2019 Elections

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Kogi and Bayelsa States 2019 Governorship – INEC offers its support.

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As countdown for the the Kogi and Bayelsa States 2019 Governorship Elections are just a few days away, scheduled for Saturday, 16 November, 20019. The INEC has assured the public that the INEC Citizens Contact Centre (ICCC) is available to the public for responses to enquiries, incident-reports, complaints about the electoral process. The Independent National Electoral Commission Citizens Contact Centre (ICCC) is a facility allowing the general public constant access to the Commission with enquiries and exchange of information. The INEC Citizens Contact Centre (ICCC) is a Situation Room that operates daily. For now, it will open between 9am and 5pm. Later on, the Centre will scale up to round-the-clock (i.e. 24-hour) service. As a daily Situation Room, the Centre offers the public opportunity for getting real time responses to enquiries, incident-reports, complaints and queries about any aspect of the electoral process. The Centre can be accessed through telephone lines, INEC’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Emails and myINEC Mobile App. 1. HOTLINES: 0700-CALL-INEC (0700-2255-4632) 2. Website address: www.inecnigeria.org 3. Facebook: www.facebook.com/inecnigeria (INEC Nigeria) 4. Twitter handle: @inecnigeria 5. Instagram: @inecnigeria 6. E-mail: iccc@inec.gov.ng 7. You can also download the official myINEC App on Google Play Store via this link  >>> Download here …..Call in, someone will be waiting to respond….. INEC: Making your votes count… Consolidating our democracy

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Campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari.

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Press statement Lagos. For immediate release, June 20, 2019. IPC releases documented campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari, as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 General Elections. The International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos-Nigeria, has released (see the attached) a compilation of the campaign promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari in the course of electioneering activities for the 2019 general elections. Thirty (30) of such promises covering pledges on specific and general issues of Road/Rail infrastructure, Education, Agriculture, Poverty Eradication and Inclusion of Youths/Women in government as well as the fight against Corruption and Insecurity were documented. The documentation was done by IPC’s Media Monitoring Team, while the promises were derived from quoted statements of the President in The Nation, The Punch, Daily Sun, Daily Trust, Vanguard, This Day, Leadership and Nigerian Tribunenewspapers over a four-month period from November 2018 to February 2019. The specific sources were page 6, The Nation newspaper of Monday November 19, 2018; page 2,  The Punch Newspaper of Monday November 19, 2018; page 6, Daily Sun newspaper of Monday, November 19, 2018; front page, Daily Trust newspaper of Monday, November 19,2018; page 5 and 41, Vanguard newspaper of November 19, 2018; page 1 and 10,  This Day of November 19, 2018; page 2, Nigerian Tribune of November 19, 2018; page 25, Leadership newspaper of December 5, 2018; front page, Thisday, January 17, 2019; page 12, Daily Sun Newspaper, Thursday, January 31, 2019; page 9, Nigerian Tribune of January 17, 2019; and front page, Vanguard Newspaper, February 09, 2019. The promises are: 1.      To engage one million N-power graduates and skill up 10 million Nigerians in partnership with the private sector. 2.      To expand the school feeding programme from 9.3m to 15 million children, creating 300,000 extra jobs for food vendors and farmers. 3.      To complete the Ibadan/Kano phase of the Lagos/Kano rail link. 4.      To complete the Port Harcourt/Maiduguri line. 5.      To complete the Itakpa/Warri link to Abuja, through Lokoja. 6.      To complete the Second Niger Bridge and the East West Road connecting Warri, Delta State, to Oron, Akwa Ibom State, through Kaiama and Port Harcourt in Bayelsa and Rivers State. 7.      To establish a peoples Moni bank. 8.      To institutionalize the giving of soft loans of up to 1million naira to small traders, artisans and commercial drivers. 9.      To increase the beneficiaries of trader Moni, market Moni and farmer Moni from 2.3 million to 10million. 10.  To create more room for inclusion in government by achieving 35% in female appointments. 11.  To give more access to youths as aides of cabinet members and through opportunities for appointments in board and agencies. 12.  To introduce special mentoring programme in governance with young graduates working with ministers and other appointees. 13.  To reinterpret the education curriculum through coding, robotics, animations and design thinking. 14.  Retraining of all teachers in public primary and secondary schools to deliver digital literacy. 15.  Remodeling and equipping of 10,000 schools per year. 16.  To complete the 365 road projects under construction in all parts of the federation. 17.  Provision of infrastructure and rebuilding the economy. 18.  To sustaining the anti-insurgency war and curb insecurity. 19.  To fight corruption and revamp the economy. 20.  To develop 6 industrial Parks in each of the geopolitical zones. 21.  To establish 109 Special Production and Processing Centres (SPPCs) across each senatorial district of Nigeria. 22.  To develop the Special Economic zone to quickly concretize our made in Nigeria for export (MINE) plan. 23.  To expand the social investment program so as to eradicate poverty. 24.   To ensure completion of Manbilla Dam and Bridge. 25.  To ensure the construction of the Makurdi Taraba Borno rail project. 26.  To complete the bridges across the stretch of River Benue in Ibi local government area. 27.   To continue to pursue agricultural policy by ensuring that fertilisers are made available at all the local government areas across the country, for easy access by farmers. 28.  To resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel Company. 29.  To ensure the completion of the on-going Zungeru Hydro Power project. 30.   To include persons of integrity in the cabinet. Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the exercise was in line with the tradition of IPC, which in 2011 documented 91 campaign promises of President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to him, it was also embarked upon pursuant to the implementation of Component 4b: Support to Media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria(EU-SDGN) Project by IPC over a 52-month period. Explaining the methodology further, the IPC Director said the campaign promises of all the presidential candidates that contested the 2019 elections were documented but only that of President Muhammadu Buhari was being released being the declared winner of the elections. He however said both President Buhari’s campaign promises and those of the other candidates would later be uploaded on the IPC websites. Explaining the rationale for the documentation of the campaign promises, Mr.  Arogundade said the activity was in consonance and conformity with IPC’s mandate to advance democratic accountability. “The essence is to ensure that it serves as a tool for journalists to monitor, track and ask questions about the diverse aspects of the implementation including using the Freedom of Information Act to such relevant questions”, Mr. Arogundade stressed. “Having trained journalists across Nigeria on issue-focused reporting of elections, we believe they need information like this to follow-up after the elections”, he added. According to him, the documented campaign promises will also be useful for civil society groups working on development and democratic governance issues as well as various electoral stakeholders.  “The documentation of the president’s electoral promises from the media reports, which is by no means exhaustive, is to serve as a major instrument to proactively engage the Buhari administration on its performance over the next four years and provide bench marks in seeking democratic accountability, service delivery and the fulfilment of key campaign promises made by the president”, he said. Signed: SANMI FALOBI

