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Chief priest, two others arrested for vandalism in Cross River
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a chief priest, Etim Udom, and two others for vandalising outpost of NSCDC in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NSCDC, Cross River Command, Mr Solomon Eremi said this when he briefed newsmen on Thursday in Calabar.
Eremi said that the suspects allegedly stole all the valuables in the NSCDC outpost in Akpabuyo.
He said that following the vandalism, the state Commandant Mr Samuel Fadeyi ordered a sting operation to be carried out with a view to investigating and arresting the suspects.
The PRO said that investigation revealed that the chief priest was the one preparing charms for the suspects before they embarked on any case of robbery or vandalism.
He alleged that one of the suspects, Otu Effiong-Otu, a notorious cultist, was involved in the destruction of property during the EndSARS protest in Akpabuyo.
Eremi said that Effiong-Otu stole the items and sold them to the chief priest, from where they were recovered by officials of NSCDC in his shrine.
“This is to let the public know that the NSCDC will always find you whenever you are involved in crime. These items were vandalised from our outpost in Akpabuyo two weeks ago.
“As you can see, we recovered all the vandalised items from the shrine of the chief priest. The items are panel doors, burglaries, toilet seats, a generator, cable wires and three motorcycles.
“The Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, has read out a riot act that every case of vandalism must be handled with utmost seriousness.
“We are going to prosecute the suspects in line with our constitutional mandate,” he said.
He advised young men to channel their energy into meaningful and productive ventures, rather than engaging in vandalism of government assets and infrastructure.
Also speaking with newsmen, the chief priest, Udom, said that he inherited the shrine from his late father, adding that he used the shrine to protect himself from any spiritual attack.
On his part, Effiong-Otu confessed to the crime, saying that poverty led him into the act.
He pleaded with the NSCDC to pardon him.
Source https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2022/08/11/chief-priest-two-others-arrested-for-vandalism-in-cross-river/
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Family Releases Obituary Of Late Ada Ameh
Funeral arrangements of the late Nollywood actress, Ada Ameh have been released by her family.
The obituary which is signed by Friday Ameh highlights the activities leading to her interment at her family compound in Ogobia, Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue state.
According to the obituary, a novelty match and a candlelight service will be held in her honour on August 19 in Lagos.
Another candlelight service will be held on August 25 in Benue State after which her remains will be interred in her family’s compound on August 26.
Ameh died on July 17 in Warri after battling a mental illness.
Source; https://dailytrust.com/family-release-obituary-of-late-ada-ameh
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Group berates Tinubu, Shettima over Lalong’s appointment, says ‘It’s political miscalculation’
FOLLOWING the appointment of Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong as Director General, DG, for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Organisation, a group: Nigerian Youth Coalition, NYC, on Tuesday, berated the move, stating that the appointment is a ‘political miscalculation and drifting of the APC Political Ship into oblivion.’
This was even as they specifically said that the nomination was insensitive to the Christian faith, adding that it was done without due consultations with APC Christian members.
The group, in a statement, dated 10th August, 2022, signed by the President, NYC, and Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide, Aare Barr Oladotun Hassan, and the National Publicity Secretary, NYC, Comrade Sabastine Danjiril, in Abuja
Among other things, the group said Lalong was the “wrongest person” for the job to lead the Party to victory in the coming presidential election.
The statement reads: “The leadership of the Nigerian Youth Coalition; the apex coalition of the various socio-cultural and civil society youth groups in Nigeria is compelled to caution Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima APC Led Presidential Joint Ticket at the forthcoming 2023 general elections on the appointment of Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State as the Director General of All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential campaign council as Political miscalculation and drifting of the APC Political Ship into oblivion.
“We call on all well meaning lovers of democracy in the All Progressives Congress- APC to see the urgent need to read the minds and body language of Nigeirans, particularly of the Christian faith on appointment of the Director General without due and adequate all inclusive consultations with APC Christian members on an unanimous decision to nominate and choose their best to represent their interests, if the Presidential Election mandate so as to pacify the Christians across the country and if truly the 2023 Presidency is a must win and not a fluke.
