The Chairman of Youth Party, Tomiwa Aladekomo, has expressed concerns over some inadequacies in the conduct of some Lagos State Electoral Independent Commission, LASEIC officials at the on going local government elections.

Aladekomo stated that “it is extremely disturbing to us that at noon, with only three hours left to vote, election materials have still not reached several polling units across the State (at least 20 that we’ve identified at this time), especially in key areas of Eti-Osa, Lekki.

“Additionally there have been substantive and ill-intentioned efforts to confuse voters, with voting booths being moved in several places and talk of votes being ascribed to locations other wards.”

He also added that “Voters are not being properly informed of their rights and agents are deliberately misleading candidates to disenfranchise them.

“Conversely, we are also seeing extensive cases of LASIEC officials allowing people to vote without proper accreditation, making it possible for voters to vote in multiple polling booths.

“Suppression of the people’s right to vote is never acceptable and LASIEC is doing a grave disservice to the people to Lagos and Nigeria today. It must and will not stand,” he said.

The Youth Party (YP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of disenfranchising its members from contesting in the Lagos State Local Government Area chairmanship and councillorship elections scheduled for July 24, 2021.

It described the situation as a continuous victimisation of the party.

In a statement issued and signed by the Trustee of the party, Francis Akinlotan, yesterday the party accused INEC of refusing to list the party on its official website as a registered political party, and also refusing to confirm the party’s status to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), despite several court judgments.

Akinlotan said the party commenced the process of registration in December 2016, “and INEC was against us from the outset. We had to get a court judgment to be considered for registration at all cost.

“Essentially, we had to get a judgment to get an application form. A process that should not take three months according to the law, took more than two years with dire consequences.”

He said the party was eventually registered on August 14, 2018, just a few days before the commencement of primaries for the 2019 general election, despite a judgement of the Federal High Court delivered on October 20, 2017, directing INEC to register the party.

According to the statement, “The late registration of the party affected its ability to perform at the 2019 general election.

“Meanwhile, INEC was busy sponsoring the amendment of the constitution in a manner that would empower it to deregister the party immediately after the 2019 elections.

“INEC sponsored the amendment of Section 225a of the constitution, while delaying our registration. The said Section 225a was amended to require performance of parties at election, without giving any period to allow the parties to grow organically.

“Nonetheless, we fielded 11 candidates for House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly all over the country in those elections. Immediately after the 2019 elections, INEC threatened to deregister our party.

“Consequently, we commenced a court action against INEC in January 2020 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. All other political parties that sued INEC were left off the deregistration list, as the commission cited pending litigation, but not with the Youth Party.”

Akinlotan accused INEC of continuously breaching the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association of members of the party.

“Currently, the LASIEC is about to conduct local government elections in the state and our party wishes to field candidates and participate in the election.

“However, INEC has refused to confirm the status of our party to LASIEC despite the judgments of courts. Thus, the Youth Party and its members are being denied the right to freely participate in the upcoming local government elections,” he stated.

The Youth Party has said there was no level playing field in the just concluded local government election in Lagos State.

The president of the party, Tomiwa Aladekomo, said this on Sunday while addressing journalists on the irregularities they observed in Saturday’s election in the state.

Mr Aladekomo said some of the supporters of the party were disenfranchised because polling units were moved to intimidating places such as the Palace of Oba Elegushi at Lekki-Ikate.

Thousands of Lagosians on Saturday voted representatives for councillorship and local government chairmanship positions across all the 20 local governments and 37 LCDAs in the state.

The election, which was marred by low turnout of voters, had the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) win several seats.

Although election results for some LGAs are yet to be announced, APC won in Badagry, Epe, Shomolu, Bariga, Kosofe, Surulere and other areas.

‘Suppression of Votes’

The Youth Party leadership said votes in the Saturday election were suppressed due to late arrival of materials and other irregularities.

“We were excluded from all processes leading to the election. Supporters that registered to vote after 2018 were excluded from election by administrative fiat.

