Connect with us

Politics

Constituency Projects: Federal Lawmakers Rob Their Constituents – Report

Published

4 years ago

on

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has given an insight into why there are persistent infractions by lawmakers and other government officials in the execution of constituency projects.
The anti-graft agency revealed this in a series of reports on its Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTi) conducted.
The Tide source had earlier reported how the agency, in its report on the second phase of the project tracking exercise, revealed cases of alleged abuse of office and conversion of public property to personal use by three senators from Kebbi, Taraba, and Jigawa States.
The senators identified through additional checks are Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central); Sabo Nakudu Mohammed (Jigawa South-West), and Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South)
About 490 Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP), also known as constituency projects, with each costing at least N100 million, were tracked in the second phase of CEPTi in 2020.
The report on the tracking exercises obtained by our source revealed a series of violations allegedly committed by federal lawmakers with the complicity of some officials of the executing ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal government.
ICPC Chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, said in one of the CEPTi reports that as of 2019, an estimated N2trillion had been budgeted for ZIPs since 2000. He adds that despite the huge releases citizens continue to make agitations about “shoddy completion, non-completion or outright non-existence of these projects in their locale”.
The commission also revealed how some lawmakers’ conduct in handling some of the projects denied “the public due and legitimate service of the projects.”
Under the ZIP scheme, which started in 2000, senators and members of the House of Representatives are allowed to nominate or sponsor projects for the benefit of their constituents.
But, from the ICPC’s report of the first phase of the CEPTi exercise earlier conducted in 2019, lack of adherence to the provisions of the public procurement law and regulations is a major reason for the persistent infractions in the execution of constituency projects.
The commission stated that the role of legislators in the constituency project matters, according to the procurement law, “is restricted to identification of projects while the relevant MDA (ministries, departments, and agencies) would perform the contract without let or hindrance”.
It, however, added that “in practice, MDAs are not involved in the conception of ZIPs” and that “sponsors nominate contractors and take physical custody of items procured by MDAs under the pretext that they would distribute to beneficiaries”.
ICPC’s allegations, such as abuse of office, conflict of interest, misappropriation, and conversion of public property to personal use raised against the Jigawa, Taraba, and Kebbi senators are criminalised and punishable with jail terms under the Public Procurement Act, 2007, the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Act, 2000, and other laws.
A lawyer and fiscal accountability expert, Eze Onyekpere, said MDAs who constitute part of the executive branch of government must be held to account for the violations of the Public Procurement laws.
Mr Onyekpere, who leads the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), a non-governmental organisation, noted that it is the sole responsibility of the MDAs to award and supervise contracts.
“Legislators nominate projects into the budget, money is never released to the lawmaker. Money is released to the MDAs.
“The public Procurement Act says the permanent secretary is the accounting officer and there is a renders board; they award and supervise contracts. They pay money. Where is the legislator in all these?” the lawyer queried.
He said the defence by contract-awarding agencies that they were coerced by lawmakers to award contracts to their cronies as indicated in ICPC’s constituency projects tracking exercise, was not tenable.
“The primary offender must be punished. Whoever awarded a contract and did not implement it, he should be held accountable,” Mr Onyekpere added, urging MDAs to resist the “subtle force” from lawmakers that breach the law.

 

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Politics

LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction

Published

6 days ago

on

March 2, 2026

By

A former National Organising Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Clement Ojukwu, has expressed regret that the several legal cases brought against the party since the 2023 general elections have impacted the party’s performance.

Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.

“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”

The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.

“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.

“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.

“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”

Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.

He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”

He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.

“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”

Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.

“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.

