Politics

Uba Vows To Sue Obiano Over N25bn Bond

Published

5 years ago

November 23, 2020

Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ifeanyi Ubah, has threatened legal action against Governor Willie if he fails to give account of a N25billion promissory notes allegedly collected by his administration from Debt Management Office , DMO in 2018 and 2019, as reimbursement for projects executed on behalf of the federal government in the state.

The Senator who spoke to journalists in Abuja over the weekend gave the state government 72 hours to give an explicit account.

Senator Uba had expressed dismay that the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C-Don Adinuba, had denied that it ”has not raised any money from the Debt Management Office or the Federal Ministry of Finance under a bond, or any financial instrument from any institution or organisation.”

A statement issued last week in Awka by the state commissioner also read in part: “Our record of prudent financial management and integrity is well acknowledged far and near. It is tough to speculate how the senator came about the phantom N25billion bond which Anambra State purportedly raised surreptitiously from the DMO/Federal Ministry of Finance,”

Ubah who displayed documents duly signed by the Director General of DMO, Patience Oniha and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said that the N25, 244, 306, 091.90 is expected to be paid in two instalments, lamenting that N16.1billion only was actually paid the state government having wasted N8, 850, 000, 000 as total discounts for the transactions.

“The governor paid banks over N8billion in order to cash out the promissory notes before their maturity dates, thereby ensuring that Anambra lost the amount from the transactions,” he said.

According to the documents obtained from the DMO by the lawmaker following his request for a copy, amount and tenure of the promissory notes, the sum of N10, 097, 722, 436.90 was issued to the state government on December 28, 2018 but would mature on December 28 this year as the first instalment while N15, 146, 583, 655.00 as the second instalment billed for maturity on April 1, 2022 was issued on April 1, 2019.

The response from DMO with reference number DMO/PMD/598/S.4/III/881 and dated November 16, 2020 to the Senator read:

“The Distinguished Senator may wish to be informed that these were the only promissory notes issued to Anambra State Government which fully settled the outstanding claims of the state as approved by the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly”.

Senator Ubah further alleged that “in order for Governor Obiano to cash out on the N25billion that hasn’t matured, he had to terminate the deal by given up 15% of the total sum per annum.”

The Senator further explained that “the governor paid about N3billion in bank charges for N10billion on the first promissory note which has a tenor of two years and paid another N4.5billion on the N15billion for the second promissory note which has a tenor of three years.”

The lawmaker, however, vowed to petition the state House of Assembly after which he would sue the governor if he fail to open up on the bond and give Ndi Anambra South their own portion of the money as refund for damaged roads rehabilitated by them in the district.

He argued that “the road projects for which the N25billion was collected were executed by the administrations of Governors Chris Ngige and Peter Obi on behalf of the federal government as part of their infrastructural development of Anambra State.”

Senator Ubah also informed that Obiano used the Federal Commissioner for Works in the state to stop him from rehabilitating some damaged roads in his constituency while the governor has also refused to pay attention to the roads till date.

By: Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja

Politics

FCT COUNCILS’ ELECTIONS: PDP WINS GWAGWALADA CHAIRMANSHIP AS APC SECURES AMAC, BWARI

Published

3 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

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.

Politics

Group Hails Tinubu’s Swift Assent To 2026 Electoral Bill

Published

3 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has applauded President Bola Tinubu for signing the 2026 Electoral Bill into law within 24 hours of its passage by the National Assembly.

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.

Politics

ANDONI WOMEN CELEBRATE FUBARA SUPPORT STIMULUS

Published

3 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

Women under the umbrella of Rivers Women Unite for SIM (RWUS) in Andoni Local Government Area have celebrated the receipt of the Rivers Rural Women Support Stimulus (RRWSS) approved by the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The women, who gathered in large numbers, expressed joy and gratitude, describing the stimulus as timely and impactful in supporting their small businesses and improving their families’ welfare.

They noted that the support has rekindled hope among rural women and strengthened their confidence in the present administration.

Speaking during the celebration, Coordinator of the group in the LGA, Dr Alom Anyanya, thanked Governor Fubara for his commitment to the wellbeing of Rivers women, assuring that the beneficiaries would make good use of the gesture to grow their trades and contribute meaningfully to the local economy.

The women also offered special prayers for the Governor, the peace of Rivers State, and the unity and progress of Nigeria, while reaffirming their continued support for programmes that uplift women at the grassroots.

The event featured songs, dancing, and thanksgiving, as the women described the stimulus as a clear demonstration of inclusive governance and a new chapter of hope for Rivers women.

By: John Bibor