Teaching Comparative

Local elections in the UK

The Conservatives and Labour have faced a backlash at the ballot box over the Brexit deadlock, with smaller parties and independents winning seats.

In England so far, the Tories have lost more than 700 seats and 25 councils overall, while the Liberal Democrats have gained nearly 450 seats.

National politics seems to have been a deciding factor for voters, with Labour also losing almost more than 70 so far…

The Green Party has done well, adding more than 100 seats so far, but UKIP has lost ground, with 80 fewer councillors at this stage than in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of independent councillors is up by more than 300…

While local elections give voters the chance to choose the decision-makers who affect their communities, the national issue loomed large on the doorstep…

Theresa May, appearing at the Welsh Conservative conference, said voters had sent the "simple message" that her party and Labour had to "get on" with delivering Brexit.

Speaking in Greater Manchester, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he "wanted to do better" and conceded voters who disagreed with its backing for Brexit had deserted the party.

But Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, in Chelmsford Essex, where his party took control of the council, said it had been a "brilliant" result and that "every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for stopping Brexit".

Polling expert Prof Sir John Curtice said the days of the Conservatives and Labour dominating the electoral landscape, as happened in the 2017 election, when they won 80% of the vote between them, "may be over"…

Prof Curtice said there was a North/South divide emerging in the losses too, with the Conservatives shedding more seats in the South - especially in areas that voted Remain - and Labour losing more in the North.

Green Party co-leader Sian Berry said she was confident her party would end the day with a "record number of councillors on a record number of councils".

She told BBC Breakfast the Greens were not simply benefiting from a protest vote over Brexit and their gains reflected "huge new concerns" about climate change as well as the strength of their local campaigning on a range of issues.

UKIP is down by more than 60 seats on its 2015 performance…

Of the 248 elections in England, 168 have been district councils which are in charge of setting and collecting council tax, bin collections, local planning and council housing.

There were also elections taking place for 47 unitary authorities and 33 metropolitan boroughs which look after education, public transport, policing and fire services, as well as all the services of district councils.

In Northern Ireland, councils are responsible for services including local planning and licensing, waste collection and enforcing safety regulations to do with food, workplaces and the environment.

Labels: elections, parties, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Mobile campaign signs or political spiff?

Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, has ordered the withdrawal of all the branded vehicles he donated for the re-election bid and campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general election, SaharaReporters can exclusively report.

The vehicles donated by Akeredolu before the election were presented to some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state…

As of press time, the motives behind the withdrawal of the branded campaign vehicles were not known to the party leaders/members, who have been grumbling underground since the decision was effected.

To further confirm withdrawal of the branded vehicles, SaharaReporters exclusively obtained a terse memo calling on leaders and members of the party in possession of the branded vehicles to return them…

Multiple sources in the ruling party in the state, who spoke with SaharaReporters, expressed great dissatisfaction with the order for return of the vehicles.

These sources wondered why Akeredolu would abruptly call for the return of vehicles that were given to them as gifts…

When SaharaReporters contacted Alhaji Yusuf Sanya Isiaka, the Senior Special Adviser on Political Matters to the Governor, he said the vehicles were not really "gifts" but were only given out to aid campaigns.

"What the Governor did was to give those buses for campaign purposes; it was not a gift," he said.

"It was just to aid their campaign programme during the electioneering period, and the arrangment was that after the election, it should be return. So, that was the arrangment between them and the MHAs (members of the House of Assembly).

"So, they were aware... before these buses were handed over to them, they were all told that they would return them after campaign. And they have actually complied. If it was a gift, nobody would comply. it was not a gift."

Labels: campaign, corruption, elections, leadership, Nigeria

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

More Nigerian elections

Nigerians are heading to the polls to elect state and local representatives, two weeks after the presidential poll.

Ballots are being cast in 29 of the country's 36 states.

In oil-rich Nigeria, some state governors control budgets larger than those of neighbouring countries and so these are often keenly contested.

