 We're back with a breakfast and plus CVF care. We have a first guest Raring to go right here on the breakfast still your state chapter of the all-progressives Congress and the ruling party in the state The People's Democratic Party are currently at loggerheads over alleged plans to change Locations of polling units. You might be wondering how all the parties change The location of polling units well the PDP in 2019 defeated the APC during the Governorship election in that state and then the then PDP candidate engineer Shane marketing day Defeated bio adela boot the then APC Governorship candidate the APC alleged of the PDP and INEC the independent National Lecture Commission and just an actual umpire Planning to change locations polling units ahead of the 2023 general elections in a bid To win the elections, but the PDP in its reaction insisted that the allegation by the APC has shown that the party is already Admitted defeat interesting development in the policy We have joining us this morning a lawyer and political analyst. He is a mecca of party joins us vase zoom from leaders I miss a park. Good morning to you and thank you very much for your time Good morning All right, is this is a strange Strange development, you know the the idea that INEC is changing the locations of some polling units With all your state as a case study All right, the network has done a fast one and now we apologize. It's almost normal when it comes to The internet these days in this part of the world But I would hope to get to have this opera back for his analysis on this asking if it's a strange to him that This may be the case. It's an allegation by the upgrade of Congress, you know your state. I make up why are you back with us, please? Okay, if you can hear me, sir kindly unmute unmute yourself so that We can hear you. We can't hear from this side. All right What was at a technical guys try to get him back on we will continue this conversation with mercy? I think the first thing the the Leonard Gentleman like we call them said was that I'm this is strange to him, you know And the politics of the day is getting heated. Of course a marketing moved on to become the governor over your state and what the APC, you know, your state feels is that they're thinking that he's using his power of incumbency to Connive with INEC to change a shift the go-posts, you know when they say he shipped the go-posts I don't know what you think about this, but it's quite interesting. What's going on playing out, you know your state Well Do you know usually this is actually what happens the kind of politics to spin practice in Nigeria or I'd like to say Nigeria let's stay with Nigeria. That's not delving to all the parts of The continent or maybe the world so we see that people would always move from one Particular post to another especially when their interest is not represented and so at the end of a day It becomes an interest factor and so for a time where you know You have your interest not been represented then it becomes, you know not okay for you You move away to the next one and where your interest can be represented and if your interest is not represented in that Particular party or the strata you move what we've been told that we have Emeka up our back with us. Yes. Yeah, but yes, you were saying before we lost. We lost you. Yeah That this is not strange to you. So please proceed Yeah It's strange in one way because this is Nigeria One can say Anything can happen but if you look at it now, let's go to the The theory of it if Such a thing happens that will be a form of gerrymandering an extreme form of it That is not really nice very subtle, but then The Electoral Act does not allow in practical terms You cannot move Any polling unit into a private residence or a private house. There are specific places mentioned that we are the the You cannot move You cannot site a polling booth So it has to be in a public place a place accessible without later hindrance without hindrance to the public so if Say in a locality it is let's say it is moved from point eight point B Mr. Parra, can you hear us, please? We've lost audio connection with you. I think it's still the same network issue But it's quite interesting, you know to to see it to note what Do you say the APC saying, you know people feel that APC since I mean the president is an APC man they're the ruling party in the country that APC around the country is The on top of things, you know, but it's a different situation where the APC is actually crying Complaining, you know, so that's the beauty of democracy might be in charge at a federal level But then you go down to the States. It's a different case all together We can look at even maybe river state where the APC has also been in the position They don't even have a single Elected position office You know till now from the last election. So these are the dynamics of Democracy in Nigeria and in the world at large We could be ruling at one level and being the opposition At the other level, but it's an allegation that there's a connivance between the all-progressives come between the people's and credit party which is the ruling party, you know your state and INEC, INEC and but it's an irony. Well, if you want to call it that you might call it that that the APC in In the oil series is calling on the INEC chairman to look into it, you know So it therefore probably suggests mercy that this is not an entire totally INEC You know allegation on INEC as a whole but an allegation on INEC staff in in all your state and Like we've seen INEC itself has penalized some of its staff in states across the country for instance in a very dear Qui-Boom state recently and INEC staff who had been Dismissed by the the commission had to take the commission to court a national industrial court Asking that he be reinstated. We'll talk about that some more If the time permits us to do that But which is also this is just to say that sometimes you might have allegations going to the way of INEC But