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IPC condemns attacks on journalists during governorship/state assembly elections

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Press Release MEDIA AND ELECTION SITUATION ROOM REPORT IPC condemns attacks on journalists during governorship/state assembly elections For immediate release, March 11, 2019 The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has once again condemned reported incidents of attacks on journalists and other media professionals during the Governorship and State Assembly elections held on Saturday March 9, 2019. IPC Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said: “It was particularly worrisome that there was an increase in the attacks on journalists during the Governorship and State Assembly elections when compared with the Presidential and Senatorial elections which held two weeks ago. This is despite calls by IPC and other media groups on electoral stakeholders and security agencies to ensure a safe environment for journalists to carry out their responsibilities during the elections.” He said further that, “The rights of journalists to monitor and report election activities as guaranteed by various regulatory frameworks such as the Electoral Act, the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage have not been respected as expected.” The IPC Director therefore called on all concerned security agencies and INEC to carry out immediate investigations with a view to prosecuting or sanctioning the alleged perpetrators of the attacks against the concerned journalists and media professionals. Information gathered by IPC’s media and election situation room revealed that several journalists and media professionals faced one form of harassment or the other including physical assault, abduction, denial of access to cover election proceedings, etc. The details of these incidents include: Delta State Over 250 duly accredited journalists were ordered to be barred by the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC from accessing the premises and covering election events in the commission. Only those whose names were in a different list put together by the commission were given access to cover election events. Edo State Collins Ossai of Channels television was barred by political thugs from covering the elections in Central Primary School, Iruekpe, Esan Central Local Government Area, Edo state.  Lagos State BBC Africa Pidgin Reporter, Ajoke was slapped by a politician, Segun Adewale over her coverage of vote buying at Pleasure bus stop polling booth, near Lagos – Abeokuta expressway. About 15 thugs attacked Benjamin Alade of The Guardian while he took pictures and video of protesting National Youth Corp members, who were owed allowances at a collation centre situated at the Community Primary School in Idimu area of Lagos. Kaduna State Amos Tauna of Daily Post and a group of journalists were physically assaulted close to Zonkwa police station by political thugs in Kaduna state, while covering the irregularities being perpetrated by the politicians and their thugs. Their phones, cameras and other personal belongings were seized and destroyed. Plateau State Kunle Sanni, a Premium Times journalist was abducted by political thugs for taking pictures of alleged underage voters at a polling unit of Governor Simon Lalong in Plateau state. He was later released after he was forced to delete the pictures. Yobe State Soldiers at ORO3, Union bank formation in Damaturu, Yobe state, confiscated journalists’ car and kept them hostage for hours. The journalists are Musa Mingye of Blueprint and Hamisu Kabir Matazu of Daily Trust, who were using their personal vehicles with INEC approved sticker, INEC’s reflective jackets, INEC issued Identification cards and company’s ID cards. The heavily-armed military men threatened to resort to brutality if the journalists insisted on leaving the location to continue their election duty. SGD:                       Melody Akinjiyan Safety Alert Desk Officer, IPC House 11, Dideolu Court, 2nd gate b/stop, Ogba Lagos Tel: +2348132776441

