Politics
IPAC Urges Obiano To Conduct Council Polls
The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Anambra has said there was no agreement between it and the Anambra government over the non conduct of local government elections in the state.
IPAC made the clarification when it renewed the call on Gov. Willie Obiano to conduct council polls at a news conference in Awka, yesterday.
Peter Okala, Ddirector of Media to IPAC chairman in Anambra, who read the statement, said the council was calling on the minister of Justice to direct stoppage of further disbursement of local government allocation to Anambra until there was a duly conducted election.
IPAC alleged that there was fraud in the local government system in Anambra as the state governor had failed to conduct council polls since he came to power in 2014.
“IPAC has written all relevant agencies of government, including the AGF and the FAAC to forthwith withhold the local government funds accruable to Anambra State.
“We mandate the state accountant-general and other agencies in the state to account for the billions of Naira so far received.
“Other decisive action taken by our great council is to organise a stakeholders meeting, comprising traditional rulers, market leaders, civil society organisations and the mass media to enlighten them on this matter of urgency.
“We want them to become a part of the campaign to stop the nefarious activities at the grassroots,” it said.
The group described as untrue, the rumours making rounds that its members took N15million each from the state government to look away from asking questions about the non-conduct of council election in the state.
Okala said the story was handiwork of those who were benefitting from the extant system, vowing that they would not be cowed from acting in the common interest of the people.
He said the non conduct of council election had led to the underdevelopment of the grassroots.
On the deregistering of some political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, IPAC in Anambra said it was a nullity as INEC could not say which party won election when it had not been conducted at the council level in most states.
In a reaction, the Anambra government said the call by IPAC for stoppage of council funds to the state was unpatriotic.
C-Don Adinuba, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment in Anambra told journalists that it was wicked for anyone from the state to write to outside agencies to ask that the state be deprived of its funds.
According to him, the matter is still in court as I speak. It is at the Supreme Court. Some people took the state to the state High Court and won, but we appealed and won and they went to the Supreme Court.
“So, we are barred from conducting the election until that matter is done with.
Adinuba described the call by IPAC as the handwork of some fifth-columnists, asking that they be ignored.
The Senate yesterday received the 2026-2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Bola Tinubu, marking the formal launch of the 2026 federal budget cycle.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, Tinubu said the submission complies with statutory requirements and sets out the fiscal parameters that will guide the preparation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He explained that the MTEF/FSP outlines the macroeconomic assumptions, revenue projections, and spending priorities that will shape Nigeria’s fiscal direction over the next three years.
The letter was read during plenary by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the document.
“It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026 to 2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the kind consideration and approval of the Senate.
“The 2026 to 2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 3, 2025, and the 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions therein,” the President stated.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the fiscal projections, pegging the oil benchmark price at $64.85 per barrel and adopting a budget exchange rate of ?1,512/$1 for 2026—figures expected to significantly shape revenue forecasts and expenditure planning.
After reading the President’s letter, Jibrin referred the document to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), with a directive to submit its report by Wednesday, December 17.
The Senate adjourned shortly after to allow committees to commence scrutiny of the fiscal framework and continue the ongoing screening of ambassadorial nominees.
Tinubu’s communication to the Senate came less than 24 hours after he transmitted the same MTEF/FSP documents to the leadership of the House of Representatives.
The letter was read on the House floor by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also urged timely legislative action as required by law.
The MTEF and FSP are statutory instruments mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and serve as the blueprint for Nigeria’s annual budgets.
They outline the government’s fiscal stance, macroeconomic assumptions, revenue frameworks, projected deficits, and sectoral priorities over a three-year period.
The Tide reports that approval by the National Assembly is a prerequisite for the executive to present the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
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