INEC wants IGP to prosecute Adamawa REC - ITREALMS

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately investigate and possible prosecute its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, reports ITREALMS.

Ari, ITREALMS recalled had on Sunday, April 16, 2023, purportedly declared the result for the Adamawa State Governorship election in favour of the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aisha Binani, who has since gone to court to halt further election result.

APC alleges bribing of Rivers REC by PDP

PR@ITRealms:

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged the bribery of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) by Niger Delta Development Coommission (NDDC) to rig the forthcoming general elections in favour of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reports ITRealms.

 

APC in a statement made available to ITRealms issued Wednesday in Port Harcourt alleged that NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Dr. Henry Ogiri, has been directed by President Jonathan to work closely with Rivers REC, Mrs. Gesila Khan, to ensure that Jonathan wins on March 28 while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Chief Nyesome Wike, wins on April 11.   

 

“Acting according to the script, Dr Ogiri has purchased a brand new Prado Jeep for Mrs. Gesila Khan and the Jeep is currently parked at the village of Mrs. Khan in Ogbia, Bayelsa State. In addition, Dr Ogiri has set aside a whopping sum of $100 million to be deposited into the account of Mrs. Khan before the week runs off,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya said.

 

According to Ikanya in the statement, “To perfect the plans of winning Rivers State at all costs, Mrs. Khan, who is from President Jonathan’s village and his very close relation, was deliberately posted to Rivers recently to ensure that PDP wins the State despite having been overwhelmingly rejected by our people. For INEC to post President Jonathan’s kinswoman to supervise the elections in Rivers State, which he has personally confessed neglecting deliberately in his six years in office, simply betrays the Presidency’s desperation to rig the elections as PDP can never win any free and fair polls in Rivers State.”

 

Ikanya said that the strategy of compromising INEC to pave the way for the use of the allegedly missing 14,000 PVCs and PDP’s cloned cards was coming after PDP failed to wear down Rivers APC through the killing and detaining of several of its members.

 

“We will like the security organs to investigate this woman and retrieve this car and expose Dr Ogiri for what he is. This is a man who has failed to pay NDDC staff for months and has also failed to pay contractors for services rendered to the commission, while funds are reserved for use in rigging the 2015 elections for PDP,” Ikanya said.

 

He also appealed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, “who means well for this country with all his innovative ideas designed to stop rigging in our electoral system, to closely monitor the activities of the Rivers REC before she rubbishes all that the electoral umpire has perfected to conduct a free and fair election in the country.”

 

Rivers APC urged President Jonathan and Chief Wike to play the game according to the rules and stop overheating the polity by adopting untoward ploys through their desperation to “capture” Rivers at all cost. “PDP has pocketed the Police in the State who are ready to do her bidding by arresting the APC leaders indiscriminately. To attempt to buy over the INEC simply demonstrates that Rivers State will be in total mess if Chief Wike succeeds in his bid to capture Rivers instead of allowing the people of Rivers State to elect their Governor and leaders in the March 28^th and April 11 gubernatorial election,” APC said.

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PACCI’13 to link up regional economies

ITRealms:

Taking front row at this year’s Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI’13) is the goal to link up the Regional Economic Communities (REC) across the continent of Africa, who are already actively engaged in the process of supporting investments at sub-regional levels.

ITRealms gathered that though the private sector supports the Continental Free Trade Area (C-FTA) initiative, PACCI lamented that the RECs are yet to take ‘ownership’ and ‘invest’ into the process as part of its own regional and continental agenda.

PACCI opined that until the aforementioned happen, the prospects for complete public-private sector participation in these continental liberalisation processes will be limited.

Also, PACCI plans to serve as a forum in which private sector positions are developed and presented to the various working groups, international conferences, and ministerial and heads of State sessions of the Africa Union (AU).

Meanwhile, ITRealms recalls that at the forthcoming 2013 Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) conference top on its agenda is the implementing efficient trade policies.

Further investigations by ITRealms showed that PACCI’13 conference being organized by African Chambers of Commerce and Industry on November 28^th and 29^th 2013, and is also expected to advance the Continental Free Trade Area (C-FTA).

This, PACCI affirmed in a press statement made available to ITRealms that despite the unease with free trade in many corners of the world, just as PACCI considers free trade to be good for development.

“Free trade can increase income levels, jobs, and bring in growth and prosperity. In all likelihood, PACCI believes that the discomfort with free trade lies not in the notion of free trade itself but how trade liberalization is pursued worldwide, too often linked with hypocrisy, guilt by association, democratic deficit and disregard for inequality,” official told ITRealms.

In addition, the conference is expected to address relevant issues to a modern trade and investment environment, from ambitious new market access opportunities to clear rules for African businesses and investors.

These include mainstreaming and implementing coherent and efficient trade policies; reducing costs and time for moving goods to destinations; creating regional and continental value chains, increasing local production and trade in goods produced in Africa; developing innovative mechanisms for multi-country infrastructure projects, such as energy, transport, telecom etc; developing African Financial institutions/mechanisms to support intra-African trade and investment; and promoting intraregional harmonisation of regulations and factor mobility. 

Remmy Nweke

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