Politics
PDP Lambasts Akeredolu Over N1.5bn Official Vehicles
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has accused Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of purchasing two 670 LXE Jeeps valued at N1.5 billion for himself and his wife, Betty.
It lamented that the governor purchased the six-door vehicles for “his personal comfort and self-aggrandisement while Ondo State workers celebrated Christmas and New Year in unprecedented hardship, occasioned by the non-payment of their salaries.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, in a statement in Akure, said “It is on record that each time the governor procures official vehicles, he would buy two. One for himself and the other for his wife.
“These latest wonders on wheels were the third batch of vehicles bought by the governor since he assumed office about five years ago. It means, on average, two vehicles every two years.
“As we speak, the number of vehicles in the Governor’s fleet (most of which are armored) is about fifteen.
“This level of executive recklessness and insensitivity to the plight of the people is beyond any rational thinking.
“There are reports that wise counsel against this wasteful purchase was rebuffed by the Governor.
“Does it ever occur to Mr Governor that this open display of affluence is a direct affront on the sensibility of the people?
“Is Mr governor aware that, many students have dropped out of schools because their parents were unable to afford the astronomical fees of tertiary institutions, charged by the Akeredolu- led APC government?
“Is Mr Governor aware that, workers of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic are being owed eleven months salary?
The statement said ,“Is Mr Governor aware that, most of the workers in Ondo State who executed personal capital projects like building of houses and buying of cars using cooperatives and loans are no longer able to do so since he started the percentage payment of salaries?
“Is Mr Governor aware that Ondo State workers are no longer credit worthy? So much so that, those who do not have houses of their own are rejected by landlords if they seek accommodation?
It added that “Is Mr. Governor aware that, market men and women who used to get soft loans from the Ondo State Micro Credit Agency have vacated their stalls in the neighborhood markets because such loans no longer exist? Is Mr Governor aware that, many families have lost loved ones because they could not afford medicare?
“Is Mr Governor aware that, many of the artisans are closing shops or refusing to go to their workshops due to outright lack of patronage or poor patronage?.
“How can a governor presiding over such unimaginable misery have the presence of mind to procure armored vehicles valued at such an outrageous amount from taxpayers’ funds?
“Even Governors of states with enormous resources do not use such cars. Not even Governors in Bandits and Boko Haram infested enclaves buy these kind of cars.
“Did Akeredolu purchase these vehicles for security reasons or to further prove the point that, nothing will happen, no matter how he takes the people for granted? Whichever way, the truth is that, Ondo State deserves something better than they are being served at the moment.
“We have witnessed prosperity in Ondo State under PDP administration. We experienced decent life under the PDP compared to the present lack that is the order of the day.
“The same Governor that refused to buy even one bag of rice for his APC party supporters during Christmas, had as much as N1.5b Naira to buy cars for his personal comfort.
Peretei said “Mr. RotimiAkeredolu, SAN should look beyond his tenure as Governor. A good name is better than silver and gold.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted on the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise yesterday (Sunday) despite calls by some opposition political parties and civil society organisations for an extension over concerns that millions of citizens could be excluded from the 2027 general elections.
In a notice issued on its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the commission reminded the public that the exercise would end on Sunday, July 26, with designated registration centres open from 9am to 3pm.
“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the Commission stated.
INEC also reminded prospective voters that they could complete the registration process online through its dedicated CVR portal or visit designated INEC offices and registration centres nationwide for physical assistance.
The new Electoral Act stipulates that INEC is required to stop voter registration, updating and revision of the voters’ register 90 days before an election to allow for data clean-up, the printing of Permanent Voter Cards and other logistical preparations.
The law also requires the Commission to display the voters’ register for claims and objections within the stipulated period to enable eligible Nigerians to challenge omissions and errors and help ensure the credibility of the final register for the polls.
The INEC National Commissioner on Information and Voter Education, Mr Mohammed Haruna, told The Tide source that the Commission would not extend the deadline, stressing that the registration exercise had to close to allow the electoral body to begin cleaning the data already collected.
