Politics
ACN Rejects Needam’s Resignation
The Tide barely recalls that a week after the resignation of the 2011 governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN), Dr. Abiye Sekibo, from the party, the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jerry Needam has resigned his membership of the party.
Needam in a statement on Tuesday said his resignation from the party was hinged on principle, alleging that there was an attempt to use the state executives of the party in the state to descrate the principles on which the party was conceived.
The party’s spokeman noted that it has been difficult coping with progressives in what is meant as a progressive alternative to the quo.
According to him, “I have carried the banner with Dr. Abiye Sekibo, and Hon. Kenneth Kobani alone, while the likes of Esuku M. Esuku is busy using the ACN platform for acquisition of wealth.
“My aim was to join other genuine efforts to build a credible opposition and set agenda for government , not to use the ACN platform to negotiate for appointment”, he said.
Noting that before 2011, Rivers State had been so unlucky not to have a serious opposition party, Needam however said he also shares the views and ideologies of his boss, Dr. Abiye Sekibo who left the party last week, adding that it would not be wise to remain in the party and work with those working with those whose ideologies are diametrically opposed to it (ACN).
He commended the people of Rivers State for their support while in ACN.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) says it had rejected the resignation of the Publity Secretary of the party in Rivers State, Mr. Jerry Needam, saying he has questions and outstanding issues with the party.
The Acting State Chairman of ACN in Rivers State, Mr. Esuku M Esuku who stated this last Wednesday in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt noted that the party had not received the said resignation letter.
Esuku noted that the party cannot at this time accept Needam’s resignation as there were a lot of allegations against him before the party leadership.
According to him, he is on suspension and has issues bordering on anti-party activities which he has to clear before leaving. He must defend himself, then after that, he can leave the party”.
It would be recalled that, ACN in the state suspended Jerry Needam and three others for alleged violation of the party’s constitution, especially its support for a faction of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in Rivers State.
Jerry Needam and others were allegedly identified at the Port Harcourt International Airport with other members of the PDP to welcome and receive Felix Obuah-led PDP exectuve which many considered to be purely party affairs for members of the PDP faction in the state.
Hon. Esuku went further to explain that Mr. Jerry Needam and other three members name were mentioned in the committees inaugurated by the Obuah -led faction of the PDP in the State, an indiction that they were involved in anti-party activities.
However, Hon. Esuku called on the Party loyalists to remain faithful and not to be distracted by the fake rumours of the purported resignation of jerry Needam.
He stressed that, Jerry Needam and three others were still members of the party serving suspension terms, pending when the party would resolve their issues.
Enoch Epelle
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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