2019: INEC insists APC won’t be allowed to field candidates in Zamfara

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it
stands by its statement that the All Progressives Congress (APC)
will not field candidates for the 2019 general elections in
Zamafa.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this on the sideline
of the opening of a two-day validation workshop titled “Study on
the cost of elections in ECOWAS Region” on Monday in Abuja.

“We have issued a statement on Zamfara and nothing has changed.
We stand by the statement that we issued,” he said.

Yakubu re-emphasised that the deadline for submission of party
candidates’ name to the commission was Oct 18, saying that it would
give a full report on that after Nov. 18.

INEC had informed the ruling APC in a leaked memo that it would
not be allowed to field candidates for elective positions in
Zamfara in the 2019 elections.

The commission’s acting Secretary, Okechukwe Ndeche, in a letter
to the APC said that the party was barred from fielding candidates
for governorship, national assembly and state assembly
elections.

The commission said this was because APC failed to comply with
Sections 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act of 2010.

Parties, according to the act, were expected to comply with the
timetable and schedule of INEC, which says that the conduct of
primaries must be held between Aug. 18 and Oct. 7.

INEC said it received reports from its Zamfara office,
indicating that no primaries were conducted in the state
“notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and
deployed.”

The APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, later responded to
INEC in a statement and said that the party had already arrived at
a consensus before the deadline.

Oshiomhole said that following the high level of friction,
disagreements and threats of violence by various political camps
before the primaries, all the aspirants met at City King Hotel,
Gusau, to find a truce.

“After hours of intense horse-trading, a consensus was reached
within the spirit and context of the electoral act and the
constitution of our party.

“This was done in strict compliance with Section 87 (6) of the
Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended),” he said.

He said that the claim by INEC that no primaries were conducted
could only be referring to its officials’ observation that actual
voting did not take place.

The APC chairman said that conduct of primaries was not the only
mode prescribed for producing candidates in the electoral act, 2010
(as amended).

“We, therefore, affirm that indeed, primaries took place in
Zamfara State,” Oshiomhole said.

The party chairman also noted that PDP had similar issues in
Kano State and wondered why INEC did not bar the opposition party
from fielding candidates.

Yakubu further said that the commission would by the end of
November print the outstanding Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

“We have printed the PVCs for those who registered in the first
quarter of 2018. We are right now simultaneously printing for those
who registered in the second and third quarters.

“We are looking at the end of November for all the PVCs to be
printed including request for transfer and relocation.

“Let me just repeat the assurance that every citizen that
registered and who have applied for transfer or replacement will
get his or her PVC before 2019 general elections.”

He, however, said that the commission had stopped every
registration, request for transfer and replacement of damaged
PVCs.

NAN

Lagos Targets 150,000 Participants for
Marathon

…Increases Prize Money For Local, Physically-Challenged
Athletes

…To Set Up Marathon Village, Eyes IAAF Silver Label

No fewer than 150,000 athletes both locally and internationally
are expected to participate in the 4th edition of Access Bank Lagos
City Marathon, Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode said on
Monday.

Addressing a press conference at Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja to
officially announce commencement of preparations for the marathon
which is billed to hold on February 2, 2019, Governor Ambode said
the target of the State Government, was to use the forthcoming
edition to take the tournament from the bronze label of
International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to silver,
in partnership with the sponsors.

According to him, “The whole idea is to turn the competition
from bronze to silver level. In the last three editions, we had
between 100,000 and 120,000 participants. This time around, we want
to make sure that come February 2019, we would have not less than
150,000 participants.

“The reason why we want to take it to that level is to create a
new record and create a new platform to allow the 2019 edition to
herald what is going to happen in the next six years. We believe
strongly that in another six years when we are marking the 10th
anniversary, we should actually become a top class marathon, and
that is our vision for this competition.

“We believe that it is achievable. This is not necessarily about
me; it is not even about the sponsors but about making Lagos to be
on that top brand across the world and that is how cities are
elevated to become global brand,” Governor Ambode said.

He said arrangement had equally been firmed up to encourage more
local participation, as well as more physically-challenged
athletes, a development he said necessitated the increase in prize
monies for the two categories.

“We think obviously that we should pay more attention to our
physically-challenged athletes this time around and also to embrace
more of local participation. This time around, we would push more
money to the local races and we would push more money to also our
physically-challenged athletes to encourage more people to come in,
while the main prize remain the same,” he said.

Speaking further at the media briefing which was attended by
Nigeria’s sports icons including Mary Onyali, Samson Siasia, Waheed
Akanni, Seye Ogunlewe, among others, the Governor said the idea of
the marathon was part of his administration’s initiatives to use
sports, entertainment and hospitality to grow the economy and
positively engage the bourgeoning youth population in the
State.

“Looking at some of Nigeria’s sport legends here, it just
summarizes everything that we have tried to do in the last three
and half years. The idea is that it is possible to create a new set
of jobs and services using sports, using hospitality, using
entertainment to create a new level of creativity and innovation
and then drive the Nigerian economy into different direction that
creates positive energy, and when you come to this kind of
gathering and you are able to now see the private sector, sports
people, it means that there is still hope in this country,”
Governor Ambode said.

Besides, the Governor commended all the sponsors, media and all
those who have contributed to the success of the marathon in the
last three years, saying the development was a dream come true.

Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of Lagos State Sports
Commission, Dr. Kweku Tandor said the Lagos City Marathon, was the
third of its kind after Brighton and Bournemouth Marathon in the
United Kindgom to earn the prestigious IAAF Bronze Label only after
its second edition, which held on February 10, 2018.

He said the Governor had already given approval for the setting
up of a Lagos Marathon Village at the Teslim Balogun Stadium that
would not only sustain the culture of the marathon but also serve
as a rallying point in the quest by the present administration to
stage mini-marathons in the five divisions of the State.

“It is going to serve as the headquarters for marathon races in
Lagos. What we have in mind is to have sectoral marathons, Lagos
Women Run is coming up next month, we have SWAN Marathon coming up
in December and we also envisage that we are going to be having Epe
Marathon, Ikorodu Marathon and so on.

“So we need a coordinating office under the direction of the
Lagos State Sports Commission and that is the vision that led to
the construction of that facility within Teslim Balogun to serve as
the Lagos Marathon Village. Construction work will commence anytime
from now,” Tandoh said.

He said the Governor had also approved the constitution of a
Marathon Council that would be responsible for the supervision of
the 2019 Marathon and going forward.

On his part, Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe
said the commitment of the State Government under the leadership of
Governor Ambode has ensured that the Lagos Marathon had become an
annual event on the international athletics map.

He assured that Access Bank, the major sponsors of the Lagos
Marathon would continue to give its full support to the event,
adding that the 2019 edition will take the event a notch higher so
as to receive an IAAF Silver Label for the marathon.

In his brief remarks, President of the Athletics federation of
Nigeria (AFN), Engr. Ibrahim Gusau commended Governor Ambode for
setting the pace for others to follow for others to follow in
sports development, saying that the 2018 edition of the Lagos
Marathon was highly rated amongst top competitions on the
international calendar.

SIGNED
HABIB ARUNA
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY