Politics
Osun Guber Poll: INEC pledges voting access for PWDs
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Osun State has reiterated its commitment to inclusive electoral participation, particularly for Persons With Disabilities, PWDs, ahead of the 2026 governorship election scheduled for 15 August.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Mutiu Agboke, made this known on Tuesday during a sensitisation and awareness programme organised by the INEC headquarters, Abuja, held in Osogbo, which focused on the devolution of the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise to Registration Areas across the state.
Agboke described the engagement as a critical step towards ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded from the democratic process, noting that the disability community remains an integral part of Nigeria’s democracy.
He stated, “Democracy thrives when every citizen, regardless of physical condition, has equal opportunity to participate in choosing leaders and shaping governance.”
The REC explained that the decentralisation of the CVR exercise from local government offices to ward level was designed to bring registration closer to the people, particularly those who may face mobility challenges.
According to him, “the initiative would enable first-time voters who have attained the age of 18 to register easily, while also allowing previously registered voters to transfer or update their details without travelling long distances.”
The Osun INEC boss added that the programme was also aimed at equipping PWDs with adequate knowledge about registration procedures and encouraging their active participation in the forthcoming election.
He disclosed that the Commission would deploy assistive devices such as Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, large print materials, and priority voting arrangements to support voters with disabilities.
“In addition, trained poll officials will be available to provide necessary assistance, while relevant forms will be deployed to capture data and support voters requiring help at polling units,” he said.
In a goodwill message, the Osun State Director of the National Orientation Agency, Adebiyi Adefarasin Stephen, described the initiative as timely and vital to promoting inclusive democracy.
He said, “Persons with disabilities are an important part of our society, and their full participation in the electoral process must be encouraged and supported.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, in Osun State, Steven Oluwakemi, commended INEC for its efforts towards enhancing inclusive participation in elections.
Oluwakemi stressed that voting is a fundamental right for every Nigerian, regardless of disability, and called for the expansion of accessibility initiatives, adequate deployment of materials, and proper training of electoral personnel.
He added, “Inclusion is not a privilege but a right, and we are ready to partner with INEC to build a barrier-free democracy for all residents of Osun State.”
The programme drew participation from disability groups, civil society organisations, electoral officials, and other stakeholders.
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A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Ned Nwoko, has vowed to challenge the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary in court, insisting that he won the exercise based on results and evidence allegedly gathered from the wards.
Disclosing his in an interview with Arise TV, Nwoko, who rejected the declaration of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as winner of the senatorial primary, alleged that the results announced did not reflect the actual votes cast during the exercise.
According to him, midway into the primary, party officials instructed that no results should be announced at the ward level, directing instead that they be collated and announced later at the national headquarters in Abuja.
“We have submitted them. Halfway through the primary, we got a message on our phones that no results should be announced at the ward level — that they should be collected and then announced later at the national in Abuja.
“And so, we thought we’d be law-abiding. Suddenly, we saw some news. We saw only that one video — of one of the wards in Ika North East,” he said.
Nwoko questioned the credibility of the figures announced from the ward, alleging discrepancies between the turnout shown in the video and the official result released.
“It was just one video, showing three people in a line, and then the rest that were probably not more than 500. That’s what I saw in the video. Although in the result, they said there were 5,000,” he stated.
The senator maintained that only one ward video had been made public and challenged party officials to release evidence from the remaining wards.
“The video that you saw, where Ifeanyi Okowa was announced as the winner, was just one video from one ward out of 98 wards. Maybe they should show us other videos. They must show us the figures,” he insisted.
Nwoko declared that he would reject any outcome upheld by the APC national leadership if it contradicted what he described as the genuine mandate of party members.
“I wouldn’t accept it because I have a mandate. I have a mandate by the people. We will head towards litigation,” he said.
Despite his grievances, the senator said he would not work against the party, expressing confidence that President Bola Tinubu would intervene in the matter.
“I’m not going to say I’m going to work against the party; I’m going to work for the party. But I can assure you of this: I’m sure that the President will intervene in this matter,” he said.
Nwoko further disclosed that his camp had submitted results and video evidence from all 98 wards, insisting that he remained convinced of victory.
