The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to, tomorrow, Thursday, issue certificates of return to 102 Senators, made up of 63 for the All Progressives Congress (APC), 38 for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and one for the YFP.
Top contestants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) elective offices in Akwa Ibom State have blamed their defeat in the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the State, Mike Igini.
Speaking to news men yesterday, Tuesday, the contestants, Nsima Ekere, who contested for the governorship; Senator Godswill Akpabio and Don Etiebet, insisted that the fsilure on the part of INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to redeploy Mike Igini, caused them to lose in the elections.
Ekere said that Mike Igini had, from the outset, shown through his utterances and actions that he was determined to frustrate APC from winning elections in the state.
“Now, interestingly, months before the elections, the APC family in Akwa Ibom State had expressed a lot of reservations about the character of Mr. Mike Igini. We had told the entire country and the world that Mr. Igini had shown the world that he was far from neutral in the way he was preparing for the elections and his utterances amongst his staff during training sessions and the things he said showed clearly that the man had a mindset that he had sworn severally that under his watch, the APC cannot win elections in Akwa Ibom state.
”All we wanted was for INEC to allow Akwa Ibom people decide for themselves who they wanted. It was not for INEC and the Resident Electoral Commissioner to come and decide for Akwa Ibom people which political party must win and which one must not win under his watch.
”He is supposed to be a neutral umpire. His (Igini) conduct and the things he has done both in the presidential and national assembly elections and the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections have confirmed our fears. What we find so difficult to understand is why it was difficult for the INEC chairman and other authorities that be to listen to our pleas to change Mike Igini as the REC in Akwa Ibom.
”From 1999 when elections started again in this country, every election year, the REC and other staff of the INEC who have been resident in a state for a period of time were always moved around. That way, you are sure they will not allow their alliances and the friendships they have developed in the state within that period they have stayed to influence their conduct.
”Surprisingly INEC refused to do this. And this is the first time this is happening. They allowed Igini to frustrate the wishes of Akwa Ibom people. This is most unfortunate.”
Akpabio also attributed APC’s failure in the state to Igini, saying that he found it hard to understand why his local government, Essien Udim, with voting strength of 105,000 was allotted just a bit above 6,000 votes.
He said that the recent elections in the state were massively rigged by the PDP in connivance with INEC headed by Igini.
On his part, Etiebet accused INEC of changing the result before announcement and vowed that APC would challenge the result in court.
Ethiopian Airlines has decided to send the black box from its crashed airplane to Europe for analysis, rather than to the United States where the Boeing 737 Max 8 was manufactured.
President Buhari raised his eight fingers in front of his enthusiastic supporters to signify two term of 8 years.A group of Nigerian Ambassadors to other countries have described the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term of four years as Divine.
The ambassadors, who were at the Ask Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja today, Wednesday, to congratulate the President, said that President Buhari’s election in 2015, and his recent re-election, are divine interventions in the affairs of the country.
“You are God-sent. You have always come on stage at the critical moments of our national history to right the wrongs of the past.”
Ambassador Ashimiyu Olaniyi who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said that the President would be remembered as an astute political leader who does not interfere in the political affairs of states, adding that the singular quality has given credibility to all elections conducted since 2015.
The delegation said that apart from records of achievements in the three focal areas of securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption, “your integrity is responsible for your victory, which we are privileged to celebrate with you today.”
The Ambassadors appreciated the intervention funds that were released to various missions abroad, and pledged continued loyalty and support to the Buhari administration.
This was even as President Buhari said that his government is doing its best to correct and reverse the terrible mismanagement the country had experienced.
He said that the government is determined to upgrade the country’s profile, both locally and internationally.
President Buhari said it would be inexcusable for government not to take care of its Ambassadors in their various stations, hence the special attention being paid to the country’s foreign missions.
The Independent National Election (INEC) is obviously angry with the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its allegation on Monday that the commission was working with the Buhari Presidency ‘‘to aid the APC to alter the results and announce APC candidates as winners’’ in last Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
Responding to the allegations by the PDP that Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC had become overtly partisan, by surrendering its independence to the APC, the commission regretted that the PDP has embarked on making spurious and libelous allegations at a time that it is busy trying to conclude the 2019 general elections.