President Muhammadu Buhari beat his main rival Atiku Abubakar in the 23 February election, securing a second term.

Across the country, Mr Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) got 15.2 million votes while Mr Abubakar's People's Democratic Party (PDP) received 11.3 million. There are 73 million registered voters.

The APC won 19 states, while the PDP secured 16 plus the capital Abuja.

Mr Abubakar said the election was a "sham" and was not free and fair. He has since filed a petition challenging President Buhari's win.

Although turnout for the presidential election was low across the country, it was higher in the northern states - one factor behind Mr Buhari's victory.

Fears of possible election-related violence has led to the massive deployment of security personnel across the country…

The turnout for the state elections is expected to be higher than the 35.5% in last month's presidential election, down from 44% in 2015.

Most Nigerians take state elections seriously because their lives are directly impacted by the governor and representatives in the state legislature…

Lagos, one of the most contested states, has an estimated population of 17.5 million people - this is more than the combined population of Gabon, The Gambia, Liberia, Cape Verde and Sierra Leone.

The state's GDP is more than that of Kenya. In fact, Lagos would be the fifth largest economy in Africa if it were a country.

Other key battle grounds that will be hotly contested between the APC and PDP are Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Kano and Kwara.

Labels: elections, federalism, Nigeria

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

First results from Nigeria

The runner-up in Nigeria's presidential election has rejected the result as a "throwback to the jackboot era of military dictatorship".

Atiku Abubakar criticised what he called a "sham election".

President Muhammadu Buhari won Saturday's election with a margin of nearly four million votes, according to the country's election commission…

In the 1980s, Mr Buhari, 76, was one of several military rulers in Nigeria and this election marks the 20th anniversary of the return to civilian rule.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Buhari urged his supporters not to "gloat or humiliate" the opposition following his victory.

"No section or group will feel left behind or left out," he promised in the speech…

Turnout was a record low at just 35.6%…

A former soldier, Mr Buhari led a military regime for 20 months in the 1980s and was first elected president in 2015, becoming the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent and win the presidency.

His record in office is mixed. Mr Buhari's critics say that the very attributes that won over voters four years ago - his strictness and inflexibility - have emerged as liabilities. They accuse him of autocratic leanings as well as a disastrous tendency towards inaction…

Labels: elections, leadership, Nigeria

posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:22 AM 0 comments

The counting begins

Ballots are being counted in Nigeria's closely fought general election, although voting has been extended to a second day in a handful of places…

The main results centre is expected to open at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) in the capital, Abuja, but final results are not expected until Monday at the earliest…

Was the election peaceful?

Most of the country was calm but there were reports of attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist militant group in the north, and voter intimidation and attempts to steal ballot boxes from some polling stations, especially in the southern states of Rivers, Lagos and Anambra…

How does the election work?

The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner in the first round, as long as that person gains at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states…

What are the main issues?

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer but corruption and a failure to invest the proceeds from the industry have hampered development in the country…

Labels: elections, Nigeria

posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:51 AM 0 comments

Official word on election postponement in Nigeria

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday explained reasons behind the commission's decision to reschedule the 2019 elections to new dates, citing inability to distribute election materials…

According to the new timetable, polls slated for yesterday would now hold on February 23, while elections for governorship and states houses of assembly were shifted to March 9.

Yakubu, who addressed stakeholders Saturday at the National Election Collation Centre located at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, said the decision had nothing to do with security, political influence or inadequate resources.

He attributed the postponement to mainly logistical challenges faced in deploying human and material resources for the conduct of the elections.

"Apart from these logistical challenges, we also faced what may well be attempts to sabotage our preparations. In a space of two week, we had to deal with serious fire incidents in three of our offices…

Labels: elections, Nigeria

posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:15 AM 0 comments

Big Man politics in Nigeria

"Godfathers" in Nigerian politics don't usually run for office themselves, but many believe they are the ones who decide the election winners and losers.

