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INEC To Deploy 5,346 Personnel For CVR

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INEC said on Monday in Abuja that it would deploy 5,346 personnel to 2,673 registration centres for Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) resuming nationwide on June 28.
Its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the declaration at the presentation of INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) and online registration portal for the exercise at a meeting he held with media executives.
IVED is an Android tablet to be used in place of the existing Data Capturing Machine used for CVR in previous exercises.
Prof. Yakubu said that before now INEC had 1,446 registration centres where it registered 14. 2 million voters between 2017 and 2018.
“Learning from the experience of what happened, we have now almost doubled the number of those centres.
“Our hope is that unlike 14.2 million we registered in the previous exercise, we are targeting a minimum of 20 million registrants this time. It will take the number of registered voters to about 100 million,’’ Yakubu said.
He said that majority of the 5,346 personnel to be deployed would be INEC officials, while ad-hoc staff would be used where the Commission lacked the required number of personnel.
He said that the Commission was working with stakeholders for the security of personnel and equipment to be deployed.
Yakubu disclosed that the design for both the online portal and IVED were done by INEC engineers, taking into consideration Nigeria’s peculiarity, including weather, for its durability.
He said registrants would be able to know where machines for registration are located via the portal.
He also noted that the Commission was working on ensuring that Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for internally-displaced persons were reproduced for them so as not to be disenfranchised.
Many would have lost their cards while under siege, he said.
Prof. Yakubu also said that PVCs for newly-registered voters would be produced on quarterly basis after the registration, noting that the list of the registrants would be displayed at the registration units for claims and objections.
Presenting the online portal and IVED, INEC’s Director of ICT, Mr Chidi Nwafor, said that the online portal was designed to serve various needs of eligible Nigerians for the registration.
These, according to Nwafor, include new registration, review of registration, and review of personal details or voting centres, PVCs replacement or collection.
“As a new voter, you can pre-register online, or as a registered voter, you can revalidate your voter registration, request to update your information or transfer your voter registration to another polling unit, Nwafor said.
He said that registrants could register their details online before going to the nearest registration centre selected by them for photographs and finger prints capturing to complete the exercise.
Nwafor said that the portal was designed in a way that once an intending voter completed the online registration, an appointment for physical registration would be generated by the portal for the registrant.
He added that any registrant who could not meet up with the appointed date and time could reschedule the appointment via the same portal.
He said that the portal also made provision for people to contact the Commission in the event of challenges during online registration.
He noted that a registrant had 14 days to complete the online pre-registration and a year to complete the whole process.
He advised registered voters to make use of the portal to identify polling units or centres nearest to them.
Nwafor also assured that the Commission was putting adequate security in place to protect the device and the portal against hacks or cybercrime.
He also said that concerns about underage voter registration would be taken care of as those that registered online would still visit the registration centre before the process could be completed.
The media executives in a communiqué issued after the meeting suggested that the CVR be devolved to INEC LGA Council offices based on thorough appraisal of security situations and related factors.
They also recommended that the CVR be gradually devolved to other designated registration centres nationwide after assessments of security situations and other factors relating to safety of personnel and materials.
They tasked relevant stakeholders, especially political parties, traditional institutions, religious leaders and Civil Society Organisations to mobilise all eligible registrants to participate in the CVR.

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Alleged Coup: Protests Rock N’Assembly As Detained Officers’ Children, Wives Demand Justice

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Scores of children and wives of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot yesterday staged a peaceful protest at the National Assembly, demanding a speedy trial and the release of the accused officials.

The protesters who gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly complex, moved in a slow procession while clutching placards with inscriptions such as “Don’t Kill Our Daddies,” “Detention Without Trial is Injustice,” and “Six Months of Torture: Enough Is Enough.”

Amid tears and trembling voices, the children appealed for justice and access to their detained fathers, many of whom they said they had not seen for months.

The appeal was made during a press briefing in Abuja attended by no fewer than 20 wives and several children of the detained officers, including a two-month-old baby.

The families were accompanied by human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju and activist Omoyele Sowore.

At the briefing, the families lamented that the officers had been held for over 160 days without trial or contact with their relatives, describing the situation as a violation of their fundamental rights.

Speaking on behalf of the families, Memuna Bashiru said the prolonged detention had thrown their households into uncertainty and emotional distress, noting that while allegations had been widely publicised, families remained in the dark about the fate of their loved ones.

The arrest of the indicted officers was first announced on October 4, 2025, by the then Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, who disclosed that 16 officers were taken into custody for alleged breaches of military regulations and acts of indiscipline.

