Politics
Wike Gets Heroic Reception Over Obaseki’s Victory
Activities in Government House, Port Harcourt, last week began on a happy note as Governor Nyesom Wike was accorded a heroic reception because of the uncommon role he played in the Edo Gubernatorial Election that saw the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Godwin Obaseki eventually emerge victorious in the election.
Governor Wike, who was the Chairman, PDP National Campaign Council, Edo 2020 Governorship Election, arrived the Port Harcourt International Airport to meet a mammoth crowd of party supporters.
Chairman of the Elders Council of the party in the state, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, commended Governor Wike for leading a successful campaign.
The Governor, in his response commended the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and the Police over their conduct in Edo and stressed that their good conduct inspired hope for the nation.
He also thanked Rivers people for their prayers that led to the victory in Edo.
Similarly, the Wike Solidarity Movement (WSF) from the 23 local government areas of the state paid a solidarity visit to the Governor in Government House, Port Harcourt to thank him for his role in securing victory for Obaseki.
Wike, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Engr Chukwuemeka Woke, said the victory was not only for the people of Edo but for the South South region and the entire country. He noted that the victory had put an end to the problem of godfatherism in Edo politics.
Last Wednesday, the Edo State Governor was in Government House, Port Harcourt on a thank-you visit to Governor Nyesom Wike. He described the consolation he got from Wike as the second pivot for his electoral victory.
Obaseki said: “ After I was pushed out of my former party, this house was the first place I sought solace. You took me in as a brother, out of the storm , changed my cloths and gave me food to eat.
“ It was in this house the campaign council met to work out the key campaign strategies that led us to victory.
“ You mobilised people across the country. You moved to Benin, went through the humiliation and attacks. You supported us and we won.
“ It will be a sin against God if we do not come to say thank you. Even if the victory we are celebrating is from God, He has used people like you to make it happen”.
Gov Wike, in his response commended Obaseki for being courageous and firm in the struggle and described him as one who had the interest of Edo people at heart.
Gov Wike advised Obaseki to forgive his opponents and carry everybody along.
Last Friday, the Rivers State Executive Council held an emergency session in Government House and approved the reopening of schools in the state with effect from Monday, 5th October.
Briefing Government House Correspondents after the meeting, the State Commissioner for Education, Prof Kaniye Ebeku, said apart from primary schools that are not affected due to expert medical advice, all secondary schools, universities and other tertiary institutions would reopen on October 5, 2020.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, also announced the reopening of public places such as parks, cinemas and restaurants.
He however added that night clubs and bars as well as Oil Mill and Slaughter Oginigba Markets remain closed.
The Commissioner for Social Welfare, Mrs Inime Aguma further said that the State Government also reviewed the compliance of citizens as it relates to Executive Order 16 on the conduct of marriages in the state . She said henceforth, applications for marriages must be accompanied with an affidavit stating that there would be no reception.
According to the Commissioner, a fine of N100 million awaits defaulters.
Also last week in Government House, Port Harcourt, participants of Naval Warfare College Course Four paid a courtesy visit to Governor Wike.
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.”
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