Politics
Rivers PDP Dismisses ACN’s Call For ‘Open Debate’
President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) assisted by Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi (right) and the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd) in unveiling the crown at the coronation of His Royal Majesty, King Ebitimi Banigo, the Amanyanabo of Okpoama Kingdom, Bayelsa State Recently
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers state has dismissed calls made by the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, for a public debate with Governor Chibuike Amaechi over the purchase of an aircraft by the Rivers State Government describing it as laughable and done in bad taste. The ruling party equally questioned what ambiguity there was in the explanations by the state Honourable Commissioner of Information and Communications on the issue.
The PDP in a statement said the explanations made by the state government were not ambiguous as claimed by the ACN, expressing shock that a party that contested for the governorship of the state few months back could degenerate into an apparently, incurable state of amnesia to the extent it is unable to remember facts of a statement made only few days ago.
The statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, George Ukwuoma, said the challenge is nothing but a last ditched attempt by a desperate political party to arm-twist Governor Amaechi and the ruling party to a quick acceptance of his pleas for re-admission. He said the governor and the PDP in Rivers State will not succumb to such antics adding that such tricks would collapse in the face of its players.”
Mr Ukwuoma explained that Rivers State Government sold-off two of its aircrafts, one, a DASH 8 early in 2011 and the second, an 8-year-old Embraer jet was put up for sale in 2012.
“What is ambiguous about this?” the PDP asked.”
The PDP said ACN’s accusation on Governor Amaechi did not follow due process smacks turning the truth face-down considering the governor’s knack for due process.
“It would be too soon for ACN to forget that until Governor Amaechi came into office, there was no statutory apparatus for due process. Some time ago, the ACN in its Janus-face attitude, raised false alarm that the Administration was delaying implementation of contracts over its due process policy. The same party now cries wolf where there was none, a pack of lies in character and content.
The PDP berated the ACN for its consistent disrespect for the Office of the Governor, saying that the people of the state are satisfied with the purchase of the aircraft and explanations by their government.
He advised that, the opposition should purge itself of hypocrites in its midst masquerading as leaders, re-build its dilapidated membership and pursue true democratic path if it must be taken seriously.
Prof. Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said insecurity remained a potential challenge to the electoral process but stressed that the Commission would not allow threats against its personnel to undermine its constitutional responsibilities.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Let me again send a clear message from Port Harcourt: anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he said.
The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners, directors and technical aides, disclosed that the South-South engagement was the fifth in a series of zonal assessments, following similar exercises in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
He explained that his physical presence across the geopolitical zones reflected the Commission’s field-first approach, emphasising that electoral integrity must be established through effective operations at the grassroots.
According to him, the assessment would cover operational preparedness across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan said INEC had moved away from reactive security arrangements traditionally activated around election day to a proactive, intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.
He explained that the framework was designed to extend inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote communities.
He identified three critical pillars of the framework as mapping and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units.
The INEC boss said the security arrangement would provide comprehensive protection for electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, as well as voters.
He added that the framework was intended to ensure that every polling unit, irrespective of its geographical location or history of security challenges, remained safe and accessible for the exercise of democratic rights.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the South-South security architecture comprised approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network, he said, brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies across the six states.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Providing an overview of the region’s electoral significance, the INEC Chairman said the South-South had the fourth-largest voting bloc in the country, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register.
Rivers State alone, he said, accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters spread across the 23 local government areas.
Alhaji Abubakar made the demand following revelations that some INEC registration officers allegedly abused their access to the voter registration system to introduce irregular records into the database.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president described the development as a serious breach of the Commission’s internal safeguards and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged INEC to identify the officials implicated in the alleged misconduct and explain what disciplinary or legal measures had been taken against them.
Alhaji Abubakar also called for an independent forensic audit of the preliminary voters’ register to establish the scale of the alleged manipulation, identify affected records and determine how the questionable entries were introduced into the system.
He further insisted that INEC preserve all relevant voter records, image files, system access logs and electronic audit trails to prevent the destruction or alteration of evidence before an independent examination could be conducted.
The former vice-president also demanded that the Commission disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that transparency was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had earlier disclosed during a television interview that some registration officers across the country allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the voters’ database.
Dr Bayode explained that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped identify questionable records and establish how some irregularities entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all suspicious photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from poor registration procedures.
The development followed public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs, alleged duplicate entries and other inconsistencies discovered in the preliminary voters’ register published online on October 26, 2026.
INEC has maintained that the published document is a preliminary register and that it is reviewing questionable records ahead of the certification of the final Register of Voters.
The controversy has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the voters’ register as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.
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