“We are further aghast to view Governor Lalong’s lack of capacity to lead Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima ticket to victory in the forthcoming presidential election.
“Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State is the wrongest person to be appointed the DG for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, noting his chameleonic antecedence in the build up to the APC Presidential Primary.
“We frowned at whoever that recommended Lalong for the position do not mean well for both the party and Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket.
“Regrettably, it was common knowledge that Lalong worked against Tinubu’s presidential ambition during the APC Presidential primary election, as he worked for the former Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi who was alleged to have played vital role in the emergence of Lalong as the Governor.
“We are frontally aware of Lalong’s selfish modus operandi and deficiency, for it will be difficult for Lalong to convince any body even in Plateau State to vote for Tinubu/Shettima, painfully the Christian Northerners are aggrieved that Tinubu and APC picked a Muslim from the North on the grounds that no single Christian in the north is competent to be Tinubu’s running mate.
“We further alert the majority of the Christians in the North are not likely to vote for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We are aggrieved as concern stakeholders that passionately love the need to ensure continuous peace, unity and progress of Nigeria, while we see this last minute intervention to rescue APC Presidential Campaign ship from imminent wreck, while appealing to reverse the decision to appoint anyone without due and adequate consultations.
“APC should be aware of the brazen political wind from the Christian faith so as not to move against the tide of the storm.
“Recently Lalong’s utterances, actions and policies in the state would further worsen the hatred for the party in the state and in other Christian dominated states, particularly in the North.
“APC should be aware that religion is a serious factor which must be considered in balancing the political interest due to the sensitivity attached to religion in Nigeria, hence the necessity to reverse itself and put out the search engines of wisdom to choose the best from the APC Christian members.
“Ever since the return of democracy in 1999, the practice has always been either Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Christian presidential ticket and introducing Muslim-Muslim ticket is a strange development that Christians are mentally aggrieved and assaulted; are not happy about and they are ready to vent their anger at the polls.”
Source; https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/08/group-berates-tinubu-shettima-over-lalongs-appointment-says-its-political-miscalculation/
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Sunday Igboho Issues Eviction Notice To Terrorists In South-West Nigeria, Says No Going Back On Yoruba Nation
Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho has issued a warning to Fulani terrorists in the six South-West states of Nigeria to leave before it is too late.
Mr Igboho issued the fresh notice in a statement issued on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Oluyomi Koiki, titled 'You Cannot Take Over Yoruba Land Just As The Northern Part Of Nigeria Has Been Taken Over By Fulani Terrorists.'
He alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari has done nothing to stop killings by Fulani herdsmen.
Igboho said the activities of Fulani militias lately have made Yoruba people to regret being hospitable and generous.
He asserted that Yoruba people would break away from Nigeria and reclaim their sovereignty as they were before the British colonialism, stressing that it is their God-given right.
According to him, there is no going back on their quest for the self-determination of Yoruba Nation.
The statement reads in part; "I, Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho. I am a Yoruba Nation self determination activist. And Yoruba Nation must stand. No going back.
"President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that we Yoruba people are friends with the Hausa people. This is true, we are friends with Hausa; Igbo; Kanuri and all other ethnic groups.
"But we retain and maintain our Indegenous nationality that we were created by Almighty God. We have "Omoluabi" in our nature.
"This is why we have shown great hospitality to anyone that comes as a stranger to our Yoruba Land.
"The activities of the Fulani (Both Nigerian Fulani and most especially the foreign Fulani according to Federal Government of Nigeria) lately, had made us wanting to regret both our hospitality and generousity.
"The British that amalgamated Northern and Southern Nigeria together, knew we are not the same.
"We Yoruba are not fools, we know that Nigerian resources come mostly from Southern Nigeria. Yet the Southern Nigeria that are used and still being used to develop the Northern Nigeria are now being extended to their brothers in Niger Republic. Yet, the foreign terrorists from Niger Republic and the environs are sorrounding our forests, kidnapping; killing and wreaking havoc on Yoruba People.
"We know what the Fulani did to you Hausas.
"All the Emirs in the North are Fulani and all the Governors are Fulani as well. We know vividly how they systematically subdued and conquered the Hausas in their land. But let them know now, we are Yoruba. "Ije ti a je tete enikan o gbodo je dagunro", no it is impossible and Fulani would soon realise that.