“Our votes were suppressed by the late arrival of voting materials, leading many of our voters to leave the polling units without having cast their votes. Materials arrived at 3:15pm for polls that closed at 3pm in some cases,” Mr Aladekomo said.

He added that votes were cast in non-designated locations and inaccessible places including a Royal Palace.

“For emphasis, the election in Lekki-Ikate was deeply flawed. Our supporters were unable to access the polling booth because 6 polling units in Ikate were moved to the Palace of Oba Elegushi. Specifically, polling unit 03 to 08 were moved to the palace thereby disenfranchising our supporters,” the party leader said.

Mr Aladekomo said despite that there was no level playing field, their party won comfortably in eight polling units “by a landslide.”

He, however, did not provide details of the polling units where his party won.

“Despite all of these challenges, we presented capable and inspiring candidates, who campaigned vigorously and made their presence felt at the voting booth.

“We are proud of our candidates, the campaigns they ran and our efforts at the elections, and grateful for the support of all of you who are passionate about building a better Nigeria and the expansion of the democratic space,” he said.

Alleged rigging

The party also accused adhoc staff of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) of colluding with party agents and political associates to rig the election.

Ayo Adio, a member of the party, said the “shameless rigging” by APC was captured in some polling units, with videos and pictures circulated.

He made reference to the video of a woman caught voting on several ballot papers at one of the polling units in Lagos.

“There are significant issues with Nigeria’s voting processes, especially for Local Government Elections and many of them were reflected in yesterday’s election.

“In the three polling units at Igbokusu, our agents were harassed, threatened and chased away from their polling stations where ballots were stuffed and people voted multiple times with the collusion of LASIEC officials and the police.

“The kind of rigging and violence deployed in these polling units should embarrass the commission especially with the shameful videos of the rigging currently circulating the media space,” the party said.

Mr Aladekomo said the worst scenario recorded in the Saturday election was moving collation centres without notice to a different location where members of the party were harassed and intimidated.

“The Youth Party will continue to fight vigorously, at the polling booth and in courts of law, to enforce the rights of Nigerians to participate in the democratic space,” the party leader said.

He added that they have confidence in the leadership of LASIEC, headed by a retired Chief Judge of Lagos State, Ayotunde Phillips, and the party is sure the irregularities will be looked into.

The party urged the commission to cancel election results of areas where electoral malpractices were recorded.

“There is no way Justice Philips will tolerate the conduct of many of her staff who did several things to embarrass the Commission. We therefore call on her to cancel the elections in Igbokusu and Ikate where the elections were massively and shamelessly rigged.

“Another election should be conducted in Lekki Phase as well to redeem the credibility of the poll, We call for fresh elections in the affected polling units and urge the Commission to do everything possible to ensure that the conduct is free and fair,” Mr Aladekomo said.

The Youth Party has won a resounding victory today in our bid to ensure participation in the forthcoming Lagos Council Election fixed for 24th July 2021 and our perennial battle to ensure that INEC and LASIEC respect the rule of law, particularly obedience to judicial decisions.

The Federal High Court, Lagos, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/625, before His Lordship, Honourable Justice Akintayo Aluko, granted the order of injunction in a case filed by the Youth Party and argued eloquently by Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, S.A.N., wherein he narrated the “travails of the Youth.”

The Court ruled and granted our prayers that:
‘INEC and LASIEC are restrained whether by themselves, their agents, privies, employees, officers, or anyone whosoever acting for them and on their behalf from conducting the forthcoming Lagos State Local Government elections scheduled for 24th July 2021 or any other elections whatsoever to the exclusion of the Applicant pending the determination of the Interlocutory Application, which has now been adjourned to Monday 19th July 2020.’
In essence, any election conducted with the exclusion of the Youth Party would be illegal, null, and void: an exercise in futility.

