Politics
Ekweremadu, Others Hail New PDP National Officers
Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, congratulated the newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and other 20 officers elected during the just-concluded National Convention of the party.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, UcheAnichukwu, in Abuja, Ekweremadu, said the emergence of Ayu and other national officers would give the PDP the much-needed renewed vigour and focus required to rescue Nigeria.
He equally commended the Elder Yemi Akinnwonmi-led leadership of the party and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri-led National Convention Planning Committee for the seamless and transparent elections, saying the PDP has disappointed her evil wishers.
“This is hearty congratulations to the newly elected national officers of our great party, the PDP. Given the pedigree and antecedents of our national chairman-elect and his team, I have no doubt that we got it right.
“Nigeria is in dire need of rescue from the clutches of divisiveness, criminal cartels, vaunting bandits and insurgents, collapsing economy (to put it mildly), and secessionist agitations occasioned by injustice and marginalisation.
“There is no doubt that we have in place a highly promising team led by a widely-accepted, disciplined, experienced, and pan-Nigerian politician in the person of Distinguished Senator IyorchiaAyu, that will help mobilise party faithful and Nigerians at home and the diaspora for the success of this mission,” he said.
On the just-concluded convention, the lawmaker, who also chaired the Screening Appeal Panel of the convention, said: “I must commend our party leaders and elders as well as the Governor AhmaduFintiri-led National Convention Planning Committee for giving the party a highly transparent, seamless, and credible convention. The party has disappointed the evil wishers.
“The first task before the elected national officers even before their inauguration is to work with the incumbent party leadership and elders to extend hands of fellowship and assuage party members, who are aggrieved for one reason or the other.
“We are one big family and the larger national and party interest should always prevail, especially at a time like this when the nation is seriously threatened”.
He wished Ayu and his team a highly successful tenure.
Also speaking ahead of the 2023 elections, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Hon Aminu Tambuwal expressed optimism that the party was set to reclaim its glory.
According to Tambuwal, despite the antics of detractors to roll back the 16 years impressive credentials of the party, the party was still in the forefront and endearing.
“Analysts and observers agreed that there are attempts to scuttle our unity as a party and as a people. There are people working to present us as weak and in disarray.
“But I am happy to report that contrary to the naysayers the PDP is today the strongest and most cohesive party in Nigeria.
“I am happy to report that those who want to divide and weaken us are the ones failing and we are winning,” the governor said.
Enumerating the problems of the country and the continent of Africa as: challenges of insecurity, unemployment, rising cost of energy, food and other essential items for living decent lives,” he said the PDP as “the best platform to move the country forward” was poised to embark on intensive membership drive that will soon “welcome new members… (and) other patriots and concerned Nigerians to join us… to move Nigeria forward.”
Emphasising the need to harness the potential of young people and provision of succour to old people, he noted that “the current state of the nation is a far cry from the need of our people across the country.”
Tambuwal said the PDP is undaunted by the myriads of challenges “made worse by the (COVID-19) pandemic affected other issues across the world,” he advocated that the PDP should remain “united, disciplined and focused on finding ways to bring out the best of our people and building systems and institutions that aid not destroy.”
He reeled out the achievements of the PDP when it was in power for 16 years.
These include: liberalisation of telecommunications, diffusion of GSM, building of the institutions of drug administration, anti-graft, health insurance and the creation of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Other achievements he listed were introduction of card readers, conception of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Bank Verification Number (BVN), new pension scheme, modern driver’s license, and restoration of the Abuja-Kaduna rail and location of more airports across the country.
The SokotoState governor said the PDP ‘negotiated and settled…foreign debts, fast paced the country’s economy, implemented bank reforms and stabilized the Naira.
Acknowledging that “governing Nigeria is not an easy task,” Tambuwal chastised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government that is “carrying a burden that is making it wobble.
“It is time to relieve them of that burden,” he stated.
In his remarks, Adamawa State Governor and Chairman of the convention committee, Hon AhmaduFintiri commended party faithful for what he described as a successful National Convention.
Earlier, the former Senate President, Dr.IyorchaAyu had emerged the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ambassador TaofeekArapaja also emerged the National Deputy Chairman (South).
Ayu, who was the consensus candidate at the party national convention in Abuja, got 3,426 affirmative votes out of 3,511 accredited voters.
However, Arapaja secured a total of 2,004 votes to defeat his only rival, former governor of Osun State, Prince OlagunsoyeOyinlola, who polled 705 votes, while invalid votes were165.
Also, Umar Damagum scored a total of 2,222 votes to defeat his sole rival, Mrs. Inna Ciroma, for the position of Deputy National Chairman (North), who polled 365 votes.
The position of National Youth Leader was won by Mohammed Suleiman with 3,072 votes, while his co-contestant, UsmanElkudan, had 219 votes.
Efforts to achieve consensus candidates for all 21 elective national offices of the party suffered a setback as agreement could not be reached for three offices.
The three offices were the Deputy National Chairman (South) and Deputy National Chairman (North), as well as the National Youth Leader of the party.
Those returned unopposed with uniform votes of 3,426 were Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary; Ahmed Mohammed- National Treasurer; Umar Bature as National Organising Secretary and Daniel Woyegikuro as National Financial Secretary.
Other returned elected by the Returning Officer, Governor AhmaduFintiri of Adamawa, were Stella Effah-Attoe as National Woman Leader; KamaldeenAdeyemiAjibade as National Legal Adviser; DeboOlogunagba as National Publicity Secretary; and Okechukwu Daniel as National Auditor.
Also elected were SetonjiKosheodo as Deputy National Secretary; Ndubisi David as Deputy National Treasurer; Ibrahim Abdullahi as Deputy National Publicity Secretary; and IghoyotaAmori as Deputy National Organising Secretary,
AdamuKamale was elected the Deputy National Financial Secretary; HajaraWanka as Deputy National Woman Leader; Timothy Osadolor, as Deputy National Youth Leader, OkechukwuOsuoha as Deputy National Legal Adviser; and Albdulraman Mohammed as Deputy National Auditor.
The new members of the National Working Committee are expected to assume offices after the tenure of the incumbent members expires on December 9.
In his appreciation remarks, the incoming National Chairman of the PDP, Senator IyorchiaAyu said that the PDP was back to take over Nigeria and develop it.
The national chairman-elect said the PDP did it before and would do it again.
“I want to sincerely appreciate the PDP family. Today is simply a “thank you” address. When we started this party 23 years ago, we never in any way imagined that the journey would get us to this stage.
“A stage where we ruled for 16 years, we went into rough times, but for anybody who bothers to see, PDP is back.
“I want to appreciate all of you who have taken time as delegates as observers, as supporters, as members of the media as members of the security services who have made this event such a wonderful event.
“Many people imagine that this convention will lead to the break-up of PDP. Those people who are dreaming like that, their dreams were misplaced.
“Those who have lost hope should know that Nigeria is not a divided country. A small group of people decided to divide Nigeria.
“PDP will come back to unite our people, put them together, north and south, east and west.
“We will move ahead to develop this country. We did it before. We are going to do it again. I want to thank the governors,” Ayu said.
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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