Politics
Wike Passes No Confidence Vote On INEC
Last week, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, accused multinational companies operating in the Niger Delta region of contributing largely to the crisis situation in the region.
The Governor stated this Tuesday, when the leadership of Nigerian Bottling Company ( NBC ) paid a courtesy visit to the Governor in Government House, Port Harcourt.
The Governor said by refusing to appoint indigenes of the region into management positions and execute meaningful deveopment projects under their Corporate Social Responsibility, (CSR) they fuel agitations by the people.
Wike urged management of the companies to step up their CSR projects and make people from the area occupy managerial positions, to make them have a sense of belonging.
He said it is unfair to relegate to the background people from the area where they exploit crude deposits and huge market potentials.
Wike particularly admonished a delegation from the telecommunications giant, MTN to grow above donating few computers to Rivers State schools and execute key projects as done in Lagos, in view of its huge profit margin in Rivers State.
The Governor played host to the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa.
The Governor had on last Tuesday, while hosting the Senate Committee on INEC, declared that he has no confidence in the ability of INEC to conduct a transparent, free and fair election in the 2019 general elections in the country.
In spite of claims by the commission, the Governor said he had not seen anything to convince him that INEC is ready and willing for a transparent election.
He however, noted that any attempt by the commission to subvert the wishes of the electorate would be resisted by the people.
The committee led by it’s chairman, Sen. Suleiman Nazif, said they were in the state as part of their over sight functions to assess INEC in terms of it’s staff and capacity building.
The aim , he said, is to ensure that the commission is in good form for the forthcoming general elections.
Another major event last week in Brick House was the arrival of the National Festival Torch in the states.
Wike who received the torch, Thursday, in Government House, noted sports festivals promote peace, unity, and friendship said Rivers State will always participate in events that enhance national unity and cohesion.
The Governor was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry- Banigo who officially received the torch from the South/South Zonal Coordinator, National Sports Commission, Sunny Obot.
Obot stated that the torch is a symbol of National unity which was lit by President Muhammadu Buhari, on October 1, 2017.
Also last week, Governor Wike resumed his award winning spree as he was enthroned as the Sports Governor of the Year, 2018.
The Nigerian Sports Award chose Wike ahead his Lagos and Delta States counterparts, Akinwumi Ambode and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa respectively.
At the award reception held st Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, the organisers noted that Wike tremendously improved sports through investment and promotion of sports activities.
Wike was commended for developing such facilities as Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, and ongoing Real Madrid Football Academy, Port Harcourt.
Recall that the Governor had bagged the prestigious Power Of Sports Award last year at the Conference of International Sports Press Association in Brussels, Belgium.
Another major event that took place last week in Government House, was the presentation of the final report of the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Committee at Government House by chairman of the committee, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba.
The Governor, praised the committee for a job well done and announced that government has accepted a recommendation of the committee to establish a technical group to develope a working document to enhance growth of the state.
The Governor also presided over last week Rivers StatevExecutive Council Meeting held Wednesday in Government House.
On Friday, the Governor inspected ongoing projects in the state to ascertain their level of completions. Among the projects he inspected were the Judges quarters, Mile 1 Market, and the Rivers State Fruits and Garden Market.
By: Chris Oluoh.
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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