Politics
Lawmakers Impeach Imo Speaker
The gale of impeachments rocking the Imo State House of Assembly continued on Monday with the removal of the Speaker, Mr. Paul Emeziem.
There was drama at the chamber when six lawmakers led by impeached deputy speaker, Amara Iwuanyanwu, invaded the House and “impeached” Emeziem.
Emeziem had last week led 18 members of the House to impeach Iwuanyanwu.
The lawmakers thereafter elected a ranking member, Kennedy Ibeh, as the new speaker.
Ibeh represents Obowo state constituency.
He was first at the parliament in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019 and was one of the six lawmakers suspended on July 8 for what was termed unparliamentary conducts.
Before taking the action, the complex was barricaded by security men who barred Assembly staff, lawmakers and their aides from gaining access into the complex.
The session which lasted for less than 15 minutes ended after Ibeh assumed office as the Speaker of the house.
Prof. Amupitan, stated this on Saturday during an interactive meeting with Commission officials and staff members from the six South-South states in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The country’s chief electoral officer disclosed that Rivers State has 3,736,434 registered voters, followed by Delta State with 3,525,988 and Edo State with 2,865,263.
Other states in the region have the following registered voter figures:
– Akwa Ibom – 2,566,198.
– Cross River – 1,928,978.
– Bayelsa – 1,200,691.
The six states collectively have 15,823,550 registered voters, according to the figures presented by the INEC chairman.
Prof. Amupitan stressed that the Commission would pay closer attention to Rivers State to ensure that operational challenges do not prevent eligible voters from exercising their civic rights.
“With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the Commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any possibility of postponing the 2027 general elections, declaring that preparations were already in top gear and the polls will hold as scheduled.
Prof. Amupitan, who addressed Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and other officials of the Commission in the South South geopolitical zone, said the Commission’s statutory timetable for the elections had been established and would not be altered under any circumstances.
According to him, INEC remained committed to conducting credible elections in strict compliance with the provisions of the law.
“Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,” the INEC chairman declared.
His remarks came amid claims by some political parties that the electoral commission was considering shifting the 2027 general elections.
Prof. Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had published the voters’ register online and at designated locations to allow eligible voters to scrutinise their details and request necessary corrections.
He said the Commission had received more than 5,000 claims relating to corrections, including errors in names and dates of birth, alongside over 600 objections.
According to him, the commission was addressing the complaints and objections to ensure the credibility and accuracy of the final voters’ register.
The INEC chairman announced that the final register of voters would be released on December 15, 2026.
He added that all outstanding issues would be resolved before the deadline.
The electoral chief further revealed that the Commission had initially considered conducting a comprehensive revalidation of the voters’ register following his assumption of office.
However, the proposal was eventually dropped after concerns were raised that the exercise would take place too close to the 2027 general elections.
He explained that the commission considered the timing and potential implications of the exercise before deciding against proceeding with it.
Prof. Amupitan expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to deliver peaceful, transparent and credible elections in 2027.
He said the Commission had continued to draw lessons from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State governorship election, to strengthen its preparations and improve electoral operations.
The INEC chairman urged officials across the South-South region to demonstrate commitment, professionalism and efficiency in carrying out their responsibilities.
He maintained that the success of the 2027 general elections would depend significantly on the Commission’s preparedness and its ability to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is disenfranchised.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received over 4,800 claims and about 600 objections following the publication of its preliminary voter register.
Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with an ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission delegation.
Prof. Amupitan, who confirmed the figures, noted that the claims—submitted at registration areas nationwide—primarily involve minor corrections, while ward-level objections were routed through Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
“?The national voter register currently stands at over 103 million registered citizens”, he said.
Prof. Amupitan assured the delegation that all complaints and discrepancies identified during the online and physical display phases will be resolved before the final voter register is officially certified on December 15, 2026.
?To test readiness ahead of the 2027 general election, INEC plans to conduct nationwide mock accreditation exercises in November. The tests will evaluate voter accreditation and simultaneous electronic result transmission across all 36 states.
Prof. Amupitan highlighted new technical protocols, including a safeguard requiring polling unit results to be authenticated locally before uploading to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
?”When I assumed office, the question was whether to bring in a different technology, but that was not an option given the timeline, so the Commission focused on improving the existing system,” Prof. Amupitan said.
?Addressing staff integrity, the INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission secured approval for the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS) to enhance welfare and curb political inducements.
He reaffirmed the agency’s neutrality, stating that INEC “has no candidate and no political party.”
The ECOWAS delegation—led by former Sierra Leonean Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh and former Speaker, Dr. Abbas Chernor Bundu—is conducting a pre-election assessment under the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
?In a separate development, INEC released the outcomes of its review into complaints following the Oct. 10 publication of final Governorship and State Assembly candidates lists.
According to the Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the Commission evaluated petitions concerning omitted parties, unverified party register entries, and alleged multiple nominations.
Out of 69 governorship petitions submitted by 12 political parties across 26 states, 41 succeeded while 28 were dismissed.
For State Houses of Assembly elections, 25 out of 61 petitions across 11 States were upheld. Updated candidate lists reflecting these corrections have been published on the Commission’s official website.
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