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

Parties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices

Published

3 days 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.

Politics

ADC: Okonkwo Rejects Amaechi As Presidential Running Mate, Withdraws Support

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Actor turned politician, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, announced the party’s choice of Mr Amaechi.
However in a statement, Mr Okonkwo said that the choice of Mr Amaechi from the South South strengthens the continued marginalization of people from the South East.
According to the former spokesperson of the Labour Party, any arrangement that would not factor a person from the South East either as president or vice president in the party is anti-Igbo.
He contended that Chief Raph Nwosu, who founded the ADC in 2005 and willingly surrendered it’s leadership to Senator David Mark did not do so to entrench Igbo marginalization in the party.
The former actor said: “I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a president or vice president since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice president in the ADC in 2027, will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in marginalisation of my own people further. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the national chairman and the president, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice president in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his vice.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as president or vice in 2027”

Politics

2027: Tinubu’s Projects Give APC Edge In South East – Yilwatda

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Monday said that the numerous projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu across the states in the southeast will give him upper hand over other presidential candidates during next year’s general elections.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during a mega rally organized by the Ebonyi State government and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during which President Tinubu and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections were adopted.
According to the APC National Chairman, no President had done for the southeast region what President Tinubu has done for them and expressed the confidence that the president would not only win in Ebonyi State but in the entire South East.
Prof. Yilwatda also used the occasion to address growing insinuations in some quarters that Ebonyi State had been conceded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dismissing the claim, Prof. Yilwatda said the state would not allow the PDP to win any position in the forthcoming general election.
“We will return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Francis Nwifuru as Governor of Ebonyi State in 2027.
“We want to return all APC senators, members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in 2027.
“Nobody has conceded Ebonyi to the PDP. Therefore, there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi PDP has no place, and there is no vacancy at all in the Government House come 2027,” the APC National Chairman declared.
He commended the people of the state for their support for President Tinubu and urged them to re-elect him in the next presidential election in appreciation of what he has done for the state and the entire South-East through infrastructural transformation and human capital development.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, who also spoke at the event, said the state had no other presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections apart from President Tinubu.

He declared that Ebonyi remained a stronghold of the APC and vowed that the party would deliver the President in the state.

Gov. Nwifuru said President Tinubu had shown exceptional commitment to the state and deserved total support for appointing Senator Umahi as Minister of Works, a role he said Senator Umahi had performed creditably.

“Ebonyi has no other presidential candidate apart from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will return him in the presidential election.

“We are standing here today to tell the whole world, especially those using the President’s name to orchestrate division and confusion in this great state, that we have only one party, and that is the APC.

“This statement became necessary because some people are going around claiming they have discussed with Mr President and that he has handed Ebonyi over to the PDP. They are also saying that Chief Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the President has given Ebonyi to him.

“Ebonyi is not for sale. We are restraining ourselves because the people are with us. Nobody should push us because we have what it takes to confront anyone trying to destabilise us.

“We want to tell Mr President that he has earned our votes. He gave us what we had never had in Eastern Nigeria — the office of the Minister of Works. And this Minister of Works is not sitting idle; he is working,” he stated.

Senator Umahi, in his remarks, said President Tinubu had done what no other President had done for Ebonyi State and the entire South-East by executing numerous projects across the state and the region.

“Ebonyi State is a one-party state under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot, not just for Ebonyi State but for the entire South-East and other geopolitical zones,” he said.