In a statement today, Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, INEC wondered why the PDP failed to accuse it of rigging in states where the party has won elections.
“So far, the PDP has won in Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Abia, Cross River and Delta states according to the results declared by INEC. Interestingly, the PDP has not accused INEC of rigging the elections in these states.”
“Sadly, the PDP has also not deemed it fit to commiserate with the families of our ad hoc staff and other Nigerians who lost their lives, including those who were injured in different parts of the country while trying to carry out their legitimate duties. This is rather unfortunate and regrettable.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission’s one and only interest in the 2019 general elections is to make votes count. It is to ensure free, fair and credible elections. When there is no interference with the electoral process and an election satisfies the provisions of the law, the Commission will always make a declaration of the results. But when there is interference or when an election fails to meet the requirements of the law, the Commission will not make a declaration.”
Theresa MayMembers of the British Parliament have voted 391 to 242 to shoot down Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU withdrawal deal, for a second time, over her Brexit strategy.
The vote, this time showed a larger defeat than when they rejected it in January.
The Prime Minister had earlier warned the Parliamentarians that if they did not back her “improved deal” they risked “no Brexit at all.”
But she failed to convince enough of them those concessions she had agreed at the last minute with the EU were the “legally-binding” changes they had demanded when they rejected the deal by 230 votes in January.
Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which keeps her government in power, voted against the deal, along with Brexiteer Conservative backbenchers.
Source: BBC.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus, in the House of Representatives, has said that there are no perfect elections anywhere in the world, not even in advance democracy as was recently witnessed.
The House Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamlia, who spoke today, Tuesday, on behalf of the caucus at the National Assembly, against the background of the just concluded general elections in the country, said: “there are no perfect elections anywhere in the world; the most advanced democracy in America, we saw the issues.”
This is even as he promised that the ninth national assembly will strive to come up with proper legislation aimed at retooling the electoral law for a better process in the future.
He emphasized that legislative improvements in the Electoral Act would be made ahead of the 2023 General Elections, saying: “reform is a continuous process, until we get to that stage of perfection.
“So we will continue to reform, and there are reforms; things to be done. So we’ll look at it wholesale, so that by 2023 we present an even more perfect, if not completely perfect, at least a near perfect electoral law.”
Femi Gbajabiamlia commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as fairly credible elections, adding that the country must strive for perfection.
“We congratulate the INEC. Despite the hiccups, the umpire gave us fairly credible elections. But as a country, we must strive for perfection and try to do better. In this regard, the legislature is key in retooling the electoral process and perfecting it going forward.
“Most especially, we congratulate the Nigerian people for keeping faith with our democracy and electoral process which can only get better as we progress.
He asked INEC to do the needful and speedily re-conduct elections in those areas where the elections were declared inconclusive so that the nation could move forward.
Justice Walter OnnoghenSuspended Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen is reported to have developed High Blood Pressure (HBP) and toothache, leading to his inability to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for the resumed hearing of a case against him.
His counsel, Adeboyega Awomolo,today, Tuesday, tendered a letter from him, explaining that he developed issues with his tooth and could not make it to court, even as the prosecutor, Aliyu Umar, said that he had also received a copy of the letter as well as a medical report indicating he had a high blood pressure.
Aliyu Umar said that the health of a defendant is as important as the case on the ground and in the light of that, he would concede that the absence is on medical grounds.
He, therefore, urged the court to consider the report and adjourn the case till next week Monday or another week for a day-to-day hearing.
According to the letter, Onnoghen was given a 72-hour bed rest as the case was adjourned.
Minister of state for aviation, Hadi SirikaNigeria’s Minister of State for Aviation Senator, Senator Hadi Sirika, has said that Nigeria has no Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its aviation register.
The minister made the statement today, Tuesday, against the backdrop of the unfortunate crash of the Ethiopian airline, Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, on Sunday, which killed the 157 people on board.
So far, no fewer than 12 countries have banned the aircraft from their fleets after witnessing th crash, twice in less than six months interval, on the similar planes belonging to the same Ethiopian airlines.