"This is why Yoruba Nation is no going back.
"We know we were not the same in regards to culture; history; beliefs and values and even our georgraphy. So must we rule over one another. Let everyone manage their own territory as created by God. Not the British creation Called Nigeria.
"The killings; maimings; loss of income and damage to Yoruba people's landed properties. Enough is Enough. We know these killings are nothing to the Fulani but it means a lot to we Yoruba people. And that is why President Muhammadu Buhari had kept quiet on the Fulani killings. The President has done absolutely nothing to stop these killings.
"We know President Muhammadu Buhari is the Patron of all the Fulani worldwide. But Yoruba Land can never be conquered by Fulani.
"President Muhammadu Buhari was reminding Nnamdi Kanu and the Igbos of the massacre they carried out during the Biafra War. The President should know that this can never be repeated again in any of our Land.
"We have all woken up to Fulani Agenda.
"The Middle Belt people are also being killed. Everyone knows who is behind all these atrocities and President Muhammadu Buhari is their Life Patron.
"So, we Yoruba are pulling out and reclaiming our Sovereignty as we were before the British Colonialism.
"It is our God given right. And there is no going back on our quest for Yoruba Nation self determination."
"I want to issue warning to all the terrorist Fulani (Home and foreign Fulani) in Yoruba forests to leave now before it is too late.
"When the 'Alale Yoruba' fully begins, most of you would not live to tell the story," the statement added.
Source; https://saharareporters.com/articles/sunday-igboho-issues-eviction-notice-terrorists-south-west-nigeria-says-no-going-back
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Lagos-Ibadan: Robbers strike again, escape, police make excuse
There was panic on Wednesday on the Long bridge and Kara ends of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, as hoodlums attacked motorists again.
This is the second time within the space of 24 hours after the state police command described earlier reports of an attack on the bridge as fake news.
PUNCH Metro had reported that miscreants around 6am on Tuesday robbed motorists of their laptops, phones and other accessories, as many abandoned their vehicles and scampered for safety.
The state police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had deployed policemen in the area to ensure hoodlums did not take advantage of the gridlock created by the ongoing reconstruction of the road.
However, a motorist, Ibrahim Odebunmi, who called our correspondent at 6.08am from the expressway on Wednesday, said people had started fleeing their vehicles.
Odebunmi, who also experienced the attack on Tuesday, sent a video from the scene to our reporter.
The video showed commuters stranded on the Longbridge as gunshots rang out.
He said, “I had to abandon my vehicle and take my keys and phone. At the Warewa Junction, we heard gunshots but some people were saying they were the police. The robbers were at the front of the Mikano company.”
Another eyewitness, Adeoye Makinde, lamented the absence of policemen at the scene.
He said, “I was on the Longbridge going inside Lagos when I met the traffic. It wasn’t long when I started seeing people running from the back as if they were going to Lagos. Everyone in my car panicked. Over 40 people ran past us and we didn’t see any policeman.
“I expect that when I get here today (Wednesday), I should see policemen since it was reported that an attack happened here yesterday (Tuesday)”
Also, a government worker, Emmanuel Ottun, said some people got hurt during the incident.
He said, “We were already approaching the Kara Cattle Market when we discovered that people were alighting from their vehicles. Some of them got hurt in the process as they jumped out through the windows of their vehicles. The vehicle conveying me had to make a U-turn and proceeded on one way back to Ogun State.
“When we got to Warewa, we learnt that people had already got information about the robbery as we saw them at a standstill. After about 20 minutes, we learnt that the armed robbers were done with their operation, and that was when we continued on our journey to Lagos. When we got to the point where the robbery took place, I discovered that there were already two police vans on the other side of the bridge, outward Lagos. I don’t know if it was the arrival of the police that stopped the robbery operation.”
A commercial driver, who identified himself simply as Joseph for security reasons, said he initially left his bus to run for his life but returned 25 minutes later.
He said, “By the time I returned to where I parked my bus, my passengers refused to return to the bus; they all chose to trek despite my appeal. They didn’t enter the bus neither did they pay me for the distance I already covered.”
