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INEC Lists Corps Members To Conduct Direct Primaries

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The Independent National Electoral Commission may be forced to use serving members of the National Youth Service Corps to monitor political parties’ direct primaries across the country if the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), signs the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

This is because of the large number of personnel that will be needed to monitor the direct primaries across the 8,809 awards in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, confirmed this in a chat with one of our correspondents on Sunday.

Okoye said it would be premature to speculate since Buhari had not yet signed the bill. He also said certain factors would be considered.

He admitted that the staff requirements for primaries would “change if the President assents to the bill.”

The INEC spokesman said some political parties might consider conducting primaries at the ward level, while others might use the local governments or senatorial districts as the criteria for primaries

Responding to a question, Okoye said, “Some parties may adopt the 8,809 registration areas (wards) of the commission for their primaries. Some may use the 774 LGAs for their primaries. Some may cluster their primaries around the senatorial districts.

“Some may use the state capitals and have a differential period when people from a particular local government area can vote. These things will be set out in the guidelines that will be designed by the parties and filed with the commission at least 14 days before the conduct of the primaries.

“When the bill is signed into law, the commission will meet and take a position on how to proceed with each strand and segment of the process. We may use our staff members for some of the primaries. We may use lecturers of federal tertiary institutions for some. We may use staff members of federal agencies and commissions, and we may use corps members. It depends on the track designed and submitted by the parties.”

Also speaking with The PUNCH, a retired INEC director, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said the use of corps members would be the most feasible if the President assents to the bill.

Osaze-Uzzi, who said mandatory direct primaries would increase the cost of elections, stated that the NYSC remained the largest single pool of personnel available to INEC.

“It is most likely that INEC will use corps members because the NYSC is the single largest pool of personnel available to the commission. But more importantly, is the cost implication. The cost of conducting elections will be astronomical,” he stated.

The commission, according to its 2019 project plan, hired about 2.7 million ad hoc officials for the general elections, many of whom were corps members.

The document, which was obtained by The PUNCH, showed that N630m was spent on monitoring political party congresses and primaries in 2018. About N104.8m was spent on monitoring governorship, senatorial, state constituency, and federal constituency primaries, while the presidential primary cost N27.8m.

Attempts to get a response from the NYSC on the proposal proved abortive as its spokesperson, Mrs Nike Adeyemi, did not respond to inquiries.

The National Assembly had last week passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which makes it compulsory for all political parties to conduct their primaries using the direct method.

The Peoples Democratic Party and the governors of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the provision for direct primaries, while the National Assembly remains adamant.

This week, the bill is expected to be transmitted to Buhari for assent upon his return from South Africa. However, governors have begun making moves to ensure that he does not sign it.

But the House of Representatives and some senators have threatened to veto the President if he fails to sign the bill within 30 days.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had said last week that many of the National Assembly members believed the best way for them to win re-election was by the direct primary method, which would not be easily manipulated by their state governors.

“The reason (for the endorsement of direct primaries by the National Assembly) as it emerged from our discussions at the tripartite committee was that some legislators felt that state governments had completely taken over party congresses, and other legislators, as stakeholders, stood no chance of a fair contest in the primaries if all potential delegates and actors have already been spoken for,” Osinbajo said.

Meanwhile, political parties under the aegis of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, have again kicked against the use of direct primaries

The National Publicity Secretary of IPAC, Major Agbo, told The PUNCH that it could affect smaller parties, which did not have the finances.

He said, “The passage of the Electoral Act due to pressure from the electorate is a welcome development. The wishes and aspirations of Nigerians prevailed at last even though they tried to scuttle it initially.

“However, the inclusion of the clause on direct primaries is meant to stifle smaller parties without resources. The resources required to mobilize all party members for the primaries are enormous and will effectively put the smaller parties in difficulty, especially as the parties do not receive any funding from the government as tenable in other climes.

“This is not healthy for our democracy as it gives undue advantage to the bigger parties at the expense of the smaller ones. Nigerians should insist that this clause be removed before the bill is assented to.”

In a related development, the Senate has expressed optimism that Buhari will sign into law the 2010 Electoral Act (amendment) Bill, 2021, which will be transmitted to him this week.

