Politics
Feb Polls: To Be Or Not To Be?
The recent call by the
National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), for a postponement of the February polls has brought Nigeria to another phase of electioneering. For all the intrigues it has offered so far, one certainty it has proved is the preparedness of key stakeholders, particularly the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, and the main opposition, All Progressives Congress, APC, to ensure free, fair and acceptable 2015 general elections. At least going by what they say they stand for.
To an extent, the modus operandi adopted by all concerned may have ended up opening a can of worms, but all are hell bent on holding their own in their conviction of what the Nigerian populace either desire, or need. In their bid to push forth their stand, some pertinent questions are ostensibly raised. An example is the reason given by Dasuki for postponement of the elections,
Speaking at the London think-tank Chatham House, during a lecture entitled, “Nigeria’s Insecurity: Insurgency, Corruption, Elections and the Management of Multiple Threats”, Dasuki said “INEC had distributed 30 million cards in the past year but had another 30 million to hand out.”
He said INEC had assured him it would achieve this on time for the February elections, but he thought it would make more sense to take more time, as there is a 90-day window during which the election could legally take place.
“It costs you nothing; it’s still within the law”, he said.
While supporting this stand, the highly respected pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, said, holding credible poll is not feasible considering that majority of voters are yet to collect their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs).
In a communiqué issued after a meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, chaired by the leader of the group, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, and read by the Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, the group emphasized that as far as postponing the election would still meet the May 29 handover date, the sacrifice would be worth the trouble.
“The constitution says election should hold not earlier than 150 days to handover date and not later than 30 days. INEC has chosen February 14. For us, May 29 is sacrosanct; there is no controversy over this.
“Within those days, between February 14 and 30 days to May 29, INEC has a window to make sure that most voters are not disenfranchised. If INEC can give all registered voters their PVCs before February 14, all well and good.
Moreover, they added, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has not demonstrated enough determination to conduct free and fair elections.
“The meeting viewed with seriousness the sheer incompetence on the part of INEC. The INEC that wanted to create 30,000 polling units few weeks to the election has yet to distribute almost 30 million voter’s cards. When you look at the table INEC has given, what they tell us is that in each state, this is the PVC received, hiding the total number of registered voters.
“As at today, over 15 million voters out of the ones collected have not received their cards. This is 54 million. There are 14 million voter’s cards that have not arrived in the country. If we put them together, almost half of the total electorate is yet to collect their voter’s cards.
“The assurance by the INEC chairman that he will distribute cards a day to the election is not reassuring. If you have failed to do it before now, what is the assurance that he is going to do it now?
“We want to warn that any election conducted on the basis of disenfranchising almost half of the electorate, the outcome will not be credible or acceptable”, Odumakin said.
One argument that has been put forth against the postponement is that at no point in the history of elections the world over that all registered voters had voted in an election. In the words of the House of Representatives spokesperson, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, “there is nowhere in the world where 100 per cent of registered voters vote in an election”.
Stating the stand of the Lower House, Mohammed said “the call for postponement of the elections is a decoy for third term agenda and as a House of the Nigerian people, we will resist it”. The reason, as he puts it, is that “It will be a breach of the constitution to postpone the polls by whatever guise. This is a ploy and we know where it is coming from.”
Another strong opposition to the postponement came from the 26 registered political parties in the country. They recently met in Abuja with the electoral body and asked INEC not to postpone the elections.
Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the body of the registered parties, Yunusa Tanko, said all the registered political parties were already on the field canvassing for votes.
Speaking with journalists at the quarterly meeting of INEC with the leadership of the registered political parties ahead of the general elections, Tanko declared that all the political parties were ready and fully prepared for the polls.
He added that a lot of human and material resources had been committed towards having successful elections in the country.
Meanwhile, Tanko noted, INEC, as the electoral umpire, has not said the February 14 and 28 dates for the general elections cannot be met “As we speak, INEC has not come out to tell us that the elections will be shifted; INEC has been carrying the registered political parties along in all the preparations for the February polls.
“Though there may be challenges in the distribution of the PVCs, this is not enough to postpone the elections. To us, it remains agitation and we are not in support of the idea.”
Noting the importance of not disenfranchising qualified voters, he urged INEC to approach the Federal Government for possible declaration of public holidays to enable all eligible voters who are yet to collect their PVCs to do so before the elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, had during the meeting with IPAC, agreed on certain salient points aimed at ensuring free and fair elections. Such points include relocation of some polling units that are located at areas where undue influence could affect voting.