The driver further said in the cause of trying to make a U-turn, some motorists crashed their cars against the road divider.
“Some of the victims of the attack claimed to have heard repeated gunshots, but I heard gunshot just once; it sounded like a bomb,” he added.
The President of the Arepo Central Community Development Association, a community close to the Longbridge, Bode Adefolu, lamented the situation.
He blamed the attacks on the traffic, which he said was caused by the slowness of the construction work on the expressway.
He said, “We have had situations like this in the past and we put in interventions. For instance, we’ve had extra hands in terms of security personnel to support the policemen patrolling the expressway and that had been laid to rest.
“But what has brought about this is the construction work that is coming to our axis which has created a bottleneck on that expressway. The construction is causing traffic on the expressway. So, we are looking for people that can mediate between the Federal Ministry of Works and Julius Berger to speed up the job they are doing. Their work is taking too long.”
Adefolu, whose community members mostly work in Lagos, urged the Federal Government to install streetlights on the Longbridge.
On his part, the Chairman of a security council in Warewa, Olarenwaju Falade, said the Warewa Divisional Police Officer had an emergency security meeting over the matter.
He said, “Before now, we formed the Warewa Security Council after a series of kidnappings on the Longbridge as a result of vehicles breaking down, not traffic. The council assisted the police in supplying personnel of So-Safe Corps who we paid to complement them. That was why incidents of robbery and vandalisation were reduced.
“Unfortunately, after Julius Berger was done working on that section of the expressway, a lot of communities stopped funding the support. So, the DPO has now called for a meeting to appeal to communities to continue to support it because it was helping all of us.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the latest attack.
He said, “There’s construction work in that place, which causes traffic. We have a 24-hour surveillance patrol there but the police cannot be at every point at the same time. The attackers took advantage of that to dispossess some commuters.”
He added that the Warewa DPO and the Lagos Rapid Response Squad later came to rescue the situation on the bridge.
Oyeyemi said the assailants escaped through a bushy part under the bridge as he assured motorists and residents that the hoodlums would soon be apprehended.
Source; https://punchng.com/lagos-ibadan-robbers-strike-again-escape-police-make-excuse/
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58-Year-Old Woman Kills Her Husband's Side Chic In Adamawa
A 58-Year-Old housewife in Adamawa State, Hajaratu Sini, has been arrested by men of the Adamawa state police command for allegedly killing her husband's mistress with a stick after she caught them pants down.
The Suspect who hails from Wumbirmi Tilli, in Michika Local Government Area, allegedly murdered her husband's lover, Kwada Drambi, on July 31.
Hajaratu, mother of 2 who got married to her husband over 40 years ago, was among the 38 suspects paraded by the Adamawa state police command in Yola, on Tuesday.
Hajaratu's husband and the deceased who is a widow have been secretly seeing each other. However, on July 31, Hajaratu caught them in an uncompromising position at about 9pm when she stormed the widow's house.
Sini, who ran out of the room for safety was pursued by his angry wife and they continued their fight outside. However, in the heat of the rage, the deceased followed them outside and engaged the suspect in a fight in an attempt to defend her newfound man.
Hajaratu, who became wild, used a stick in her possession and hit the deceased on her head as a result of which she fell down and was later confirmed dead after she was rushed to hospital for treatment.
While parading the suspect, the Commissioner of Police, S.K. Akande, said that she will be charged to court soon.
SOURCE;
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The only regret I have is that I don’t have the opportunity to tell bandits ‘enough is enough’ - Wike
Governor Nyesom Wike has said that the only regret he has is not having the opportunity to tell bandits 'enough is enough.'
Speaking at the inauguration of the dualised Ogbunuabali-Eastern bypass road in Rivers on Tuesday August 9, by Aliyu Wamakko, former governor of Sokoto, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Wike stated that leadership is not about a party but about individuals.
He also stated that he would perform no matter where he is because he has the passion to serve.
Wike said;
“Leadership is not about party, leadership is about the individual. Party is only a vehicle to actualise your ambition, to be able to tell your people ‘I have this capacity; I have this quality to render services to you’.