With campaigning well under way for general elections on 16 February, these are the men - and they invariably are men - who pull the strings behind the scenes.

APC election banner

They are political sponsors, who use money and influence to win support for their preferred candidates.

Their "godsons", it is believed, are not always selected for their political acumen, but rather on their ability to repay and enrich their godfather.

These arrangements have spawned the term "godfatherism", says Dr Dele Ashiru, a senior lecturer at the department of political science at the University of Lagos.

"It refers to a situation where there's a big man who wields enormous political power and then anoints a godson, who he adopts as a candidate for the election.

"And the godfather will do all that is reasonably possible to get the godson appointed into political office.

"The godfather must be influential, most often they are, or were, a political office holder."

In the southern state of Akwa Ibom, the country's largest oil-producer, many people believe the main godfather is Godswill Akpabio, who holds a senate seat…

So powerful in fact that his defection just a few months ago to the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is seen as pivotal to the party's hope of winning its first victory in the state since Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999.

A hope reiterated by President Muhammadu Buhari when he chose Akwa Ibom to launch his campaign for re-election in December.

And Mr Akpabio certainly seems to deliver in numbers. During a recent rally I spoke to followers who said he would bring more than 300,000 voters over to the APC…

In a very different part of the country, the political future of the majority Muslim state of Kano in the north may also be defined by a larger-than-life godfather.

Kano has the second-biggest number of registered voters in the country, making it a key state for either of the two main parties to secure victory.

Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor, has built a loyal and dedicated following there, partly built through a free education programme implemented during his tenure. Whichever candidate gets his blessing is guaranteed a lot of voters.

He is backing Abba Kabiru Yusuf, a candidate from the People's Democratic Party (PDP), after falling out with a former ally…

As godsons become political players in their own right, it is inevitable that they fall out with their godfathers…

[T]his is because in developing societies like Nigeria, the state is the most important source of revenue and wealth accumulation, which both will want to access to.

But it is also a question of ego, according to Emmanuel Onwubiko, from Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria.

"Some of the godfathers are not really out to get money, they just want respect, they want to be venerated if they come into the state; they want to be recognised as the most important person in that society," he says.

For Mr Ashiru this is a key problem with godfatherism: "Godfather culture is more about the individual than the collective.

"Democracy is about the people, but here you have a few individuals across the country who take critical political decisions, particularly that have to do with the recruitment of public officers.

"So it goes without saying that such a system cannot make democracy thrive."

All the politicians I spoke to shied away from the term "godfather" as it has become loaded - associated with bullish tactics and undemocratic practices.

And as godsons gain their confidence, it is not clear how much longer godfathers will be able to keep their hold on power…

Labels: corruption, elections, Nigeria, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Campaigning outside the country

Barely 24 hours after some concerned Nigerians trooped out en mass in the United Kingdom to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight, their counterparts in the United States (US) have followed suit.

These Nigerians, under the auspices of Restore Nigeria Coalition (RNC) were spotted in the streets of Washington, chanting ‘Sai Baba’ as they urged the Donald Trump-led government and the United Nations to support President Buhari in flushing out corruption.

Cosmas Collins, President of RNC, speaking on behalf of the group, believes Nigeria has made tremendous progress in the anti-corruption fight as witnessed in the case of embattled Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen.

“They are sufficing to note that since 2015, the present administration has initiated measures aimed at reducing corrupt practices in the conduct of government business at all tiers of governance. This effort has yielded positive results to the admiration of the bulk of Nigerians and the consternation of a select few that have benefited from the rot in the system,” he said. “Undeterred, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has carried on with enthusiasm and a determination to see that structural defects are fixed to curb the rot in the system for the betterment of Nigeria as a country…

“Since 2015 when the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari took over the affairs of the state in Nigeria, Nigeria has recorded tremendous progress in governance evident in the dividends of democracy trickling down the ladder.

