By Salisu Sani-Idris

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has intensifieds efforts to ensure massive sensitisation of FCT residents on the need to come out and exercise their franchise in a peaceful and orderly manner.

The Director, Department of Information and Communication FCT, Malam Sule Hazat, who made the disclosure in a statement by the Deputy Director of Information, FCTA, Josie Mudasiru on Thursday in Abuja.

Addresseding residents in Kugbo, Nyanyan and Gbagalape suburbs in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hazat urged the people to take advantage of the peaceful atmosphere created by the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello to vote for candidates of their choice.

He advised artisans and other informal sector workers such as Okada and Keke riders in Kugbo to ensure they confirmed their Polling Units and voting locations ahead of the elections to avoid last minute rush.

He said it was only when the residents exercise their franchise in a violence-free atmosphere that they could demand for good governance and accountability from those elected.

Hazat warned those intending to sell their votes to look elsewhere as the redesigned Naira and cashless policies of government had eliminated such malpractices from taking place.

At the Federal Secretariat and UTC in the Central Business District and Area 10, respectively, the sensitization team told workers to ensure they played their part well by coming out to vote en masse for candidates of their choice.

Some workers who made inquiries regarding the elections also got prompt clarifications from the sensitization team.

The high point of the event was the dissemination of audio messages through jingles in Pidgin and English languages to enthusiastic passersby relayed through the Outside Broadcasting (OB) Van of the Department. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Deborah Coker

The presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said on Thursday that his “imminent victory’’ in the upcoming presidential election would be a deliverance for Nigerians.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Atiku, a former vice-president of Nigeria is one of the top contenders, in a crowded presidential race, fielding 18 candidates.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation is scheduled for another landmark general election, starting from Feb. 25, to mark another streak in a democratic experience that started in 1999.

The PDP Presidential Campaign Council in a statement signed by Chief Dele Momodu in Abuja on Thursday said that Atiku’s recent interactions with all classes of Nigerians in the course of his nationwide campaign confirmed o him that Nigerians needed deliverance.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s hustings across all parts of Nigeria confirmed further to him how grievously Nigerians are suffering and how desperately they desire and pray for deliverance.’’

The statement quoted Atiku as expressing his confidence that the steady momentum his campaign was building across Nigeria’s geo-political zones was a demonstration of how connected his manifesto was to the populace.

“The programmes and manifesto aligned and connected with the inner desires, hunger and prayers of millions of Nigerians,’’ the statement added.

The former vice-president expressed his confidence that he would come out victorious in the presidential election on Feb.25.

He declared that his “imminent victory at the polls was symbolic of the deliverance that Nigerians were seeking and praying for’’.

Atiku lashed out at the ruling APC, saying that “the policy designs of the party have left Nigerians in utter despondency.

“The people I met and spoke with — the fishermen in Ogoni, the farmer in Nasarawa, the trader in Anambra, the fabric weaver in Ogun – are all making the same lamentation.

“Above all, the communities in the internally displaced people’s facilities as well as students in cities across Nigeria are unable to see any glimmer upon which to anchor their hopes for a future.

“The images I saw, conveyed to me the impression that ordinary Nigerians have been experiencing the economic hardships caused by the policies of the ruling APC.”

Atiku said further that his confidence was bolstered by the resolve in the eyes and hearts of Nigerians to stand as one and vote for him on Feb. 25. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Silas Nwoha

By Oluwatope Lawanson

The women in the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have said that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar stands a better chance of winning the Presidential election by virtue of his pedigree, exposure and experience.

The women made the remark on Thursday while speaking with newsmen during a walk/drive through in Lagos organised for Atiku/Okowa campaign.

They said that the PDP presidential candidate, who was also a former Vice President would put things right if elected as president.

Speaking, Mrs Aduke Maina, member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), described Atiku as the man that has what it takes to make the country work.

She, therefore, urged the people to vote for him as the next President.

“We are here to tell the people of Lagos and by extension Nigeria that Atiku is the right man to hold this country together.

“He knows what it takes to make the country work. This he has done before, especially as the former Vice President of the country.

“There is no difference between the North and South, East or West. All we want is for the country to function well and things to be put right.

“Now that the PDP has chosen Atiku as their presidential candidate, let’s vote for him,” she said.

Similarly, Dr Bimbola Ogunkemi, also a member of the BOT, said that Nigeria was ripe for a new government.

Ogunkemi assured that PDP would ensure that the issues of insecurity and poverty are addressed because the party had been positioned to take the chance to make things right.

She said: “This is the time Nigeria should rise again. We are ready for a positive change and a new government come Saturday.”