The Court’s decision is in line with the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja delivered by Honourable Justice I.E. Ekwo that declared the purported de-registration of the Party illegal, null, and void. Also, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, affirmed the decision of the lower Court and “found the action of INEC very reprehensive.”
The judgment at the lower Court is consequent to INEC’s persistent disregard for the rule of law and judicial decisions in failing to register the Party within the time stipulated in the law and preventing it from participating in elections illegally. The Electoral umpire failed to register the Party after it got a judgment against it in FHC/ABJ/CS/221/2017 between Chukwudi Adiukwu & Ors V. INEC delivered on 18th October 2017 until 14th August 2018, less than five days to the commencement of Party primaries in 2018. INEC further resorted to illegal self-help by illegally de-registering Youth Party while both of them were before the Federal High Court over the issue. INEC has taken the position of an immoral and biased electoral umpire.

Furthermore, INEC is currently refusing to list the Party on its website as a registered Party or allow it to participate in any election even in the face of an Appeal Court judgment, which had not been set aside or stayed.
Honourable Justice I.E. Ekwo in his judgment had held that:
“The Defendant is not above the law. No person or parties to an action is allowed to resort to self-help when an action is pending in Court”. The claim that the Defendant has the power pursuant to S. 225A (b) & (c) of the 1999 Constitution(as amended) to de-register a political party does not justify the action of the Defendant while this action is pending. The Defendant must understand that the constitution is not an author of confusion. I condemn the action of the Defendant as a wrong exercise of might. Therefore, the de-registration of the Plaintiff during the pendency of this action by the Defendant is illegal, null and void, and liable to be set aside. Consequently, I hereby make an order setting aside the de-registration of the Plaintiff.”

The ruling of the Federal High Court has put paid to the shameless resort to self-help, orchestrated by the collaborative efforts of INEC and LASIEC to stop the Youth Party’s commitment to the expansion of the democratic space, political ascendancy, and its bid to prevent the rot in the political space.

Once again, we thank the Nigerian Judiciary for giving us hope that the rule of law is still sacrosanct and the judiciary is the hope of our democracy.

For many reasons, Nigeria seems to be a disappointment to her citizens. Regardless, we owe our country certain duties and it behoves us, the youth, to show the world that we are indeed a country with great potential. How else can we prove that we are the leaders of tomorrow?

As the elections come around in a few years, there are two things that I believe we owe our country. The first duty is political participation-being involved in those activities that influence or shape the political arena. Political participation is not limited to exercising the right to vote or be voted for. It also involves activities such as signing petitions, participating in peaceful rallies, and lobbying for better laws.

The depth of our politicians’ hunger for power is displayed in the ways they use the media and other means to discredit their opponents. Today, politicians are more concerned with fighting and discrediting their opponents than they are with actually governing the people. Votes are often bought and people are canvassed to decide their fate for the next four years based on handouts such as foodstuff and money, amongst other things. How can a bag of rice or a few naira notes determine who you vote for? We need to educate ourselves about the consequences of such poor judgement, and make efforts to reach and educate those who don’t have access to the information that will enable them make better political choices.

We also need to get more actively involved in politics or governance through signing of petitions, and peaceful campaigns for laws that address flaws in the system that should be corrected. There is a saying that, ‘Heaven helps only those who help themselves’. Let us start taking a few steps to save our country, instead of expecting God to save us without doing anything ourselves. We must make an effort to change things through voting.

The second duty we owe to our country is patriotism. We have become a country that continuously points out our ethnic differences. There’s rhetoric of bigotry and ethnic stigma, and it is trying to tear us apart. Our religious and ethnic differences have become more glaring than they ought to be. We have replaced love with fear, tolerance with insurgency, and patriotism with greed and selfishness. We need to participate in politics in order to make a direct impact on society.

However, political participation has to be sensible in order to achieve the effects desired. We need to scrutinize and properly research the candidates for whom we are voting before casting our votes. It is best not to limit our views to hearsay and prejudice based on ethnicity or religion, which, all too often, seems to be the case these days. In this country, belonging to a tribe or an ethnic group seems to come before being a Nigerian. Some people never get the chance to marry those they truly love because of tribal differences. This is not just limited to marriage; however, it stretches into national matters such as voting along tribal/ethnic lines during elections. Such narrow-minded views drag our country backwards. As the youth, we have to remove these shackles that are holding our country down, through deliberate action.