The spokesman for the Senate, Ajibola Basiru, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja.

He said only enemies of democracy would envisage that the President would not assent to the bill.

“The President has not rejected direct primary and has not told anybody that he will not sign the bill,” Basiru stated.

Asked if the federal lawmakers would carry out their threat to veto the President if he declines assent to the bill, Basiru said he did not believe in assumptions.

He stated, “I don’t deal in theories. I don’t deal in hypotheses. I won’t answer any question on whether the National Assembly will veto the President or not. It will be an insult on the President for anybody to be thinking that he will withhold assent to the bill.

“We don’t have any problem with the President. We have done our work. Let anybody go and tell the President not to sign it. Go ahead. When we get to the bridge, we will know how to cross it.

“It is presumptuous for anybody to assume that he will refuse assent to the bill. It is not even healthy for democracy. It is only negative people, who are enemies of democracy, who will think like that.”

Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, has said the direct primary method is better than the indirect system.

Rafsanjani, in an interview with one of our correspondents, however, said the National Assembly should not impose the direct primary method on all political parties without due consultation.

“The positive side of the direct primary method is more than the indirect, because of the ways and manners in which it affects political parties negatively. The National Assembly should get the support of other political parties before imposing the method on them,” he said.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Kola Ologbondiyan, also said the party was against the imposition of a sole mode of primary on all the parties.

Ologbondiyan stated, “Our position in the PDP has always been that the parties should be allowed to determine the type of primary they wish to adopt.

“The National Assembly cannot force a singular process on all the political parties.”

The PDP spokesman, however, said the party had yet to determine the method it would adopt to elect the candidates, who would fly its flags in the 2023 general elections.

“We have not adopted any mode of primary for the 2023 general elections. We should be able to agree on that by the end of the year,” Ologbondiyan added.”

BIG STORY

COALITION: Peter Obi Will Be Expelled From Labour Party — Arabambi

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The Labour Party has announced its intention to expel former presidential candidate Peter Obi over his participation in an opposition coalition seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu.

During a live appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, a party chieftain, Abayomi Arabambi, said Obi’s involvement with the coalition while remaining a Labour Party member was “unconstitutional” and “unacceptable.”

“Let me make it very clear: we are convening a NEC [National Executive Council] meeting where he [Obi] will be expelled. It is unconstitutional for you to belong to two political parties at a time. They have deceived him to their side, and there he shall remain,” Arabambi said.

He explained that the NEC would recommend Obi’s expulsion, which would then be formally approved at the party’s convention in line with its constitution.

“Obi will be expelled from our party. He is no longer a member. It is not within his right to claim, ‘I am still a member of the Labour Party,’ and at the same time be hobnobbing with what we call the ‘yahoo yahoo’ coalition. We are not going to accept that,” he said.

In a critical statement, Arabambi rejected claims that Obi was responsible for the Labour Party’s rise, saying, “I want to correct a very wrong notion—Obi did not make the Labour Party; the Labour Party made Peter Obi. It was just a chance of circumstance because of the #EndSARS protests and the failings of past administrations. Nigerians were simply tired.”

He insisted that it was the party’s credibility that gave Obi the platform that elevated his political image in 2023.

“It’s because of our own integrity. That was what gave Obi what he is today. He should be banking on our goodwill, not the other way around. He started the crisis in the Labour Party,” he said.

Arabambi also accused Obi of having an authoritarian approach, saying, “If he can fight party members to do his will, then he is not fit to run the party.”

He emphasized that the Labour Party had only one recognized leadership, stating, “Let me also make it clear: we do not have groups in the Labour Party. We have only one leadership under Julius Abure, our national chairman.”

Arabambi’s comments came after the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party gave Obi a 48-hour deadline to formally resign from the party over his alleged “bromance” with the coalition.

In a statement dated 3 July, LP’s Obiora Ifoh said, “Labour Party is not part of the coalition. Therefore, any of our members who are part of the coalition are given within 48 hours to formally resign his membership of the party.

Labour Party is not available for people with dual agendas or deceptive personas. We will not allow individuals to have one leg in our party and the other elsewhere.”

Ifoh accused coalition members of being opportunistic politicians “interested in relaunching themselves into the circle of power.”

