Politics

INEC: Preparing For March 19 In Rivers

Published

10 years ago

March 14, 2016

L-R: Head of Departement,Voters Education, INEC, Rivers, Mr Godfrey Achebe; Administrative Secretary, Rivers, Mr Tom Ongele and Rivers Resident Electoral Commissioner, Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak, during a meeting with Rivers INEC Staff in preparations for the March 19 re-run Election in Port Harcourt, recently

From Abua to Andoni,
Opobo/Nkoro to Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, from Khana to Akuku Toru, Etche to Eleme, they converged on the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Aba Road Port Harcourt. The date was Tuesday, March 8, 2016.
They said their gathering was to have a family meeting and when the roll call was taken, not one of the Electoral Officers (EOS) of the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State was missing. They came in their full number. They came in their full strength with an appreciable compliment of their staff at the local government offices.
This was not the first time the premises of the INEC Office on Aba Road was hosting critical stakeholders in the electoral process in Rivers State in preparation for this week’s re-run legislative elections in the state. A meeting of all the political parties and their candidates for the elections with the management of INEC had held earlier.
Ditto for security agencies and their operations, and civil society groups in those meetings, INEC engaged with the stakeholders as the one of the helm of affairs, to acquaint them once again with the guiding rules and regulations of process and to extract from them a commitment to abide by the rules of engagement for a free, fair and credible exercise . In talking about expectations from the stakeholders, the commission was also mindful to make commitments with regard to its own expectations.
The meeting of March 8, was therefore part of the commission’s own strategy of equipping and organising itself to face the challenges of delivering its own side of the bargain to achieve a successful outcome of the March 19 outing. To underline the importance of the meeting, all offices were ordered to be closed and all officers surmounted to be part of the gathering. Little time was spared for any protocol except a brief praise, worship, and prayer session to invite the Spirit of God for direction and divine enablement for the enormous task shead.
Like a responsible head of the family who has a firm grasp of the issues confronting the group, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak, did not only resolve to speak the truth with his members but to render it bare and undecorated.
Indeed, he spoke like one with the conviction that only the acquaintance with the truth of how far they had deviated and thereby put themselves in much jeopardy could bring them back to the path of rectitude and redemption.
In no uncertain terms, the REC told his staff that they had strayed from their core values of independence and non-partisanship. He said it was unacceplable that division along political lines had been allowed to creep into the commission thereby weakening the commission and making it vulnerable to the intrusion and manipulation of politicians.
Elder Ikoiwak said elections will remain a mirage if INEC personnel find it difficult to distance themselves from politicians and desist from aiding and abetting them to corrupt the system, noting that it was no longer hidden that staff of the commission sometimes engage in delivering electoral materials to politicians in hotel rooms and such other unlawful places to their shame and damnation.
The INEC boss charged them to derobe themselves of all vestiges of bias and allegiance to any other interest and work as officers who are proud of their job and worthy of their engagement by the commission. He said that, beginning from the coming elections, staffers of the commission will continually be under surveillance by independent monitors whose reports will determine their fate.
He emphasized that he will not hesitate to deal decisively with any recalcitrant personnel whose conduct or misconduct compromises the responsibility of the electoral umpire, adding that sanctions will include but not hinted to, dismissal from office of such staff.
“At the end of this election, I hope nobody will come to my office and roll on the ground begging for forgiveness because I will personally see to it that any staff who engages in anything unlawful to embarrass the commission and compromise the fidelity of the electoral process is taken out of the system,” he warned.
To demonstrate the commission’s resolve to strictly adhere to its guiding rules, Elder Ikoiwak said the old practice of receiving application from intending adhoc staff had been jettisoned.
In its place, he said, requests had been made to the heads of federal institutions including the NYSC, University of Port Harcourt, Federal College of Education, Otuoke, and the Federal University. Otuoke, Bayelsa State for personnel to undertake the assignment.
He explained that even though INEC was not involved in the direct recruitment of the adhoc, staff, the commission retains the responsibility of protecting and being accountable for its materials and charged his staff to rise up to the challenge of safe keeping of the materials and ensuring that they are delivered only to those whose duty it is to handle them.
He assured the staff that everything necessary and needful was being done to enhance their effective and efficient performance and implored them to also prepare themselves to make necessary sacrifices to achieve success. The REC urged them to take no satisfaction in any other than the pride of delivering on the mandate of the commission to superintend over a free, fair and credible poll.
At the end of his address, there was total agreement and endorsement of all he had said. Ass it were, the REC did not only succeed in correctly identifying the gaps that exist within the electoral body and how to bridge them, he also succeeded in bringing the staff to making a commitment to turning a brand new leaf towards achieving the overall goal of a transparent, open, and acceptable conduct of the March 19, 2016 re-run legislative polls in Rivers State in particular.
Speaking on the development, the Rivers State Director of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr Oliver Wolugbom, expressed the view that the March 19, re-run elections present INEC with a golden opportunity to redeem its badly smeared image in the state.
Mr Wolugbom said it was encouraging that INEC was talking to itself and reviewing its activities and performances in the past with a view to making amends and rededicating itself to delivering on its core mandate.
“INEC must stand its ground and take responsibility and charge over this election,” he said adding that to this end, the commission should have only its personnel as collation officers in all the 319 electoral wards in the state.
For the purpose of accountability, the NOA boss proffers that the bulk of the adhoc staff should be staffers of INEC so that the commission can have a greater grip of the activities and performance of the personnel. To achieve this objective, he said, it would not be out of place for the electoral body to empty itself into Rivers State from Surrounding states.
According to Mr Wolugbom, the more non-staffers of the commission are engaged in the exercise the greater the chances of comprise in the system, insisting that whosever is engaged must be impressed upon to do only that which is fit and proper to deliver a desirable outcome.
The NOA Director reiterated that the groundswell of misgivings against the commission has aggravated the need for it to acquit itself creditably and enjoined the electoral umpire to adequately equip and educate all its personnel to be deployed for duty.
In truth, the eventual outcome of the March 19, re-run elections in Rivers State is a shared responsibility among the stakeholders including the security agencies, civil society organizations, the political parties and their candidates and the Independent National Electoral Commission. However, it cannot be gainsaid that no one singular role or function is as vital as that of the umpire whose statutory responsibility is to coordinate all others to achieve the desired end.
It is worthy of commendation that the Resident Electoral Commissioner and his staff realise and appreciate this fact. But just being aware and appreciating the task in only the half of the job. The other and the most important part is the practical demonstration of the rhetoric. Nigerians are watching and Rivers people cannot wait for INEC to either redeem itself and shame its critics or to disappoint itself and prove the critics right and earn the damnation of condemnation of the people.