The American and British people are known for putting their countries first, breeding some of the most patriotic citizens in the world. Their countries also rank among the most developed countries in the world today. We should learn from such countries and, as youths, try to promote ‘One Nigeria’ through the various talents and resources we have. Our ethnic differences should bind us together rather than pull us apart. Our country should always come first regardless of whatever tribe we come from. The best way to move Nigeria forward is to stand united.

The Youth Party has condemned the Federal Government over its decision to indefinitely suspend the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.

The Party described the government’s hasty decision as a brazen infringement on the rights and dignity of Nigerians. The party stressed that the freedom of expression and access to information is an inalienable right that is sacrosanct and non-negotiable.

In a statement released on Twitter by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, government attributed the suspension to what it termed “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria”, added Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant To The President (Media).

But the Party, in a statement by its National Chair, Tomiwa Aladekomo, said the decision is illegal, unconstitutional and an attempt by the government to gag Nigerians.

According to him, “We strongly condemn the actions of the Federal Government banning the operations of Twitter in Nigeria as it grossly violates the rights of Nigerians to expression and access to information.

“This unnecessary and rather unfortunate decision is not only an attempt by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to shrink the social media space in its bid to silent Nigerians but it amounts to an assault on citizens constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.

“It is strange and quite worrying that the government would consider a ban on Twitter or any other media outfit, not minding the economic and social consequences of it’s action; another sign of a government that is out of touch with realiaties of young, vibrant and technologically savvy population.

Tomiwa further called for the immediate reversal on the ban and for government to redirect its energy and resources in addressing the spate of kidnappings, banditry, secessionists’ attacks and other criminal activities that have continued to violently claim the lives of thousands of innocent Nigerians on a daily basis.

Bokoharam has one purpose now, and that is to govern. This mission makes the terrorist group a far more significant threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty than we ever imagined. Expectedly, their most important weapon of warfare is not their recently acquired anti-aircraft missile, nor the dynamism of their guerrilla tactic; it is their effective propaganda machine – one that targets hearts and minds. This war machine is proving even more effective as the Nigerian government (including state and local governments) is spectacularly failing to provide essential social services to people in remote communities in the North East and North West.

In its bold attempt to establish its caliphate, Boko-Haram is modeling its approach after ISIS at the height of its prominence when it controlled 45,377 square kilometers (about the size of Kano, Ogun, and Rivers state put together) between Iraq and Syria. When ISIS took over cities like Mosul, Fallujah, and Raqa, it embarked on a widespread campaign to disseminate its ideology among the local population by using various media productions such as al-Naba’s, a weekly newspaper, and al-Bayan Radio, a broadcast radio station. Bokoharam, on the other hand, has found an effective way of using social media and digital technology to drive a disinformation campaign and to spread its ideology.

Unfortunately, and somewhat naively, the Nigerian government has continued to view Boko haram terrorists as merely a renegade army rather than a group of zealots who dream of establishing a new system of government and imposing their ways on the Nigerian people. Nigeria would approach this warfare with broader counterterrorism measures to win the information warfare and defeat the terrorists on the battlefield if it knew better. At the moment, the government seems to be ceding that ground to the terrorists. For some locals in remote villages in the North, Boko haram is the only group offering them a sense of belonging, giving them hope and identity. In contrast, the government is notoriously absent. There is a tiny provision of basic amenities, and the state is unable to protect them. What option do you think they are left with?

When people can no longer genuinely feel the presence or impact of the Nigerian state, the promise of a caliphate becomes a much appealing proposition. It is for this precise reason that the terrorists are brutally effective and extremely dangerous. The Nigerian government has no story to tell, and it is not even attempting to create one to inspire hope and patriotism.

It doesn’t matter if the Service Chief’s are changed often or how much we budget for the Nigerian Army. As long as the terrorists tell a better story, our bullets will be no match for their weapons of warfare. While it is essential to continue strengthening our military, this war cannot be won with just boots on the ground or fighter jets in the air. If in doubt, ask the Americans about their 18-year experience in Afghanistan.