“However, the present administration has encountered numerous challenges from individuals and organisations that have subverted the system through nefarious ways and means all in the quest to portray the Muhammadu Buhari administration in poor light in an attempt to pitch the populace against the government to fulfil their personal agenda of causing unrest and disaffection in the country...

Labels: corruption, elections, Nigeria, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Nigerian President and the Supreme Court

Nigeria’s president on Friday suspended the country’s chief justice just three weeks before the presidential election and an expected court challenge to the results…

The decision by President Muhammadu Buhari, who seeks a second term in the Feb. 16 vote, sent Africa’s most populous country into a constitutional crisis. It was not immediately clear whether the president has the authority to suspend a chief justice…

Buhari

The chief justice, Walter Nkanu Samuel Onnoghen, faces trial on charges of failing to declare his assets. Mr. Buhari said his suspension will continue until the case is concluded. This is the first time a chief justice is standing trial in Nigeria, where corruption is widespread. Justice Onnoghen said the charges are meritless.

Beyond the charges, “security agencies have since then traced other suspicious transactions running into millions of dollars” to Mr. Onnoghen’s accounts, the president said in a statement.

Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed will act as Nigeria’s most senior judge, Mr. Buhari said. Mr. Muhammed, like the president, is from Nigeria’s largely Muslim north while Mr. Onnoghen is from the largely Christian south.

Mr. Buhari’s top election challenger, Atiku Abubakar, called the suspension illegal. “This act of desperation is geared towards affecting the outcome of the 2019 presidential elections,” he said in a statement.

Labels: elections, leadership, Nigeria, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Campaign detour or innovation?

A pro-democracy group has staged a rally in Lagos State against an alleged plot by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to install an interim government.

The protest was led by the Coalition for Defence of Democracy in Nigeria (CDDN)

The group claimed it had credible intelligence that Obasanjo's political allies were hell-bent on making the country ungovernable…

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Rachel Okpara, the Executive Director of CDDN… said: “We are telling the world that there is credible intelligence that a former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is the one that hatched the plan to destroy the country… It was for this reason that Obasanjo released his so called 'Points for Concern and Action', a document that has now been confirmed as intended to incite Nigerians as a precursor to the orgy of violence that his co-planners will unleash on the country.

“We are also asserting that more than the emergence of an interim government that the Federal Government refers to, Obasanjo, Atiku Abubakar who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, and other opposition elements have their sight on an outright coup to overthrow Nigeria’s democracy…

“We appeal to the international community to call Obasanjo, Atiku and other incendiary members of the opposition to order… The international community must make it clear to these elements that any contraption that emerges from truncation of Nigeria’s democracy will not be accepted. They should prevail on Obasanjo and his ilk to desist from the plot to throw Nigeria into chaos.”

Labels: elections, Nigeria, political culture., politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Preparing for a Nigerian election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says not more than one million ad hoc staff will be deployed for the coming elections.

Organizing election workers

This was disclosed by Malam Mohammed Haruna, the Commissioner for North-Central, in Ilorin, on Monday…

According to Haruna, the ad-hoc staff would be sourced from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), federal tertiary institutions and Ministries Departments and Agencies.

“1, 886 candidates would contest the 109 senatorial districts in the country and 4,634 candidates contesting for the 306 House of Representatives seats. 14,643 candidates would contest for 991 posts in the various State Houses of Assembly," he said.

He confirmed that governorship elections would hold in 29 states, excluding Kogi, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun States.

The commission urged all eligible voters who are yet to pick up their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to do so before the deadline, February 8, as there would be no extension.

Haruna also urged all residents to embrace peace before, during and after the elections exercise.

Labels: elections, Nigeria

posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:33 AM 0 comments

Russian election

A Kremlin-backed candidate won a key governorship poll in Russia's Far East, but experts questioned its legitimacy after a popular opposition figure was not allowed to run.

Acting governor Oleg Kozhemyako sailed to victory in the gubernatorial poll in the Primorsky Krai region, taking 61.88 percent of the vote, final results showed on Monday.