Also speaking, Mr Tunji Shelle, former Lagos PDP Chairman, described Atiku as an experienced candidate, who has what it takes to turn the fortune of Nigeria around.

“Nobody is perfect, but as at today, he is the best candidate that can make a change in the evolution of this country.

“Nigeria needs to be recovered and rescued. It is time to move away from the past,” he said.

On her part, Mrs Agboola Fisher-Thomas, member of the BoT, stated that the focus of the PDP was to get about 35 per cent of votes in Lagos.

According to her, Atiku’s emergence will set the country on the path of growth and progress. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is confident that its candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu will win the Feb. 25 election, with 21 states already in its kitty.

The PCC’s Director, Media and Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga, stated this in an interview with newsmen, on Thursday in Abuja.

Onanuga said the APC was in a pole position, saying that ” as at today, there are 21 states under APC control. If out of 36 you already have 21 in your bag, that means you are closer to victory.

He said: “We have some states where we have alliances – like Oyo State, like Rivers State, even Enugu State. We are the only party that has support that cuts across party lines. Sokoto is going to be a battle ground.

” It used to be an APC state. Our party is waxing stronger and stronger in that state. We expect that state to swing to our side. We expect Bauchi also to swing to our side.

” We have tremendous goodwill in Bauchi state. If you put all these together, which no other party has, Tinubu will win hands down on Feb. 25.

”We are very optimistic. We are not God but we believe that God is on our side.”

The former Managing Director of NAN said that Tinubu and the APC had worked very hard, adding, “we believe that God is going to reward us with victory on Feb. 25.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ruth Oketunde

The Women’s Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN), a women civil society-led initiative, on Wednesday in Abuja, inaugurated observatory room in preparation for the 2023 general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event has the support of the UN Women and the Canadian Embassy.

The National Coordinator of WSRN, Prof. Joy Onyesoh, said that the aim of the situation room was to observe the election processes from a gender perspective and track cases of violence in 10 states, including the FCT.

She said that the group would be getting feedback from those on the field, as it would also be responding to its strategic partners.

Onyesoh, who stressed the need for free and credible elections, added that violence against women before, during and after the elections must be discouraged at all cost.

She said “we are going to be looking at the impacts of the election process for accountability, transparency with a focus on women inclusive participation.

“We are open and ready to contribute our quota to the stability of Nigeria.”

According to her, Nigerians can also provide the group with on-the-spot assessment of elections in their various communities using the toll free number — 08003425776.

Ms Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said “violence against women during election is a human right abuse which must be discouraged.

“Women’s political representation in Nigeria has witnessed a downward trend, with only 3.8 per cent of women in elective offices at both the national and state level following the 2019 elections and only 10.2 per cent of women candidates in the 2023 elections.

“Violence against women in politics is a human rights abuse that hinders the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 and 25.

The Police Commissioner in the FCT, Sadiq Abubakar, represented by the Officer In-Charge, Gender, Funmi Kolawole, assured police readiness to participate in the elections.

She said “the Nigeria Police Force is fully ready for the elections; we do not want anyone to entertain any fear.

“Go out and cast your votes and remain law-abiding.”

NAN reports that the event had in attendance representatives from the Ministry of Women Affairs, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), INEC, NOA, Women in Politics Forum, FOMWAN, as well as various civil society organisations.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Barely 48 hours to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) have lost scores of members to APC in the FCT.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defectors were received into the fold of APC on Wednesday in Abuja.

Dr Hauwa Bagu, the National Coordinator, National Mass Movement for Better Orientation (NAMMBO), a frontline Tinubu support group, said the development was an indication of APC’s victory in the Feb. 25 elections.

Bagu said that the organisation had been in touch with the defectors for a very long time, saying ” today those that accepted the truth have decided to follow the winning team.

She said: “We have been going round canvassing for votes and most of them here are only the leaders, because if all of them will be here, this place cannot contain them.

” So, we now ask their leaders and some of them to come here and make it public about their decision to dump PDP and LP and declare their readiness to vote for Tinubu and Shettima.

“With this development and what we have seen so far in the course of our campaigns across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, Nigerians, especially the women are ready to vote for the duo.”

The coordinator also stated that the youths were ready to ensure the landslide victory of Tinubu, assuring the defectors of equal treatment.

According to her, the APC presidential candidate will reciprocate any gesture to be done to him with quality leadership.

Also speaking, the Deputy National Coordinator of NAMMBO, Ibrahim Umar, lauded the Tinubu support group for attracting the defectotrs into the fold of APC.

Umar, who said that the chances of Tinubu of winning the presidential election were very bright, saying that Nigerians were eager to vote for Tinubu and Shettima.