“If you take me away today from PDP to another party, I will still perform. So, it is not because I’m in PDP that I’m performing. It is because I have that passion for my people. It is because I have the commitment to serve my people.
“Take me to YPP and allow me to become whatever I will become there, I will perform. Take me to any party, I will perform. So, it is not the party that makes you to perform.
“I challenge everybody. The problem we have in this country today is that we don’t have people who have that passion, who want to serve their people.
“The only regret I have is that I don’t have the opportunity to tell bandits ‘enough is enough’. If I have the opportunity, the bandits know their time will be gone. It’s unfortunate I don’t have it.
“But this one I have, I will use it and serve my people so that they will be happy and know that they deserve the best. ”
Source; https://www.thecable.ng/wike-my-only-regret-is-not-having-opportunity-to-tell-bandits-enough-is-enough
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Presidency must come to South in 2023 – Akeredolu
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has insisted that the Presidency of Nigeria must come to the South in 2023 not to thwart the power rotation arrangement in the country.
Akeredolu said power rotation had been an unwritten agreement in the country since the return to civil rule in 1999, saying that arrangement must be changed now.
He said this on Wednesday at the one-year remembrance of Prof. Bankole Oke of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, while delivering a lecture entitled, ‘Nigeria: The politics of religion in a transitional society.’
He advised Nigerians to make sure that power did not return to the North under what he described as the guise of a party picking a southerner as its vice presidential candidate.
He said, “A party that picked somebody from the North as its presidential candidate is not doing so in the country’s interest. (Peter) Obi has the right to contest because he is from the South.
“We are ready to give it whatever it takes to make sure power returns to the South in 2023.”
“There appears to be an understanding that power must rotate between the North and the South. This understanding witnessed the contest of two candidates from the South-West for the Presidency. It was part of the unwritten agreement that the power equation must be balanced to allay the fear of domination harboured by the people of the South.
“There is a conscious attempt not to disrupt the extant agreement. There has been a seamless transition from one civilian regime to another since 1999, the longest in the political history of the country.
“The current political permutations raise strong suspicions on an undeclared motive to thwart the arrangement that has been working for the country. The rotation of the office of the President is between the North and the South since the inception of the Fourth Republic.”
The governor warned Nigerians to beware of the tricks of desperate politicians using religion to divide the people.
Akeredolu said politicians in the First Republic achieved so much because they were people with huge capacity, and religion was not an issue in determining those elected and appointed into offices but the capacity to deliver
He said Nigerian leaders before the independence laboured hard to wrest power from the colonial masters while urging Nigerians to be optimistic that the country would be great again. However, he admitted that it was taking too long.
He stressed that Nigeria must be restructured, and state police must be created to address the raging insecurity in the country.
“Religion is currently being deployed most shamelessly by the elites to gain unmerited advantage. The earlier we stop this dangerous and divisive campaign, the better it will be for everyone. Any war fought to establish the supremacy of a faith over others can only end in tears. The manipulative skills of politicians currently put to use will aggravate an already bad situation.
“The solution to the challenges faced in the country will not be found in the faiths of individuals. A person’s religious persuasion is based on personal conviction. It is essentially private. The public space must remain secular.
“Consequently, the current agitations for a faith-based political representation are anchored on a certain misapprehension of the requirements for leadership in a multi-ethnic state such as Nigeria.
“It borders on plain mischief to set the people on themselves to attain political power. Any so-called religious leader, who ignores knowledge and competence as necessary criteria to measure leadership capacity, is an apostate,” he added.
A Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Simeon Cadmus, and others described Oke as a great teacher, mentor, and outstanding academic.
Source; https://punchng.com/presidency-must-come-to-south-in-2023-akeredolu/
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One million compatriots died to keep Nigeria together — Buhari
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja said Nigeria has gone through all troubles from January 15,1966, to date which resulted in the killing of a million of the citizenry in order to keep the country together.
He also urged political leaders to stay focused and uphold the ultimate objective of promoting interest of the country, saying “we are Nigerians, God willing, we remain Nigerians, and Nigeria shall remain one.’’