His closest rival, Andrei Andreichenko of the nationalist LDPR [Liberal Democratic Party of Russia] party, took 25 percent.

The election was a rerun after protests over vote-rigging allegations in September led Moscow to order a fresh poll, the first such case in modern Russia.

A popular opposition candidate, the Communist Party's Andrei Ishchenko, was not allowed to stand after authorities said he had not received enough of the required signatures from local legislators…

Independent election observers and political analysts questioned the legitimacy of the vote given the absence of Ishchenko.

Labels: elections, political parties, Russia

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Are you in the know (enough)?

Former Central Intelligence Agency, CIA’s senior political analyst on sub-Saharan Africa, Judd Devermont, has expressed concern that the US government and the international community were not paying enough attention to Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election…

“At the minimum, there is a proven playbook to draw on. During the last election in 2015 for instance, U.S. government and other stakeholders feared a repeat of the violence and ballot-rigging that tainted elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011.

“Secretary Kerry travelled to Nigeria, and President Obama issued a video message calling for free, fair and peaceful elections. U.S. officials went as far as threatening visa bans.

“These efforts contributed to the first democratic transition between one party and another in Nigerian history,” Devermont said in a commentary published by the U.S Centre for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS.

Devermont… said the international community should replicate these measures, as well as employ new tactics and broaden its engagements.

He added: “Nigeria’s last election, after all, was historic not only because an incumbent was defeated. It was a breakthrough because citizens insisted their votes should count…

“Nigeria’s democracy and its overall trajectory is far from secure. Indeed, recent governorship elections underscore Nigeria’s fragility as a democracy…

Labels: elections, Nigeria, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Complex elections

Governorship candidates of over 80 political parties for the 2019 elections will formally start their campaigns today. No fewer than 782 candidates will contest for governorship seats in 28 states of the federation, according to findings by Daily Trust Saturday.

There will be no governorship elections in seven states (which had theirs ‘off-season’) during the general elections next year…

The presidential and National Assembly campaigns were formally flagged off on November 18.

There are over 70 presidential candidates and thousands of National Assembly candidates cleared by INEC.

Labels: elections, Nigeria, parties

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Campaigns begin in Nigeria

The president spoke yesterday during the launching of his campaign… at the State House Villa, Abuja.

"I am not unmindful that the National Assembly and the presidential campaign starts today… I will implore candidates to go about the campaigns peacefully and decently. We have no other country, let us not set it ablaze because of politics," he said.

The occasion was attended by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha and other top government officials…

Noting that the next four years will be quite significant for the country, Buhari said "Nigeria is faced with a choice to keep building a new Nigeria - making a break from its tainted past which favoured an opportunistic few…

"We know that, to succeed, moral integrity and conscience must continue to form the dominant character of our nation and its leadership. Corruption is an existential threat to Nigeria. Despite the gains we have made in closing the gates, we know that there is still much ground to cover to stop systemic corruption," he said.

The president said they have worked hard to fulfil their campaign promises.

"First things had to come first. We were a nation at war - but we delivered on our commitment to secure the territorial integrity of our nation in the face of a raging insurgency that devastated many parts of the North East. We liberated 17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. Brokering and sustaining peace in the Niger Delta has also been crucial to stabilizing the polity."

"Four years ago, we promised Nigerians real change - in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosperous and corruption-free country.

"We have worked hard to fulfil our promises - and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people," he said…

He said despite the difficult circumstances presented by weak oil prices and reduced oil production they delivered on their commitment to make public investments to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity.

"Agriculture continues to expand our economic base, as do our investments in our deficient infrastructure across the length and breadth of this nation. We implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw us doing more even with lesser oil revenues," he said…

Labels: elections, leadership, Nigeria, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Challenging the "big men" in Nigeria

Nigeria's presidential election was shaping up to be a contest between two veteran male politicians, but the candidacy of Oby Ezekwesili could change that.