notice on INEC as a whole, you know, maybe specific staff in the state You know your state offices of INEC Can you hear us please are you back with us? Yes, yes, okay, so please proceed continue with the point you were making as I was saying is Easier in theory, but in practice is not really workable for such a thing to be done and for it to constitute a Problem to any political party because you cannot if you move it to a private residence or a private place I'm not accessible to the public Then it becomes a serious issue, but it cannot be done and then In that case the INEC official would have contravenged his vote of neutrality, which every INEC officer must swear to so but in practice if you go you find that Electoral units electoral, I mean electoral Such pulling boots and all that are in Public places, so I do not know where the hula-pala is coming from now if you come if you go to the constitution if you go to the constitution the constitution Shadow shadow three to the constitution gives our to INEC to organize on that take Elections and all that all these elections and in the electoral arts in 2022 section 2 also gives it additional powers and respect of referendum and some of that organizing civic civic Education to the public and all that it know we are you have it know we are specifically provides for the sighting No, we are those the sighting of a Let's boots and all that given directly to But you could say it is it is so Logical that it is what is called part of the incident and supplemental powers when a specific power is given there are some powers that are ready into it for Such body giving any power Perform the specific powers and those are the incident powers incidental and supplemental powers And that is where I make comes in here in respect of sighting pulling you pulling boots and all that and bet the and the laws specifically bars I think from sighting them in places that are private in places that are meant for only certain religions and all that They are only to be cited in public places if you go to the to the villages to the towns They are always in town at the centers Town town halls and all that if you move it from there. Let's say you move it from there to a few meters away under the present System that we are that is being practiced Would you prevent somebody if you move it there from voting would you? Actually cast the vote of other people since now we are we're going to use you are using fingerprints We're using electronic electronic voting So how would it affect any party and I'm just asking if for example it is done and the point is There has this is just an allegation There hasn't been anything so far to They haven't named any particular I make officer They haven't come out with any specific fact to betrays that allegation So I think it's just my allegation because at this moment people can wait it off as being laughable being laughable and I make is a federal body and APC is in control of The federal institutions So it's even more curious to now see APC saying that BDP in in that state that they are They are colluding with some I think officials to Do that kind of thing so at the end of the day what's what's what's this can be taken serious if They they come out with specific facts if they come out with Facts that can be investigated then it will everybody will look up to I net the I net German to do the needful for now. I think they are just Politicians, that's the way I look at it But let's get straight to it, I mean if it's anything to go by a mecca What would the what would be the implication? What would this mean if you know polling units are changed? I mean, let's say that it's possible to change polling units because I have registered in a certain polling unit or Transfired from a certain polling unit to another polling unit Is it that we're going to have a creation of another polling unit? But what is the implication for this if there's anything to go by? First of all, there is a difference between moving polling units the address of a polling unit and Excuse me and changing The place we are a particular voter The polly unit a particular voter is attached to That's a big difference. Now if you change we are I'm supposed to vote in in a polly unit B and Change it to polly unit A without informing me with without giving me adequate information to know that I'm no longer voting in unit B and Voting going to vote in unit A That if it if this becomes perversive That is something that we can't lend about it is a serious thing It's a serious thing But if in theory in theory this is changed a polly unit and the address is changed and There is information Given to the public that for one reason or the other It's possible that is in front of a house that has been demolished Because I know in some places it could be in front of a private house But not in a private house like in Lagos You see some places just a particular number one a of this particular street There is a tree there and people come there they vote people know they are over the years that this is where they come Those who fall under that unit there that's where they come to vote and they move it to number seven front of number seven Now the important thing is for I like to advertise that in time Before the election Everybody should know and that is why you go there to see to make sure that your your name appears And when you go there you go to number one and it's no longer there you see people going to number seven They say oh is we moved to number seven and we go there and you see the list display there And you know that is now on number seven. That's a different if you if it's done that way. They are still not it There's nothing. I mean for one reason or the other um I know could do that kind of thing, but if it because perversely As to to the level that a reasonable person will see it as a systematic Way of making people not to know In time we are they ought to go to vote And that you pass information to certain people of certain members