Speaking when he received former state chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, at State House, Buhari noted that the passion and zeal to improve the livelihood of Nigerians, which culminated in creation of the political party, had not dwindled, calling for more steadfastness as Nigerians.
He said the self-centeredness that led to the loss of about a million lives between 1967 and1970 must not be allowed to repeat itself.
While noting that the CPC was founded on the bedrock of patriotism and loyalty to the unity of Nigeria, the President said: “Our main objective is the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are human beings. We have our weaknesses, but I can assure you that the patriotism in us is hard earned.
”We have gone through all the troubles from 15th of January 1966 to date. You know what I mean by this, we have killed a million of ourselves in order to keep this country together.
“I don’t think there can be any practical experience more than that. We are Nigerians, God willing we remain Nigerians and Nigeria will remain one.”
He urged all members of defunct CPC and political leaders to always be mindful of the larger picture by working towards preserving the unity, peace and integrity of the nation.
The President thanked former chairmen of the political party, which was merged to form the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, for always highlighting the achievements of the government, admitting that some areas will surely get more attention.
“I am delighted to welcome the forum of State Chairmen of the former Congress for Progressives’ Change to State House today. I accord great significance to this visit as it demonstrates a determination and commitment to identify with our administration.
“This visit recalls the solidarity with the successes that we have recorded in critical areas of our society. The visit also affords us the opportunity to discuss other issues of interest to the forum.
“I commend members of this forum and all members of the legacy party-CPC, for their continued dedication to the ideals of democratic governance that we all believed in.
“The doggedness with which we pursued our vision and goals that culminated into the success we recorded remain like bright stars in the history of our dear nation,’’ he added.
He said he was particularly grateful for the unalterable belief members of CPC and, by extension, the Nigerian electorate, had and still had in him as demonstrated in their unalloyed support for his electoral struggles which reflected in the results he consistently recorded at the polls over the years.’
Describing the President as the patriarch of the CPC’, the Chairman of Forum of State Chairmen of the defunct CPC and former chairman of the party in Niger State, Umar Shuaibu, said the party had maintained all its structures across the country, assuring President Buhari of their loyalty, especially in the forthcoming elections.
Shuaibu commended the President for providing strong leadership over the years, particularly in remaining balanced, fair and above board on electoral issues.
“Before you, the opposition was arrested and maltreated, but it is no longer so. You did not deny them what they denied you when they were in power,” he said.
Source; https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/08/1-million-compatriots-died-to-keep-nigeria-together-buhari/
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Yesterday, August 9, 2022, Kenyans marched to the polls to elect their new set of political leaders. At the time of writing this on the day of the election, winners are yet to emerge although the odds favour veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga, to get lucky after four previous failed attempts. This is because he has the backing of his foe-turned-friend and outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, despite not belonging to the same political party. Aside from that, Raila was a former Prime Minister (2008 – 2013) in a power-sharing agreement after the 2007 electoral debacle that saw over a thousand people killed in post-election violence. Should the pundit fail in their prediction of a Raila victory, that will be the end of the road for the battle-weary opposition leader as this seems his last chance at clinching victory. He is 77-year-old and waiting for another five years will mean he will be recon-testing at 82. Definitely, he won’t be able to perform optimally even if he wins at that old age.
Apart from coming from a political dynasty established by his late father, Odinga Odinga, who was Prime Minster to Jomo Kenyatta, Uhuru’s father, the fact that Raila decided to choose Martha Wangari Karua, a woman who is also the former Minister of Justice and a Kikuyu tribe like the outgoing president may work in his favour. William Ruto, who is the current Deputy President and a frontline candidate in this election, may however pull a surprise given his relatively young age of 55 and the resonation of his campaign of “Hustler Movement” with the Kenyan youths. Irrespective, my instinct favours Raila as his loss will be a collateral failure of both himself and the outgoing president with whom William has been locked in a bitter political feud in the last three years. A defeat of Raila is a defeat of the Kenyatta and Odinga dynasties. That will be a great political upset.
