You’re Ineligible To Field Candidates For Kogi, Bayelsa Polls, Court Tells AA

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, ruled that the Action
Alliance (AA) was no longer eligible to field candidates for the
Nov. 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, who gave the ruling, said that the party
failed to abide by the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC)’s guidelines on the timeline for submission of candidates’
names.

According to the judge, the INEC’s guidelines say that all
political parties must have submitted their nomination forms by 6
pm of Sept. 9 for the elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AA, along with its
Kogi and Bayelsa governorship candidate; Dr. Samuel Alfa and Ebi
Peretiemo respectively, had jointly filed the suit marked:
FHC/ABJ/CS/1100/19.

They contended in the suit that has complied with the provisions
of 85(1) to (2) and Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act, INEC could
not have validly rejected the nomination of their candidates for
the forthcoming elections in the two states.

The plaintiffs said they were at the INEC headquarters of INEC
on Sept. 9 to submit Forms CF.001 and CF.002, among other
nomination forms for the two candidates.

They said they were given tag number 15, but an INEC official in
charge of the collection of the forms refused to accept their forms
when it got to their turn.

Delivering judgment, Justice Ekwo held that the plaintiffs
failed to provide evidence that they were on the premises of INEC
or attempted to submit their forms before 6pm on Sept. 9.

“The first plaintiff (AA) having not complied with the
guidelines and regulations of INEC that it must submit its
candidates’ nomination forms on or before 6pm on Sept. 9, 2019, is
ineligible to field candidates in the November 2019 governorship
election in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

“I hold that your case lacks merit,” he said.

In an interview with NAN shortly after the ruling, INEC’s
Counsel, Alhassan Umar, SAN, described the judgment as a victory
for democracy.

NCWS, NPHCDA Partner on Routine Immunisation in
Nigeria

The National Council for Women Societies, NCWS, has partnered
with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHDA,
with a view to improving on the ongoing Routine Immunization in the
country.

PRNigeria^[1] reports that NCWS is
working with PAS under PACFaH@Scale, a social accountability
project which aims to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian Civil
Society Organisations, CSOs, at national and state level to hold
decision-makers in the country.

The PACFaH@Scale project is funded by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation and anchored by the development, Research and
Project Centre, dRPC.

Speaking during a courtesy visit at NPHCDA headquarters, Abuja
on Monday, the National President of the NCWS, Dr. Gloria
Laraba-Shoda, stressed the need for the partnership, considering
some challenges hindering the successes of the Routine Immunization
in the country.

She said: ”We are imploring on the NPHCDA to embrace and
accommodate us, as an important accountability network. We are in
the process of developing a scorecard for Routine Immunization
performance and will appreciate it if you also assist us in setting
a list of indicators for the scorecard and other technical
support.

“We also need inclusion into the central Routine Immunization
system in the National Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination
Centre (NERICC),” Mrs Laraba-Shoda added.

Responding, the NPHCDA’s Executive-Director, Dr. Shuaib Faisal,
commended the women society for the visit, pledging to do
everything possible to assist the association in its quest to stamp
out polio in the country.

He said: “As far as I am concerned, we are partners in progress.
We have had a long history of collaboration with the NCWS, from
Polio Eradication to Family Planning and so on.”

By PRNigeria^[2]