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Electoral Act Amendment Bill: Wike Urges NASS To Save Nigeria’s Democracy …As Makinde Flags-Off Chokocho-Igbodo Road Project
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has said that the National Assembly lacks the temerity to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sign the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill because it was part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scheme to deny Nigerians free, fair and transparent election in 2023.
He said the only way for Nigerians not to repeat the 2015 and 2019 mistakes of voting the APC- led Federal Government into power was to send them packing in 2023.
Wike made the assertions at the flag-off of Chokocho-Igbodo Road, performed by Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, last Monday, in Etche Local Government Area.
The Rivers State governor recalled how most people did not believe him when he raised concerns that Buhari would not sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law to give legal impetus to electronic transmission of election results.
“Three weeks ago, I told Nigerians that there is a conspiracy not to have a free, fair, transparent election in 2023, and that conspiracy was very clear. I told Nigerians, ‘Mr President will not sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill’.”
Wike stated that having known the modus operandi, style and strategy of the APC, it was obvious to him and all discerning minds that the clause on direct primaries was inserted into the Electoral Act Amendment Bill as a ploy for the president to refuse assent to the bill.
According to him, the APC members were afraid that if results were transmitted electronically, they would not survive the 2023 general election.
“What APC resolved in the meeting they had was that their problem is not necessarily direct primaries, but the electronic transmission of results in 2023. If they allow that, obviously APC will lose the election in 2023, and they told themselves that the only way we can survive that is to include the direct primaries in the bill so that Mr President can use that as an excuse, that he will not sign the bill.”
He accused APC governors and their National Assembly members of deceiving Nigerians that they were engaged in battle of supremacy over the issue of direct primaries, whereas they had secretly agreed to scuttle the possibility of transmitting election results electronically in 2023.
Wike said, unfortunately, the National Assembly does not have what it takes to override the president’s refusal to assent to the bill.
According to him, the lawmakers were not interested in protecting the interest of Nigerians and ensure that elections are free and fair with the electronic transmission of election results.
“Unfortunately, you don’t have a National Assembly that has what it takes; that will stand for the people; that will say ‘look we were elected by the people, and we want to give the people the best’. Nobody in the National Assembly, not even the leadership, can have what it takes to say Mr President, for the interest of Nigerians; we are going to override your refusal.”
The governor maintained that because APC does not consider the interest of Nigerians as priority, its leaders were immersed in crisis jostling for benefits that fan their personal egos.
The governor said, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was different because it was waxing stronger as a true political party, and working every day in improving the socio-economic conditions of the people in PDP-controlled states.
Speaking about the 27.12km Choocho-Igbodo Road project, Wike said even if the Federal Government had refused to fix the road for years, he was available to solve the problem.
According to him, 40percent of the contract sum has been paid already to the contractor, Setraco Nigeria Limited, to complete the project on schedule, within the next 12 months.
Wike berated an Etche politician in Abuja who brought FERMA to do repair works when he heard that the state government has opted to reconstruct the road.
He wondered why such a son could play politics with the future of Etche, and deny them an enduring dividend of democracy.
Performing the flag-off, Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde described Wike as a visionary leader whose pattern of development was creating economic corridor, not only within Rivers State, but linking it up to the neighbouring three states.
According to Makinde, it should be on record that it was right here in Etche that the push towards rescuing Nigeria from APC misrule has started in Rivers State.
Providing the description of the project, Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Elloka Tasie-Amadi said the Chokocho-Igbodo road serves Rivers and some neighbouring states in the South-East.
Tasie-Amadi explained that currently, the road was only 7.3metre wide, fraught with problems of levels and ponding.
According to him, the reconstruction work would expand the road to a total width of 11.3m (4m wider than it now is) made up of 8.3m carriageway and 3m shoulders (1.5m on either side).
“We will introduce a drainage network of 22km with 36 culverts to ensure that the ponding and water discharge problems of the past remain in the past to guarantee the desired life span of the road.
“As is our minimum standard, we would have sharp sand filling to level, a 5percent sand cement mix, stone base filling, 2 layers of asphalt, road markings.
“In the next 12 months, the road will be completed, and from thence onward, we would all enjoy as nice a driving experience as we do on the 21km-long Odufor-Umuoye Road also here in Etche LGA”, he said.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a Federal Executive Council committee to move swiftly on measures to further reduce food prices across the country.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this in Abuja, on Wednesday.
According to him, the directive focuses on ensuring safe passage of farm produce across transport routes to cut logistics costs.
“The President has given a matching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it on how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” Abdullahi said at a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
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Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has faced worsening food insecurity since the removal of fuel subsidy, high transport costs, and insecurity on major highways disrupted the movement of goods.
Despite government interventions, food remains largely unaffordable for millions.
