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You can hear Phil Matiers comments Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) They can drive, they can work, and now a group of San Francisco city officials, including two supervisors want 16-and 17-year-olds to be eligible to vote.

San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos will introduce a measurethe first of its kind in a major U.S. city on Tuesday to do just that.

Avalos, Supervisor Eric Mar and other supporters say it will encourage civic engagement among youths and instill lifelong voting habits.

While two small cities in Maryland already have such voting laws where the teen turnout is four times of that of adults, the measure here should make interesting fodder for talk shows and web blogs because this is San Francisco after all.

But in order to pass, the Board of Supervisors would have to approve a charter amendment which would then go on the ballot for all currently eligible voters to decide. This November would be the earliest that such vote could be decided on.

This push comes from a combination of some city teens who want to take part in the voting system and the citys progressives.

The San Francisco Youth Commission recently passed a resolution asking for the expansion of voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds. But there is also the assumption that they will make choices that will lean liberal. Thats why the measure is being pushed by the progressivesincluding Public Defender Jeff Adachiwho have lost ground in recent elections due to the growing moderate movement represented by Mayor Ed Lee.

Having teens vote is not going to move mountains and change presidential elections; however, it may have an effect on smaller local items such as school bonds in which swing votes by one or two percent could make a difference.

So where could this new dynamic lead? Could high school civics teacher become ward bosses who sit down with politicians and promise deliveries of votes?

See the original post:
San Francisco Progressives Push For Lowering Minimum Voter Age To 16

An All Progressives Congress candidate seeking to represent Iseyin Federal Constituency of Oyo State in the House of Representatives, Mr. Adeola Olasupo, has predicted victory for the governor of Oyo State, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, in the forthcoming governorship election.

Olasupo who is contesting for the Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency made the prediction while speaking with newsmen, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He said from his track record of performance, it was evident that the governor is on the verge of making history as the first governor of the state to break the second term jinx in the State.

Olasupo said, I agree that there is a saying that the people of Oyo State dont serve one governor twice. But the saying arose because those who have been governing Oyo State, especially during the current republic, until Ajimobi came on board, have not been serving the people.

They have been serving themselves rather than serving the people. The reverse is the case with Ajimobi. He has been serving the people and that is why the people of Oyo State are determined to give him a second term.

The APC candidate expressed confidence that the party will win all the seats in his constituency because the partys candidates emerged through transparent processes which even those who lost congratulated the winners and pledged to work with them to ensure victory for the party.

He further explained that unlike the past when candidates were imposed, the process this time around ensured that all those who were interested were given an opportunity to stand and compete.

The candidate equally predicted a landslide victory for the presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, which he said has become the candidate for all Nigerians.

He argued that the opposition of the Peoples Democratic Party to the use of Card Readers is an indication that the party knows that it cannot win in any free and fair contest.

For the first time you see a so-called ruling party behaving like an opposition party.

Originally posted here:
Ajimobi will break second term jinx APC candidate

Members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate, on Tuesday expressed disappointment in the comments credited to the Senate Spokesperson, Eyinnaya Abaribe, following their refusal to support the confirmation of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as Minister.

Abaribe, had, while reacting to the decision of the APC senators last week, told journalists that the lawmakers were equally guilty of the offence which they were accusing Obanikoro of committing and that some of them had pending cases with the EFCC.

The senators therefore asked Senate President, David Mark, to call the Abia-South Senatorial District senator to order in the interest of peaceful co-existence in the upper chamber.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Senate Minority leader, Senator George Akume, who raised a point of order shortly before the commencement of plenary, noted that Abaribes statement was capable of threatening the comradeship in the red chamber.

Akume, who cited Orders 42 and 53, sub-section 9, said Abaribe went beyond his briefs by insinuating that some members of the opposition APC in the senate who opposed Obanikoros clearance, were on the watch list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Read more:
APC senators move against Abaribe over Obanikoro

National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lai Mohammed | credits: File copy

The All Progressives Congress says President Goodluck Jonathan has employed an Israeli expert to interrupt the frequency of card readers on the election day in order to frustrate the use of the machines.

The APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the card reader jammers can undermine the effectiveness of the card reader from over 100 metres.

The statement read, We can authoritatively inform Nigerians that the morbid fear of card readers by the Jonathan administration and the PDP has now been translated into concrete action: They have hired an Israeli to do the dirty job of jamming the card readers.

To those who might accuse us of crying wolf, they should realise that every alarm we have raised in the past has been true, including that the Jonathan administration was pushing for the postponement of the elections and that they are mortally afraid of the use of Permanent Voter Cards and card readers.

The APC said the Israeli was hired specifically to develop three prototype card reader jammers, and that he has now developed three of such jammers to be carried in the pockets of trusted PDP stalwarts on election day with a view to disabling the card readers within the state radius.

The party said that apart from disabling the card readers, the jammers would also disable all telephones and computers within the radius of those carrying them on their persons.

It said an order had been placed for 75,000 pieces of the jammers at a cost of $200 per piece, bringing the total cost to $15m.

The statement added, The plan is to deploy the card jammers to the areas deemed to be the strongholds of the APC, such as the North-West, North-East, North-Central and the South-West.

It is the planned procurement of the jammers that has given the confidence to the administration and party officials to continuously boast that Buhari will never rule Nigeria, and also the reason why a chieftain of the PDP boasted last week that the card readers wont work, thus advising INEC to make alternative arrangements.

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President hired Israeli to frustrate card readers APC

Fomer Head of State, Maj-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd.) | credits: file photo

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation has condemned the frequent resort to violence in dealing with perceived grievances by the people.

Reacting to the incident at Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State where dozens, mainly women and children, were killed in cold blood by suspected herdsmen, the APC Presidential candidate in a statement in Abuja on Monday said that the resort to violence in whatever form was not acceptable and justifiable, no matter the grievances.

Mallam Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity of APCPCO, said Maj. Gen. Buhari was deeply saddened that the cordial relationships that once existed among the people have been replaced by intolerance and hate.

According to the statement, leadership is the key to dealing with frequent communal clashes between Fulani and Benue communities over disputes about farmland and grazing land.

Shehu said political leaders should be able to build trust among the people as the basis for dialogue, adding that if the people can no longer listen to their leaders, such crises might persist and make life more miserable for the people.

While condoling with the families of the of the latest victims of violence in Benue State, the APCPCO called on all politicians, regardless of party division, to unite and speak with one voice over such embarrassing incidents.

According to Shehu, the interested parties should recognise the rights of each other and be able to make compromises for the sake of peace.

He said that confidence building remained the only approach the people could have to bring the people together for dialogue at the negotiation table.

He said, In moments of tensions, leaders should rise to the occasion and be part of the solution.

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Benue massacre: Buhari says bloodshed not a solution