Connect with us

News

Senate opens public hearing on vote-buying

Published

on

Lukman Amusa

The Nigerian Senate has formally declared open the public hearing on vote-buying and improving electoral processes in the country.

This was contained in a tweet on the verified Twitter handle of the Nigerian Senate.

Earlier, Senate President Bukola Saraki had welcomed the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC to the one-day event, even as the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif, led the opening prayer and welcomed the Bukola Saraki, House Speaker Yakub Dogara, senators and honourable members.

Nazif, in his welcome address, said the National Assembly amended the Act, noting, “Any person who processes fake voters card or violates the rules and regulation is liable to five-year imprisonment.”

“It is not only the responsibility of the legislators, but the Executive, Police, Armed Forces and other agencies are to ensure credible elections,” Nazif said.

In his welcome address, Dogara said, “I am delighted to address you on this public hearing. This is one of the important issues of the moment that needs to be addressed before the 2019 general elections.”

“For election to be qualified under a democratic government, it must be free, fair and credible.

“The recent phenomenal and direct buying of votes is very disheartening. As citizens, we must not surrender to this criminality.

“Vote-buying and other criminal electoral process have left our citizen in disaster because they are ruled by fear, rather than challenging them.

“The purpose of this public hearing is to enable all of us to interrogate the issue and proffer solutions in order to ensure that every vote counts.

“I call on all Nigerians to rise and condemn all practices of vote-buying, as it is the worst form of corruption and should be treated as such,” Dogara said.

Saraki noted that the purpose of the public hearing was to “put heads together” over an issue that is pivotal to the successful conduct of the 2019 General Elections.

He said, “The period we are in now puts Nigeria in a delicate situation where Africa and the entire world are looking forward to what happens in our coming elections.
“This is understandable, when you consider that our President is the Chairman of ECOWAS.

“Moreover, the Chairman of our INEC is the head of Electoral Commissions in West Africa. With these regional leadership roles, it is clear that we cannot afford to conduct an election that will not be seen as credible, peaceful, free and fair.”

He recalled that in 2015, Nigeria “set an enviable standard that encouraged more countries in Africa to democratise;” warning that, for the 2019 elections, “we cannot lower the standard. Quite clearly, there should be positive progression.”

“We must up the ante, therefore, because whatever we do will have impact on the continent and serve as a representation of Africa on the global stage,” the Senate President said.

Continuing, Saraki said, “That is why I enjoin the leadership of both chambers of National Assembly to come together and review all issues concerning the 2019 elections dispassionately and with patriotism.

“Vote-buying and election rigging, by whatever means, remains one of the contemporary challenges that mar our electoral process.

“We must deal with these ills in such a manner that does not detract from the credibility and legitimacy of the 2019 elections.

“Permit me to observe, at this point, that our primary concern should be to entrench global best practices in our electoral process, ensuring that these are backed by legislations to make them sustainable and permanent.

“For example, the use of Incident Form to bypass the lawful process of accreditation and voting is not good for our country. We must do away with it.

“This is one of those issues concerning which, whether or not there is a law, all of us as stakeholders should come to agreement and address the anomaly.

“At the very least, it is one minimum condition that we must meet as we move towards 2019.”

Saraki enjoined all stakeholders to “demonstrate the fact that a credible and transparent election is far better and more important than who wins that election.”

“We cannot afford to send the wrong signals with our action or inaction as we prepare for the next elections.

“The world should be able to take positive cues from us that we are ready to improve on our process and make our electoral process that much more transparent and credible.

“This is because perception matters, as you all know. Perception is, in fact, reality.”

He challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission to demonstrate its independence by being pro-active and taking bold decisions.

“This is necessary because the responsibility to conduct a credible poll is solely that of the Commission. This is elemental to retaining the confidence of the electorate.

“All of us who are gathered here have the responsibility to contribute ideas based on our experiences and insights on how to cure the ills of vote-buying, subverting the popular will and delegitimising the outcome of our elections.”

Taking a swipe at the alleged questionable involvement of security agents in elections, Saraki said the nation needed to make suggestions on how to curb the unlawful interference by security agents in the voting process.

“It is all too clear that security agents are beginning to emerge as major clogs in the election process.

“Reports of collusion with political actors to disenfranchise voters is very worrying indeed,” he submitted.

The Senate President also warned against what he called “militarisation of elections,” saying, “We cannot, under any circumstances, militarise elections, because that defeats the purpose of free, fair and credible polls.

“In an election, access to the polling unit for the purpose of casting one’s vote is the bare minimum.

“Once a voter is denied the opportunity to vote through bullying, intimidation and other forms of harassment, then vote rigging and electoral malpractice have free reign.”

Noting that the security agencies that work for INEC are the ones charged by the constitution to conduct election, Saraki called on INEC to set the rules for the engagement of security agencies during elections, which they must follow.

“The Commission should further seek the co-operation of the respective security agencies to ensure strict compliance.

“It is that way that Nigerians can trust the process, and it will be clear to all that the right steps have been taken with regard to the involvement of security agents,” he said.

He expressed the desire to see more issues and suggestions being raised by participants at the public hearing, saying, “it is my hope that at the end of these proceedings, this public hearing will make tremendous impact on how the 2019 polls will be conducted and the expected successful outcome.”

He then formally declared open the public hearing.