of your political party The same information is not passed to some other political parties Then there is reason to to uh, Compliment there is serious reason to complain. All right. All right, but first I like had um In formula ignorance last year that the number of polling units in the country had remained unchanged Since 1996 Since 1996 you had um Uh 119,973 polling units in Nigeria Since 1996 and the situation hadn't changed to accommodate More than 15 million registered voters at the time In 2019 Nigeria had about 84 million registered voters And the number of polling units still remain the same and so therefore they put their case forward You know for the need to decongest the existing Polling units by expanding, you know the polling units. So they did they did that last year And nobody complained I like also relocated some polling units, you know From places of worship, you know churches mosques Shrines and the politicians houses they did that and moved them to places where They allowed under the law to to to to be located including um Policies of traditional rulers. So that has been done And um, what I think is saying right now is that this allegation by the all progressives congress You know your state is simply uh hogwash. It's not true. It's a lie. It's Nothing like that has happened. So so I think that that answers that question But what do you say to that and these are the facts that I've laid on the table Well, like I said um dismiss APC's allegation, but if uh, something has to be done with it. I think they have to Uh, come up with more facts verifiable facts This at this level is mere allegation And um, one could say well Uh, I know is right by calling it hogwash But if the APC wants us to um Go beyond that we we should have more facts. They should name names if they have Um More facts that could be verified not just to say because anybody could come up and say what they've said Uh, there's nothing that can uh be Discovered from what they they've said so far Yes, the spokesperson for an IQ in your states has said that um, they they have never had any plan They have not Done anything about shifting, you know polling units and that um, you know, that I just said they expanded polling units last year And they relocated polling units this year and they informed everyone. Um, so maybe the apc Uh, maybe pdp is right by sending the apc just trying to score political points in all your state But in in the event of this allegation, you know, we should take it seriously. Um With with the new electoral law that we have in the country and uh, the uh introduction of of certain technologies to ensure that You know voters are accredited Using technology we have the bimodal voter accreditation system And will any of these tactics work because people will still find their way to where some it could be argued to where the voting Center is a polling unit is and they they will vote That that is the point Since we have uh, we cannot cite Uh, these units in private places. We can't cite them in places of worship They can only be in public places Look at it practically Can you actually hide where people are voting? Is it possible? And if you if you if you if you put it in a private place Who will have access to it? I mean, it's not practical. I mean these allegations um You know against the background of uh, the technologies you mentioned that uh, are being adopted now They they they make no sense Because people in any in any town or in any community any any vicinity You cannot hide where What is taking place and when somebody comes Whichever political party he has The interest to vote for He will still vote if his name is uh, uh in the register I mean Is this not something we should worry about there are certain things that could come up some allegations They will make and uh, and uh, people will take it much more serious, but this no I I don't think fly with people All right, indeed the in the words of the the head of uh photo education public gender and civil society reina kino Is this rosemary alaba denny her words were quote There is no iota of truth in that allegation at all I'm the one who used the word hogwash just for what a better word She says there's no iota of truth in that allegation at all. Um, I guess we'll see mercy what happens I like his answer. I think that that that is that about this. Um, we'd like to thank you very much and make up our Law and political analysts for joining us We have a lot of these things. I'll come up ahead of the 2023 lesson. Let's see how that goes. So thank you so much Thank you very much. Thank you I see I think uh They've answered the question and it gets said but apc. No, you're still insist that I'm sure they'll still insist they have incredible information. Is it politics? I play is anything to it Time will tell right, you know, but you should have without space should we actually leave any stone on tone There's another question that you have to ask Okay Yes, so for me, I think that for whatever it is we should pay attention for instance Okay, let me know side that example It would just be that there's probably an intel that there might just be an attack on you But but but should we not pay attention to that the the the letter gentleman asked the question. Is it possible? I like has a list of Pulling units you can go check them. I can go check them Even the new ones they added to expand they call it expansion and then the relocation they did This information is verifiable. People know where they're going to vote If anyone tries anything It's just simple simply say like hey, this is what happened. You can't do this They will realize a revolt or they'll cancel the election there. I don't know about counseling. Maybe that may be the play But let's see let's see since I like I said, you know what there's nothing like that Wait to hear from the other side apc Well, that's the size of it. We take a breakdown when we return. We'll be looking at a second conversation right here. Please stay with us