President Buhari's full text of his broadcast this morning ahead of tomorrow's Presidential Election

Dear Nigerians,

Finally, we have reached the eve of the rescheduled first round of this year’s general elections.

2. Tomorrow, the polls open. Tomorrow, we affirm that Nigeria stands as a democracy and that no worldly hand can deter us from this wise and fitting path we have chosen for ourselves.

3. While democracy is the most beneficial way to select a nation’s leaders, it is far from the easiest thing to achieve and maintain.

4. It requires a combination of patience, tolerance, compassion, diligence, wisdom and hope. These traits exist in us the Nigerian people. Because of who we are, democracy has the chance to flourish in this land.

5. Thus, I commend all of you for your patience and peaceful conduct so far during this electoral season and especially during this intervening week following the postponement of the February 16 elections.

6. Many were worried and thought the worst might happen. You proved them wrong by showing that you are a great people with an abiding love for peace, democracy and the unity of our country.

7. According to the daily INEC public briefings given this week, the Electoral Commission says it is ready and fully prepared to conduct the election in a free, fair and transparent manner.

8. I believe INEC realises the profound and weighty duty that rests upon it.

9. We must cast aside doubt and have faith that INEC will rise to the occasion. We must believe and encourage INEC to fulfill and honour this responsibility it owes to our country.

10. As your President, I hereby ask all Nigerians with voting cards to participate in defining the future of our nation by exercising your democratic rights tomorrow. I urge you to go out and vote.

11.   I say this because elections are the cornerstone of representative governance. And voting constitutes the highest and best expression of the sovereign will of the people to choose the government that best represents them.

12.   It is only upon the freely expressed will of the people that government truly dedicated to the welfare, rights and interests of the people can be founded.

13.   Do not allow anyone to discourage you from the exercise of your rights as citizens and voters tomorrow.

14.   To vote means that you believe in Nigeria and the excellent things the future holds for this nation and its people.

15.   No matter our political leanings, we all believe in Nigeria, in the noble principles for which it stands and in the values we strive for our beloved nation to uphold. 

16.   All who are able, must vote so that we may better perfect this democracy and continue to build the greater nation we seek.

17.   Do not be afraid of rumours of violence and unrest. Our security agencies have worked diligently to ensure that adequate security measures are in place.

18.   You will be able to vote in an atmosphere of openness and peace, devoid of fear from threat or intimidation.

19.   International and domestic monitors and observers are assured of their safety and freedom of movement needed to perform their important functions.

20.   As we thank domestic monitors and observers for their contributions to our democracy, we also thank the international groups for the friendship and concern they have demonstrated to our nation.

21.   We appreciate their efforts in encouraging us to further entrench and strengthen our democracy.

22.   Tomorrow is an encounter with history in which you, the people, shall affirm your collective belief in our national greatness and in our future.

23.   I ask that you embrace and hold on to the importance of the moment soon to be upon us. 

24.  Honour your civic duty as voters by going to the polls tomorrow to vote for the government of your choice, for the government that will lead Nigeria toward its finest destiny.

25.   As citizens there is no greater duty than this and no greater honour. Tomorrow, I know you will once again make Nigeria proud of its people.

May God bless our democracy and forever bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 





2019 Elections: All Nigerian Airports Operated 24 Hours On February 15 To Distribute Sensitive Materials- NAMA

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Sunday said that it will ensure  24-hour operation at all Nigerian airports during the rescheduled February 23 election to facilitate the transportation of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) materials nationwide.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of NAMA, Khalid Emele, disclosed this in a statement he signed and made available to journalists in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had announced the rescheduling of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections from February 16 to February 23 due to logistics reasons.

Mr Emele said the provision of the 24-hour navigation services was based on the directive from the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

He added that there was no disruption in the provision of air traffic services during  February 16 operations.

According to him, this was in keeping with the agency’s mandate of providing uninterrupted safe, effective, efficient, and economic air navigation services in the country.

“NAMA wishes to reassure all airspace users and the general public that the Nigerian airspace shall remain open for all airspace users before, during and after the rescheduled general elections.

“The agency has put in place appropriate contingency measures to ensure safe flight operations within the period, as well as possible extension of operational hours of any domestic airport where the need arises,’’ he said.

