Politics
Why Wike Deserves Second Term -Mpigi
The member representing Tai/Eleme/Oyigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr. Barry Mpigi recently defected along with 37 members of the House from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He spoke to Dennis Naku on why he dumped APC, the failure of the Muhammadu Buhari government to handle insecurity in the country and why he believes Governor Nyesom Wike deserves a second term.
Excerpts.
You were a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) until recently?
I was a member of the reformed All Progressives Congress (r-APC) before defecting to the PDP and my name was number two on the list. I was presented to the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives to inform him of my willingness to go back to the PDP where I originally belonged.
What exactly does the R-APC represent?
The R-APC was a faction of the fictionalised APC.
That means you have defected from the APC?
Yes. I have left the APC.
So, why did you dump the APC?
I left the APC because of its factionalisation and the impunity level of the APC in Nigeria. I defected to save Nigeria. The APC is in crisis.
Can you explain what you mean by factionalisation?
In Rivers State where I come from, we have the Magnus Abe faction, the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi faction and the R-APC faction that I hitherto belonged. The centre could no longer hold.
Can you throw more light on what you mean by impunity?
Nigeria needs to be safe for all to live in. Each day on earth, people are being killed everyday in Nigeria. Armed robbery is on the increase. Just imagine armed policemen blocking the Senate President from leaving his official residence. Autocracy is taking over as if we are in a military regime. As it is, like minds are coming together to rescue Nigeria in 2019.
Where you a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
Of course, yes! Most of those crying wolf now including Rotimi Amaechi because we left the APC were together with us in the PDP before we defected to the APC. We even formed the new-PDP before we joined the APC. We can always apologise to the PDP for moving over to the APC. So, we are back home.
Why did you leave the PDP?
We left the PDP in an attempt to rescue Rivers State at that time. We tried a model which we thought would work for Nigeria, but that model failed us. We can always apologise to PDP.
What were your grievances for leaving the PDP?
For me, what made me to leave the PDP in 2014 are far smaller when compared to what made me to leave the APC for the PDP. I am assuring those still out there that the PDP is a better place to belong. And that is why we have apologised to the PDP that we took a wrong step and we are now back home.
To be more specific, why did you leave the PDP?
My people were not getting anything from the PDP at that time. My people are now benefiting from the state government. Things are now happening in all 23 local government areas in Rivers State because a grassroots man is in charge of the state government.
Would you say your group gave the new National Chairman of the APC enough time to mediate in settling whatever grievances you had against the leadership of the APC?
I cannot talk about the APC and Adams Oshiomhole because I am not a member of their party anymore. I can talk of the Rivers State Chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah; I can talk of the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus. But I cannot talk about Oshiomhole that is bullying the whole country as we speak: claiming he is even more powerful than the President of the country. If that is what they mean by Change, good for the APC. We are more concerned with the positive change that is taking place in the PDP right now.
You were very vocal in the support of Senator Magnus Abe’s governorship ambition which has led to a glaring conflict between your camp and Amaechi’s group which could affect your chances of getting an APC’s ticket in 2019.
Senator Abe is an individual; I am also an individual. So, I don’t want to talk about Abe and his political party. I can talk about Governor Nyesom Wike who is my friend and who is doing very well for the people of Rivers State. I can talk about the 4, 432 polling units in the state; I can talk about the 319 wards and 23 local governments areas in Rivers State as it affects the PDP. I can talk about the infrastructural strides of Governor Wike because I am working with Wike. I do not want to talk about Abe and his political party.
So, you defected for purely political reasons?
I defected because democracy is at play in the PDP. You need to do what you think you are competent in doing. You need to do what you have been asked to do. I am doing it for the people of Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo Federal Constituency to be specific. I am doing it for the people of Rivers State and I am doing it for Nigerians.
Governor Wike just flagged off a road construction in Tai which was abandoned about 50 years ago; a road that was abandoned by the Amaechi administration. My people will benefit from using the road now. Members of the APC and PDP will use the road and that is because of my personal relationship with Governor Wike. So, I am not doing it for Barry Mpigi. I am doing it for my people and it is a positive change and positive development that my people can see. Our people in Tai have agreed to work for the PDP so that we can attract development to the area.
The contentious national legislative re-run of 2015, and the re-scheduled re-run elections for Rivers South East Senatorial District and the Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo Federal Constituency in 2016, pitched you and Senator Abe against the Rivers State Chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah, leading to heated arguments from both parties at that time. How do you intend to manage this sour relationship now that you are back in the PDP?
Felix Obuah has been my long time friend and we worked tirelessly together when I was in the PDP. I was duly elected by the people and the court of law has also affirmed the legitimacy of my election. What is past is past. What is important is to move Rivers State forward.
Are you sure that the PDP will retain the governorship seat in Rivers State in 2019?
Governor Wike is doing very, very well and his projects will speak for him. For a governor that has done so much for his people, the only way to appreciate him is to return him to Government House in 2019. Governor Wike has already covered 50 per cent of the 100 metres race for the 2019 governorship election.
The other parties are yet to even pick a governorship candidate. They are bickering among themselves. They are factionalised while the PDP and Governor Wike remain focused on developing Rivers State and impacting in the lives of the people.
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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