Politics
Money Laundering Allegations: EFCC Must Respect The Law, Rivers PDP Insists
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that Rivers State is the second state with the highest number of money laundering cases after Lagos, describing the allegation as fictitious.
Spokesman of PDP in Rivers State, Darlington Orji who stated this during a telephone interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt Wednesday, called on the commission to respect the rule of law.
Recall that the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt said the level of corruption in the state was high, especially those related to oil business and that there were records of money laundering in the crude oil and gas rich State.
But Orji dared the EFCC boss to back up his claims with facts and refrain from making blanket statements, noting that the Rivers State government has a clean record as it is not involved in illegitimate businesses.
“It is unfortunate for that fictitious statement that is being attributed to the EFCC chairman. For us, Rivers State is a favourable place and as far as we are concerned, there is nothing like money laundering here. We do legitimate business as a government and as a people in Rivers state.
“We are on clean record and history has shown that Rivers State has nothing to do with illegality. So he (Magu) should come up with his facts and name names as an organisation that is set up by law and it is supposed to operate within the law.
“You cannot make a blank statement that will be indicting the entire state. statements should be made specifically, so that statement is neither here nor there,” the state PDP spokesman stated.
Orji further said the state government led by Governor Nyesom Wike is not bothered by the comments of the EFCC chairman because, according to him, the state government is running a transparent administration.
“So, for us it’s an accountable government, a government that is loyal to the people instead of the people being loyal to the government. So, we are not bothered with the statement because is a fictitious one.”
On the EFCC’s plan to vacate the perpetual injunction obtained by the Dr. Peter Odili government restraining the anti-graft agency from investigating officials of the state government, he said the statement is a pointer that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government does not respect the rule of law.
According to him, “Well, we are aware that the Government of APC today does not respect the rule of law, otherwise, he (Magu) ought not to make such statements. All they (EFCC) need to do is to approach a superior court so that, that order can be vacated.
“Thank God today every successive Government has used that order. The government of APC and the government of PDP. That order was not made or the court was not approached by the government of today in Rivers State.
“That is to say, that we only inherited the liabilities and assets of Rivers State. So, if they want to vacate the order, it is not by mere statement, it’s by approaching the court, if the court see reasons with them, they vacate it.
“We have nothing to hide as Rivers people. The government is open 24-hours, but we are saying that the rule of law must be respected.The order must be vacated before you could approach our people. Though the EFCC that we know appears sectional, which ever case, things should be done right,” Orji said.
Dennis Naku, Favour Ukwe, & Charity Opara
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted on the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise yesterday (Sunday) despite calls by some opposition political parties and civil society organisations for an extension over concerns that millions of citizens could be excluded from the 2027 general elections.
In a notice issued on its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the commission reminded the public that the exercise would end on Sunday, July 26, with designated registration centres open from 9am to 3pm.
“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the Commission stated.
INEC also reminded prospective voters that they could complete the registration process online through its dedicated CVR portal or visit designated INEC offices and registration centres nationwide for physical assistance.
The new Electoral Act stipulates that INEC is required to stop voter registration, updating and revision of the voters’ register 90 days before an election to allow for data clean-up, the printing of Permanent Voter Cards and other logistical preparations.
The law also requires the Commission to display the voters’ register for claims and objections within the stipulated period to enable eligible Nigerians to challenge omissions and errors and help ensure the credibility of the final register for the polls.
The INEC National Commissioner on Information and Voter Education, Mr Mohammed Haruna, told The Tide source that the Commission would not extend the deadline, stressing that the registration exercise had to close to allow the electoral body to begin cleaning the data already collected.
“By midnight on Sunday, voter registration ends. There won’t be any extension. There are so many things that we need to do at the back end. We have to draw a line; otherwise, we won’t be able to produce a clean copy of what has been posted,” he said.
Mr Haruna explained that the commission’s Information Technology team and the Voter Registration Department would begin processing the data immediately after the closure of the registration window.
He said INEC would deploy its Automated Biometric Identification System to detect and remove multiple registrations before the provisional voters’ register is displayed for public scrutiny.