“By midnight on Sunday, voter registration ends. There won’t be any extension. There are so many things that we need to do at the back end. We have to draw a line; otherwise, we won’t be able to produce a clean copy of what has been posted,” he said.
Mr Haruna explained that the commission’s Information Technology team and the Voter Registration Department would begin processing the data immediately after the closure of the registration window.
He said INEC would deploy its Automated Biometric Identification System to detect and remove multiple registrations before the provisional voters’ register is displayed for public scrutiny.
“We have this automatic biometric system that will check whether somebody has registered more than once. They will publish the register for claims and objections. That is, if anybody thinks a name shouldn’t be on the register, or if he has some claims, for instance, that his name has been omitted or some of his details are incorrect,” he said.
According to him, the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after the biometric verification and the claims and objections process.
“So, it’s after all that has been done that we will have a final figure, which we will now add to the existing 93 million or so. That will then become the voters’ register. We are mandated to give every political party a copy ahead of the election,” Mr Haruna added.
Responding to concerns over the number of Nigerians who may be excluded from the 2027 electoral process by the closure, the national commissioner said INEC could only account for eligible citizens who presented themselves for registration.
He added that the commission had recorded registrations through its online platform, physical registration centres and INEC offices across the 774 local government areas.
According to a public announcement signed by Mr Ariyo Rufus, Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity on behalf of Mr Oluwatoyin Babalola, the INEC Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the said exercise is aimed at assessing its operational readiness and testing the efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the governorship poll.
INEC stated that the exercise would simulate Election Day accreditation procedures but clarified that no voting would take place during the exercise.
The commission explained that “the mock accreditation would be conducted in selected polling units spread across the three senatorial districts of Osun State, covering Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West.
“In Osun Central Senatorial District, the selected local government areas are Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun and Boripe, with designated polling units identified for the exercise.
“For Osun East Senatorial District, the exercise will take place in selected polling units across Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun local government areas.”
INEC also listed Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo local government areas as the selected councils for the mock accreditation exercise in Osun West Senatorial District.
The commission urged all registered voters whose polling units were selected to participate in the exercise, stressing that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be accredited.
“This exercise is designed to test the functionality and efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under conditions similar to Election Day. There shall be no voting during the exercise,” the Commission stated.
INEC reaffirmed its appreciation to residents of Osun State for their continued cooperation and support throughout the electoral process.
INEC also assured political parties, the media, civil society organisations and other stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election in Osun State.
Mr Dare made the remark while criticizing Alhaji Abubakar for hiring a United States of America lobbyist with $1.2 million, in preparation for the 2027 elections.
In a statement he personally signed, Mr Dare said the former vice president can’t take Nigeria down the path of self-destruction.
The statement read in part: “Worse still, for a man who presumes to offer leadership to Africa’s most populous nation, his recent resort to grievance offshoring, outsourcing political warfare to Washington and reportedly paying $1.2 million to an American lobbying firm to peddle petitions against a sitting Nigerian President, stands as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a vote of no confidence in its democratic institutions.
“It is also a stinging slight, an implicit condescension directed at generations of Nigerian journalists, policy analysts, academics, and public intellectuals who have spent decades analysing, critiquing, and carrying the burden of the nation’s democratic evolution.
“The Atiku Abubakar of today cuts a pitiable figure, a grotesque portrait of what a politician becomes when ambition overwhelms judgment and every political faculty becomes programmed for self-destruction.
“No, Atiku cannot take Nigeria down that path with him. He must travel it alone. But first, Nigerians deserve Atiku Abubakar’s report card. Charity, they say, begins at home, not in Washington.
“Nigerians deserve to know whether the Atiku Abubakar who has long presented himself as a democrat is, in reality, a politician of many colours. He has erected for himself a throne built simultaneously on sand and bayonets. It is time to explode the bayonets.”
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