The meeting, Jega said, was an opportunity not only for INEC to brief the political parties but also to listen to their concerns and observations so as to take them into account in the final preparations for the elections.
“I want to also assure you that we are committed to ensuring that the elections will be much better than the elections we conducted in 2011,” he stated.
The crux of agitations for and against the postponement is registered voters taking possession of their PVCs, which is genuine. But the opposition’s stance is based on the timing and who is calling for the postponement. They express the belief that there is more to the call for postponement than meets the eye. Accussing fingers are being pointed at the ruling PDP seeking to maneuver the polls shift to its advantage.
Moreover, the opposition reasoned that such call for postponement should come from the umpire, INEC, not a partisan in the fold of Dasuki. And since INEC had emphasized on the feasibility of the February 14 and 28 dates for the elections, based on which so much has been invested, such postponement, the opposition fear is capable of fueling crisis.
Going by the intrigues, all stakeholders have proven to know their onions in the country’s political arena. The basic concern now is the extent to which these agitations are powered by a genuine concern to build a better and united Nigeria, noting that anything less than that could spell doom for the country.
As the former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, recently put it, “the outcome of the election would affect the fortunes of the country. Getting the election right would unlock the country’s potentials, while getting it wrong would mean hard times ahead.
“We are at crossroads: we do it right, we’ll get our country perfect, peaceful (and) united. We do it wrong, it may not be the end of Nigeria, (but) difficult times will be ahead”.
From the perspective of the spokesman of Afenifere, Odumakin, one way to get it right is not just to clamour for change, but to do so knowing that the most important change that Nigeria desires this time is one that would restructure governance.
“Most of the issues that are confronting us – insecurity and corruption – have their link with the faulty constitution that we have and to change the constitution is the most important change that we need”, hence “the change that ignores the restructuring of Nigeria is not a change”.
Soibi Max-Alalibo
INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega
Mr Okonkwo made the announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on yesterday, expressing gratitude for what he called Alhaji Abubakar’s show of faith in him.
“I give God all the glory for being appointed by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar as his spokesperson. I thank His Excellency for the immense confidence reposed in me,” Mr Okonkwo said.
The politician credited Alhaji Abubakar with championing dialogue over conflict within party ranks.
He noted that the former vice president favours conversation and compromise when party associates raise genuine worries, rather than dismissing their concerns.
“Rather than take offence at associates for expressing genuine reservations about any action taken, His Excellency always opts for dialogue and compromise that engender solutions to problems,” Mr Okonkwo stated.
According to him, recent talks with Alhaji Abubakar and other ADC leaders tackled worries about South-East political representation within the limits of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the current political climate. He said the discussions produced guarantees for the region’s interests despite existing constraints.
Mr Okonkwo also acknowledged the work of Dr. Kashim Imam; former ADC National Chairman, Ralphs Nwosu; Ekene Onwuka, Alhaji Abubakar’s Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, in preparing the party for next year’s elections. He thanked his loved ones and supporters for their support and prayers.
“I still covet your prayers for wisdom, courage, provision and protection needed to carry out this challenging responsibility, which will usher in a glorious and great Nigeria,” he added.
The appointment arrives weeks after Mr Okonkwo publicly attacked the ADC’s pick for running mate in 2027. He’d warned that choosing a vice-presidential candidate from the South-South would worsen what he sees as political neglect of the South-East, a region without a president or vice president since 1999.
Despite Mr Okonkwo’s objections, the ADC later announced former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as Alhaji Abubakar’s running mate following the ex-vice president’s clinching of the party’s presidential nomination.
The Senate has defended the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, saying the proposed creation of state police is driven by national consensus and the country’s security needs rather than political considerations.
The Red Chamber passed the bill last Wednesday after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as “a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”
The senate leader said the proposal to establish state police was a matter of urgent public importance that could not be delayed because of political interests, given the country’s security challenges.
He explained that the proposal did not originate recently but emerged from memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal underwent extensive consultations and rigorous scrutiny because of its sensitive nature.
Bamidele said the National Assembly consulted widely with the Executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, the leadership of the Nigeria Police and other stakeholders before passing the bill.
He added that during the public hearings conducted across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025, participants overwhelmingly supported the creation of state police.
“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today,” he said.
