INEC, We can’t shift Edo guber poll
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has turned down the request of candidates sitting for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination on Saturday that the Edo State governorship election should be postponed.The commission said it would go ahead with the election even though it clashes with the conduct of Mathematics by WAEC.
In an interview with the news men on Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi said the commission would go ahead with the election because it followed duly the provisions of the Electoral Act before it fixed the September 10 date for the poll.
Oyekanmi, who cited Section 26 of the Electoral Act to back the commission’s decision, insisted that rather than blame INEC for the clash in the date, WAEC officials should be held responsible because the timetable for the election has been in the public domain for four months now.
He pleaded with both the candidates and WAEC to understand the condition of the commission, stressing that there is nothing INEC would do to postpone the election since it has put in place all the logistic arrangements for the poll.
Oyekanmi said: “The Electoral Act provides all the conditions under which INEC must conduct elections, and that is what we have relied on in everything we are doing about Edo State. The first thing is that we have to give notice of election and in doing that we involved all the stakeholders.
“The Electoral Act (Section 26) also gives conditions under which elections can be postponed, which include strict security challenges like it happened during the former commission under Prof. Attahiru Jega in 2015 when former President Goodluck Jonathan was in office. Then the election was postponed because the Army and other security agencies noted the serious security challenges which they said they could not guarantee,” he said.
Oyekanmi further explained that there was a security meeting at INEC two weeks ago which involved all the security agencies, adding that the commissioner of police in Edo state briefed us, saying that he had a meeting with the state office of WAEC where they agreed that because the state would be locked down on the day of the election, the candidates would not be able to access their centres; so WAEC should find a way of relocating those candidates to the neighbouring state to have their examinations. Being an international examination, we expected that WAEC would have made that decision a long time ago or changed their time table.”
Also putting the students in a dilemma, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) said it would not shift the date for its mathematics examination as it would go ahead on Saturday
Nigeria almost out of economic recession, says Buhari
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the current economic recession in the country will soon be over.
Buhari gave the assurance at the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign rally of Mr. Godwin Obaseki at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
He said the Federal Government will continue to ensure the stability of the country’s economy, noting that the state has not witnessed the kind of development it has experienced since its creation under Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
The President took time to visit the Crown Prince and Oba-elect of Benin Kingdom, Edaiken N’Uselu, Eheneden Erediauwa, in his palace.
The monarch told the President of his forthcoming coronation on September 26, 2016 and invited him to the event.
He also informed Buhari that notable African monarchs have indicated their interest to attend.
The President accepted the invitation to attend the coronation of the new Oba later in the month as he recalled the personal relationship he had with the late Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba Erediauwa, who was a federal Permanent Secretary in the early 1980s when Buhari was Head of State.
Buhari recommended Obaseki to the people of the state, saying he is a technocrat and will do well in office.
Also, the Chairman of the APC National Campaign Council, Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State, joined other supporters to welcome President Buhari to the state. He urged the people to vote for Obaseki because he is tested and trusted.
Present at the grand finale rally were the governors of Sokoto, Kogi, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Ogun, Kano, Katsina states; Ministers of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.