I'm Wike's Cousin, Nigerians Should've Asked If My Conscience Is Active - Edo REC ~ OsazuwaAkonedo #Anugbum #APC #Asue #edo #election #Godwin #Ighodalo #INEC #Monday #news #Nyesom #Obaseki #Okpebolo #Onuoha #PDP #REC #Wike https://osazuwaakonedo.news/im-wikes-cousin-nigerians-shouldve-asked-if-my-conscience-is-active-edo-rec/20/09/2024/ #Politics Published: September 20th, 2024 Reshared: September 21, 2024 11:52 am Anugbum Onuoha, Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, ReC who apparently
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00:00Anubom Onuoha, Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner,
00:04REC who apparently have been the manager and strategic planner of those coming Saturday governorship election in Edo State,
00:11said, yes, he is the cousin brother to the former River State Governor who is currently the Federal Capital Territory,
00:19FCT Minister,
00:20Nyesomweke who appeared to have a big interest in the governorship election following the minister's negative relationship with the incumbent outgoing governor of the state,
00:29Godwin Obaseki.
00:31Anubom Onuoha, while speaking as a guest during Channel's Television Sunrise Daily program on Friday,
00:38said, he has been in Edo State since last year as the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner executing any plans and strategies for the election as published by the National Electoral Commission on September 26, 2023.
00:54Anubom said Nigerians should have asked if his conscience is active, not minding the fact that he's a cousin to Nyesomweke,
01:02adding that he's not going to fervor any political party in the governorship election.
01:08He emphasized that he's not a politician, that he joined INEC as he stated before Nigerian Senate,
01:16only to add value to the electoral system, stressing Edo election will be free and fair.
01:23According to Anubom, the election plans were drafted into 13 schedules and 12 of the schedules have been executed, only election day schedule is remaining.
01:34He said all sensitive materials have been deployed to various local government headquarters in Edo State and transporters have agreed to arrive to various local government headquarters early morning on Saturday to take them to various polling units.
01:49He said the bimodal voters accreditation system, BVAS machines have been deployed alongside other sensitive materials for the election and the BVAS will be used to upload information into the INEC portal with the Situation Room already created and everyone can follow up and monitor the progress of activities from various polling units in the state.
02:11Anubom Onuoha on Facebook page after the interview said, Earlier today, I, Dr. Anubom Onuoha, had the privilege of appearing on Channel's television, where I reaffirmed my unwavering commitment to the principles of fairness and impartiality in the discharge of my duties.
02:31I would like to reassure all Nigerians, and particularly the people of Edo State, that I will continue to uphold these values without compromise, as my position requires.
02:43Other details of the interview program as presented by Channel's television reads below those.
02:49Onuoha, while featuring as a guest on Channel's television Sunrise Daily on Friday, said he is competent enough to conduct a free and fair election in Edo State.
03:00He also urged political parties to disregard allegations of likely favoritism peddled against him.
03:08Tony Aziedbemi, Edo PDP Chairman, had asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to redeploy Onuoha over ties with Wiki.
03:18Aziedbemi had expressed a lack of confidence in the RIC's ability to conduct a free and fair election in the state.
03:26However, in response, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC, Rotimi Oyekonmi, said the commission would not redeploy the Edo RIC.
03:36He urged PDP to focus on the election process rather than on Onuoha, assuring the public that the election would be conducted transparently.
03:45Onuoha said his closeness to Wiki does not count, as he was competent to handle the election.
03:52It is a fact that I am a cousin to the Minister.
03:56Before my appointment, I was invited by the Senate.
04:00It screamed me, and I was confirmed.
04:03I was sworn in by Professor Mahmud Yakubu, and posted to Edo.
04:08Since last year, nobody complained that I am a cousin to the Minister.
04:13Of course, I am a cousin to the Minister.
04:17What we should be talking about at this time is the capacity to conduct the election.
04:23From my background, I am an Associate Professor of Law.
04:27People should now ask if I have done this job before.
04:31Yes, I was an Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State.
04:35Nobody has complained.
04:37I am coming from the University.
04:39I am not a politician.
04:41The mere fact that I am a cousin to Wiki does not preclude me from being appointed.
04:47Am I not a Nigerian?
04:49Nigerians should have gone beyond this level.
04:52Onuoha then urged any of the political parties to come forward with evidence they had against him that could have warranted their attacks.
05:00I challenge all the political parties in Edo State to tell me what I have done wrong so far.
05:07Since last year, nobody complained that I am a cousin to the Minister.
05:12Of course, I am a cousin to the Minister.
05:15What we should be talking about at this time is the capacity to conduct the election.
05:20The mere fact that I am a cousin to Wiki does not preclude me from being appointed.
05:26I am ready for the Edo election, and I will not favour any political party.
05:32At the end of the day, the people of Edo will have an election that is free from pity.
05:38On preparations for the Saturday gubernatorial elections, Onuoha said all is set,
05:44and sensitive materials have been deployed to their respective local government areas.
05:49The campaign for political parties ended yesterday at midnight.
05:54We have only one activity left, and that is the election for tomorrow.
05:59The IREC is prepared for this election.
06:02Yesterday, we distributed sensitive materials, and before we did that,
06:07we invited all the stakeholders, and 18 political parties and their agents were on ground to inspect the sensitive materials
06:15before the deployment to their respective local governments.
06:19We asked if they had any reservations, and they said they were satisfied with everything they saw,
06:25he told Channels Television on Friday.