Ezekwesili

Women have run for the presidency before but she is the most prominent Nigerian woman to challenge for the top job…

Ms Ezekwesili is well known for leading the #BringBackOurGirls campaign to help free the 276 girls kidnapped from Chibok, northern Nigeria, in 2014. She has also served as the country's education minister and vice-president of the World Bank.

But come February's vote it will be a tough challenge to unseat incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, 75, or beat the main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, 72, who both have formidable party machines behind them…

At the weekend, President Buhari was nominated by his All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Abubakar beat a field of 11 others to become the flag bearer for the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The two parties have supplied all of Nigeria's presidents since the end of military rule in 1999.

For Ms Ezekwesili the men she is facing represent a "mediocre political class that bumbles from one crisis to another", as she told the meeting of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), where her candidacy was declared.

She is setting herself up as the anti-establishment candidate, calling the politicians in charge of the country part of "an evil ruling class". And, in an Obama-like move, the ACPN is labelling her as the "hope" candidate.

Ms Ezekwesili, who is 55 years old, is also trying to appeal to the youth of the country, saying that the people in charge do not understand the technological changes that are happening.

More than 50% of Nigerians are under the age of 30.

Can she disrupt the election? -Chris Ewokor, BBC Africa, Abuja

Along with reaching out to Nigeria's youth, Ms Ezekwesili has an obvious appeal to women, and her high profile in the country and international respectability could also boost her candidacy.

She is also from the south of the country, while the two leading men are from the north, so this could help her pick up votes among southerners who want one of their own to lead the country.

Ms Ezekwesili is likely to elicit some support and could make the APC and PDP nervous, but the power of the established parties may be hard to overcome.

Many in the country are hungry and live under extreme economic pressure and could be tempted to back parties with deeper pockets if they are promised money to vote a particular way.

The APC and PDP have countrywide structures and a war chest that could clearly outspend Ms Ezekwesili.

In response, her party has launched a funding campaign to try and build up its financial resources, but it is not clear if that will be enough...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_man_(political_science) Big Man (Political Science) from Wikipedia

Labels: cleavages, elections, leadership, Nigeria, political parties, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Political meaning of an earthquake

In our series of letters from Africa, Nigerian writer and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani considers why some earth tremors in Nigeria's capital caused such a stir.

Sometime in the early hours of 6 September, I was tucked in bed at home in Abuja when, suddenly, a slight trembling seemed to sway the building from side to side…

Later that day, frantic phone calls from friends checking to make sure that I was fine made me realise that what had simply been a mild trembling in my area was more tremulous in certain parts of the city…

A few days after the earth tremors, which were felt in different parts of Abuja between 5 September and 8 September, the government released a statement to reassure residents that there was nothing to worry about…

The National Space and Research Development Agency (NASRDA) assured Abuja residents that there was no cause for alarm, although confirming that an earthquake had indeed occurred.

Agency head Seidu Mohammed said the magnitude was low and not worrying enough to warrant residents of the affected areas panicking and relocating elsewhere…

While government agencies have aired conflicting conjectures, many Nigerians, who tend to be deeply religious, have drawn their own conclusions.

Some believe it is a sign that God is angry with our country about something.

Some believe that it is a warning to President Muhammadu Buhari; perhaps against his style of leadership or his intention to run for re-election in 2019 despite his lacklustre performance over the past three-and-a-half years.

Yet others believe that the earth tremors are simply a call to more fervent prayer for our nation, lest earthquakes soon join an already long list of headline-stealing tribulations that includes: Farmer-herdsmen clashes, the Boko Haram insurgency, ethnic agitations and the battered economy.

One can hardly imagine how Nigeria might handle earthquakes when the government is still battling to cope with these other disasters that have left millions displaced and in dire need.