The minister said the plan is tied to Tinubu’s broader vision of food sovereignty—beyond availability to ensure affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
To back this up, he revealed that government is set to roll out a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to boost productivity and a revamped cooperative reform initiative to mobilise resources and empower rural farmers.
“Mr. President has shown tremendous interest in the cooperative sector as a veritable tool for resource mobilisation, for economic activity generation, and to improve the livelihood of members,” Abdullahi added.
The event, with the theme, “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities,” also featured Senate Media Committee Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; ex-presidential aide, Senator Ita Solomon Enang; and NILDS DG, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman.
The Federal Government has warned contractors, including foreign firms, that any breach of regulations in road projects awarded to them may lead to arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the warning during an inspection of the ongoing dualisation of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction in Rivers State.
The section is being executed by Reynolds Construction Company (Nigeria) Limited.
Responding to questions from journalists, Umahi commended the quality of work on the project but expressed displeasure over the slow pace, stressing that the December completion deadline remains sacrosanct.
On the project, he said:“The quality of the work is excellent, but the pace of work is totally unacceptable. Let me make it very clear to the contractor that this project will neither be reviewed nor varied in price or claims.
“I’m sure we have issued over 10 warning letters to them. If they fail to comply with the completion deadline of December 15, we will not extend it.”
He added that the ministry had already put measures in place to enforce compliance
“The comptroller has negative certificates to issue, and I will recover the money from any of their other projects. All those letters are on record, and when the time comes, they will be invoked. Any contractor who refuses to abide by regulations will have the EFCC and ICPC to contend with,” he said.
Umahi further disclosed that the Federal Government had directed that road projects valued below N20bn would no longer be awarded to expatriate companies, in line with its “Nigeria First” policy aimed at strengthening indigenous capacity in the construction sector.
“This is part of the Nigeria First policy of the Federal Government. Henceforth, no expatriate firm will be awarded any project valued below N20bn. Such projects must go to indigenous companies, while expatriates focus on higher-value projects requiring more technical capacity,” he said.
The minister also noted that the Federal Ministry of Works had adopted a funding prioritisation framework to sustain road projects initially financed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.
He stressed that President Bola Tinubu had directed that none of such projects should be abandoned, adding that priority would be given to critical economic corridors.
Umahi also decried the indiscriminate parking of heavy-duty vehicles on highways, saying it was damaging the pavements of completed sections of the road.
He said letters would be sent to state governors and the Inspector-General of Police to enforce punitive measures against defaulters.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Rivers State, Mrs Enwereama Tarilade, said RCC had completed 15km of the right carriageway and commenced work on the left carriageway, with one kilometre already laid in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement.
The Rivers State Government says it will ensure the smooth and successful takeoff of the newly established Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET), in Ogoniland.
This commitment was made yesterday by the Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), during a courtesy visit by the university’s Governing Council and Management team at the Government House, in Port Harcourt.
The high-level delegation was led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Professor Don Baridam and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Mmom.
In his address, Administrator Ibas warmly congratulated the pioneer council and management on their appointments, describing their task as both a recognition of individual accomplishment and a historic call to duty.
“This is not just a recognition of your personal achievements but also a call to history to shape an institution that will have a profound impact on Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and indeed our country,” he stated.
The Administrator commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment of the specialized university in Ogoniland, describing the initiative as “timely and strategic.”
He emphasized that the university’s presence offers a critical opportunity to drive research, innovation, and community-focused solutions to the region’s pressing environmental and developmental challenges.
He further noted that the university’s core focus aligns perfectly with the priorities of his administration.“We consider this university not merely as another institution of higher learning but as a strategic partner in our collective effort to rebuild Rivers State under the ongoing state of emergency and beyond,” he affirmed.
Responding to specific requests presented by the delegation, Administrator Ibas assured the university of immediate support in critical areas essential for the its commencement.
These include the provision of operational vehicles, key facilities, and the completion of the access road to the campus, adding that other vital needs, such as perimeter fencing, refuse disposal, and the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, would be addressed within the framework of the state’s broader infrastructure and support programmes.
To ensure swift action, the Administrator directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to work closely with the university’s Governing Council to prioritize the sequence of requests, particularly those tied to the commencement of academic activities in September 2025.
“Let me assure you that Rivers State Government will stand as a dependable partner to the Federal University of Environment and Technology. We see this university as part of our long-term investment in knowledge, innovation, and the future of our youths,” he emphasized.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Don Baridam, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and community development.
He disclosed that the Federal Government has directed the institution to formally commence its academic session in September 2025, adding that preparations are in full swing to ensure a smooth take-off with adequate infrastructure and resources in place.
“Today’s meeting marks the beginning of a strategic partnership between the Rivers State Government and FUET, envisioned to establish the university as a premier hub for research, innovation, and sustainable development in the Niger Delta”, he said.