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Governorship/State Assembly Elections: IPC Media Situation Room Alert

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For immediate release: March, 9, 2019 The Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage (revised edition 2018), all confer on journalists the right to freely cover the electoral processes and the elections. Accredited journalists covering today’s (March 9, 2019) governorship and state assembly should therefore report any violation of this right by way of harassment, assault, arrest, detention, etc, to any of the following IPC safety alert officers across the country for documentation and intervention: Sanmi Falobi (Programme Manager, IPC) – 08023626281 Stella Nwofia (Programme Manager, IPC) – 08020359629 Melody Akinjiyan (Safety Alert Officer, IPC) – 08132776441 Nwaebuni Rosemary (South South) – 08035146978 Bello MujtabaRamalan (North West) – 08037004618 Moses Ojo (South West) – 08034399077 AbdulkareemHaruna (North East) – 08057244878 Elizabeth Achuagu (South East) – 08033538251 Naomi Okoh (North Central) – 07031265156 IPC Director, Lanre Arogundade said concerned journalists can also report any threat to the National Secretariat of the NUJ or the NUJ State Chapters. He also said journalists having issues with security personnel should not hesitate to contact the nearest DPO, the State Commissioner of Police or the Force PRO. SGD: Melody Akinjiyan Program Officer/ Safety Alert Officer IPC melodyakinjiyan@ipcng.org www.ipcng.org

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Media and Election Situtation Room Report – IPC Condemns Attacks on Journalists During General Elections

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Press Release For immediate release, February 25, 2019 The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has expressed strong concern over reported incidents of attacks on journalists and other media professionals during the Presidential and Senatorial elections held on Saturday February 23, 2019. Information gathered by IPC’s media and election situation room revealed that not less than five journalists and media professionals faced one form of harassment or the other including arrest, denial of access to collation centres and gunshot injury. The details of these incidents include, the arrest of Nwanosike Onu of The Nation, Geoffrey Anyanwu of Sun, David-Chyddy Eleke of THISDAY, Vincent Ujumadu of Vanguard and Tony Okafor of Punch by a team of fully armed police officers close to the residence of Mr. Peter Obi (Vice Presidential Candidate PDP), Anambra where they had gone to cover him during the voting exercise. Also documented is the shooting of Reginald Dei, a government house photographer at his residence by unidentified armed men who were said to be in military uniform at Oweikorogha, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. It is believed that he is in critical condition. The report also showed that some groups of journalists were barred from monitoring results collation in Ugheli North, Delta State; Amuwo/Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State; Bauchi and Kebbi State. IPC Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said: “The various attacks on journalists during the general elections are condemnable as they also affect the credibility of the electoral process.” He said further that, “the rights of journalists to monitor and report election day activities are constitutionally guaranteed and recognized by various regulatory frameworks such as, the Electoral Act, the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and therefore should be respected.” The IPC Director therefore called on the security agencies and INEC to carry out appropriate investigations with a view to prosecuting or sanctioning the alleged perpetrators of the attacks against the concerned journalists and media professionals. SGD:                       Melody Akinjiyan Safety Alert Desk Officer, IPC House 11, Dideolu Court, 2nd gate b/stop, Ogba Lagos Tel: +2348132776441

