Politics
This Charade Of An Election
The presidential election has come and gone but its effect leaves a very sour taste in the mouth. For the first time in Rivers State, some major local governments were held hostage by the army and other security personnel to prevent people from exercising their franchise.
No political pundit envisaged that there would be that huge number of causalities in Akuku-Toru Local Government area, especially in Abonnema.
Right from the Bridge leading to the town, entry into the community was not allowed even for journalists covering the election, and it took much discussion with a senior military personnel before phone calls were made to higher military authorities before journalists could gain entrance into the town. This was just an eye opener of what to expect on the date of the Presidential and National Assembly elections. Tension was everywhere.
The situation was not that different in Okrika, Ikwerre, Emohua, Bonny and Abua / Odual Local government areas. In Akuku-Toru local government area, the council secretary, Mr Tobins Tobins was alleged to have been whisked away by security personnel, the council chairman, Mr. Roland Sekibo also had to run for his dear life.
In other local government areas, council chairmen and even some commissioners had to go into hiding for fear of being arrested or detained.
In other states like Imo, / Professor Maurice Iwu, a former chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) was picked up on the day of the election. A similar scenario also played out in Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kaduna and Kano States.
February 23, 2019 to many voters and monitors was like a date with Satan. You live to die or you live to run. The risk was understood clearly that things will go wrong but not as expected and that was the big surprise.
prior to the elections, when INEC offices were going up in flames in Rivers State, Plateau, Akwa Ibom and Anambra States, nobody thought that there would be invasion of collation centres but this happened expecially in Rivers and Bayelsa States with electoral officials accusing the army of colluding with high ranking government officials in the APC to snatch and doctor result sheets. What transpired in Isiokpo, headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government Area was just a tip of the iceberg in the whole election. Despite threats coercion and mouth-watering offers, Mrs Mary Efeture Imayuwa and her Emohua counterpart, Mr Kenneth Etah refused to bulge or be compromised in declaring false results. They even narrated how soldiers of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army invaded the collation centres of Emohua and Ikwerre local government areas to snatch result sheets and in the fracas, had to shoot to scare away people. Same thing played out in Okrika with the soldiers acting as thugs.
Elections are supposed to bring out the best in us but when the system is seriously flawed like what happened last Saturday, then, serious questions need to be asked as to whether in Nigeria, our politicians are really sane. How come people who call themselves fathers and grandfathers still behave as common touts or whose diligence from childhood has grown to that of adulthood.
What type of message are we sending to children who also monitored the situation at home from their television sets or listen to radio that in Nigeria either their fathers or their fathers are serial election riggers?
To some, the outcome of the presidential election in particular was not a surprise as they opined that the stage for the disgraceful outing was planned in stages right from 2016. First, the ruling party had to discredit the PDP, Secondly, the judiciary had to be harassed, disgraced and rubbished. Thirdly, disobey court orders, and compromise the judiciary after replacing those who refuse to play the ball, the armed forces and other security operatives induce electoral officers, soothe, use thugs with backings by the army to disrupt elections, cart away result sheets, chase away the opposition and where they resist, shoot either to scare them away or kill.
But one thing remains paramount. Power is always transient. No matter the malfeasance or method used in gaining power, anybody on the seat or power will leave one day.
From all indications, the February 23 presidential election is the worst since the return of democratic governance in 1993. If the war against corruption is a song, then, electoral malpractice should be a hit theme. Nigeria is indeed a giant in distress. No political analyst will claim that the country is better than Equatorial Guinea in electoral matters. Countries such as Benin Republic, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and even Congo are by far miles ahead of us in anything to do with elections.
For how long will this charade continue even in places where Boko Haram holds sway with people chased away from their communities recording huge number of votes? Nigeria indeed is a funny country. No wonder we don’t have steady power supply or good roads.
The average Nigerian is very religious and if for example a pastor witnessed the last election in Emohua, or Ikwerre and saw a member of his church running away with result sheets and eventually is declared the winner and comes for thanksgiving in the church, will he as a pastor officiate in such a service? Is such victory from God or Satan. These are questions we should start asking ourselves.
