections,” he said. “We plead that
the Commander-in-Chief should strongly prevail on the Nigerian Army to be
neutral and to appreciate that it is a national institution. We also plead that
Mr President should call the Inspector General of Police to order and prevail
on him to detest on subverting the neutrality of the Force by taking orders
from PDP bigwigs in the Presidency.” Mr Oshiomhole however restated his
“concurrence with the need to deploy the Nigeria Army to help ensure free and
fair elections.”

The judge sitting over the case of arson and murder brought
against the Akwa Ibom Action Congree of Nigeria (ACN) gubernatorial candidate,
John Akpanudoedehe, Edet Obot said Tuesday he will rule on the case on
Wednesday. He said the poor lighting system in the court made it difficult for
him to give the ruling in the case.

Mr. Obot had waited for the arraignment of Mr. Akpanudoedehe
for hours after he was supposed to be brought in for trial. The magistrate had
arrived at the court premises early in the morning but information remained
hazy on whether the case would still be heard, as the court does not sit after
midday. Lawyers, ACN supporters and the crowd of people that had thronged the
court were seen leaving the court premises after waiting for some time.

Sources had informed NEXT that Mr. Akpanudoedehe and his
lawyers were still at the police headquarters, located at Ikot Akpannabia, and
that the delay was a strategy meant to check Mr. Akpanudoedehe’s supporters and
forestall any uprising. Security personnel were seen patrolling Uyo since the
morning hours while people entering the court premises were subjected to
extensive security checks.

Intimidation and arrest

Lead counsel Adeniyi Akintola and 28 others who stood in for
Mr. Akpanudoedehe criticised the intimidation, arrest and detention of their
client by the police and the state government saying he was supposed to be
provided with security as a governorship candidate. He condemned the fact that
the state criminal law was amended on March 31, 2011 when the offence for which
his client is being accused happened on March 22, 2011, adding that that was
not only a violation of the law but an intent to implicate Mr. Akpanudoedehe
unconstitutionally. He said the court had no jurisdiction to handle the charges
of murder and arson according to subsection 1, paragraphs a-d of the Akwa Ibom
State Criminal Law cap. 315.

“A law to amend criminal proceeding was sent to the state House
of Assembly on March 31, 2011 and made to deliberate on and passed. They never
investigated the alibi of my client. He was at Ikot Ekpene that day
campaigning, he was not around.” Prosecuting counsel, Raphael Nkem, however
deferred, saying the provisions as contained in the state law was appropriate
for the determination of the offence.

Mr. Akpanudoedehe was granted bail by the Federal High Court in
Abuja on March 31. Shortly after he met his bail conditions, the police
rearrested him on the court premises, without giving reason for their action.

Mr. Akpanudoedehe has, meanwhile, been in the custody of the
state CID.