Politics
Secessionists, Politicians Behind Attacks On INEC – Police

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali, has attributed the attacks on INEC facilities in some states to politicians and secessionist groups in the South-East and South -West.
IGP spoke at the commencement of an investigative hearing of the House Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives probing the attacks on offices and the facilities of INEC on Friday in Abuja.
Represented by the DIG in charge of Department of Operations, Dandaura Mustapha, the IGP said, “The Nigeria police being the lead agency in internal security and elections generally is always at the receiving end. Whatever happens — it is duty of the police to protect here and there.
“When INEC finally lifted ban on campaigns — the campaigns commenced and what we realized initially was inter and intra-party dispute. We realized that members of political parties were destroying billboards, posters, destruction of campaign offices in some parts of the states. This we quickly alerted the Commissioners of Police in charge of the commands and gave them clear directive that it is the right of every political party to go to all the nooks and crannies of the society and campaign.
“It is a constitutional right so on no account should a state governor or any state actor prevent political parties from moving about to do their campaigns. We now come to the immediate attack on INEC facilities. Of recent, the ones that took place in Osun and Ogun. Then last week in Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu.
“What we discovered is that — we all know in this country, it is a well known fact that in the south-east geo-political zone we have issues of secessionists — the IPOB and ESN. These groups are bent on stopping elections from taking place in the south-east.
“They have been attacking our personnel, they have been killing our personnel. They have been retrieving arms from members of the security agencies, not only the police — the military and other paramilitary organisations that are there.
“They have been doing it, especially now that the embargo on campaigns have been lifted. The election is approaching very fast and they are putting much pressure to see that this election do not hold in the south-east political zone.
“In the south-west, we equally have the pro-Yoruba secessionists that are equally bent on succeeding and not allowing election to take place in their areas, hence the attack on INEC in Osun and Ogun of recent. Those ones are there too sponsored by politicians and other stakeholders.
“There is also an issue of failed and desperate politicians who are bent on stopping INEC from conducting this election. The failed politicians are those who could not come back through any political parties, and as far as they are concerned, let everything spoil, let everything scatter. They are using that opportunity so sponsor illiterate followers of the party and hoodlums to make sure that this general elections do not hold and should not be successful.
“On the part of the desperate politicians, they feel that since they cannot stop from taking all these measures (to stop election reffing) let them sponsor hoodlums to make sure that this election should not be a successful exercise.
“All these issues, we have gotten them and we have sat with the state Commissioners of Police and the action taken by the IGP. On the 17th on November, the IGP held a meeting with political parties leaders, INEC representatives were there. We discussed in length that all political parties are free to go about their campaigns in all the states and they should talk and work on their followers to desist from this hooliganism.
“The IGP equally held a meeting with all the operational officers of the other agencies, the military, civil defence officers, and paramilitary agencies.
“We held a meeting on Tuesday, on the 13th of this month whereby all the operational officers of all the security agencies and we discussed measures to be taken to safeguard the facilities of INEC.
“The police is handicapped as most of the people arrested are connected to high places. Police is under-staffed. We are not up to four hundred thousand. We lack manpower. We need additional funding for recruitment. We lose personnel everyday and we need to replace”, he said.
Politics
Rivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-Month Suspension

The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
Politics
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Politics
Alleged Smear Campaign Against Yakubu, CSOs Demand Apology From Uzodimma

During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
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