Will this charade roll over into the next elections? Can we do anything to checkmate these challenges?
Holding elections every four years is not the problem, INEC is not the problem, the voter is not the problem. The problem in holding a free, fair and credible election has always remained with the elites. Those who hold the instrument of coercion, power at the centre. Rigging of elections or manipulating election results are always planned by top ranking politicians whose backing comes the centre.
Political parties use thugs as foot soldiers to disrupt the voting process especially where such a political party does not have wide spread support so we will continue to have this problem with us. Why is that in places such as Kwara State, Lagos, Borno, Katsina, Bauchi, Gombe to name a few states, soldiers did not snatch result sheets but did so in Niger Delta states?
As we prepare for the governorship and House of Assembly elections, all the major political actors in Rivers State should not allow what happened last week to re-occur. The people killed were Rivers sons and daughters. They were not the children of politicians. Politics is not a do or die affair. But if this advice is not heeded, then, know that Nigeria’s democracy is in big trouble.
Social critics should also as part of their mandate be more involved in monitoring elections so that they can interact with actual voters and see things for themselves to really understand where the country is heading to.
Tonye Ikiroma-Owiye
He said he would not hesitate to activate the recall process against any lawmaker found wanting, if he returns for a second term in office.
He stated this while addressing members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including those who lost out at the recently held national and state assemblies primaries and have become aggrieved and disrespectful to the party.
While emphasizing the supremacy of the party, he said decisions were taken in the overall interest of the party and the state and must, therefore, be respected by all members.
He warned lawmakers against being insolent and arrogant to their people to the extent of shutting them out after each election cycle, saying such would no longer be condoned.
“So I am appealing to all of you. If you were born with arrogance, please just drop that ticket here”, he said.
The governor hinted that after the next cycle of elections, the process of recalling lawmakers who made themselves “tin gods” would be activated.
“Well, they say they don’t recall people from parliament, but this will be the first time.
“Anybody whom the people say they are tired of will be brought back home. Anybody who goes and forgets his people completely and doesn’t care, thinking that during elections he will come and pretend to be a good man, will be brought back.
“And we are making this very, very clear. We will not fail in what we have said. I am working tirelessly; I don’t sleep. If you are going into office during this period, there will be no sleep for you”, he said.
He advised politicians not to ignore their people who hold the power, insisting: “You cannot overlook them and become so arrogant and pompous that you don’t know your people.”
Gov. Otu also advised members of the ruling APC, who lost at the just-concluded party primaries in the state, not to defect to opposition parties like the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) or the African Democratic Congress (ADC), warning that they would suffer untold hardship and would not make any political headway, if they did.
“There are some kwashiorkor parties that are registering people. Such parties are wasting their time and not even my time. They cannot do anything.
“I don’t want anybody to suffer the fate I suffered. That’s why I’m warning those aggrieved aspirants who lost not to go the way of those parties to avoid unnecessary suffering.
“I don’t want anybody to go that route. It’s an absolute waste of time, energy and people’s future, because at the end of the day, you will drag people into that bottomless pit.
“And when you drag them there and can’t take care of them, you begin to rot, you begin to die. May God give me the energy and power to sustain.”
He appealed to the aggrieved APC members, saying: “There’s nothing that we cannot settle. God’s time is the best. Whatever we’ve done is for the common good of all of us.”
2027: INEC APPEALS JUDGMENT ON ELECTION GUIDELINES
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which nullified aspects of the Commission’s 2027 General Election Guidelines.
The appeal, filed before the Court of Appeal, seeks to overturn the judgment delivered on May 20, 2026, by Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The trial court had nullified the provision in the guidelines directing political parties to submit their membership registers and databases by May 10, 2026, as part of the conditions for participation in the 2027 General Election.
The suit challenging the directive was instituted by the Youth Party, which argued that the Commission’s timeline was inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
In his ruling, Justice Umar held that INEC could not lawfully shorten the timeline stipulated under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 regarding the submission of party membership records and candidates’ particulars.