Senator Hadi Sirika acknowledged that any accident anywhere is a tragedy to the global aviation industry, stressing the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued the necessary advisory as it relates to the country.
“As we continue to mourn the ET crash in Addis, and pray for the victims, we wish to reassure Nigerians that we do not have any Boeing 737 Max on Nigeria’s register to worry about.”
The minister asked the Nigerian flying public not to entertain any fears, assuring them “of unflinching commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration to creating an environment that guarantees their safety and security in air transportation.”
Two Nigerians, an academic and popular columnist, Pius Adesanmi, and a retired ambassador on contract with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Abiodun Bashua, were among the 149 passengers on board the plane.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed about six minutes after take-off from the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Recall that vanguard reported that at least nationals of about 35 countries were involved in the disaster.
The crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on Sunday, Mrach 10 which killed all 157 people on board, has prompted the United Kingdom, China and other countries of the world to ban their fleets even as Boeing investigates whether there’s a link between Ethiopia’s disaster and the crash of Lion Air Flight 610, which plunged into the Java Sea 12 minutes after takeoff in October 2018.
China’s aviation authority said yesterday, Monday that it had issued a notice to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes used by domestic airlines in response to Sunday’s crash.
A statement posted to the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s website said similarities between the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the Lion Air crash had caused concern over the Boeing aircraft.
“Safety is our number one priority and we are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved,” a representative for Boeing China told Business Insider.
“The investigation is in its early stages, but at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators.”
The UK Civil Aviation Authority also announced that it has been closely monitoring the situation, saying: “as we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overlfying UK airspace,” a spokesperson said.
“We remain in close contact with the European Safety Agency (EASA) and industry regulators globally.
“This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX.”
Also, Indonesia’s air-safety regulator had said that it would halt all flights involving the planes from today, Tuesday even as Singapore suspended all Boeing 737 Max aircraft flying in and out of Singapore.
The ban takes effect from today, Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said.
Similarly, Oman’s civil aviation authority said Tuesday morning that its suspending the 737 MAX 8 into and out of all airports in the country until further notice.
This was even as Mexican airline, AeroMexico said it’s suspending six Boeing 737 Max 8 planes.
The company said that it trusts “fully” in the safety of its fleet but added that the grounding has been ordered to ensure “the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers.”
It says other planes will take over the flights usually flown by its Max 8 jets.
Brazil’s Gol Airlines has also suspended 121 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The company said in a press release Monday since it began using the 737 Max 8 in June 2018, and their aircraft have made nearly 3,000 flights with “total security and efficiency.”
Also, Norwegian air, whose fleet is heavily comprised of 737 MAX 8’s, also said Tuesday it would ground the plane, according to the Norwegian news outlet E24.
This was even as Cayman Airways said that it would ground its two 737 Max 8 aircraft until more information was received.
“While the cause of this sad loss is undetermined at this time, we stand by our commitment to putting the safety of our passengers and crew first by maintaining complete and undoubtable safe operations,” Cayman Airways’ president and CEO, Fabian Whorms, said in a statement.
“We offer our valued customers our continued assurance that all prudent and necessary actions required for the safe operation of our Max 8’s will be accomplished before the aircraft are returned to service,” he said, adding that the move would require the airline to make some minor schedule and capacity changes.
The South African airline, Comair also said that it was grounding the 737 Max 8 out of an abundance of caution.
“Comair has decided to remove its 737 MAX 8 from its flight schedule, although neither regulatory authorities nor the manufacturer has required it to do so,” Wrenelle Stander, executive director of Comair’s airline division, said in a press release.
“While Comair has done extensive preparatory work prior to the introduction of the first 737 MAX 8 into its fleet and remains confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft, it has decided temporarily not to schedule the aircraft while it consults with other operators, Boeing and technical experts,” it continued.
South Korean airline, Eastar Jet said it has suspended its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, mainly used to ferry passengers to Japan and Thailand.
An Eastar Jet official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the planes will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 planes from Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. She didn’t want to be named, citing office rules.
She said that the airline hasn’t found any problems, but is voluntarily grounding Boeing 737 Max 8s in a response to customer concerns.
Also, India’s Jet Airways said on Tuesday it has grounded its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