However, an interim investigation later suggested the existence of a clandestine network of officers, allegedly coordinated by a senior Army officer, which had begun preliminary planning for a coup.

According to the report, the alleged plot involved surveillance of key national assets, including the Presidential Villa, Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja, and major international airports, with October 25, 2025, cited as the planned date for the operation.

Those reportedly in custody include Brig Gen M. A. Sadiq, Col M. A. Maaji, Lt Col S. Bappah, Lt Col A. A. Hayatu, Lt Col P. Dangnap, Lt Col M. Almakura, Maj A. J. Ibrahim, Maj M. M. Jiddah, Maj M. A. Usman, Maj D. Yusuf, Capt I. Bello, Capt A. A. Yusuf, Lt S. S. Felix, Lt Cdr D. B. Abdullahi, Sqn Ldr S. B. Adamu and Maj I. Dauda.

The alleged plot, according to findings, targeted senior government officials, including President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

 

 

 

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APC Resumes Electronic Membership Registration Nationwide 

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the resumption of its electronic membership registration exercise across the country.

In a statement issued yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, said the exercise would take place in all wards and designated centres nationwide.

He called on existing members to update their records, while encouraging new entrants to join the party through the digital platform.

“As the electronic membership registration exercise resumes in all wards and designated locations nationwide, we urge existing members to validate their membership while new members are encouraged to register and join the progressive family,” Mr Morka said.

According to him, eligibility for registration is limited to individuals aged 18 and above who possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN).

The party said the initiative is part of efforts to modernise its operations by transitioning to a digital database that would enhance record accuracy and accessibility.

Mr Morka noted that the e-registration would “digitise the party’s membership register, ensure the integrity of records, and enhance efficient access to membership data for planning and management decisions.”

He added that the move is also aimed at promoting internal democracy within the party and strengthening its commitment to democratic innovation.

The APC had previously introduced electronic registration as part of broader reforms to streamline its membership system and improve organisational efficiency.

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AKPABIO, DIRI, OBOREVWORI, OTHERS VOW TO REELECT TINUBU  …AS GIADOM RETAINS APC ZONAL CHAIR 

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Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has declared that with the six South-South states now being controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the zone is set to return the highest votes cast for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
He stated this in Asaba, Delta State, at the party’s zonal congress, noting that the coming together of the governors of the region in the APC was made possible by its zonal Vice Chairman, Chief Victor Giadom.
Senator Akpabio also praised the outgone zonal chieftains of the party, saying they worked hard for the unity of the party and the zone.
“Now that we are complete and focused, we will be the geo-political zone in Nigeria that will turn out the highest votes in 2027 for President Tinubu.
“In the last 46 years or so, our region had not produced a senate president. But under President Tinubu, the South-South region is recognised. We thank the president for giving the South-South a senate president”, he said.
In his speech, the Bayelsa State Governor, and Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum, Senator Douye Diri, described the APC adoption of the  consensus option for electing its officials as the best way to foster unity and consolidation in the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He expressed satisfaction that politically, the South-South zone now speaks with one voice under the APC, stressing the need for the region to be part of the decision-making process at the national level.
The governor recalled that when he contested for the governorship in 2019, the delegate election process for primaries in the political parties made the exercise rancorous, saying
the slogan then was that without delegates, there will be no governor, but that that has since changed with the consensus mode.
“I like to align myself with the previous speakers on the unity of the South-South zone. In this region politically, the South-South now speaks with one voice. This is important because of the strategic nature of the zone.
“If you are not on the sharing table, in terms of decision-making process, you will be left behind. We need to be united that we will not allow petty divisions among us.
“Let us work together for the unity and protection of APC in the South-South and God willing, all our candidates will come out tops in the 2027 elections. There cannot be anything better than a united family.
“Let me congratulate President Bola Tinubu for his remarkable achievements so far. Political events such as elective congresses like this were usually filled with rancour and violence. But, today, we have adopted the consensus model to produce our party executives from the wards to the regional level”, Senator Diri said.
In their goodwill messages, the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, and others all spoke on unity of purpose to be able to re-elect the President for a second term.
Meanwhile, Chief Victor Giadom was returned as the party’s zonal chairman alongside seven other zonal executives of the party.
Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, moved the motion for the dissolution of the immediate past zonal executive of the party and was seconded by his Bayelsa State counterpart, Abraham Ingobere.
In his remarks, the reelected zonal Vice Chairman, Chief Victor Giadom, said the gathering of the six governors of the region, lawmakers, ministers and other major stakeholders was an indication of the zone’s commitment to return all APC candidates in next year’s poll.
 By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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