The Senate leader noted that recommendations from the Nigeria Police contributed to the bill, particularly on accountability and oversight mechanisms aimed at preventing abuse of state police by political actors.
According to him, the police’s support for the proposal underscores its national significance in tackling insecurity at the state and local levels.
Bamidele also said the bill received broad bipartisan backing in both chambers of the National Assembly.
“Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties — PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party — that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial basis.
“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone,” he said.
He argued that national security should transcend political affiliations, saying political actors in other countries often set aside partisan interests to support initiatives that strengthen security.
Bamidele called on opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would promote peace and stability, adding that they have a responsibility to offer alternatives that would strengthen the country.
“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” he said.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to refer allegations of the diversion or non-accounting of over ?6.3 billion in constituency project funds to anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.
The group also urged the National Assembly leadership to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, while all diverted or unaccounted public funds are recovered and paid into the treasury.
In a letter dated June 27, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.
The organisation disclosed this in a statement signed and released by Oluwadare, yesterday.
SERAP also asked Akpabio and Abbas to disclose the identities of contractors and companies, including their shareholders and beneficial owners, that allegedly received constituency project funds but failed to execute the projects.
It gave the National Assembly seven days to act on its recommendations, warning that it would institute legal proceedings should the legislature fail to respond.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter stated.
It said, “The allegations involve several federal ministries, departments and agencies, including the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON); the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Volm; the Federal Polytechnic, Udana; the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
“The Auditor-General identified numerous cases of payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for contracts not executed or services not rendered, undocumented expenditures, inflated contracts, procurement irregularities and failures to account for public funds, recommending in each case that the funds be recovered and remitted to the treasury.
“According to the 2022 audited report, contained in pages 367 to 396, the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON or Council) Abuja paid over ‘N22 million [N22,944,565.16] into the private account of some members of staff of the Council from the Constituency Projects Fund Account.
“There ‘was no evidence of the utilization of the funds and no explanations on the purpose for the payment of such amount into the individual accounts.”
SERAP added, “The Council (EHORECON) also in 2021 ‘awarded suspicious consultancy contracts of over N12 million [N12,030,818.29] for the development of Modern Abattoirs in Kebbi State and the supervision of 7 projects in Kebbi, Jigawa, and Headquarters Abuja.
“The money was to ‘produce bills of quantity, architectural design, structural design, mechanical design, and electrical designs for the contracts and supervision.’ But ‘the ‘items could not be found.’”
Altogether, SERAP said the Auditor-General’s 2022 report alleged EHORECON paid more than ?1.8 billion in constituency project funds through questionable transactions.
For the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, SERAP said the institution “in 2022 reportedly ‘paid over N279 million [N279,700,500.00] to 3 contractors to empower and train youths in selected vocational areas in Borgu and Kontagora, Niger State, train women and youths in entrepreneurship in Niger East Senatorial District and to train youths and women in agro production and self-reliance in Barki Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau State.
“But the money was paid to the contractors without any document.’”
Other irregularities involving the college include another ?279.7 million in mobilisation fees allegedly paid without documentation, and more than ?629.4 million paid to unqualified contractors for various constituency projects without evidence of due process, contract advertisements or details of the contractors.
SERAP further alleged that the Auditor-General’s report identified multiple financial irregularities involving the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, including over ?407 million allegedly paid as mobilisation fees without supporting documents, more than ?399 million paid to unqualified contractors, contracts allegedly inflated by over ?192 million, over ?279 million paid for projects not fully executed, ?50 million allegedly paid for an unexecuted borehole project, and more than ?83 million disbursed without the required documentation or approvals.
It also alleged that NAPTIP reportedly irregularly awarded contracts worth over ?21.8 million, paid more than ?176.8 million for logistics and consultancy services without supporting documents, and disbursed over ?89.6 million and ?4.4 million for projects that were allegedly not executed.
The report also alleged that NILDS failed to submit audited financial statements for 2012 to 2022, did not remit over ?15 million in stamp duties, and spent ?1.6 million without authorisation from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
SERAP said the report recommended the recovery of the affected funds and their remittance to the treasury.
It argued that corruption in constituency projects disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable Nigerians by diverting resources meant for public services and development.
It added that the National Assembly, in exercising its oversight responsibilities, should demonstrate leadership by ensuring accountability in the management of constituency project funds.
The organisation further argued that the allegations, if established, would amount to breaches of the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which require transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public resources.
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