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Nigeria Decides: IPC Tasks Journalists, Relevant Stakeholders on Safety Consciousness

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Press Release For immediate release, February 21, 2018 The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos- Nigeria has tasked journalists and other relevant stakeholders on safety consciousness in the performance of key institutional roles as the re-scheduled presidential and national Assembly elections holds on Saturday. IPC Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade sounded this caution in the light of the emerging accusations and counter accusations by political actors and other players in the electoral process.  “It is very important for journalists covering the general elections to be safety conscious in the discharge of their duties, and to avoid situations that will put them in harms way.  Journalists are expected to be non-partisan. Being partisan is not only about being a member of a political party, but also includes the use of expressions and/or impressions with statements,  tags, symbols and colours that portray or identify with a particular political party or personality”, Arogundade said. He also admonished other stakeholders, especially the security agencies to undertake their tasks in a very professional manner. “The security agencies in recent times are the perpetrators of violence against journalists. Recent incidents as witnessed in the Osun re-run elections had shown vagrant abuse and violations of the rights of journalists. The security forces should note that the media is a critical part of the electoral process and so the media should be accorded due rights and privileges to enable them carry out their social obligations as partners in enshrining the credibility of the electoral process. “Other stakeholders, including elections observers should also proactively provide journalists covering the elections with information to ensure that all work together for the credibility of the electoral process”, Arogundade added. As part of initiatives to keep tab on the safety consciousness of journalists, IPC said that there are safety alert officers across the zones who journalists under threat can report to.  Arogundade said that in cases of attacks or insecurity issues, concerned journalists on the field can contact any of the following persons: Lanre Arogundade (Director, IPC) – 08023186845 Melody Akinjiyan (Safety Alert Officer, IPC) – 08132776441 Nwaebuni Rosemary (South South) – 08035146978 Bello MujtabaRamalan (North West) – 08037004618 Moses Ojo (South West) – 08034399077 AbdulkareemHaruna (North East) – 08057244878 Elizabeth Achuagu (South East) – 08033538251 Naomi Okoh (North Central) – 07031265156 Mr. Arogundade also enjoined journalists to report any threats to the National Secretariat of the NUJ or the NUJ State Chapters. SGD: Melody Akinjiyan Program Officer/ Safety Alert Officer IPC melodyakinjiyan@ipcng.org +2348132776441

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Press Release – IPC Tasks Journalists on Use of Code of Election Coverage as 2019 Campaigns kick Off

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As political parties and candidates officially commence campaigns for the 2019 general elections, the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria has tasked journalists covering the electoral process to professionally report the campaigns within the context of the provisions of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage. In a statement by the organisation’s Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, IPC noted that, “The Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, Revised Edition 2018, which was endorsed by over a hundred media professional groups and associations; broadcast, print and online media outlets; media support/development groups; and journalism training institutions, provides detailed guidelines for the professional coverage and reporting of the elections”. Mr. Arogundade said the guidelines stipulate that journalists should give equitable access to parties and candidates, reflect the views of underrepresented groups like women, people living with disabilities and youths, and refrain from publishing or airing, stories, headlines, images and adverts that constitute hate speech and could incite violence. “The media as the key purveyor of information on the electoral processes should therefore ensure best professional practices by acting in accordance with the provisions and guidelines of the code, Arogundade said””. He further said, “Media organisations and regulatory bodies are reminded of their obligation to use internal mechanisms during the campaign and electoral processes to regularly monitor implementation and compliance with the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage”. The IPC Director also said journalists should strive to comply with other frameworks governing media coverage of elections such as the Electoral Act 2010 as amended and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Mr. Arogundade equally reminded the government, the Political Parties and INEC of their obligations under the Media Code of Election Coverage to facilitate the enabling environment for effective media coverage by proactively providing electoral information and ensuring the safety of journalists. SGD: Melody Akinjiyan Program Officer, IPC melodyakinjiyan@ipcng.org +2348162206470