Earlier, Mr Titus Musa, former PDP Youth Leader in Gwarinpa Ward, Abuja Municipal Area Council, who led defectors said they decided to defect to APC to vote Tinubu.

He said: ”This is due to his record of excellent service in Lagos and his contributions to national development.

”We are convinced with APC manifesto titled, the Message of Hope. APC is the way to go and Tinubu has something to offer Nigeria.

“We have seen the light in Tinubu and we are ready to join hands with him to move our country to the desired level and I believe the way Tinubu transformed Lagos if given the mandate, he will do a lot for the country.

” Therefore, we decide to defect from PDP to APC together with our teeming supporters compromising youths and women.”

On her part, the former Labour Party Women leader in Gwarinpa Ward, Ms Zipporah Bitrus, said that they left LP to APC as Tinubu and Shettima were the best for the country.

” Tinubu is a person that is always concerned about the uplifting the ordinary citizens. He had mentored many Nigerians and that is why we see reasons we pitched our tent with APC.

NAN reports that the high point of the event was the presentation of the APC flags to the defectors symbolising their formal integration into the party’s larger family. (NAN) (www,nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Lizzy Okoji

The Safeguarding Online Civic Space (SOCS) says it has designed strategies to stop all forms of disinformation, misinformation, fake news and violence incitement on the cyberspace in the upcoming general elections.

The group made this known on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing the media on “Safeguarding Civic Space for Electoral Integrity (SDSEI)”, ahead of the Feb. 25, and March 11, 2023, general elections.

Dr Funmi Akinyele, the Chair, SOCS Group, said that in the overarching goal of this particular project is to protect online civic space by upholding the integrity of the electoral process.

She said that to effectively achieve this, the SOCS Group have trained youths across the six geopolitical zones to spot and detect fake news, especially as it concerns the elections.

“As the general elections are approaching, the overarching goal of this project is to protect online civic space by combating voter misinformation and disinformation while improving access to accurate civic information inclusively.

“Unfortunately, some individuals, either by omission or commission, have distorted information, leading to misinformation, disinformation and malformation.

“The misuse and repression of both offline and digital civic spaces, no doubt, have contributed to the perceptions, mostly negative, of members of the international community about Nigeria.

“To address this, the Safeguarding Digital Civic Space for Electoral Integrity (SDSEI) project is engaging critical stakeholders across government, telecommunications, civil society, and the general public.

“Who have been united by an overarching interest in protecting the online civic space to maximize the benefits and minimise the threats for proper enlightenment and education of the populace on their civic rights.

“Regarding the general elections, irrespective of cultural, religious and political affiliations.

“We have trained 100 fact checkers across the country and right now they are working to fact check the elections as well as the governorship elections.

“Because we are dealing with digital space, we are deploying factcheckers online to build a massive movement of people that will be able to spot fake news.

“We will use hashtags to drive home this message on our social media platforms and use for branding. The hashtags are: #ProtectYourVote9ja, #YourVoteMatters9ja #NoToFakeNews9ja,” Akinyele said.

Mr Al-Kasim Abdulkadir, Founder, Nigerian Numeric, said that the aim of the group is to safeguard the digital space for the electoral integrity of Nigeria.

Abdulkadir said that the key aim of the group under this project is to ensure that the integrity of the process is upheld by political actors, the citizens, government actors towards a peaceful, credible and transparent elections.

He said that SOCS Group is also out with the key message of urging Nigerians and political parties to refrain from announcing election results before they are announced by the electoral umpires.

“We have designed a variety of strategies, with a strong message of refrain, from misinformation, to disinformation, to vote buying, to campaigning against violence, to the use of BVAS device.

“Also mainstreaming the fact that we need to work with persons with disabilities.

“Whether you are a highly placed government officials or an ordinary citizen, we are calling for self-governances.

“That first of all, you must ensure your personal integrity and integrity of the message you send out on digital platform.”

He added: “That first, you must be able to verify these messages, and if you cannot verify these messages, do not send them out. If you are in doubt, do not share.

“If you deliberately disinform or misinform, then please, be ready to face the consequences of your action because the long arm of the law is there to catch up with defaulters.

“Voters should not sit in their homes and announce results before results are announced. It is the primary responsibility of the electoral umpire to announce results.

“We should not make up news of violence where there is none, we should not exaggerate actions that take place during the elections.”

Abdulkadir said: “So we are calling for restraints from citizens, government actors for self-governance.”

The group urged the media as watchdog of the society to support its efforts to combat voters’ misinformation and disinformation, improve inclusive voter and civic education.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SOCS Group is a loose cluster of mostly youth-led Civil Society Organisations and Business Membership Organisations from diverse areas within the social sector.

The SOCS Group is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement Project. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola