PDP caution INEC against manipulating APC pramaries

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against manipulating the processes relating to conduct of primaries of political parties ahead of the 2019 elections, in order to accommodate the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said that the Zamfara State chapter of the APC had not conducted any congress, and by the provision of the law, it had no candidates in all the elections, since the window for the conduct of all congresses and related processes for the election of candidates for various offices for the 2019 general elections ended on Sunday.

“The PDP is aware of a clandestine meeting today between topmost officials of INEC and Zamfara State government, where INEC was instructed to manipulate the system and bend the rules to accommodate the APC. We insist that the laws guiding our elections must be upheld, as the PDP will never accept anything short of that,” he said.


A former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba and sets of protesters from different states of the federation were at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, to protest alleged imposition of candidates by the party during its just concluded National Assembly primaries.

Many of the protesters from Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Jigawa and Enugu states said they were at the party secretariat to register their displeasure over what some of them described as injustice bearing several placards with inscription such as: No To Oshiomhole’s Dictatorial Rule; On Justice We Stand; We Want Senator Musa; and No To Imposition Of Candidates.

The former IGP who bought the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms for N7 million to vie for the Jigawa South senatorial district ticket, rained curses on the party leadership and berated the Oshiomhole-led NWC who initially cleared him but later disqualified from participating in the primaries without stating any reason to have done so.

The Plateau Government has declared Wednesday, October 10, 2018, a work-free day to enable residents to vote in the state’s local council elections.

According to a statement by the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Richard Tokma, who advised voters, to exercise their franchise and do so peacefully, to avoid disruption of peace in the state, the elections would hold in 13 of the state’s 17 local government areas.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, has warned lawyers to desist from actions that hinders the speedy resolution of cases at the Supreme Court, directing that lawyers and others involved in the resolution of pending cases must ensure that hearing dates are strictly adhered to and unnecessary adjournments avoided.

Justice Onnoghen who issued the directive through a statement signed by his special assistant on media, Awassam Bassey, on Monday, stated that “the Supreme Court diary is full with appeals set down for hearing up to the year 2021.”

“The situation therefore leaves no room for unnecessary adjournments arising from lack of diligent prosecution, poor preparations or non-appearance by Counsel. Accordingly, the Hon. CJN says this means that any matter that is assigned a date must be heard and determined one way or the other on that date,” the statement read.