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Press Alert: IPC Frowns at Police Inquest at Media Workshop in Sokoto

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The International Press Centre, IPC Lagos has frowned at the visit made by two policemen led by ASP Aminu Tanko, allegedly from the State Investigation Bureau, Sokoto who came to Grand Ibro hotel, venue of a two-day workshop on Fact-checking Checking Elections for journalists in Sokoto, November 12 and 13, 2018. According to reports, the policemen came to the venue of the workshop which is organized by Africa Check in partnership with the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy and Daily Trust Newspapers, at about 2.3pm on the second day of the workshop, demanding to see the organisers. A distress message by participants at the workshop noted that it was strange and shocking that a media workshop on elections being organized for journalists who are tasked with performing key roles as stakeholders in the democratic process would be a subject of investigation by security forces. According to sources, the policemen demanded for a copy of the workshop’s programme claiming it is  because of the security in Sokoto, threatening that the workshop could be stopped if the issues of discuss at the media workshop were found to be of security concerns. David Ajikobi of AfricaCheck obliged them a copy while participants pointed out that their visit was unusual and smacked of intimidation. The facilitators of the workshop include Ayesha  Kajee, an international trainer from South Africa,  Lanre Arogundade, Director of International Press Centre and David Ajikobi of AfricaCheck, in addition to about 15 broadcast, print and online journalists who were participating in the training. The International Press Centre is miffed that this kind of unwarranted visit to a media workshop venue by security forces portends an intimidation of journalists. IPC is therefore calling on the security agency to desist from such acts, which is an aberration and can pose as a hindrance to journalists in the performance of desirable roles that the media should be performing as the 2019 elections approaches. ‘SANMI FALOBI Programme Manager International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, Nigeria      

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Call for interest: Media workshop on reporting 2019 electoral process

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The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria is conducting a two-day Media training workshop on best practices and professional reporting of the electoral process ahead of the 2019 general elections. The workshop, supported by the EU under Component 4b: Support to the media of the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project, seeks to build a professional media as catalysts of democratic accountability, credible elections and good governance. THE WORKSHOP: The workshop shall attract journalists reporting elections and the electoral process across 4 Geo-graphical zones in Nigeria. The workshop aims to horn the skills of participants in the professional and ethical reportage of democratic processes and elections as well as build the capacity of journalists with skills to commit to professional, conflict sensitive, citizen focused, gender focused and digital reporting of the 2019 elections. The workshop shall attract 40 participants each across four media hubs in the South West, South East/South South, North-east/ North-west and North Central. Accommodation and DSA shall be provided for selected participants from states across the zones, while participants from host city shall only be entitled to token transport at the approved rates. Tea break and lunch shall be provided for all participants. SELECTION CRITERIA: Participants shall be selected based on predefined indicators, including proven track record in political, governance and democratic reporting, evidence of commitments from statement of participation, as well as fair and equitable distribution across the states, gender balance, among others. Interested journalists who are engaged in reporting politics, governance and electoral issues, should apply here:    

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Press Release-Youths and Elections: INEC Chair, Omotola, AY, other top celebrities for UNILAG Campus Outreach Programme

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As part of broad range of activities to deepen the engagement of youth ahead of the 2019 elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the framework of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) shall be holding the Lagos edition of the ‘Youth Votes Count Campus Outreach’. The programme will hold on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Hall, University of Lagos, (UNILAG) Akoka, Lagos from 9am. Aimed at increasing the level of youth participation in elections through registration, voting as well as boosting citizens’ trust and confidence in the electoral processes, the programme will be attended by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Ketil Karlsen. Top celebrities including Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Helen Paul, Ayo ‘AY’ Makun, Cobhams Asuquo, and institutional stakeholders like the INEC Resident Commissioner for Lagos State as well other electoral stakeholders from the civil society and the media will also grace the event to be moderated by Seun Okinbaloye of Channels TV. The Youth Votes count Campus Outreach Programme, which started at the University of Abuja on May 3, 2018 is scheduled to take place in five other Universities across the country including the one at the University of Lagos. The International Press Centre (IPC) and the Institute for Media and Society (IMS) who are implementing components 4a and 4b – Support to Media, of the EU-SDGN project shall be providing media support for the UNILAG event. Lanre Arogundade Director

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