Politics

#NigeriaDecides: First since 2013, Nigeria’s over 2.5 million eligible voters in IDP camps set to vote

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2023

Ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria which will begin in less than twenty hours, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that about three million internally displaced persons will participate in the voting exercise.

The development follows a revision of the framework and regulations for IDPs which enables a larger amount of displaced people to exert their fundamental constitutional rights.

One of the IDPs and first-time voters, Mallam Yusuf Takida 38 commended the development.

“Honestly, I am very happy especially this time around, because ever since we fled from our homes and ended up here, we, the IDPs have not been able to get our voters’ card because most of us ran away and left our voters’ card and have not been able to renew or register for another one since we came here,” says Takida.

“I’m a father with three children. My life did not play along, as I wanted it to. I would love to see my children have a very good life. But they cannot if they don’t have good leadership in the country. They cannot have a good life if they don’t have a good education or decent employment, and other things that can help them and also help other people around them. These are the things I pray to see before I die, or at least in my old age, that my children will enjoy these benefits and have a good life,” explains Takida.

Internally displaced persons are persons who are forced to leave their house but remain within their country’s borders.

INEC in September said it has put measures in place to ensure every eligible Nigerian, including over three million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), participate in the 2023 general elections.

Terrorist activities have taken an upward trend in Nigeria since the deadly Boko Haram sect based in North-Eastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, and northern Cameroon was founded in 2002.

According to Statista, Nigeria has the third highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa. In 2020, it counted 2.7 million internally displaced people. Overall, Africa has the largest number of IDPs in the world.

Related Topics:Election in IDP camps Elections Featured IDP Nigeria nigeriadecides

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

7 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.