Politics
Wike Assures Military Of Cooperation
The visit of the General Overseer of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and that of the GOC Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army were among top events that took place in Government House last week.
Pastor Adeboye had visited the state as part of his annual Episcopal duties but took time out to pay courtesy call on Governor Nyesom Wike on Tuesday.
During the visit, Governor Wike praised the effort of Adeboye and other men of God in propagating the gospel. He said such efforts have not only led to the spread of the word of God, but also have helped in uniting the country.
The governor thanked God for the exploits of Adeboye, noting that he had been a vessel of God in blessing the country. Shortly after, the news of the Court of Appeal confirming the sack of erstwhile council chairmen under the immediate past administration filtered in.
The Court of Appeal had confirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court sacking all the 22 council chairmen, except that f Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area. The Appeal Court had on Monday dismissed the suit filed by Augustine Ngo and 22 others against the PDP.
On Wednesday, the Governor with other top state government officials flagged-off the reconstruction of the Igwuruta/Chokocho Road at the boundary between Etche and Ikwerre Local Government Areas. Governor WIke promised that the contract being handled by Setraco Nigeria Limited would be completed in six months rather than the slated one year, while promising that funding will be done through the monthly internally generated revenue, as he urged the construction firm to engage locals in labour and provision of materials.
Also within the week, Governor Wike ordered the payment of outstanding arrears owed by the immediate past administration to Health Emergency Workers in the state.
Governor Wike played host to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday. The governor assured Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, that government would always collaborate with the military to maintain peace and unity. He stressed that the maintenance remain vital to the development of the state, pointing out that so far, the army had lived up to expectations.
Governor Wike returned to Port Harcourt on Friday, after few days outside the state, to attend the final lap of the Five-Nights of Glory, an annual revival and deliverance service by Salvation Ministries in Port Harcourt. The governor was accompanied by his wife, Justice Suzethe Wike, Speaker of the state House of Assembly and Secretary to the State Government, Chief Kenneth Kobani.
Earlier on Friday, the governor had inspected ongoing road projects in parts of Obio/Akpor. The roads include Eneka-Rukpokwu, Oroigwe Road, Elimgbu and Rumunduru-OroIgwe Roads. The governor was accompanied by Chief Sergant Awuse and Prince Emma Anyanwu.
On Saturday, the governor resumed his inspection of ongoing projects in some public schools including Government Girl’s Secondary School, Rumuokwuta. He promised to develop world class educational system in the state.
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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