However, INEC, through its counsel, Chief Alex Izinyon, SAN, filed a notice of appeal dated May 25, 2026, asking the appellate court to set aside the judgment.
The Commission also filed a motion seeking an order staying the execution of the judgment pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
INEC raised nine grounds of appeal, arguing among others that the trial court failed to determine the jurisdictional issue concerning whether the suit was hypothetical and academic in nature.
The Commission further contended that the respondent lacked the locus standi to institute the suit and urged the Court of Appeal to strike out the case accordingly.
INEC maintained that its actions were in line with its constitutional mandate to ensure the orderly conduct of elections and effective electoral administration ahead of the 2027 General Election.
WHY I ENDORSE TINUBU’S SECOND TERM BID — ADELEKE
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has explained that his decision to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027 was influenced by moral responsibility and the need to sustain developmental progress.
The governor said his endorsement was not based on political calculations alone but on what he considers appropriate in view of the relationship between Osun State and the President, as well as ongoing projects benefiting the region.
The position of the governor was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Mr Olawale Rasheed.
According to the statement, Gov. Adeleke spoke on Sunday after conducting an inspection of the ongoing construction work on the Ibadan–Ile Ife–Ilesa Expressway.
During the visit, the governor reportedly commended President Tinubu for embarking on major infrastructure projects across Osun State and other parts of the South-West.
Gov. Adeleke noted that infrastructure development remains essential to economic growth and improved connectivity among communities.
He acknowledged the significance of road projects currently underway, stressing that such investments are expected to contribute to easier transportation, commercial activities, and broader development outcomes within the region.
The governor also highlighted the importance of leadership support in facilitating projects that have direct effects on residents.
He indicated that recognition should be given where efforts are being made to improve public infrastructure, particularly projects capable of enhancing movement between states and strengthening economic interactions in affected areas.
According to the statement, Gov. Adeleke’s remarks came while assessing the progress of the expressway project, which has continued to attract attention due to its strategic role in linking major cities within the South-West.
The governor reportedly used the opportunity to express appreciation for federal involvement in projects impacting Osun State.
His comments further reflected his view on political and regional ties, especially considering Osun State’s historical connection to President Tinubu.
Gov. Adeleke suggested that such considerations, alongside visible developmental initiatives, shaped his decision to openly support the President’s anticipated re-election effort in 2027.
He said, “I am the governor of the ancestral birthplace of Mr President. How can I have my own in the saddle and think twice before embracing him?”
IPAC specifically said that INEC guidelines cannot supersede constitutional provisions or extant electoral laws.
The Council, which stated these while appraising the judgement of the Federal High Court, stressed that the court judgement specifically addressed exclusionary conditions capable of disenfranchising aspirants and party members during primaries.
This is contained in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of IPAC, Mr Martins Egbeola, stating that the judgment was a reaffirmation of constitutional supremacy, democratic principles and the rule of law within Nigeria’s electoral process.
IPAC said that even though INEC possesses powers to issue election guidelines, such powers must however, operate strictly within constitutional provisions and electoral laws.
It noted that the court judgment represented a major victory for democracy, political parties and citizens participating in Nigeria’s electoral process.
IPAC also said that the court judgement had restored the constitutional rights of political parties to manage their internal affairs democratically without unlawful interference through administrative directives.
“The judgment would ensure equal opportunities for eligible members to participate in party primaries without discriminatory or exclusionary conditions.
“The INEC Chairman should deepen engagement and consultation with political parties on issues concerning electoral administration and reforms.
“Greater dialogue and collaboration between INEC and political parties would help prevent avoidable disputes and litigation arising from controversial guidelines,” IPAC stated.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this while speaking on a live television interview programme.
According to him, the ruling APC was not focused on fighting opposition parties, claiming that the political battle was currently between the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said, “In the last three weeks, the APC has not been fighting ADC or NDC. It is NDC versus ADC or ADC versus NDC.
