Politics
Wike Preaches Peace, Love At Yuletide
There was an increased number of activities in Government House, Port Harcourt, last week, apparently because it happened to be the last week of the year.
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, on Monday, presented N480 billion 2019 ,Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly for consideration.
The budget which is christened “ Budget of Sustainable Growth and Development “, the Governor says will take as many Rivers people as possible out of poverty and improve the standard of living of the people.
According to him, the main thrust of the 2019 budget is to promote economic growth and diversification, create jobs and reduce unemployment.
It is premised on an oil price benchmark of 55 US Dollars per barrel, which is five Dollars lower than that of the Federal Government. It has N323, 288, 970, 085:00 as Capital expenditure, while Recurrent Expenditure will gulp N157,122,354,564: 15.
Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Ikuinyi – Owaji Ibani described the budget as one full of hope for the people of the state stressing that it took care of all sectors of the economy.
Meanwhile, Gov Wike has urged Nigerians to use this year’s Christmas to promote love, friendship, peace and reconciliation.
In his Christmas message, the governor particularly urged Rivers people to erect platforms of love, peace and reconciliation for greater development of the state, assuring that his administration will always focus on delivery of people- oriented projects.
He further assured of security throughout the period of celebration.
Still in the spirit of Christmas, wife of the Governor, Hon. Justice Suzzette Nyesom Wike, visited Christmas babies last Tuesday at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.
The Governor’s wife visited Baby Emmanuel Emeshe who was delivered by 12. 05 am and Baby Ibia Goodness delivered by 12.20pm. The visit was in consonance with the established tradition of reaching out to mothers during Christmas and New Year.
She called on mothers to always persevere in looking after their families because God had put a lot in the hands of mother.
Similarly, the first lady of the state hosted hundreds of children at a Christmas party on 26th December, being the Boxing Day. She presented gifts to the children from various local government areas of the state who were in the party held in Government House.
On the same Boxing Day, Governor Wike was in Etche to attend the Ogbakor Etche 2018 Convention.
Wike made record as the first Governor to attend the convention in the history of convention.
The Governor was celebrated by the people of Etche nation because of the numerous projects executed in both Etche and Omuma local government areas as well as several appointment to sons and daughters of the area.
Wike received a special gift from Ogbakor Etche. He was assured of support for a second term in office.
Wike thanked the people of Etche for the strong support given to his administration and assured that he will execute more projects and appoint more Etche sons and daughters into positions of trust.
He noted that Etche Local Government Area was so large that even with the several road projects executed, it looked as if nothing was done and remarked that his administration will execute more road projects in Etche land.
In a similar manner, Gov Wike , assured the people of Ogoni that he will consolidate on his project delivery in the area during his second term in office.
Wike made the promise last Wednesday while commissioning the Akporo water project executed in the area by a member of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Williams Nzidee, in Khan’s Local Government Area.
Wike was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Engineer Emeka Woke.
Chris Oluoh
Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.
Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.
Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.
“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.
“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.
Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.
According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.
He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.
Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.
“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.
According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.
The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.
INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.
According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.
A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.
In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.
In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.
In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.
In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.
In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group described the swift assent as a clear demonstration of political will to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We see the decision by President Bola Tinubu to sign the reworked 2022 Electoral Act into law within a few hours of its passage as a demonstration of political will to ensure an improved electoral process which the new law envisages,” the group said.
The TMSG expressed confidence that the development would enable the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to quickly align its operations with the new provisions in preparation for the 2027 polls.
The group noted that the provision for electronic transmission of results had been contentious but described its codification in the law as a significant step forward.
“So, for the first time, the country’s electoral law would be recognising the use of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the result viewing portal, IREV, which were just INEC guidelines in 2023,” it stated.
According to the TMSG, although the Act provides for electronic transmission of results from polling units to the IREV portal, it also makes room for manual transmission of Form EC8A result sheets as a backup in the event of technological failure.
“Unlike some Nigerians, we do not see anything wrong with the fallback plan but we agree with the President that no matter how beautiful a process is with improved technology, the onus lies on the people manning it to show good faith and ensure that the votes of the people really count at the end of the day,” the statement added.
The group highlighted other key provisions in the amended law, including the streamlining of party primaries to either consensus or direct primaries, early release of funds to INEC, reinforced measures against over-voting, and stiffer sanctions for electoral offences such as falsification of results.
It also pointed out that the mandatory notice period for elections has been reduced from 360 days to 300 days, giving INEC more flexibility in adjusting the timetable for the 2027 elections, especially where it may clash with Ramadan.
The TMSG further observed that the President’s decision to sign the bill days before the forthcoming Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) underscores his desire for the law to take immediate effect.
“And by signing the amendment bill a few days before the Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is obvious that the President is keen on ensuring that the 2026 Electoral Act takes immediate effect.
“Nigerians would also have an opportunity to see some of the key provisions of the new electoral law become operational, especially the electronic transmission of results,” it said.
The group expressed optimism that the current INEC leadership would leverage the new legal framework to deliver a more credible and widely acceptable electioneering process than in previous electoral cycles.
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