The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, has dismissed suggestions that Peter Obi’s defection from the Labour Party (LP) could weaken the support base of the party’s presidential candidate.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Doherty argued that Obi’s supporters are drawn to his principles, beliefs and political philosophy rather than the party under which he seeks election.

News reports that Doherty made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, following an attack on the NDC’s town hall meeting in Lagos.

He maintained that Obi still enjoys significant public support and has the backing needed to replicate his 2023 electoral performance in Lagos State.

“The idea of a new party is not something that we should hang our hat on anymore in our clime. Parties may be new, but the individuals involved are not new.

“But the reception of Peter Obi today, that is how it is everywhere he goes. This is a man who is loved by the people. They view him as a different kind of politician, for good reason, and those of us who align with that philosophy and thinking,” he said.

Doherty cautioned those seeking to downplay Obi’s political influence, insisting that doing so could be a serious miscalculation.

“Anybody who is making a contrary case, time will tell. But I would advise them that if they are saying that just to downplay his significance, I think it will be a grave mistake on their part because his support base is still strong. I have seen it, not just today, we have seen it multiple times,” he added.

He also described the response of NDC supporters to the disruption of the party’s town hall meeting as evidence that the enthusiasm which defined Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign remains intact.

According to him, the supporters refused to be intimidated by those who allegedly stormed the venue to disrupt the gathering.

“Those guys came in today probably thinking they would have an easy ride of it. They would come in and do what they might normally do, scatter things and people would run away. But people were not in that frame of mind.

“We have laboured for this, and you cannot deprive us of it. And I think that spirit is alive and strong. To those who might think that, following 2023, people have lost some of that energy, I think, if anything, today should let us know that it is game on,” he said.

Doherty further condemned the attack on the NDC town hall meeting held at Classic Event Place in Oregun, Ikeja, describing the incident as “unprovoked” and “unnecessary.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28 to test its upgraded election technology ahead of the 2027 general elections.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The exercise is expected to assess the performance of the commission’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic results transmission process before the presidential election.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday during a dialogue at Chatham House in London, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative, Naija News reports.

The discussion was held under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by his Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, Amupitan said the mock exercise would be conducted across all states of the federation.

He explained that the exercise would enable the commission to assess its accreditation and electronic results transmission systems and ensure they function properly before the 2027 elections.

He said, “On the 28th of this month, we will conduct a mock accreditation and voting exercise across all states of the Federation to simulate the presidential election and verify that we have gotten both accreditation and electronic result transmission right.”

The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had introduced additional technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling unit results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

According to him, an assessment conducted after the 2023 general elections revealed that most challenges associated with election result management occurred at collation centres rather than polling units.

He said, “We found that the core problem of election result management and declaration in Nigeria is not even at the polling unit, it is at the collation centres.

“We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all.”

Amupitan added that INEC had decided to upgrade its existing election technology rather than introduce an entirely new system, citing the limited time remaining before the 2027 elections.

Addressing concerns over BVAS failures during the 2023 polls, he said the commission was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states to protect the devices from extreme temperatures.

He further revealed that INEC had procured additional BVAS machines and reduced the number of registered voters assigned to each device from 1,250 to 850.

Under the revised arrangement, polling units with more than 850 registered voters would be provided with additional machines to ease the accreditation process.

On the issue of funding, Amupitan said the commission had received a significant portion of its budget for the 2027 elections but was still awaiting the release of the outstanding funds.

He expressed optimism that the remaining amount would be made available before the end of November.

The INEC chairman explained that part of the funds would be used to recruit ad hoc personnel and provide for their welfare during the elections.

Amupitan also appealed to Nigerians to have confidence in his leadership, acknowledging that controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election had significantly damaged public trust in the commission.

He said, “First and foremost, let me speak about what happened in 2023, which resulted in a significant trust deficit for INEC, damage so large that the Commission has not yet fully recovered from it.”

However, he maintained that the commission had learnt important lessons from subsequent electoral exercises, including the governorship elections in Anambra and Osun, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, the Ekiti governorship poll and 16 legislative by-elections.

According to him, the elections provided INEC with opportunities to identify and address some of its operational shortcomings.

He noted that the results of the Anambra and Osun governorship elections were announced the day after voting, unlike the delays recorded during previous elections in the two states.

“Every election is a lesson. The 2023 general election was a major lesson for Nigeria, and the Anambra election was another,” he said.

Amupitan also addressed allegations surrounding his political neutrality, denying that he operated an account on X, formerly Twitter, linked to a controversial political post.

He disclosed that INEC had obtained an independent forensic assessment of the matter and forwarded it to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.

The chairman further maintained that his allegiance was to the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

He explained that his previous involvement in legal cases relating to political disputes occurred in his professional capacity as a lawyer before his appointment as INEC chairman.

He said, “My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.”

Amupitan also encouraged young Nigerians to participate actively in the electoral process and avoid spreading misinformation as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.

The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the growing incidents of political violence across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The council specifically denounced the disruption of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) town hall meeting in Lagos on Thursday, describing the incident as unacceptable.

In a statement issued by the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, the party called on security agencies to strengthen their efforts to prevent political violence and respond promptly to threats against political gatherings.

News reports that Alake also urged security operatives to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible for such attacks in accordance with the law.

The APC campaign council further appealed to politicians and their supporters to exercise restraint and avoid actions capable of triggering unnecessary crises and public disorder.

The statement read: “We have observed the recent spate of violent attacks at political gatherings in parts of the country. The reported attacks in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe, and other violence targeted at party supporters and political leaders across party lines are condemnable.

“Our campaign strongly condemns the disruption of today’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos.

“As we proceed with the electioneering campaign, political parties, politicians, and supporters must restrain themselves and avoid acts that could create needless crisis and public disorder.

“We call on the security agencies to be more responsive and alert in preventing political violence of any type and ensure instigators and perpetrators are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law.

“Political parties and candidates are enjoined to campaign on issues that uplift the lives of Nigerians and not to instigate violence at political events.”