Labels: elections, leadership, Nigeria, political culture

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

An unscheduled election may be scheduled in the UK

British Prime Minister Theresa May is planning an early general election in November to save her leadership and to prevent the collapse of talks with European leaders over Britain's exit from the bloc, according to a report by the Sunday Times newspaper.

The report comes just days after EU leaders rejected the Conservative party leader's preferred plan for leaving the EU, the so-called Chequers agreement.

Under that plan, the United Kingdom would enter into a free trade area with the European Union, which would have common rules and standards in several major industries, and maintain customs duties regulations but end freedom of movement between EU member states and the UK.

EU leaders dismissed the proposals as unworkable at a meeting they attended with May in Salzburg earlier this week.

The Sunday Times spoke to two senior aides to May, who said they were planning to announce a new general election to secure public backing for a new negotiating platform with the EU.

Citing a member of her inner circle, the newspaper also said that May was planning to step down from her role next summer.

The prime minister has found herself politically boxed in by the EU abroad and at home by both opponents of Brexit who want a second referendum and 'hard Brexiteers' in her own party who want a clean break with the EU.

Her previous attempt at securing public support for her Brexit negotiating strategy fell flat when the Conservatives lost their majority in the 2017 election…

The UK has until March to secure a deal on the terms of its exit from the EU. Not doing so will result in a 'no deal' Brexit, in which the UK leaves the bloc without an agreement and reverts to World Trade Organisation rules on trade with the EU.

That could lead to a significant rise in prices and declining growth, according to economists.

Labels: Brexit, elections, leadership, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

It's not over until all the ballots have been counted

An opposition candidate has gone on hunger strike in the far east of Russia after suddenly losing a key regional election that he was poised to win.

With more than 95% of votes counted in the Primorye region, the communist Andrei Ishchenko had a five-point lead. But during the night his pro-Putin rival Andrei Tarasenko overtook him.

Protest in Vladivostok

On Facebook Mr Ishchenko urged his supporters to protest in Vladivostok, saying "our votes are being stolen".

The communists are taking legal action.

Mr Ishchenko said the party's legal service was preparing formal protests over the results in several districts: Artyom, Ussuriysk, Nakhodka, and Sovietskiy, which is in Vladivostok.

"We won't go away until we see fair election results!" he said.

Russia's best-known opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, also called for a mass protest in Vladivostok…

In a tweet, fair elections campaign group Golos reported that Mr Tarasenko, the current acting governor, had suddenly surged ahead when more than 99% of votes had been counted in Primorye.

The vote was a second-round runoff, because no candidate had passed the 50% threshold in the first round…

Communist officials accused the commission there of falsifying ballot papers and delaying issuing the results.

They said the party's observers in the building had refused to leave, at which point firefighters turned up, saying they had to evacuate people because of a suspected fire on the third floor.

BBC Russian reports that similar "emergencies" happened at some other vote-counting centres.

Police cordoned off the election commission building in Ussuriysk. Politicians were then refused entry.

Communist observers declared a hunger strike in the commission building in Artyom, after officials refused to release the results there.

Labels: elections, politics, Russia

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 1 comments

All is not well in Buhari's party

31 August 2018

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has chosen the modus operandus for the emergence of its presidential candidate following its adoption of direct election for the presidential primary poll. The party, which arrived at this decision during its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting…

Nigeria's main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has concluded discussions with six governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 27 of its members in the National Assembly to defect to the PDP.

PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the planned defectors have secured the mandates of their constituents to make the move ahead of the 2019 general elections.

If the claims by the PDP turns out to be true, it will be another major setback for the ruling APC after it lost three governors to the PDP between July and August…

6 September 2018

One after the other, state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday announced their decision not to comply with the directive of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC)…

But as the time of going to press, the chapters in Nasarawa, Plateau, Ogun, Borno, Kogi, Ondo, Kebbi, Bauchi and Kaduna had all indicated preference for the 'direct' opposite…

Labels: elections, leadership, Nigeria, parties, politics

posted by Ken Wedding @ 10:06 AM 0 comments