The Abia State chapter of the Youth Party has condemned, in strong terms, the setting ablaze of the offices of the Abia State Police Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Nigeria Immigration Services State headquarters, at Ubakala and Umuagu Police Stations, in Umuahia, the State capital, describing it as unfortunate.

In a statement issued to journalists in Umuahia on Sunday, the Party’s spokesperson in Abia State, Mr. Frank Chibuisi, decried the gruesome killings of innocent Nigerians and destruction of state infrastructure by enemies of Nigeria, stressing that they are dragging development back in the State.

The Party advised any individuals or groups destroying government property and attacking security formations in the Southeast to rethink the implications of their actions, emphasizing the need for dialogue with all segments of the country who are aggrieved.

The Youth Party’s spokesperson urged the unknown gunmen perpetrating these crimes in the Southeast to employ legitimate and lawful means in their agitations, reiterating that destruction of
property, security formations, and killing of security agents, among others, is an aberration and an action that will retard development in the zone.

Mr. Chibuisi further called for residents in the zone to participate in the political process to redress their issues instead of violence. He urged young people to register to vote and join a political party. He noted that the Youth Party was currently participating in the Senate’s constitutional reform exercise and would also prepare recommendations for the House of Representative’s constitution reform exercise.

Nothing delights me more than the opportunity to rethink our political system to encourage the emergence of a nation that works for all Nigerians. The ongoing Public Hearing on Constitutional Amendment is one of such opportunities. I hope that the Nigerian people and the political elite will engage in this process with the seriousness that it deserves.   

The Youth Party (a political organisation that I’m privileged to lead) has submitted its recommendations and made presentations in five of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, on the proposed alteration to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, during the conduct of the momentous Public Hearing, which ended on Thursday May 27.

The issues proposed by our party include judicial and electoral reforms, local government administration, allocation of funds, state police, gender equality, residency and indigeneship, local government elections and public revenue, fiscal federalism, and revenue allocation, among others.

In our recommendations on gender equity and increased participation of women and vulnerable groups in governance, we are suggesting that a certain number or percentage of women and people with disability should be stated in the Constitution to guide the political parties in the fielding of candidates and also the governors/president in the choice of their cabinet members.

Hence, we recommend the amendment of sections Section 48, 49, 91, 71, 72 to reflect the National Gender Policy by ensuring that 35 per cent of the composition of the national and state parliaments shall be reserved for women, to promote gender diversity. Equally important, on the rights of girls and women, we have recommended that the legal age of marriage be put at 18 years.

On local government administration and autonomy, we recommended the deletion of Sections 3(6), 7(6) (a), 162(5), 8(5) and (6) and 153(1) (f) of the Constitution, which gives unfettered opportunity to the Federal Government to interfere with the power of States over the creation and management of the local government system. Expunging these constitutional provisions will place the local government system in their proper position under a truly federal structure. State governments should also be given the constitutionally guaranteed and unfettered power to create as many local governments as they deem fit.

Furthermore, on the allocation of funds to local governments, the Constitution should expressly void and abolish Section 162(6), which provides for establishing joint accounts by States and local governments. The Constitution should, therefore, ensure direct federal funding of local government councils, without the interference of state governments. Section 3 (6) should also be abolished and deleted from the Constitution to allow for the creation of more local government areas in the country.

On public revenue, fiscal federalism, and revenue allocation, we are recommending that Section 162 (2) of the Constitution, as well as the legislative list, should be amended to allow the states to collect taxes over mineral resources within their territories and the remittance of 25 per cent of such taxes to the Federal Government. The Constitution should be amended to clear the ambiguity over the collection of consumption tax (VAT) by the Federal Government for the benefit of the States. The States should also administer/collect VAT within their territories.

For the creation of State Police, the Youth Party believes that a pilot State Police Programme can be implemented in economically viable states for four years. Furthermore, any State that is desirous of establishing a State Police Department must demonstrate the ability to fund the Department. Also, a State Police Service Commission with clear oversight powers and the ability to discipline erring officers must be established contemporaneously with any State Police Department. 

