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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8, 2021
By Christiana Ekpa
T
he Southern and Middle Belt Alliance (SAMBA) has mounted pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly sign the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law, saying Nigerians are apprehensive at the delay in signing the bill into law. The group, in a letter submitted to President Buhari dated December 6, and signed by SaMBA General Secretary, Marcel Ngogbehei, said the proposed amendment has addressed the issue raised in the amendment of the Electoral Bill passed by the eight National Assembly. The Alliance reminded the President of his pledge in January 2019, while inaugurating the APC presidential campaign council in Abuja, to leave a legacy of credible elections in Nigeria
Resign if you have political ambitions for 2023 – Ogun governor tells appointees
SaMBA urges Buhari to sign 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill •Says Nigerians apprehensive at delay in signing Bill and stated, “that this is the foundation of political stability and peace in any nation.” SaMBA urged all relevant stakeholders, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue to constructively engage the Nigerian people so that the lessons gleaned from the recent use of technology during the Anambra and Edo state elections are not lost and ensure that every Nigerian who has registered for the coming 2023 elections are able to retrieve their voters’ card seamlessly to avoid the incessant case of disenfranchisement of eligible voters. The letter titled “Re: Take Advantage of The Electoral Act Amendment Bill to strengthen our Democracy”, reads: “We the members of the Southern and Middle Belt Alliance (SaMBA) urge you to sign the 2021 Electoral Act
Amendment Bill into law. “We recall that on November 9, 2021, the House of Representatives and the Senate chambers passed into law amendments to the Electoral Act. “The most topical items of amendment included the adoption of direct primaries for internal political parties’ contestants and the use of technology in the conduct of general elections in Nigeria. “The need was also identified for the expansion of the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to develop guidelines as it deemed fit towards the deployment of technology during elections in Nigeria. “The President will recall that majority of Nigerians had described the 2021 amendments of the Electoral Act as one of the most progressive enactments
that Nigeria has had in a long time. This is also the view of the SaMBA, whose press statement dated 23rd September 2021, strongly urged the Senate to “redeem their battered image by adopting the House of Representatives’ version of Section 53(2) of the Bill” and not subject the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the approval of the National Communication Commission. “Nigerians are apprehensive at the delay in signing the Bill into law, seeing that the President had on three previous occasions declined assent to this Bill, for varied reasons - In March 2018, you believed that the proposed law could usurp the constitutional powers of INEC to decide on election matters; On another occasion you were concerned that the new electoral act would “create uncertainty and confusion” as Nigerians approached
the 2019 elections. “Fortunately, the proposed 2021 Amended Electoral Act, has addressed your fears, there should be no reason to delay your assent. This is more so as we recall that In January 2019, while inaugurating the APC presidential campaign council in Abuja, Mr. President, you expressed your desire to leave a legacy of credible elections in Nigeria. You stated that this is the foundation of political stability and peace in any nation. “SaMBA however, cautions that the passage of the 2021 amendment to the Electoral Act is only a journey and not the destination. We urge all stakeholders, especially INEC to continue to constructively engage the Nigerian people to ensure that the lessons gleaned from recent and remote deployment of technology during the Anambra and Edo state elections are not lost.
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
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olitical appointees in Ogun State have till January 31, 2022, to resign their appointments if they want to participate in the 2023 general elections. Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said this became necessary so that they could pursue their political dreams. Recall that some top government functionaries in Abiodun’s cabinet are already aspiring to be Senators and House of Representatives members in 2023. A statement issued in Abeokuta on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, said the directive had “become expedient to avoid observed distractions and loss of focus in the discharge of their responsibilities.” While noting that it is legitimate to have such ambitions, the Governor, however, said he would not tolerate any activity that could undermine the mission of his administration. “As an administration unwaveringly committed to delivering on its electoral promises, any activity that is capable of undermining the implementation of the Building Our Future Together Agenda of the Administration will not be tolerated,” Abiodun was quoted as saying. The governor counseled that “those who cannot wait till the appropriate time for 2023 electioneering process should take their leave to pursue their ambitions.” This, he said should be done “without constituting a clog in the wheel of the implementation of government programmes and activities.” The former Attorney General of Ogun State, Akingbolahan Adeniran and a former Speaker of the Ogun House of Assembly, Hon. Muyiwa Oladipo, who was a Consultant to Abiodun, had recently resigned their appointments.
Hon Micah Y. Jiba, House of Representative Member AMAC/ Bwari Federal Constituency teaching pupils mathematic at LEA Primary School Apo Duste, Garki-Abuja during inspection of construction of the two blocks of eight class rooms , recently in Apo Duste Community in Abuja. Photo-: Justin Imo-owo
Senate asks UK to remove Nigeria from COVID-19 red list
By Musa Baba Adamu
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he Nigerian Senate has condemned the United Kingdom’s inclusion of Nigeria in their COVID-19 red list without justification. The chamber, accordingly, called on the British authorities to consider removing Nigeria from the red list. It advised the UK government to be sensitive to the diplomatic relationship between both countries when taking decision that affect Nigerian citizens. The Senate urged the Federal Government to engage the British authorities to reverse Nigeria’s inclusion on the red list. It also charged the administration to remain firm in the enforcement of necessary protocols in the containment of every COVID-19 variant in Nigeria. It further called on major vaccines powers, namely, Britain, Canada, America, and the European Inion, among others, to take urgent and bold steps
to ensure vaccine equity in the interest of the entire human race. These were resolutions reached by the chamber following the consideration of a motion on the “Need for Government of the United Kingdom to remove Nigeria from COVID-19 Red List.” The motion was sponsored by Senator Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West). Coming under order 42 and 52 of the Senate Rules, Ekweremadu noted with satisfaction the efforts of the Government of Nigeria in the containment and treatment of COVID-19 cases. He said, “Nigeria is among the countries with the lowest cases of COVID-19.” “The decision by the British Government to include Nigeria in their COVID-19 list, with its concomitant implications, will affect many citizens of Nigeria, who had planned to spend their Christmas and New Year holiday with their families. “Also worried that Nigerians with genuine needs to visit the U.K
within this period will be denied visa and those with visa will not be allowed to enter the U.K.” The lawmaker noted that Nigerians have consistently complied with all the COVID-19 protocols required by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.K Government for travelers prior to the ban. He emphasized that, “targeting African countries, especially in the COVID-19 travel ban, amounts to profiling and discrimination as well as an attack on our cordial diplomatic relationship with the U.K.” Ekweremadu drew the attention of the chamber to global concerns over vaccines hoarding and inequity and the resulting consequences on lowincome nations in the fight against COVID-19. In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said that the decision to include Nigeria on the UK COVID-19 red list poses a strain on the diplomatic relationship between both
countries. He bemoaned the poor treatment of Nigeria by the UK government. Lawan, therefore, called on the British Parliament to intervene with a view to having Nigeria removed from the country’s COVID-19 red list. “Let there be justification for it. We are not saying that they cannot put any country on the red list, including Nigeria, but there must be reasons for doing that. “[And] of course, Nigeria has done so well to the admiration of many countries in the area of containment of COVID-19. “Therefore, we don’t see any reason why Nigeria will be on that so called red list. “I believe that Nigerians deserve better treatment from the British government. “I’m using this opportunity to ask the British Parliament to mount pressure on their government to remove Nigeria from the so-called red list.”