He advised airline operators, the travelling public and other service providers who were dependent on the agency’s services to carry on with their businesses as usual. (NAN)

POLLSTERS, RESEARCH GROUPS TIP BUHARI TO WIN SATURDAY'S ELECTION

With less than a week to go before the Nigerian presidential election, pollsters and other election research groups are coming up with predictions on the outcome of the presidential election. One of the most reputable international pollsters, Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk firm, predicts a Muhammadu Buhari victory. It says that the president has a 60 per cent chance of being re-elected. 

There are other predictions by other election pollsters that are also predicting a Buhari victory. While these predictions are not pure science, public opinion polling is an accurate social science with strict rules about sample size, random selection of participants and margins of error. It employs mathematical methods and computer analysis to collect responses from the best representative sample of the electorate. And random responses are adjusted and sifted to identify subtle trends in voter opinion that can help predict the eventual winner on the election. 

Another recent poll by the highly regarded political pollsters, Lucid Pulses, corroborated earlier predictions of the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. One thousand Nigerians across the country were randomly surveyed and analyzed for the February 23 presidential election. The survey shows the President winning a solid majority of 64 per cent of the votes, mostly from the North-West, North-East and South-West geo-political zones. On the other hand, 36 per cent of the respondents, mostly from the South-South, South-East and North-Central geo-political zones, said they would vote for the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. The margin of error is -2 to +2.

Although there are about 70 political parties contesting in the upcoming Nigerian presidential election, the election is essentially a two-horse race between the presidential candidates of the two major political parties: President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The two candidates are from northern Nigeria and of Fulani stock. Both are septuagenarians that have, for long, been active participants in Nigerian politics, making it possible for Nigerians to have clearly defined opinions of them.

It is understandable that Buhari will win the election. It was his image of an incorruptible, principled, and no-nonsense leader that gave him victory over the then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. Buhari’s strong will and incorruptibility represented refreshing contrasts to Jonathan’s spineless and sleazy presidency, which accentuated the moral and ethical regression of the Nigerian society.

Impressively, Buhari’s integrity has survived his four-year presidency: Nigerians believe that he remains incorruptibly upright. The President’s electoral promises centred on three areas, anti-corruption, security and the economy. Even his detractors admit that he has made significant strides in these three areas.

On the other hand, Nigerians consider Atiku corrupt, unprincipled and opportunistic. In his earlier eight years as the Nigerian Vice President, he cut the image of a grasping and irredeemably corrupt public official. It was an image that was further reinforced by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s denunciation of him as incorrigibly greedy and financially dishonest, and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigations that linked his business dealings with William Jefferson, a former US congressman, later prosecuted and jailed for felonies involving bribery in Nigeria.

Secondly, Atiku broke the Nigerian record in political prostitution. He must have changed political parties more than any other Nigerian politician ever. His repeated hopping from one political party to another portrayed him to the Nigerian electorate as an unprincipled politician, just driven by avarice and opportunism.

President Buhari’s indisputable integrity is an invaluable asset in the upcoming election. And Atiku’s acclaimed corruption avarice are a burden on his campaign because Nigerians are not convinced by his attempt to recast himself as a reformer that will, if elected, reform the system, institute respect for the rule of law, revamp the economy and fight corruption.

President Buhari’s core electoral support base is mostly in the North-West, North-East and South-West. It is important to note that these are the three most populous zones in the country.

Although Atiku is from the North, he is neither very popular in the North-East nor the North-West. His strength is in his strong political network across the country. Though a Fulani Muslim, he has friends and business and family connections across the three main parts of the country.

His first wife, Titi, is Yoruba, Jennifer is Igbo and Fatima is Fulani. The Atiku campaign has its strong support in the South-East, South-South and the Christian Middle Belt. He is projected to win outrightly in the South-East and South-South geo-political zones and, marginally, in the North-Central geo-political zone. These are the least-populated parts of the country.

With his expected victory in the three most populous geo-political zones in the country as against Atiku’s projected victory in the less-populated geo-political zones, the re-election of President Buhari is almost for certain.

sources: Agencies report

CPC TO ENFORCE COMPETITION & CONSUMER PROTECTION RIGHTS ACT

Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Director-General Mr. Babatunde Irukera has vowed to enforce the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement, he disclosed that President Buhari had assented to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill, which makes it the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2019.