This situation arose after the opposition coalition met on Wednesday, 2 July, in Abuja, where the ADC was adopted as its platform for the 2027 elections.

The coalition appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman and former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola as secretary.

The meeting was attended by many prominent politicians, including Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Gabriel Suswam, Ireti Kingibe, Emeka Ihedioha, and Sadique Abubakar—along with Obi.

 

Credit: Channels TV

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: JAMB Sets 150 As Cut-Off Mark For Universities

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has approved 150 as the cut-off score for university admissions in the country.

The decision was reached on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

It also announced that the cut-off score for colleges of nursing is 140, while both colleges of agriculture and colleges of education have a cut-off score of 100.

“The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions),” JAMB wrote on its X handle.

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BIG STORY

Over 100 Killed In Texas Flood, Bodies Recovered As Search And Rescue Operations Continue

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The number of deaths from severe flooding in Texas climbed to more than 100 on Monday, as rescue teams continued their difficult search for individuals swept away by the rushing waters.

Among those who died were at least 27 girls and counsellors who were at a youth summer camp located by a river when the disaster struck during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Weather experts have cautioned about further flooding risks as rain continues to fall on already saturated ground, making recovery operations harder for the roughly 1,750 personnel involved, using helicopters, boats, and dogs.

“There is still a threat of heavy rain with the potential to cause flooding,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated on Monday, warning that the death toll could still increase.

President Donald Trump confirmed plans to visit Texas on Friday, as the White House pushed back against accusations that his administration’s cuts to weather agencies weakened the flood warnings.

“Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday.

She noted that the National Weather Service, which The New York Times reported had several vacancies in Texas prior to the floods, issued “timely and precise forecasts and warnings.”

Trump described the floods that hit early Friday as a “100-year catastrophe” that “nobody expected.”

Although the president has previously argued that disaster relief should be handled by state governments, he signed a major disaster declaration to release federal funds and provide additional resources.

At least 104 deaths linked to the flooding have been reported throughout central Texas.

Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River flows, suffered the greatest losses, with at least 84 deaths reported, including 28 children, according to the local sheriff’s office.

Among the dead were 27 people who had been staying at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp hosting around 750 individuals when the floodwaters struck.

Camps are a cherished part of summer in the United States, with children often spending time in rural areas such as parks and woods.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz described the camps as opportunities to make “lifetime friends — and then suddenly it turns to tragedy.”

However, some locals have raised concerns about the lack of stronger flood-warning systems in this region of south and central Texas, often referred to as “Flash Flood Alley” due to its frequent and severe flooding.

Experts have emphasized that the NWS provided timely forecasts, while climate scientist Daniel Swain pointed to failures in “warning dissemination.”

San Antonio resident Nicole Wilson, who almost sent her daughters to Camp Mystic, launched a petition on Change.org urging Governor Greg Abbott to approve a modern warning system.

“Five minutes of that siren going off could have saved every single one of those children,” she told AFP.

During a candlelight vigil in San Antonio on Monday night, people gathered to pray for the victims and express ongoing concerns.

“I was pretty shocked on the gravity of the situation and how big it was, and I wouldn’t necessarily expect that our rivers would rise so quickly,” said Rebeca Gutierrez, 29.

“Hopefully there’s preventative efforts happening in similar areas to make sure nothing to this degree happens.”

In a devastating demonstration of nature’s force, the swollen Guadalupe River rose to the level of treetops and cabin roofs while girls were sleeping inside the camp.

Blankets, teddy bears, and other personal items were left coated in mud.

Cabin windows were smashed, likely from the powerful water currents.

Volunteers assisted in sifting through debris along the river, with some being driven by personal connections to the victims.

“We’re helping the parents of two of the missing children.

The last message they got was ‘We’re being washed away,’ and the phone went dead,” said Louis Deppe, 62, to AFP.

Several months’ worth of rainfall poured down in just a few hours from Thursday night into Friday, with additional rainfall since then.

The Guadalupe River surged by about 26 feet, roughly equivalent to a two-story building, within just 45 minutes.

Flash floods happen when the ground cannot absorb sudden heavy rainfall.

Human-induced climate change has intensified the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves in recent years.

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