06:28It would be recalled that during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today recently,
06:34Wiki said he would not support Governor Godwin Obaseki.
06:38The FCT minister also described the governor as an ingrate.
06:44He also pledged not to support the People's Democratic Party PDP governorship candidate,
06:50Ashu Igudalu, who is being backed by the outgoing Edo state governor.
07:14Wiki said.
07:27Responding to his talks, Igudalu said the choice of who succeeds Obaseki is not for Wiki or any other person to make,
07:35but for the people of the state.
07:37The political temperature in the state has been turbocharged in the last year.
07:42Of note, 95 cases of violence including 35 incidents of electoral violence have been recorded since January this year in the state,
07:52Channels Television reported.
08:13And so far, in that timetable, we had 13 activities to be executed.
08:22And so far, we have executed 12 out of the 13.
08:28In fact, yesterday was the campaign for the political parties ended yesterday midnight.
08:37We have only one activity left, and that is the election for tomorrow.
08:44The INEC is prepared for this election.
08:48As you are aware, yesterday we distributed sensitive materials.
08:54And before we did that, we invited all the story coders, especially the political parties,
09:01the 18 political parties participating in this election, and the security agent,
09:07to inspect the sensitive materials before the deployment to the local government.
09:14And yesterday, they were there.
09:16They inspected us, the sensitive materials, and we signed the sensitive materials before them.
09:25And we asked whether they have any reservation.
09:28And they said no, that they were satisfied with the distribution of the sensitive materials.
09:33As I speak to you now, the sensitive materials, they are all in the 18 local governments of the state.
09:42By now, they are now moving them to the various RAC centers and super RAC centers, which have been actively activated.
09:53The RAC centers have been activated, the super RAC centers have been activated.
09:57In terms of logistics, we are prepared for that.
10:00We have hired buses to convey them.
10:03We have hired boats for river areas and life jackets.
10:08We have also made contingency plans for areas that cannot be accessed easily.
10:14We will use motorcycles for those areas.
10:17So we are prepared.
10:19We are prepared.
10:20Lots of it behind the RAC centers.
10:23The RAC centers are closer to the pooling unit.
10:26And the logistics providers, they have assured us that they will be covered on time,
10:35where we discuss with them on their mark to be collected.
10:39The budget is an internal affair of the commission.
10:42Well, it's a fact that, according to the minister,
10:46I was invited on my appointment.
10:49I was invited by the senate.
10:51The senate screened me, and I was confirmed.
10:57I was sworn in by my chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu.
11:03I was posted to Edo last year.
11:06Nobody has complained that I'm a cousin to the minister.
11:11Of course, I'm a cousin to the minister.
11:13What we should be talking at this time is the capacity.
11:17Do you have the capacity?
11:20Do you have the capacity to conduct the election?
11:24Are you competent enough?
11:26Of course, from my background, I'm an associate professor of law.
11:30People should not ask, can he do this job?
11:33Has he done a similar thing before?
11:35Yes, I was an electoral officer in Riverside.
11:38An electoral commissioner in Riverside.
11:42Nobody has complained.
11:44I am coming from the university. I'm not a politician.
11:47The mere fact that I am a cousin to Wiki does not preclude me from being appointed.
11:54Am I not a Nigerian?
11:56Am I not a Nigerian?
11:58What Nigerians should be after?
12:00Is this person competent?
12:02Do you have what it takes to handle this job?
12:07Those are the issues they should ask.
12:10Do you have, is your conscience active?
12:14Those are the issues.
12:16Nigerians should have gone beyond this level.
12:19Should have gone beyond this.
12:22Am I from Cameroon?
12:23Am I not a Nigerian?
12:24So what I'm telling you, those people who are now saying that I'm a cousin to,
12:29I have been here since last year.
12:32I don't want to go further.
12:34I don't want to go further.
12:35When you refuse to do the obedience, then they will accuse you of many things.
12:41This election is transparent.
12:44My duty as a Nigerian, when I was interviewed at the Senate,
12:48I said I will add value to the electoral system in Nigeria.
12:53I will add value.
12:54And that is why I'm here.
12:56I will not favor any political party.
12:59For record purposes, I will not favor any political party.
13:04So those who are saying it's only when they call you and say I will not come,
13:08they accuse you.
13:09They should identify what I have done.
13:13Whether I'm favoring them or not favoring them,
13:16or I'm favoring one political party.
13:18All we have done so far has been on the public.
13:22Anything I do, I make sure that all the political parties are aware.
13:28We have been having stakeholders meeting.
13:31They've noticed this issue.
13:33Why are they raising the issue now?
13:36Why are they raising the issue now?
13:38I'm not the commission.
13:39They can push me anywhere.
13:41But I think that delay defeats equity.
13:45We have already deployed VIVAS.
13:47The VIVAS went together with the resources, the voting.
13:52They all went together.
13:54VIVAS is part of the sensitive material.
13:57We have already deployed to the various local governments.
14:01This morning, we are deploying them to the Iraq centers.
14:04We shall use VIVAS.
14:07We shall use VIVAS.
14:09As they vote, it will be uploaded to the island.
14:14We have sufficient room for that.
14:20Will Nigerians be able to see what is happening on the island?
14:25We have sufficient room, yes.
14:28It's not a secret subject.
14:30We don't do secret subject here.
14:31We are accountable to the people.