Politics
Wike Declares War On Cultists, Kidnappers
Last week, activities in Government House, Port Harcourt
began with a special security meeting convened by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
The meeting was held in the Banquet Hall last Monday and in attendance were the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Usman Belel, the State Director of Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, Commander S O G 115,Nigerian Air Force, Air Commander E O E Ebiowei, Commander N N S Pathfinder, Commodore S J Bura and state Commander of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, M L Haruna.
Also in attendance were local government chairmen, traditional rulers, Community Development Committee Chairmen and all youth leaders in the state.
Governor Wike briefed the stakeholders of determination of his administration to fight against cultism and kidnapping in the state and noted that the battle would involve all to be won.
He declared that areas where cultism is entrenched would have their traditional rulers dethroned, not attract projects and all youth groups found to be involved in cultism and kidnapping would be dissolved by the state government.
He said: “ Enough is enough. Nobody arrested by security agencies on cultism will see the light of the day. If you say we will not sleep, you also will not sleep”.
He also stated that any top government official caught trying to work for the release of arrested cultist will face full weight of the law.
Recall that Governor Wike had few days earlier addressed traditional rulers council in the state and Honourable members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on the determination of his administration to take the war to cultists and kidnappers in the state when each of the groups paid him a congratulatory visit.
The Commissioner of Police , Usman Belel, in his remarks, assured the state of the preparedness of security agencies to fight towards reducing cultism and kidnapping to the barest minimum.
He solicited for the collaboration of other stakeholders by way of information as he promised to treat their information will confidentiality.
Governor Wike hosted the Charge D’Affairs, Embassy of Netherlands, Mrs Marian Van De Cappello, Wednesday in Government House, Port Harcourt.
The governor attributed insecurity in the country to its politicisation by the federal government, stressing that once opposition states have security challenges, politics is brought into it.
He also accused oil multinationals of encouraging insecurity by patronising cultists for surveillance jobs.
He urged Netherlands government to attract agricultural investors to the state for the purpose of agriculture.
Mrs Cappello congratulated Wike on his reelection victory and also commended his reconciliation between political gladiators in the state , saying the move would enhance peace and development.
Another major event in Brick House, last week was the visit of another high profile personality, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank PLC, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu.
The GMD congratulated the governor on his reelection. He recalled the successful 20 years business translations the bank enjoyed with the state government and reassured the governor that the bank remains committed to even bigger partnership.
Wike informed him that EFCC lacks the legal impetus to investigate Rivers State Government because of an existing judgment by a Federal High Court.
Wike urged the GMD not to open the Bank’s transaction documents to EFCC. He equally urged the bank to consider indigenes of Rivers State for Managerial positions in view of the contributions the state has made in the bank.
Last Monday, the joint House of Representatives Committee on Army , Police , Human Rights and Justice was in Government House.
The leader of the delegation and Chairman, House Committee on Army, Rimande Shawule Kwewum said they were in the state to investigate killings by F-SARs on the basis of a motion by the member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Hon Kingsley Chinda on the killing of Dr Ferry Gberegbe during 2019 election.
Addressing the delegation,Governor Wike said the Army staged a coup against Rivers State during the election. He said the army acted illegally because they worked to impose a predetermined leadership in the state.
The governor said that F-SARs murdered Ferry Gberegbe, a PhD holder and Chartered Accountant, in cold blood because they wanted to subvert the will of the people.
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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