The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced Saturday, April 15 for conclusion of the Governorship elections in Adamawa and Kebbi States hitherto declared inconclusive.
The Commission also said all National and Assembly elections declared inconclusive will also be concluded on the same day.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi said this followed a decision taken at the commission’s meeting on Monday.
He said: “Arising from its meeting held today, the Independent National Electoral Commission has decided that all outstanding Governorship, National and State Assembly supplementary elections will take place on Saturday 15th April 2023”.
This is the outcome of a meeting of the Election management Body that reviewed the areas where supplementary elections are required to conclude the outstanding Governorship, National and State Assembly elections across the country.
INEC says supplementary Governorship elections will be held in Adamawa and Kebbi States, 5 Senatorial Districts, 31 Federal and 58 State Assembly constituencies.
The Commission says due to the competitive nature of the elections, especially for legislative seats, supplementary elections will be held in just a few polling unit in some constituencies.
A press statement signed by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee confirms that a comprehensive list of the polling units by State, Local Government, Registration Area, registered voters and PVCs collected will be published on INEC website on or before Wednesday 29th March 2023.
But despite the new date announced, The earlier accreditation for polling and collation agents, observers and the media still subsists for the supplementary elections.
The Commission urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to see the exercise as an election and not war, and warned them to avoid incendiary statements and negative mobilisation so that the elections can be conducted and concluded as scheduled.
AYU’S SUSPENSION NOT A SURPRISE, PDP MAY NEVER RECOVER -OKOLUGBO
The suspension of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party has been described as an event that has been coming and not a total surprise.
Ken Okolugbo, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Commissioner in Delta State disclosed this while speaking on the This Morning programme on TVC News on Monday Morning with Yori Folarin.
He said the suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, has mismanaged the party so much that there may be no way back for it.
He added that the mismanagement of the party was responsible for people like him leaving the party.
He added that the suspended National Chairman has been probably the most controversial chairman the PDP has ever had with him having disputes with governors and almost all the stakeholders within the party.
He said his suspension is just the proverbial banana peel that has helped in bringing down most chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party since 1999.
Going Further he disclosed that even the governors the suspended National Chairman is conflict with have largely come out of it stronger with some able to install their preferred successors while Seyi Makinde in Oyo State returned re-elected with a very impressive margin.
On whether the suspension is final, he said the process can be murky saying some may argue that the National Chairman cannot be suspended from his ward and must be referred to the National Working Committee which will then accept to investigate him and hand out the necessary punishment or not.
He however said the Ward Executive and the Ward as a art of the party is one of the most powerful if not the most powerful organ in its day to day operation.
He disclosed that the steps to be taken will be sending the suspension for ratification to the State Working Committee of the party which will now send it to the National Working Committee of the party which according to him is currently deeply divided.
He said nobody within the National Working Committee of the party can lay claim to not being involved in anti Party activities during the course of the 2023 General Elections.
He said this State of Affairs made it quite difficult for anybody among members of the party to be singled out for persecution over so called anti party activities when almost everyone was involved.
According to Mr Okolugbo, that is why some of the suspended leaders have rejected it and are spoiling for a fight over the issue.
He said the leadership of the party should not be looking for scapegoats at this time but should be working on ensuring unity so that the incoming government at State levels will have something to bring them together.
He urged the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party to go back to the drawing board and work to prevent an implosion since the coming days will be seeing a gale of suspensions and counter suspensions.
He said the anti party activities that went on within the Peoples Democratic Party was unprecedented which will make it a very difficult proposition for anyone who wants to suspend anybody for such moves.
He added that the National Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party should be blamed for the problem bedevilling the party with decisions taken against the party’s constitution, zoning and Other principles including the choice of candidates at all levels.
He said most people within the party will not have the courage to challenge the status quo within the party and then leave.
According to Mr Okolugbo, the PDP has never been as divided as it is today and may not be able to pick up the pieces with the way things are currently.
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