In the event of gross mismanagement or abuse of powers by a State Police Department, the Attorney General of the Federation shall have the powers to approach the Supreme Court for an order directing his or her office to take over the administration of such a State Police Department until the State demonstrates the ability to remedy and prevent the recurrence of the abuse or mismanagement.

Concerning electoral reforms, the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 14(1)(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 on the mode of appointment of INEC Commissioners and Resident Commissioners needs to have an amendment in order to preserve neutrality and protect the institution from the blatant partisanship currently displayed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In partial support of the Uwais Committee Report on Electoral Reforms, we recommend that the National Judicial Council (NJC) be in charge of advertising the positions and screening applicants for vacancies into the positions of INEC commissioners and the Chairman, within 20 days from the date of the expiration of the terms of office of incumbents.

The NJC should then recommend three applicants to the President within 20 (twenty) days from the date of screening. The President should then forward one of the three nominees to the Senate for confirmation within 30 (thirty) days upon receipt of the list.

On the deregistration of political parties, our Party has consistently argued that INEC should approach the courts for the deregistration of parties and state the grounds for their deregistration with sufficient clarity and precision. This power must only be exercised upon obtaining a court order granting leave to exercise the power. This is similar to the position for the disqualification of candidates, winding up of banks, and other similar institutions. The deregistration of a political party is equivalent to taking away the party’s life, and the decision should be left to the court. The disqualification of a candidate from an election as a result of ineligibility, regardless of the evidence, cannot be done by INEC but by the courts. In that case, it is ridiculous that the political party sponsoring him or her can be deregistered administratively.

This is unacceptable and bound to lead to injustice, not to mention the breach of fundamental human rights, freedom of association, and breach of fair hearing, contrary to Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution. The power to deregister a party should be exercised through the Federal High Court. We have had our own fair share of INEC’s disregard for the rule of law, having attempted to deregister our Party despite an order of the court restraining the Commission from doing so. Thankfully, a recent Appeal Court judgment has again ruled in our favour, describing INEC’s action as reprehensible.

Finally, on the issue of the creation of States and local governments, it is our position that this must be based on the economic viability of the aspiring State to meet the financial needs of its people without recourse to the Federal Government or federal allocation. This should be followed by a referendum in the State. A new State must be economically viable, financially sustainable, it must have secured the consent of its residents/indigenes and the existing States that it would be carved from.

I hope that the National Assembly will follow through with a number of the crucial recommendations made by our Party and other organizations. As a country, we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to deliver a constitution that works for the people and supports their aspirations.

…urges accountability, justice for victims

The Youth Party has called for urgent action to end the rising violence and insecurity across the country, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to ramp up measures to ensure citizens’ protection of lives and property.

In a statement by its National Chair, Mr. Tomiwa Aladekomo, the party, in solidarity with the National Day of Mourning for victims of insecurity in Nigeria, called for justice for thousands of innocent citizens violently killed across the country on account of insecurity.

Aladekomo, who noted that the continued spate of insecurity in the country had reached an alarming level, said the rising killings were an indication that Nigeria is sitting on a ticking time bomb, which could explode at any point in time if the menace is not quickly addressed.

According to him, “The Youth Party expresses its solidarity with the National Day of Mourning and demands justice and accountability for the security and welfare of all Nigerians, especially victims of this hydra-headed monster called insecurity.

“We are worried over the incessant killings and maiming of innocent citizens, which have festered unabated. While kidnapping and secessionists’ activities persist, bandits and other terrorists have continued killing tens of people daily in the name of farmers’ and herders’ clashes. Still, the authorities remain mute, with no clear direction to tackle the scourge and protect citizens.

“In Benue State alone, over 150 people have allegedly been killed in the last seven days, according to reports. Attacks, which were once spontaneous, have become premeditated scorched-earth campaigns in which marauders now attack villagers and other innocent people by surprise, even in broad daylight, to maim and kill citizens. How else do we describe a failed government? All these killings must stop!”

“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and all elected government officials to, as a matter of urgency, bring to an end the rising violence and insecurity across the country.”