Opaka Dokubo

Politics

Senate Defends Passage Of State Police Bill

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Senate has defended the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, saying the proposed creation of state police is driven by national consensus and the country’s security needs rather than political considerations.

The Red Chamber passed the bill last Wednesday after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as “a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”

The senate leader said the proposal to establish state police was a matter of urgent public importance that could not be delayed because of political interests, given the country’s security challenges.

He explained that the proposal did not originate recently but emerged from memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

According to him, the proposal underwent extensive consultations and rigorous scrutiny because of its sensitive nature.

Bamidele said the National Assembly consulted widely with the Executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, the leadership of the Nigeria Police and other stakeholders before passing the bill.

He added that during the public hearings conducted across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025, participants overwhelmingly supported the creation of state police.

“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today,” he said.

The Senate leader noted that recommendations from the Nigeria Police contributed to the bill, particularly on accountability and oversight mechanisms aimed at preventing abuse of state police by political actors.

According to him, the police’s support for the proposal underscores its national significance in tackling insecurity at the state and local levels.

Bamidele also said the bill received broad bipartisan backing in both chambers of the National Assembly.

“Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties — PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party — that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial basis.

“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone,” he said.

He argued that national security should transcend political affiliations, saying political actors in other countries often set aside partisan interests to support initiatives that strengthen security.

