14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014
APC accuses FG of plot to unseat Bukola Saraki BY DEMOLAAKINYEMI
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LORIN — THE battle between the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for political control of Kwara State has taken a new twist. The state chapter of the APC, yesterday, raised an alarm that it had uncovered a grand plot by the Presidency in collaboration with the PDP to unseat the senator, representing Kwara Central Senatorial district, Dr. Bukola Saraki, at all costs. Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State (middle), flanked (right) by his deputy, Sir Emeka Ananaba, In a statement by the party’s Interim and Mrs. Victoria Okakwu, state co-odinator, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, and (left), Mr. Publicity Secretary in the state, Alhaji Gordon Bozimo, National Governing Board Chairman, NYSC, and Mrs. Ngozi Orji, Abia State Com- Sulyman Buhari, the APC said: “Informissioner for Youth, during the visit of National Governing Board of NYSC to the governor, in mation gathered from close associates Umuahia. and a reliable source in the Presidency, is to the effect that, the Presidency is desperately in search of a judge who will be heavily induced to compromise and remove BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO rely on the exhibits tendered by Senator The tribunal also admit- Dr. Saraki from the NaNgige and APC and the prayers were ted in evidence, 443 exhib- tional Assembly as a senaits made up of Forms ‘EC25 tor. HE ANAMBRA State Gubernatorial granted in absence of any objection. Documentary exhibits admitted, yester- A’ described Receipt of ”Further to this, we learnt Elections Petitions Tribunal has so far admitted 10,000 certified documents as ex- day, included voters’ registers and poll- Electoral materials and 26 that few of those contacted hibits from Senator Chris Ngige and All ing booth results for the eight local gov- copies of Forms EC25 B have declined to go with Progressives Congress, APC, in the sec- ernment areas of Anambra State outstand- described as the ‘Receipt this illegal bidding. ing as at yesterday. for Electoral Materials by "The general public ond of four petitions before it. They included those of Nnewi North, presiding officers in the 21 would recall that the Abuja About 5,984 election related documents division of Appeal Court were admitted, yesterday, and marked as Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Onitsha North, LGAs’ Eight certified copies of had upheld the judgement exhibits bringing the total materials so far Onitsha South, Orumba North, Orumba South and Oyi. newspaper reports on the of the federal high court deadmitted from the petitioners to 10,234. Others included the summary of polling election became a bone of livered by Justice Ibrahim The PDP legal team represented by Clement Ezira, prayed the tribunal to adopt and booth results at ward levels (Forms EC8B) contention between the law- Auta, which confirmed the across all 326 wards in the yers on the respective sides election of Senator Bukola state, except Ward 10, Og- of the consolidated matter Saraki as senator and disbaru; summary of local gov- before Chairman of the tri- missed the case filed by ernment results at the state bunal, Hon. Justice Ishaq Alhaji L.A.K. Jimoh. level (Form EC8D); forms Bello ruled in favour of adfor declaration of results mission. (Form EC8E) and 355 as However, polling booth well as those for Oath of results for the entire Neutrality by INEC staff Otuocha Ward I, Anambra handling the elections. East Local Government Also tendered were, 813 Area, where Governor WillBY ABEL DANIEL ‘Forms EC 40A’ described ie Obiano, who is the deas Ballot Paper Verification fendant hails from, were AFIA — THE NasaStatement, 116 certified said to be missing from the rawa State Indepencopies of ‘Forms EC 40 B’, pack as petitioners said dent Electoral Commisdescribed as Statement of they were not supplied by sion, NASIEC, has said Invalid Ballot Papers; as INEC. that it had deployed 4,010 well as 152 certified ‘Forms The lead counsel for ad-hoc staff with other EC 40 C’, described as Ngige and APC, Rotimi necessary logistics to enstatement of unused ballot Akeredolu, also tendered sure free and fair election papers. for the admission of the during tomorrow’s local 356-page document enlist- government poll in the ing all INEC ad-hoc staff state. The Chairman of that worked during the November 16, 17, and 30, NASIEC, Dr. Aliyu Mod2013 gubernatorial elec- ibo who made this known, said that the commission tions.
Anambra election tribunal admits 10,000 exhibits from Ngige, APC T
”Justice Moshood Adumein ruled that Saraki’s nomination in the 2011 primary election was in total compliance with Section 33 of the Electoral Act. "The question now is, what is the Presidency’s interest in the matter before the apex court, if not an act of impunity and lawlessness. Our legal system and jurisprudences are not different - when a case is bad, it is bad. The two lower courts could not have erred. ”In confirmation of our assertion, no other personality than President Goodluck Jonathan himself gave credence to our evidences when he said, “we will even test our strengths before 2015 elections,” when the said L.A.K. Jimoh and other members of Kwara PDP visited him, Tuesday at Presidential Villa. "This was an event openly broadcast to Nigerians by many television stations and reported in many print media. ”We are aware of efforts by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Muktah to cleanse the judiciary and she should be given all necessary support by all concerned to achieve this feat by not allowing the evil counsel of PDP to stand as perfected."
We've deployed 4,010 staff to ensure fair poll — NASIEC
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believed that to have a credible election, you need credible electoral officers that were well trained. “I am pleased to state that we have trained 4, 010 adhoc staff with all local government returning officers recruited from the academia. “The 13 local government returning officers are all university teachers, not below the rank of senior lecturers. They are all Nasarawa State indigenes and highly respected among their peers from various universities in the country.” Modibo said. He reiterated that all results of the elections will be declared at the polling units, wards and local governments in compliance with the state electoral laws. Meanwhile the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, who spoke on behalf of the joint security committee in the state, said that adequate security had been put in place to ensure a free and fair elections.