Away from that, there are quite a lot of things Nigeria can learn from Kenya and I will come to that in a bit but first a look at the factsheet on Kenya. According to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ Frequently Asked Question information kit, 22,120,458 registered voters participated in yesterday’s Kenyan General Election. The country has 46,233 Polling Stations; the numbers of seats contested in yesterday’s elections are one Presidential, 290 members of the National Assembly, 47 women representatives in the National Assembly, 47 members of the Senate, 47 governors and 1,450 members of County Assemblies. Interestingly, in Kenya, there is no campaign expenditure and donation limits.
The August 9, 2022 poll is the country’s sixth set of general elections since the end of the one-party state in 1991 and the third set of general elections under the 2010 Constitution of Kenya. Worthy of note is the fact that in the last electoral cycle of 2017, the Supreme Court cancelled the presidential elections and ordered a new election to take place within 30 days. Frontrunner Raila Odinga decided to withdraw from the second race, allowing President Kenyatta to win a landslide with over 98 per cent of the vote.
As Nigeria prepares for her seventh general elections in this Fourth Republic in the first quarter of 2023, there are quite a number of lessons the country can learn from our East African brothers. First is gender equity. According to IFES FAQ on the 2022 Kenyan elections, “Kenya’s legal framework includes firm principles of gender equity. According to the 2010 Constitution, no more than two-thirds of the membership of any elective body in Kenya may be of the same sex. In this respect, the National Assembly reserves 47 seats for women and the Senate reserves 16 for women, with two more Senate seats reserved for women representing youth and persons with disabilities.” Interestingly, three out of the four presidential candidates chose female running mates. Similarly, the country believes in the twinning principle. For instance, out of the seven members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, two are women. While the head of the commission, Wafula W. Chebukati is a man, the vice chairperson, Juliana Cherera is a lady.
Another exemplary provision in Kenyan electoral law is the out-of-country voting provision. According to IEBC, out-of-country voting is allowed for the presidential election only. Kenyan voters outside the country may only vote from 12 countries, chosen based on the number of Kenyans who live there. The countries are Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, South Sudan, Germany, United Kingdom, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Canada and the US. A total of 10,444 diaspora voters, who registered for 2022 elections, are expected to have voted yesterday at their country’s consulates and embassies in those countries. It is quite unfortunate that despite the enormous contributions of Nigerians in Diaspora to the country’s economy and image laundry, they have no say in determining the political leadership of their fatherland except they take the cumbersome option of travelling down to Nigeria to register and later to vote.
It is interesting to note that there is a provision for independent candidacy in Kenya. Thus, you need not belong to any political party to run for political office in the land of safaris. Not only that but prisoners can also vote in Kenya, however, this is only in the presidential election. Information has it that 7,483 voters were expected to vote in prisons across Kenya yesterday. There you are! Kenya leads the way in political inclusion not only for women but also for her prisoners and diaspora population.
Unlike Nigeria where elections are held for just six hours, in Kenya, it is 12 hours. Elections held yesterday from 6am to 6pm! That’s still a feat my dear motherland dreams of. The Kenyan constitution stipulates that for one to win the presidential election, a candidate must receive over 50 per cent of the total votes cast and at least 25 per cent of the votes in at least 24 of the 47 counties. A runoff is scheduled within 30 days of the first election if no candidate receives more than half of the votes cast in the election and at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in 24 counties.
It is very interesting to note that Electoral Dispute Resolution is diffused across a range of institutions and processes in Kenya to handle different types of issues. Institutions include the IEBC, Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the judiciary. This is commendable and worthy of emulation because these multiple institutions will help to decongest the court, which is the only institution that resolves election disputes in Nigeria.
Similar to the US election, which is held on the first Tuesday in November of the election year, the constitution of Kenya requires the general election to be held on “the second Tuesday in August, in every fifth year.” This makes the election date known and sacrosanct. This is very much unlike Nigeria where the Independent National Electoral Commission is the body that determines the date of election, a date which is often not held sacred due to serial postponement of the general elections.
Another exemplary thing from Kenya is the five-year term of office, unlike in Nigeria whose term is four years. I am of the considered view that it is worth having the Nigerian term of office amended to be a maximum of two terms of five years each. This will save the country resources from holding too frequent elections.
Source; https://punchng.com/lessons-for-nigeria-from-kenya-2022-general-election/
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