He said: “By this, Nigeria has promulgated, perhaps, the most prolific legislation for promoting consumer confidence, choice and fair pricing.

“By the same token, the law deepens the framework for encouraging and supporting small and medium scale businesses by ensuring a playing field that eliminates entry barriers and operational obstacles which prevent sustainability and profitability.

“By this law, the Federal Government has cemented the most needed efficient and transparent framework for meaningful and credible disposition of public enterprises, expanding economic growth and assuring shared prosperity.

“As a leading market in Africa, a vibrant competition framework is a key tool in reducing poverty, increasing value for money and ensuring consumer satisfaction.

“This demonstration of fidelity to consumers and citizens while continuing to promote Nigeria as a leading destination for investment is an outstanding achievement, and a historic milestone in the development of Nigeria and prioritisation of her people both from consumer protection and economic competitiveness standpoints.

“We, at the CPC, will engage every tool and provision in this new law, and any other enactment for the protection of consumers to ensure fair treatment and respect for Nigerian consumers,” Irukera  said.

 

2019 Elections: Aero, Arik Slash Air Fares To Encourage Voters

Nigerian carriers, Aero Contractors and Arik Air, have introduced promo fares to help Nigerians who wish to travel to go and vote during the 2019 General Elections.

The airlines made the announcement in separate statements issued by their spokespersons on Monday in Lagos.

Nigerians are set to go to the polls on Feb. 23 to elect their President and National Assembly members after the election was rescheduled.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has also fixed March 9 for gubernatorial and state assembly polls.

Spokesperson for Aero Contractors, Mr Chika Ubendu, said the airline embarked on the promo as its own contribution to support Nigeria conduct successful elections and also to encourage the citizens to travel to where they can cast their votes.

According to him, Aero has decided to cut its fares by about 50 per cent to support Nigerians to travel without spending so much.

He said that this was an incentive to the citizens to carry out their civic responsibility during the elections.

Ubendu said effective Feb. 18, Aero would begin sale of tickets from N16,000 for travels between Feb. 21 and Feb. 25 on all her routes to encourage Nigerians to travel to their various destinations in order to cast their votes.

Similarly, Arik Air’s spokesperson, Mr Adebanji Ola , said the N16, 000 Fly to Vote promotion was to encourage Nigerians to travel to their respective wards to cast their votes during the elections.

“The N16, 000 promotional fare is the one-way ticket cost to any domestic destination on Arik Air’s network and customers must present a valid Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) at the point of purchase and at check in to be eligible to fly.

“The Fly to Vote promotion is available for sale from Feb. 18 till March 11 for travel between Feb. 21 and Feb. 26 as well as March 7 till March 12.

“We have put this promotional fare in place to ameliorate the effect of the postponement on the traveling public and encourage voter participation,” he added.

BREAKING: INEC okays resumption of campaigns

The Independent National Electoral Commission has okayed the resumption of political campaign activities ahead of Saturday’s rescheduled elections.

This was revealed in a statement on the Commission’s verified Twitter handle, and signed by Festus Okoye, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.

Part of the statement issued by the Commission, read, “After consultations with political parties, the Commission has approved that campaigns by parties and candidates can resume forthwith to end by midnight of Thursday, 21st February, 2019.”

INEC had postponed the presidential and National Assembly elections earlier scheduled for February 16 to February 23 over logistics challenges.

The governorship and state assembly elections have also been shifted from March 2 to March 9.

2019: INEC unveils special app to address electoral malpractice

......Beware of social media results, INEC warns

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kebbi state, has urged politicians to be wary of social media posts after voting prior to the official declaration of result by the commission.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Alhaji Ahmad Mahmud, gave the advice during an interactive session with stakeholders in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.

“Fake news is now a trend and can mar our efforts to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

“We urge you to be wary of social media posted results before official declaration.

“Only INEC Returning Officers at wards, local governments and state levels have the statutory authority and power to declare the results,” he said.

He said that 1,938,171 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were received from INEC headquarters out of which 1,860,239 were distributed, leaving 77,932 PVCs unclaimed.

“We have all the sensitive materials at CBN custody, so we have no fear for the materials now.

“I collected the remaining sensitive materials that we had been awaiting for and by Wed, Feb. 20, we are going to start distributing them to remote areas and by Friday 22.

