Politics
Nwuke: Living His Words
The term democracy is derived from two Greek words demo and krations which means people’s rule. In ancient Greece, every adult male citizen participated in the process of reaching decisions for the governance of the community. The practice then was called direct democracy which implied that every adult male citizen must be physically present to participate in taking decisions over things that affected him and his community.
But over the years human race has increased in population and modern societies larger and more complex than the societies in the ancient Greece, and therefore it will be cumbersome to practice direct democracy. It is for this reason that modern societies, including Nigeria, have settled for representative democracy as an acceptable arrangement where the people elect some persons in a periodic, free and fair election to represent them in government.
The beauty of democracy is that those holding political offices can be challenged and displaced in accordance with the will of the people through a wide range of institutional mechanisms. Political offices are not chieftaincy stools where the occupants have life-long tenure.
For advanced democracies you would appreciate how elected representatives apply themselves to the work they were elected to do so as to sustain the confidence reposed in them by the electorate. They consider it as a mark of honour to be chosen by their fellow compatriots to initiate and implement policies and programmes that will bring about dividends of democracy for their common good.
But in developing nations, particularly in Nigeria, politicians see public office as a goldmine. They hoodwink the people with mouth-watering promises during electioneering campaigns and turn their back on them as soon as they find themselves at the corridor of power.
Nobody can gainsay the fact that Nigeria is blessed with natural and human resources. But a situation where celebrated thieves and rabble-rousers steer the ship of state is not acceptable.
The problem of Nigeria as an independent nation is centred on leadership. Nigeria has continued to suffer from the misfortune of having leaders that place their personal interest high and above the collective interest of the generality of the people.
Public utilities and institutions are collapsing by the day while those that have been entrusted with the resources of this nation are feeding fat from the commonwealth. For this country to move forward the leadership must be prepared to purge itself of corrupt elements. This, the leadership cannot achieve by mere official pronouncements. Rather, deliberate actions should be taken to ensure the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people.
It is against this backdrop that the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi kick-started his administration by appointing Hon. Magnus Abe as Secretary to the State government (now Senator representing Rivers South-East). Chief Nyesom Wike as Chief of Staff, Government House (now Minister of State for Education) and Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke as Director of Press Affairs to the Governor, (now member, representing Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency at the National Assembly). Six months later, Hon Nwuke was elevated as Commissioner for Information when the governor constituted his cabinet. He also served as Commissioner for Commerce and Industry where he later resigned to seek his people’s mandate to represent them at the National Assembly.
Before he was invited to serve in Governor Amaechi’s government, Hon. Nwuke had carved a niche for himself as a consummate journalist both in the electronic and print media. He worked in Radio Rivers for many years, churning out well-researched and incisive commentaries that received the commendation of the public in the 1980s. He founded the Port Harcourt Telegraph in 1999 and nurtured the Newspaper to become one of the leading tabloids in the Niger Delta region.
Ogbo as he is fondly called is also a social critic. He would bare his mind on topical issues and stand on the side of the voiceless majority. When he decided to join partisan politics some people felt he would compromise himself by doing those things he copiously condemned in his write-ups, because it is widely believed that decency and selflessness are not the attributes of a Nigerian politician. Moreso, social crities more often than not merely propagate theories that are not easily implementable.
Again some of them that were privileged to occupy public offices did not fare better. They were myopic and failed to realize that it takes a team to win a tournament. Probably they would have performed creditably in a civilized clime where people work assiduously to leave enduring legacies.
However, Hon. Nwuke proved skeptics wrong when he gathered his people on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 to appreciate them for their goodwill. On that occasion he empowered 150 persons from his constituency by awarding scholarships as well as presenting motorcycles and vehicle to them.
The ceremony which took place at Okehi, the headquarters of Etche Local Government Area was attended by political stalwarts, traditional rulers, students, youths etc.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hon. Nwuke thanked the people for giving him the mandate to represent them at the National Assembly, saying “we have come to give back a little in appreciation of your goodwill”.
He emphasised the importance of education to human development, stressing that the best way to show love to a child was to send him or her to school to acquire knowledge to live a meaningful life.
He said that he had instituted a scholarship scheme for 20 students from his constituency in higher institutions of learning, pointing out that each of the beneficiaries would receive N100,000 annually for a period of four years.
The law-maker stated that he had earmarked the sum of N8 million for the scholarship scheme and advised the beneficiaries to take the studies seriously.
He also warned that he would not hesitate to withdraw the scholarship award from anyone that failed to measure up in his or her educational pursuit.
