Politics
Rivers Guber Primaries: Omehia Not Ready For Challenge – Wike
The Amaechi 2011 re-election campaign organisation has described the withdrawal of Celestine Omehia from the governorship race on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State as an expression of lack of confidence in himself and a sure sign that he would have failed woefully in the primaries.
Chairman of the Amaechi 2011 Re-election Campaign Organisation, Chief Nyesom Wike stated this while reacting to statements credited to Omehia that his withdrawal was as a result of lack of transparency in the process that led to the election of delegates for the primaries.
Addressing newsmen at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, Wike said: “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have reacted to Omehia’s withdrawal, he picked his intent form to contest the January 9 PDP governorship primaries and has a right to withdraw or remain. What we are reacting to is what he said about the process of election of delegates being marred by irregularities. The Amaechi campaign organization has prepared overtime knowing that we have to mobilise people to vote.”
“This is why we embarked on a tour of Local Government Areas and districts to consult and seek the support of delegates for the primaries.”
“It baffles us to know that the same man who is talking about this had prepared a list of his own delegates and petitioned the party’s national secretariat, unfortunately his list was turned down because you cannot have a right to conduct primaries without the national body recognising the panel in charge of that election.” Wike said.
“The same man who says he wants to contest the election has filed several suits at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt. So, the issue becomes, what are you seeking for, was he prepared for this election? Certainly not.”
“You are aware that in 2007, this same man who is talking about transparency never picked an intent form to run for primaries to be governor of Rivers State, yet after the emergence of Rotimi Amaechi as the candidate of the PDP who scored over six thousand votes in that primary, somebody who never picked an intent form was later chosen to be the candidate of the party, he never questioned that there was no transparency, he never questioned that that process was wrong.”
The Director-General further described Omehia’s withdrawal on Friday as a way of saying that he is not up for the challenge. “We wanted a stiff competition but he has chickened out. We, however, thank him for withdrawing and urge him to still remain in the party but if he feels otherwise, we are still willing to challenge anybody at the polls.”
“With Governor Amaechi’s precedence and performance, it is even obvious that the PDP would not make the mistake of opting for another candidate. Even other parties have said that with Rotimi Amaechi as the PDP candidate, they will not contest the election. Rivers people are all waiting for him to get the flag so that they will all come out and vote for him in April.” Wike said.
Responding to allegations that the delegates’ election process was hijacked by some PDP chieftains or marred by some irregularities, Wike explained that it only takes honesty and maturity for people to concede to defeat. “Anybody who loses will always find one excuse or the other to hold onto. Nobody is saying that you must have a hundred percent, but at least to the best of our knowledge, there is a radical change from what used to be; now people have subjected themselves to elections. If they are sure of their story, they should come out and name those PDP chieftains and not to generalise.”
“There is also an appeal process within the party where aspirants can take their complaints to.”
“If we had participated in such irregularities, we would not have wasted time to go round the 23 local government areas mobilising and seeking the delegates support.
Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.
Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.
Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.
“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.
“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.
Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.
According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.
He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.
Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.
“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.
According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.
The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.
INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.
According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.
A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.
In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.
In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.
In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.
In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.
In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group described the swift assent as a clear demonstration of political will to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We see the decision by President Bola Tinubu to sign the reworked 2022 Electoral Act into law within a few hours of its passage as a demonstration of political will to ensure an improved electoral process which the new law envisages,” the group said.
The TMSG expressed confidence that the development would enable the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to quickly align its operations with the new provisions in preparation for the 2027 polls.
The group noted that the provision for electronic transmission of results had been contentious but described its codification in the law as a significant step forward.
“So, for the first time, the country’s electoral law would be recognising the use of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the result viewing portal, IREV, which were just INEC guidelines in 2023,” it stated.
According to the TMSG, although the Act provides for electronic transmission of results from polling units to the IREV portal, it also makes room for manual transmission of Form EC8A result sheets as a backup in the event of technological failure.
“Unlike some Nigerians, we do not see anything wrong with the fallback plan but we agree with the President that no matter how beautiful a process is with improved technology, the onus lies on the people manning it to show good faith and ensure that the votes of the people really count at the end of the day,” the statement added.
The group highlighted other key provisions in the amended law, including the streamlining of party primaries to either consensus or direct primaries, early release of funds to INEC, reinforced measures against over-voting, and stiffer sanctions for electoral offences such as falsification of results.
It also pointed out that the mandatory notice period for elections has been reduced from 360 days to 300 days, giving INEC more flexibility in adjusting the timetable for the 2027 elections, especially where it may clash with Ramadan.
The TMSG further observed that the President’s decision to sign the bill days before the forthcoming Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) underscores his desire for the law to take immediate effect.
“And by signing the amendment bill a few days before the Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is obvious that the President is keen on ensuring that the 2026 Electoral Act takes immediate effect.
“Nigerians would also have an opportunity to see some of the key provisions of the new electoral law become operational, especially the electronic transmission of results,” it said.
The group expressed optimism that the current INEC leadership would leverage the new legal framework to deliver a more credible and widely acceptable electioneering process than in previous electoral cycles.
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