“We hope to finish the distribution in all the 21 local government areas of the state.”

According to him, the state has 225 wards, 1,345 voting points and 2,398 polling units in the 21 local government areas.

“We still maintain our arrangement as we had earlier told before the postponement that, we are going to use 520 vehicles in the transportation of ad hoc staff and election materials.

“This is part of our arrangement with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Federal Road Service Corps (FRSC) as well as security agencies on transportation.”

He assured that INEC was determined to ensure free, transparent and fair elections but urged the people to continue to pray for successful conduct of the exercise.

The REC said that special arrangements had also been made to take care of physically challenged persons to enable them exercise their franchise without hitches.

The stakeholders at the interactive session were security agencies, representatives of political parties, traditional and religious leaders as well as various NGOs and CSOs.

Polls shift: APDA backs INEC for credible election

The Kano state chapter of the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance ( APDA ), on Monday, threw its weight behind the postponement of the 2019 general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it will enable the Commission to conduct a more credible, free and fair elections that will be acceptable to Nigerians.

The party also called on Kano residence to support the aspiration of its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Abacha and all its candidate in the state and National Assembly.

Speaking to Reporters at the party’s Kano headquarters, the state chairman, Alhaji Bashir Hamza Bataiya, said that, “the shifting of the election will enable INEC cover some lapses and challenges so as to conduct a more credible election.

“You can recall that barely a week to the elections, hoodlums in some states vandalized INEC facilities, burning down its offices and other infrastructure. It would have been so tedious and difficult for INEC to conduct elections in such situation.

“APDA as a party has watched with concern, reactions from individuals, stakeholders and even political parties and civil society organizations as regards to the postponement.

“As a responsible political party, we urge our teeming supporters, and indeed, Nigerians to bear with the electoral body, and troop out en-mass to perform their civic responsibility come February 23 and March 9, 2019.”

Bataiya who said the position of the party was endorsed by its gubernatorial, Alhaji Muhammad Abacha, also hailed President Muhamnadu Buhari’s administration for its giant strides in the area of economy, security, power generation, agriculture and the fight against corruption.

The, party, however, appealed to security to be up and doing in their responsibilities during the elections, while wishing Nigerians, “a historic, hitch-free, fair, credible and violence free-election.”

source: Nation

BUHARI BLOWS HOT: Any Politician or thugs involve in ballot box(es) snatching will be dealt with

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that any politician that decides to sponsor political thugs to cause trouble or to snatch ballot boxes in the rescheduled elections will be doing so at great risk.

The President read the riot act at the All Progressives Congress (APC) emergency National Caucus meeting on Monday in Abuja at the party’s national secretariat.

He stressed that security operatives had been ordered to deal with any such persons ruthlessly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC caucus meeting was called by the party’s national leadership to discuss matters arising from the postponement of the earlier scheduled Feb.16, Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The APC caucus is a statutory organ of the party, and it is chaired by President Buhari.

Its members include the Vice President and all the party’s former and serving governors and members of its National Working Committee (NWC), among others.

“Anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or be a thug, will be dealt with ruthlessly,” President Buhari said.

NAN reports that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had early on Saturday postponed by one week the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for the day.

By the postponement, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will now come up on Feb. 23, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will come up on March 9.

Yakubu said the decision to postpone the elections was taken after a meeting with INEC Commissioners, citing “logistics’’ problems as issues that prompted the postponement.

He said the decision was further necessitated after reviewing the level of the commission’s preparedness for the exercise.

He stressed that postponing the elections was a difficult decision, but was necessary for successful delivery of the elections and to consolidate on Nigeria’s democracy.

President Buhari said he got the news of the postponement of the election at 4.30 a.m on the election day. He described the action as most unfortunate as the INEC had all the time and resources required to conduct the election.

“After the elections, we have to know exactly what happened, we cannot accept incompetence.

“The Constitution and the laws protect INEC, but they cannot take us for granted. We have to go into details after the elections to find out what happened ” he said.

He advised the party’s members not to be deterred by the postponement, but to remain resolute.

He charged them to go back to their constituencies and talk to the party’s supporters to come out en masse on Saturday to vote for APC candidates at all levels.

The President maintained that the APC remains committed to ensuring a free, fair and credible elections.