Hon. Nwuke noted that 129 Motorcyclies would been distributed to widows, ward chairmen and secretaries of his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other members of his constituency to aid them in their daily pursuits, adding that the Lexus Jeep was for the Etche PDP Secretary, Mr. George Nwanjoku.
He assured that he would give out 100 motorcyeles every year to members of his constituency as their representative at the National Assembly.
It is interesting to note that all those who benefitted from the scholarship scheme are indigent students.
According to the chairman of Proud To Be Etche (PTE), the group that conducted the screening exercise, Hon. Nwuke did not interfere in the selection process.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Queen Nwala expressed gratitude to Hon. Nwuke for his magnanimity.
What Hon. Nwuke has demonstrated by this singular act is that leadership entails responsibility. A good leader must embark on programmes that will positively affect the lives of his people to sustain their loyalty and support. Therefore, those who are of the opinion that Hon. Nwuke has done well should say aye, while those who have a contrary opinion should say nay.
The ayes have it.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
In a timetable issued by its National Secretariat in Abuja and signed by the National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, the party said the activities were in line with provisions of its constitution guiding the election of party officials across all tiers.
According to the schedule, membership e-registration began on January 31 and ended on February 8, while notices of congresses were dispatched to state and Federal Capital Territory chapters on February 2.
Submission of nomination forms for ward and local government congresses closed on February 9, followed by screening and appeals between February 10 and February 14.
Ward congresses are fixed for February 18, with appeals the following day, while local government congresses will take place on February 21 and appeals on February 23.
At the state level, purchase of forms for state executive positions will run from February 22 to February 25, with screening set for February 27–28 and appeals from March 1–2. State congresses are scheduled for March 3, and appeals on March 4.
Activities leading to zonal congresses and the national convention include purchase and submission of forms between March 12 and March 16, inauguration of screening committees on March 23, and screening of aspirants on March 24. Zonal congresses across the six geo-political zones are slated for March 25, with appeals on March 26.
The party’s national convention will hold from March 27 to March 28.The APC also published fees for expression of interest and nomination forms across the different tiers.
At the ward level, expression of interest costs ?5,000, while nomination forms range from ?15,000 to ?20,000 depending on the position. For local government positions, nomination forms range from ?50,000 to ?100,000 after a ?10,000 expression-of-interest fee.
State executive positions attract ?50,000 for expression of interest, with nomination forms pegged at ?1 million for chairman and ?500,000 for other offices. Zonal offices require ?100,000 expression of interest and ?200,000 for nomination.
For national positions, the fees rise significantly, with expression of interest set at ?100,000. Nomination forms cost ?10 million for national chairman, ?7.5 million for deputy national chairmen and national secretary, ?5 million for other offices, and ?250,000 for National Executive Committee membership.
The party noted that female aspirants, youths and persons living with disabilities would pay only the expression-of-interest fee and 50 per cent of nomination costs. It also clarified that Ekiti, Osun, Rivers states and the FCT are excluded from ward, local government and state congresses, but will participate in electing delegates to the national convention.
Forms are to be completed online after payment verification, with payments directed to designated APC accounts at Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa.
The congress cycle is expected to determine new party leadership structures ahead of future electoral activities.
The Tide source reports that the committee, reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, is making moves to reclaim the Wadata Plaza headquarters months after it was sealed following a violent clash between rival factions of the party.
Senior officers at the FCT Police Command told our source that while they had not received an official briefing, police personnel would be stationed at the secretariat and other key locations to maintain peace.
The Acting National Secretary of the Mohammed-led committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, announced last week that the secretariat would reopen for official activities on Monday (today).
He dismissed claims that ongoing litigation would prevent the reopening, saying, “There are no legal barriers preventing the caretaker committee from resuming work at the party’s headquarters.”
However, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) has fiercely rejected the reopening move, insisting that Sen. Anyanwu and his group remain expelled from the PDP and have no authority to act on its behalf.
Speaking with The Tide source, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, declared: “They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto.
“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit.”
Mr Ememobong further revealed that letters had been sent to both the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, stressing that the matter was still in court and warning against any attempt to “resort to self-help.”
“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” he said.
He warned that reopening the secretariat would amount to contempt of court.
A senior officer at the FCT Police Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that officers would be deployed to the area to avert a repeat of the November 19 violence that led to the secretariat’s initial closure.
“The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else. Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground,” he said.
Another officer added, “There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said she had not been briefed on the planned reopening and declined to comment on whether officers would be deployed.
Asked to confirm whether the secretariat was initially sealed by police, she responded, “Yes,” but refused to say more about the current deployment plans.
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