Meanwhile, Hon. Aishatu Jibril Dukku, in her vote of thanks, noted that vote buying was a national issue that must be tackled, suggesting that mobile phones be banned at polling zones.

“It is recommended that voters should drop their phones and cameras at home, just like they do in JAMB and other examinations.

“INEC should arrest anyone trying to buy or sell vote,” Aishatu Jibril Dukku suggested.

;box-sizing: inherit;touch-action: manipulation; display:flex;align-items: center;border-radius: 40px;justify-content: center; box-sizing: inherit;touch-action: manipulation’ class=” wp-image-79968″ v:shapes=”_x0000_i1025″>37

 

News

Access Bank Appoints Uche Orji as Independent Non-Executive Director

Published

on

Access Bank Appoints Uche Orji as Independent Non-Executive Director

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Uche Orji as an Independent Non-Executive Director of its flagship subsidiary, Access Bank Plc (‘the Bank’), effective from January 7, 2025, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (‘CBN’).

This appointment reflects our commitment to enhancing our governance practices and ensuring a diverse and experienced board.

Mr. Orji is a renowned investment banking professional, information technology entrepreneur, and finance expert with three (3) decades of professional and board experience. He is the Co-founder and Partner of Titangate Capital Management, an equity firm that invests in deep-tech, enterprise software, semi-conductors, hardware, and artificial intelligence companies.

He is the Founder and Director of Vitesse Africa Limited, an investment advisory firm focused on African energy, technology and infrastructure sectors. He serves as an Executive Board member and investor in Ultrasafe AI, an artificial intelligence/IT development firm that maintains strategic collaborations with leading technology companies. He also sits on the Board of Private Infrastructure Development Group, London, and chairs the Risk Committee.

Previously, Mr. Orji served as the founding Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority. He held positions as Managing Director and Senior Analyst at UBS Securities Limited New York and Managing Director and Head of European Technology/Semiconductor Equity Research at JP Morgan Securities, London. He also served as Executive Director/Portfolio Manager at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London. Earlier in his career, he was Acting Financial Controller at Diamond Bank Limited and an Audit Trainee at Arthur Andersen & Co.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Port-Harcourt and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, the Chairman of the Bank said:

“Mr. Orji has been appointed based on his exceptionally rich professional, academic, and corporate board experience which will be invaluable to the Bank as we continue to pursue our strategic objectives.

We are confident that his addition to the Board would further enrich the quality of our decision-making process, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our customers and stakeholders.

His appointment has been made in accordance with the Bank’s internal policies and has been notified to all relevant regulatory authorities underscoring our commitment to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.

On behalf of the Board, Management and staff, I warmly welcome Mr. Orji to the Board and look forward to his contributions towards our goal of becoming one of the top 5 African Banks in the shortest possible time.”

Continue Reading

News

Go and List Your Challenges, Lagos Speaker tells NANS Member During Courtesy Visit

Published

on

Go and List Your Challenges, Lagos Speaker tells NANS Member During Courtesy Visit

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lagos State University (LASU) branch, on Friday paid a courtesy visit on the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Princess Mojisola Lasbat Meranda.

The student representatives said the visit was to congratulate Meranda over her emergence as Speaker of the State Assembly.

Meranda, an alumnus of LASU, was elected Speaker on January 13 after the removal of Mudashiru Obasa by the lawmakers over issues relating to alleged high-handedness and financial impropriety.

Describing her as a thoroughbred Lagosian, the chairman of NANS, Abdulraheem Azeez, used the opportunity to list some of the challenges faced by students in the university.

According to him, students have had to read in darkness as the Ikeja campus gets less than two hours of power supply daily.

Azeez also raised the need for the State to make available loans for indigent students as well as for the Assembly to provide opportunities for students to witness the plenary of the House.

Meranda, while thanking the students for the visit, urged them to always attend town-hall meetings in their constituencies where they can contribute and make their opinions known.

She further encouraged them to apply for the loans initiated by the government as done by students in other countries.

The Speaker requested the students to formally send their complaints in written forms to the House for action.

Continue Reading

News

EFCC Tasks Corps Members on Corruption

Published

on

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

EFCC Tasks Corps Members on Corruption

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede charge members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to be change agents and strong resisting force against corruption.

He also enjoined them to be active foot soldiers and whistle-blowers or intelligence-gatherers against corruption.

Speaking on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Olukoyede said It is important for youths to realise that, these roles, if performed creditably, will bring up appreciable growth in the economy of our nation. He said that, “creative energies of youths will be maximised when corruption is brought to its knees.”

The EFCC boss whose address was delivered by the Head, Public Affairs Department, Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Ayodele Babatunde said that most of the problem confronting the country such as kidnapping, banditry, poor infrastructure, among others were connected to corruption. He added that all hands must be on the deck to tame the cankerworm.

Olukoyede encouraged the youths to embrace the virtues of hard work and shun fraudulent practices such as cybercrime noting that, “it’s profitable to earn dignity and fame through hard work and legit business.”

While calling on the youths to channel their potentials productively and shun crime, the EFCC Chair said that, “Yahoo-Yahoo is not a sustainable way of life.”

“There is no shortcut to wealth and fame. The fact that the rate of unemployment is high should not be an excuse to resort to crime. Act of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term but there will be misery and gnashing of teeth”, he said.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from August24news.com
This Website is designed and Managed by: August 24 Communications Nigerian Limited (RC: 798585)