“We have submitted the results from the 98 wards, with the videos. I’m not worried. I’m not thinking about working against the party, and I wouldn’t do that because of the interest of the people that make up the party, the masses,” he added.
Speaking on the internal politics of the APC in Delta State, the senator alleged that long-standing party members had been sidelined following the defection of former PDP members into the ruling party.
“The President knows what’s happening in Delta. He knows that the legacy APC members have been shoved aside by the new PDP guys that came into the party. He knows that they control the party. He knows that there are fundamental problems in Delta,” Nwoko said.
He also claimed that previous assurances by former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun on restructuring the party leadership in the state were never implemented.
“We were assured that there would be some power-sharing formula. We were even told, for example, that the state EXCO would be dissolved and that there would be nominations to enable the old APC to get a foothold into the government. But that was never done,” he alleged.
Insisting that he would not concede defeat, Nwoko maintained that while he did not expect to win every ward, he was confident he secured the majority votes in the senatorial primary.
“No, I would not concede. Because I was there. If you have the evidence — I have the video. We won the primary. I couldn’t have won his ward. That would be foolhardy of me to think I would win his ward. But the majority? Of course, yes,” he said.
The post APC Senatorial Primary: I’ll go to court, but believe Tinubu will intervene — Nwoko appeared first on Vanguard News.
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Chille Igbawua, a member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, electoral panel and adviser to ADC National Chairman, David Mark, has told aggrieved aspirants, including former minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-deen to approach the party’s presidential primary appeal panel.
He reminded the aggrieved politicians that there are internal mechanisms put in place for grievance resolution instead of publicly rejecting the outcome of the primaries.
In an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, he said, “Anybody who is aggrieved by the primary process should go to the appeal and state their reasons. Saying you don’t agree with the process is jumping the gun.”
Amaechi had rejected the results of the presidential primaries, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.
The former Rivers State governor alleged that about 80 percent of party members across the country were prevented from voting during the exercise.
Also, Hayatu-Deen had announced that he would not attend the party’s presidential election results announcement, citing concerns over alleged widespread irregularities in the exercise.
He said, “The various electoral panels had appeal panels, which are on ground. So, the first appeal would come from screening. If you felt you were screened out unfairly, you will go to an appeal panel, and they will look at your case, and if you were right, you’ll be cleared.
“These are the internal mechanisms that are put in place for grievance resolution. Now, these same panels are on ground for the primaries proper. Anybody who is aggrieved by the primary process, you go to the appeal, state your reasons.
“So, I think it will be jumping the gun to say you do not agree, and then, well, maybe I expect that they will still go to the appeal panel.
“If you think things were not done correctly before the process started, it is known that these are human processes and something is bound to go wrong, and that is why the appeal panels were put in place, and it’s available for everybody.
“We withheld clearance for just two candidates, all of them got cleared by the appeal, and they contested the governorship primaries in their various states.”
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Politics
2027 elections: Detest violence, approach campaigns with godly spirit – Kefas tells politicians
Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has urged residents of the state to contribute their quota towards the development and progress of Taraba.
The governor made the call on Tuesday in a goodwill message to the Muslim Ummah ahead of this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The message was conveyed through his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communications, Emmanuel Bello.
Kefas appealed to the people to uphold unity and avoid actions capable of creating division along religious lines.
“Let us therefore contribute in any little way we can towards building a Taraba of our choice,” the governor stated.
He noted that Taraba remains the collective heritage of all residents, stressing the need for citizens to work together to promote unity, security, peace, and development across the state.
According to the governor, the Sallah celebration comes at a time when many families are facing economic difficulties and have limited opportunities to spend quality time together. He described the festival as an opportunity for families, friends, and communities to reunite and share love.
Kefas also urged Muslim faithful to continue promoting values that foster peaceful coexistence and national unity.
The governor further cautioned politicians and supporters against violence as political activities intensify ahead of the campaign season.
“Let me also use this opportunity to remind us that this is a campaign year and we must approach partisan politics with a godly spirit, detest violence, and have an open mind and campaign on topical issues rather than slandering others,” he said.
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