 

Continue Reading

Politics

2027: NIGERIANS FAULT INEC ON DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP REGISTER DIRECTIVE 

Published

6 days ago

on

March 2, 2026

By

A number of Nigerians have strongly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its directive to all political parties in the country to submit digitalized membership register within 32 days.
It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following it’s reversed timetable, directed all political parties in the country to submit their digitalized membership registers within 32 days.
Speaking on the reversed timetable in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, respondents said the directive amounted to disqualifying opposition political parties from fielding candidates in all the elections next year.
They said if the directives by the commission is implemented, only the All Progressives Congress (APC) would participate in the elections since it started it’s digital membership registration since February, last year.
Responding, an elder statesman in Rivers State, Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said the revised timetable was okay, but the timeframe for submission of digital membership register was being made at the wrong time.
Chief Chukumele said, for the past two years, all opposition political parties have been battling various issues in court, adding that they did not have the time to embark on membership drive, talk less of digitalizing their membership registers.
“My reaction is that the only issue with this revised timetable is the timeframe given by INEC for parties to submit digitalize memberships register in all the states of the federation, while giving notice of Congresses and convention. That is not possible”, he said.
He said only the ruling APC is likely to meet up with the directive, since it began its registration since last year.
Chief Chukumele, who is also the National Coordinator of Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought (CORSLOT), alleged that the directive of the electoral body may have been targeted to prevent other parties from fielding candidates for the elections next year.
“When you say all the parties should submit digitalized registers of membership in 32 days, how will that be possible to conclude it in 32 days”, he queried.
He noted that “APC used one year ago to do, so APC has one year in the kitty plus 30 days. This is highly regrettable”.
The CORSLOT national leader urged the election umpire to do away with stringent conditions that will make it hard for opposition political parties to field candidates in the elections.
Also speaking, Mr Jacob Enware from Edo State queried the rationale behind the directive, especially when some opposition political parties are still having cases in court.
In his words, ”What opposition political parties are you talking about, is Labour Party not  in court or PDP that is yet to resolve their issues?
”For me, INEC should provide a level playing field for all, because aside the APC, no party can meet up this criteria.”
In his own response, Mr Nathaniel Ebere said he was not prepared to vote for anybody whether INEC provides a level playing field or not.
He alleged that his vote would not count, “so I will not waste my time”.
By: John Bibor
Continue Reading

Politics

IT’S A LIE, G-5 GOVS DIDN’T WIN ELECTION FOR TINUBU – SOWUNMI

Published

6 days ago

on

March 2, 2026

By

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has expressed reservations about the political stance of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, while calling for reconciliation among key party figures.
Otunba Sowunmi made the remarks during a television interview on Saturday, when asked about the relationship between Gov. Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.
He said, “I don’t believe Seyi Makinde. Because I know them all. I’ve been in this party since it was registered. And I’ve been loyal, faithful, diligent with this party from the get-go, and I’ve never left.”
He underscored his longstanding commitment to the PDP, referencing prominent figures who had exited the party at different times: “I’ve had the grace, and the honor, and the dignity of watching even my father, Obasanjo, shed his card. As much as I love him, I didn’t leave the party”.
He added, “I’ve had the privilege of watching my beloved senior brother, Governor Gbenga Daniel, leave the party a few times. As much as I respect his vision and his ideas, I’ve never left. I’ve watched my former principal, Atiku Abubakar, leave a few times. I’ve never left.”
Otunba Sowunmi stressed that his comments were rooted in deep involvement with the party: “So when I talk about PDP, I’m not talking as an outsider, I’m talking as one of their totems, who was actually carrying them.”
He disclosed that he wrote to Makinde during the governor’s last birthday, urging reconciliation among a bloc of five governors who had formed a movement during the 2023 elections.
“At Governor Seyi Makinde’s last birthday, I wrote him a letter where I tried to say, look, you guys, the five of you, succeeded to the extent of creating a movement of your own”, he said.
He added, “And you fought very hard to make a point in the 2023 election. Although I don’t believe you won the election for the president, that’s a lie. They contributed, but I hate when people take the glory of other people’s work.”
Otunba Sowunmi warned that unresolved differences among the group could weaken the party: “You guys, you must go back to your four friends, your five friends, and you guys go and sort it out. Because not sorting it out with your five friends is going to leave the party worse off.”
He added, “But now that you’re fighting, or you’re not agreeing with yourselves, why don’t you go back to that same energy that allowed you to agree, so that you can use that energy inside to agree, and then we can lead the party.”
Continue Reading

Trending