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The mother of one of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

press release

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Jonathan Administration of seeking to negotiate the timing of the release of the Chibok girls to create a maximum public relations boost for itself, rather than out of a genuine concern for the girls who are now in their sixth month in captivity.

In a statement issued in London on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the clearest evidence of the government's manipulation of the girls' release came during President Goodluck Jonathan's recent visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

"Apparently assured, somehow, that the girls were about to be released, the Administration had set up an elaborate publicity event in New York, rented the necessary crowd and booked back-to-back interviews with the international media to enable the President to luxuriate in the girls' release. This event was billed for the five-star Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, close to the UN Headquarters.

"Nigerians will remember that on 23 Sept., the military announced, on Twitter, the imminent release of the girls, only to retract the statement shortly thereafter. In the intervening period, thousands of 'supporters' of the President had gathered at the Pierre Hotel to welcome the President after the release of the girls, while media interviews had been booked for him.

"Such an occasion required prior organisation, and therefore prior knowledge by both the government and attendees of the timing of any release of the girls. This whole episode was timed to also coincide with President Jonathan's speech to the UN General Assembly on the following day - Sept. 24th - and to secure maximum advantage for the government. Somehow, the whole process collapsed like a pack of cards, to the chagrin of those seeking to exploit the innocent girls for political advantage," it said.

APC condemned the shameless politicization of the plight of the Chibok girls, saying since the incompetence of the Jonathan Administration led to the abduction of the girls in the first instance, it must not seek to make political capital out of their release.

"What should be paramount is securing the release of the girls as soon as possible, not securing their release to fit with a schedule that benefits Goodluck Jonathan politically. For the girls, their parents and indeed all good people of Nigeria, this abduction saga has been a nightmare. It is time for it to end," the party said.

Read more here:
Nigeria: APC Accuses Jonathan Administration of Playing Dirty Politics With Chibok Girls' Plight

The All Progressives Congress candidate in the last conducted Senatorial bye-election in Niger East District, David Umaru has sued Dr. Shem Zabgayi of the Peoples Democratic Party and 388 others at the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Minna.

The party is praying to be declared as the winner of the bye-election having polled majority votes as against the PDP candidate that was declared winner by INEC.

Umaru and his party in a petition to the tribunal made available to our correspondent pleaded the tribunal to cancel results from no fewer than 378 polling units in the nine local government areas of the bye-election for electoral malpractices and irregularities.

Others named as respondents in the petition included the PDP, INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC and all the presiding officers of the commission that participated in the conduct of the bye-election.

The petitioners are also seeking the order of the tribunal to cancel and deduct the votes scored by all parties in the affected polling units from the final results recorded by INEC to determine the rightful winner of the bye-election.

He said, That if the results of the polling units affected by these non-compliance and irregularities are cancelled and deducted from the total final scores of the candidates, I shall emerge with the highest number of valid Votes cast at the election.

That if the result of the above stated Polling Units that were affected by non-compliance are cancelled and deducted, I shall emerge with the highest number of valid votes cast thus; APC 87405-22491 = 64,914 PDP 92056-53837 = 38,219.

The PDP candidate according to results released by INEC got 92,056 while the APC candidate got 87,406 votes, but David Umaru is asking the tribunal to deduct 22,491 votes from APC results and 53,837 votes from that of PDP in determining the lawful winner of the senatorial bye-election.

The petitioners are also praying the tribunal to declare null and void INEC declaration of Dr. Zabgayi and his party as winner of the senatorial bye-election conducted on August 30 and September 6, 2014 because he did not secure majority of lawful votes and that he was not qualified to contest the election having not been properly sponsored by his party (PDP) in accordance with the Provisions of the Constitution.

According to the petitioners the scores ascribed to each of the candidates as were not the true reflection of the candidates actual scores, rather, the product of deliberate wrong entries and collation of figures made by the 3rd Respondents agents or officers at the polling units.

Go here to see the original:
Niger East poll: APC drags Zabgayi, 388 others to tribunal

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress has come under intense pressure from a section of the party supporters to revisit its much touted modified open primaries for the selection of its presidential candidate.

It was gathered in Abuja, on Sunday that some leaders of the party raised the issue during the partys National Executive Committee meeting on Friday.

A source within the party hierarchy confided in our correspondent that the attention of the leadership was drawn to a possible constitutional lacuna in the modified open primaries system adopted by the party.

The source said, They did not agree on a final modality but they agreed that there is no modified open primaries in the Constitution of the party.

The national working committee of the party was given prerogative to redefine the system around the indirect primaries so that it does not affect the constitution.

Read more:
APCs modified open primaries under threat

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