“Actually, I watched with fun all the insults that the ADC is raining on the NDC and the NDC is returning those fireworks on the ADC.
“I watched the videos, and I laughed. The self-implosion is in the opposition rather than in the APC.”
When asked whether he was orchestrating the crisis in the opposition, Prof. Yilwatda denied the allegation but said weakening the opposition was part of politics.
He said, “No, I can’t. But I will be happy if I can do it. That’s my job.
“If you are opposing me, should I be happy? If you oppose me because you are in the opposition, what’s my job? Of course, to stop the opposition.”
The APC chairman also said the ruling party had stronger conflict resolution mechanisms than other political parties.
According to him, the party had committees at national and state levels to resolve internal disputes arising from congresses and other activities.
Speaking on the APC membership register and the votes secured by President Bola Tinubu during the party’s presidential primary, Prof. Yilwatda said the party relied on data from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for its registration process.
“To register as a member of the APC, your name and primary data are sourced from NIMC. That’s the same primary data that is used across the country to open a bank account, get a driver’s licence and secure an international passport.
“So we’re the only political party that sources our primary data from NIMC. This is why people have seen the APC as one of the most politically viable and stable parties. We are a data-driven political party,” he stated.
RIVERS ADC PRIMARY: ASPIRANT REJECTS OUTCOME, ACCUSES AMAECHI OF IMPOSITION
The governorship primary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State has been thrown into turmoil after aspirant Mr Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart rejected the outcome and accused former governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi of imposing a candidate.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart described the exercise as a “shambolic charade” and said it had produced three separate governorship primary “winners” within the same party.
“Right now, we have three governorship candidates in one party, all thanks to Amaechi’s high-handedness,” he told journalists in Abuja on Monday.
He warned that the situation could plunge the opposition party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership fails to intervene.
According to him, while the party’s timetable fixed May 23 for the primary, aspirants were informed late Friday that the exercise had been moved forward.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart said he was mobilising supporters across the 23 local government areas when fellow aspirant, Hon. Farah Dagogo, informed him that a parallel process had already been conducted.
He accused the state party chairman, Mr Chukwudi Dimkpa, of inviting only five aspirants loyal to Mr Amaechi while excluding himself and Hon. Dagogo. The arrangement, he alleged, was designed to clear the path for Dr Gabriel Pidomson, whom he described as Mr Amaechi’s preferred candidate.
He further alleged that three aspirants were persuaded to step down for Dr Pidomson in what he described as a disguised consensus arrangement, despite the party’s public stance against consensus.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart claimed Hon. Dagogo later approached him to jointly resist Mr Amaechi’s camp but asked him to publicly congratulate him as the winner.
“He told me to go on air and congratulate him, saying we are from Atiku Abubakar’s political family and should unite. I told him to stop rubbishing Atiku’s name. Atiku will not be part of this nonsense,” he said.
The aspirant said he rejected the offer and subsequently declared himself winner after Hon. Dagogo made a similar announcement.
“As it stands, Farah declared himself winner, Thompson was declared winner by the state exco, and I also declared myself winner. Three winners in one primary that never held. This cannot stand,” he said.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart accused the Rivers ADC leadership of sidelining him despite being the only aspirant who formally notified the party in writing of his intention to contest.
He also faulted Mr Amaechi for allegedly imposing candidates while demanding transparent presidential primary at the national level.
“How can someone who is demanding transparent presidential primaries at the national level turn around and impose a governorship candidate in Rivers?”, he queried.
He urged the ADC National Working Committee to nullify the exercise and either conduct a fresh primary or adopt a lawful consensus arrangement in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The most pragmatic thing now is for the NWC to order a rescheduled primary or quickly adopt a lawful consensus option. Time is running against us,” he said.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart said he would pursue all grievances within the party’s constitution and warned Hon. Dagogo against invoking Atiku’s name to bolster his claim.
“We will exhaust every legal channel within the party. I will not rock the boat unnecessarily, but the party must recognise that I won the primaries,” he said.
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