ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara's forces battled loyalists of his rival Laurent Gbagbo near his Abidjan residence on Friday, having seized control of state television overnight.
With the television station cut off, no news emerged from Gbagbo's camp, which has been hit by a number of high-level defections in the military, but a Paris-based adviser said his surrender was "out of the question." The main city in the world's top cocoa grower has turned into a war-zone since forces loyal to the internationally recognized president marched in on Thursday after a swift push south aimed at ousting Gbagbo, who has refused to quit since a November 28 election that U.N.-certified results said he lost.
The African Union called on Gbagbo to hand over power immediately. Residents locked up in their homes reported barrages of heavy arms fire punctuated by detonations throughout the night. On the peninsula where the presidential palace is situated, buildings were shaking with each explosion, witnesses said.
The brewing civil war no one is talking about Patrick Achi, a spokesman for the country's internationally recognized leader Alassane Ouattara said the fighters had breached the city limit overnight and were waging battles at the palace and the residence. Achi said the forces, who are former rebels who fought in a civil war a decade ago that left Ivory Coast divided, had seized Radio Television Ivoirienne, or RTI, the government-owned broadcaster late Thursday.
About 10 p.m. the state TV signal was cut. Achi said that they were having technical difficulties transmitting their own images, but a senior diplomat said that fighting continued outside the station, and that it was unclear if Ouattara's forces fully control it.
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Nigeria Goes to polls
Nigeria: Tomorrow April 2, Nigerians will be stepping out to vote in new officials into government vacant postions starting from the National Assembly.
LeadershipNigeria: Whether we like it or not, come midnight Friday of this very week, we will just be stepping into the much awaited 2011 Election Day. April 2, 2011 is a much anticipated beginning to an election cycle in the history of Nigeria where the government of President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan has promised Nigerians and the international community free and fair elections.
The three major presidential candidates with the incumbent in the middle
The government claims to have created and facilitated, to the best of its ability, an electoral body separate and completely independent, and free from any form of influence from the government of the day. This body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is headed by Professor Attahiru Jega who has made it clear to whoever cares to listen that he is a man of integrity, ready and willing to take on the challenges of ensuring a free and fair electoral cycle this year, with total disregard for any personal interests regardless of how highly placed such an individual or individuals may be. We Nigerians have listened and watched patiently as huge amounts of money have been voted and handed over to INEC for the purpose of preparing and executing an unfettered election; we have also now watched and listened patiently as several more billions have been voted and are currently being handed over to security agencies for the purpose of securing the polity during the elections. With all the preparations, money spent and doled out in so many directions and spread amongst many different agencies; it is finally time to put this expensive exercise to the test. It is time to call Jega’s bluff, or is it? If we momentarily disregard whatever challenges we may have had and continue to experience as fallout from the activities leading up to Election Day, April 2, 2011, what are the applicable laws and rules of engagement on this Election Day to the numerous offices being contested?
For the avoidance of any doubt, it is imperative that we sensitise everyone on the offices to be contested and on which specific dates the election to the different offices will be held in line with INEC’s published election timetable as follows:
• National Assembly, April 2, 2011
• Presidential election, April 9, 2011
• Governorship/State House of Assembly, April 16, 2011
It is also important to note that for those contesting these positions, all forms of campaigning must stop 24 hours before the election as stated in Section 101 of the Electoral Act 2010 and as stipulated in the published timetable by INEC.
Prior to delving into the rules governing activities on Election Day, in recognition of the fact that there are still a few days between now and D-day, with electioneering campaigns coming to a crescendo and deafening conclusion, we should also be abreast of the rules and regulations which are still in play for these last few days which are primarily as follows:
•Section 227 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and as amended in 2010 states that “no association shall retain, organize, train or equip any person or group of persons for the purpose of enabling them to be employed for the use or display of physical force or coercion in promoting any political objective or interest or in such a manner as to arouse reasonable apprehension that they are organized and trained or equipped for that purpose”. This provision of the Constitution is also inculcated into the Electoral Act 2010 in section 95 (5). In recognition of section 227 of the Constitution, section 81 of the Electoral Act 2010 states the penalty for violating section 227 of the Constitution as a fine in the case of a political party of N500,000 in the first instance, N700,000 for the second offence and N50,000 for each day the offence subsists; while in the case of an individual who aids and abets the political party in the commission of this offence, if found guilty, he will be liable to pay a fine of N500,000 or sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison or both.
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