Bamidele called on opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would promote peace and stability, adding that they have a responsibility to offer alternatives that would strengthen the country.

“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” he said.

News

Probe N6.3bn Constituency Funds Or Face Legal Action, SERAP Tells Akpabio, Abbas

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to refer allegations of the diversion or non-accounting of over ?6.3 billion in constituency project funds to anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.

The group also urged the National Assembly leadership to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, while all diverted or unaccounted public funds are recovered and paid into the treasury.

In a letter dated June 27, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.

The organisation disclosed this in a statement signed and released by Oluwadare, yesterday.

SERAP also asked Akpabio and Abbas to disclose the identities of contractors and companies, including their shareholders and beneficial owners, that allegedly received constituency project funds but failed to execute the projects.

It gave the National Assembly seven days to act on its recommendations, warning that it would institute legal proceedings should the legislature fail to respond.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter stated.

It said, “The allegations involve several federal ministries, departments and agencies, including the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON); the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Volm; the Federal Polytechnic, Udana; the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).

“The Auditor-General identified numerous cases of payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for contracts not executed or services not rendered, undocumented expenditures, inflated contracts, procurement irregularities and failures to account for public funds, recommending in each case that the funds be recovered and remitted to the treasury.

“According to the 2022 audited report, contained in pages 367 to 396, the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON or Council) Abuja paid over ‘N22 million [N22,944,565.16] into the private account of some members of staff of the Council from the Constituency Projects Fund Account.

“There ‘was no evidence of the utilization of the funds and no explanations on the purpose for the payment of such amount into the individual accounts.”

SERAP added, “The Council (EHORECON) also in 2021 ‘awarded suspicious consultancy contracts of over N12 million [N12,030,818.29] for the development of Modern Abattoirs in Kebbi State and the supervision of 7 projects in Kebbi, Jigawa, and Headquarters Abuja.

“The money was to ‘produce bills of quantity, architectural design, structural design, mechanical design, and electrical designs for the contracts and supervision.’ But ‘the ‘items could not be found.’”

Altogether, SERAP said the Auditor-General’s 2022 report alleged EHORECON paid more than ?1.8 billion in constituency project funds through questionable transactions.

For the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, SERAP said the institution “in 2022 reportedly ‘paid over N279 million [N279,700,500.00] to 3 contractors to empower and train youths in selected vocational areas in Borgu and Kontagora, Niger State, train women and youths in entrepreneurship in Niger East Senatorial District and to train youths and women in agro production and self-reliance in Barki Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau State.

“But the money was paid to the contractors without any document.’”

Other irregularities involving the college include another ?279.7 million in mobilisation fees allegedly paid without documentation, and more than ?629.4 million paid to unqualified contractors for various constituency projects without evidence of due process, contract advertisements or details of the contractors.

SERAP further alleged that the Auditor-General’s report identified multiple financial irregularities involving the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, including over ?407 million allegedly paid as mobilisation fees without supporting documents, more than ?399 million paid to unqualified contractors, contracts allegedly inflated by over ?192 million, over ?279 million paid for projects not fully executed, ?50 million allegedly paid for an unexecuted borehole project, and more than ?83 million disbursed without the required documentation or approvals.

It also alleged that NAPTIP reportedly irregularly awarded contracts worth over ?21.8 million, paid more than ?176.8 million for logistics and consultancy services without supporting documents, and disbursed over ?89.6 million and ?4.4 million for projects that were allegedly not executed.

The report also alleged that NILDS failed to submit audited financial statements for 2012 to 2022, did not remit over ?15 million in stamp duties, and spent ?1.6 million without authorisation from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

SERAP said the report recommended the recovery of the affected funds and their remittance to the treasury.

It argued that corruption in constituency projects disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable Nigerians by diverting resources meant for public services and development.

It added that the National Assembly, in exercising its oversight responsibilities, should demonstrate leadership by ensuring accountability in the management of constituency project funds.

The organisation further argued that the allegations, if established, would amount to breaches of the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which require transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public resources.

Politics

Parties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.