Politics
Diri Canvasses Law Against Vote-Buying, Hails INEC’s Stance On Illegal Votes
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has called for legislation to check the menace of vote-buying as part of measures to safeguard the country’s electoral system.
Senator Diri stated this on Wednesday at his country home, Sampou, in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state when his predecessor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Chief Seriake Dickson, paid him a visit to formally congratulate him on his re-election for a second term.
The governor condemned the act of vote-buying, describing the development as part of the country’s electoral process that was faulty and called on stakeholders to work collectively in addressing the menace in order to prevent politicians that do not mean well for the state from hijacking the process.
“For me, that is part of our electoral process that is very faulty. I like to urge our leaders, especially those that are in the National Assembly, to propose a bill that can solve this problem of vote-buying because it is becoming a very big problem here in Bayelsa State.
“So, we all need to put our minds together to see how we can address this issue because that is the only way we can prevent politicians who do not mean well for the state from having access to political power”, he said.
The Governor thanked Bayelsans for renewing his mandate to serve them for another four years.
In his remarks, Senator Seriake Dickson said he led a delegation of the Bayelsa West Senatorial District to congratulate Diri on his well-deserved victory, noting that in securing a second term, the governor has four more years of stability to consolidate on his development agenda for the state.
“Just as the people of Sagbama-Ekeremor Senatorial District supported you in 2019 election, they did it again this time and they are still assuring you of their support in this fresh mandate.
“There is high expectations from the people and we know and trust that you will bring it about. You have taken the road to Ekeremor and we also expect that you will start the road to Agge. Power means nothing if it does not bring about development, peace and prosperity”, Senator Dickson said.
Meanwhile, during a live Channels Television political programme on Wednesday, the re-elected Bayelsa governor applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for cancelling and rejecting questionable ballot figures earlier returned for Nembe Local Government Area in last Saturday’s poll.
Diri lauded the electoral umpire for insisting on the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to protect the integrity of the election.
He said the BVAS device was fully deployed during the election just as there was prompt distribution of sensitive and non sensitive materials across the state.
“The electoral umpire did well and l want to believe that this is one of the best elections it has conducted where the BVAS was brought to full test and we saw that wherever it was bypassed, all parties there scored zero”, Diri said.
Making reference to Nembe-Bassambiri community where the BVAS was bypassed, he said INEC entered zero votes for such areas.
When asked if he would extend a hand of fellowship to those who contested with him, Diri said: “I will extend my hand of fellowship to all those who contested with me. My maxim from day one when l took over the reins of power is, to show love where there is hatred and to give light where there is darkness.
“But l will not reach out to murderers. l will not reach out to very violent people. There must be a mindset to move away from the violence and murderous attitude of Timipre Sylva and those around him”, the Bayelsa State Chief Executive insisted.
On why he ran for a second term, Diri explained that he wanted to prove wrong critics that said he was a Supreme Court-made governor and that he could not win election in the state.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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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