“We have this automatic biometric system that will check whether somebody has registered more than once. They will publish the register for claims and objections. That is, if anybody thinks a name shouldn’t be on the register, or if he has some claims, for instance, that his name has been omitted or some of his details are incorrect,” he said.
According to him, the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after the biometric verification and the claims and objections process.
“So, it’s after all that has been done that we will have a final figure, which we will now add to the existing 93 million or so. That will then become the voters’ register. We are mandated to give every political party a copy ahead of the election,” Mr Haruna added.
Responding to concerns over the number of Nigerians who may be excluded from the 2027 electoral process by the closure, the national commissioner said INEC could only account for eligible citizens who presented themselves for registration.
He added that the commission had recorded registrations through its online platform, physical registration centres and INEC offices across the 774 local government areas.
According to a public announcement signed by Mr Ariyo Rufus, Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity on behalf of Mr Oluwatoyin Babalola, the INEC Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the said exercise is aimed at assessing its operational readiness and testing the efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the governorship poll.
INEC stated that the exercise would simulate Election Day accreditation procedures but clarified that no voting would take place during the exercise.
The commission explained that “the mock accreditation would be conducted in selected polling units spread across the three senatorial districts of Osun State, covering Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West.
“In Osun Central Senatorial District, the selected local government areas are Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun and Boripe, with designated polling units identified for the exercise.
“For Osun East Senatorial District, the exercise will take place in selected polling units across Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun local government areas.”
INEC also listed Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo local government areas as the selected councils for the mock accreditation exercise in Osun West Senatorial District.
The commission urged all registered voters whose polling units were selected to participate in the exercise, stressing that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be accredited.
“This exercise is designed to test the functionality and efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under conditions similar to Election Day. There shall be no voting during the exercise,” the Commission stated.
INEC reaffirmed its appreciation to residents of Osun State for their continued cooperation and support throughout the electoral process.
INEC also assured political parties, the media, civil society organisations and other stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election in Osun State.
Mr Dare made the remark while criticizing Alhaji Abubakar for hiring a United States of America lobbyist with $1.2 million, in preparation for the 2027 elections.
In a statement he personally signed, Mr Dare said the former vice president can’t take Nigeria down the path of self-destruction.
The statement read in part: “Worse still, for a man who presumes to offer leadership to Africa’s most populous nation, his recent resort to grievance offshoring, outsourcing political warfare to Washington and reportedly paying $1.2 million to an American lobbying firm to peddle petitions against a sitting Nigerian President, stands as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a vote of no confidence in its democratic institutions.
“It is also a stinging slight, an implicit condescension directed at generations of Nigerian journalists, policy analysts, academics, and public intellectuals who have spent decades analysing, critiquing, and carrying the burden of the nation’s democratic evolution.
“The Atiku Abubakar of today cuts a pitiable figure, a grotesque portrait of what a politician becomes when ambition overwhelms judgment and every political faculty becomes programmed for self-destruction.
“No, Atiku cannot take Nigeria down that path with him. He must travel it alone. But first, Nigerians deserve Atiku Abubakar’s report card. Charity, they say, begins at home, not in Washington.
“Nigerians deserve to know whether the Atiku Abubakar who has long presented himself as a democrat is, in reality, a politician of many colours. He has erected for himself a throne built simultaneously on sand and bayonets. It is time to explode the bayonets.”
-
Politics4 days agoBuhari Administration Originated Fake PFIPC, Budget Office Tells Reps
-
Rivers4 days agoNBA Set To Inaugurate New National Executive In PH
-
Business4 days ago$50m Steel Pipe Facility: NCDMB Lauds Brentex, Assures Industry Patronage
-
Politics4 days agoCHRISTIAN FORUM PASSES CONFIDENCE VOTE ON TINUBU, WIKE, OTHERS
-
Politics4 days agoTinubu Felicitates Umahi @63, Says Works Minister Outstanding
-
Editorial4 days agoImproving Surveillance in Rivers’ Boundary Communities
-
Politics4 days agoSpeak For Yourself, Otti Tells Uzodimma Over Tinubu’s Reelection Bid
-
Politics4 days agoVotes Will Count In 2027, INEC Assures Nigerians