Politics
PDP’ll Restore Peace In Rivers -Party Stalwart
Irked by the current political crisis rocking Rivers State, a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Eleme Local Government Area, Sir Godwin Owaate, has assured that his party would soon restore peace and deliver even development to the State, as Governor Siminalayi Fubara is poised to run an all-inclusive government.
Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Sir Owaate urged all factions in the impasse to embrace peace for development to thrive, noting that of all the political parties that took part in the 2023 general elections, only the PDP could guarantee a peaceful atmosphere for good governance.
He emphasised that as the party that currently occupies Rivers ‘Brick House’, there was need for the PDP to be cohesive, arguing that only a peaceful political party can dispense quality governance with the interest of the masses in mind.
The ex-PDP boss expressed the hope that the Governor Fubara-led administration in the state will usher in a focused and vision-driven dispensation that will transform the state by executing development projects.
“What I am saying is that we as the good people of Rivers State have had enough of these crisis-ridden situations through our various political parties.
“I believe that the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara remains the appropriate administration that will take all of us to greater development pedestal through the demonstration of maturity and experience in governance that will meet the yearnings and aspirations of our people in the cities, rural communities, towns and villages across the state.
“Let us forget about internal wranglings that are generating news from court cases for the media, rather than making news about initiating laudable projects and commissioning of completed projects.
“The PDP will guarantee news from executing projects and not from court cases. I am sure that the choice of Sir Siminalayi Fubara as Governor is not a bad omen. I am also certain that the Governor will perform creditably well when we all join forces with him and the party to build an egalitarian state”, Sir Owaate stated.
He commended the zeal of the Governor to develop the rural areas abandoned by successive administrations, adding that once the rural communities of the state are fixed, the state’s economy would have been re-engineered and repositioned for the common good of the people.
The PDP stalwart pointed out that no fewer than 250,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are spread across the rural communities of the state, describing them as the engine room for the massive economic activities that could revolutionise the transformation of the rural communities and the state in general under the watch of Governor Fubara.
Concerning youths and violence, Sir Owaate admonished youths in Rivers State to be agents of peace and shun violence, noting that, “There is need for youths of the state to join hands with the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara in his quest to develop them and the state, instead of allowing themselves to be used by desperate politicians and mischief-makers, who are bent on derailing the government from achieving set goals”.
“As youths, you need to promote peace, harmonious relationship with the government, because without peace, governance cannot thrive. Remember that as youths, you are critical stakeholders, this is why politicians use you to cause violence.
“Let me tell you that violence has no gain but destroys lives and property. You should be aware that this is a period for us to participate in the business of governance for the well-being of all of us”, Sir Owaate submitted.
Bethel Toby
Prof. Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said insecurity remained a potential challenge to the electoral process but stressed that the Commission would not allow threats against its personnel to undermine its constitutional responsibilities.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Let me again send a clear message from Port Harcourt: anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he said.
The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners, directors and technical aides, disclosed that the South-South engagement was the fifth in a series of zonal assessments, following similar exercises in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
He explained that his physical presence across the geopolitical zones reflected the Commission’s field-first approach, emphasising that electoral integrity must be established through effective operations at the grassroots.
According to him, the assessment would cover operational preparedness across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan said INEC had moved away from reactive security arrangements traditionally activated around election day to a proactive, intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.
He explained that the framework was designed to extend inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote communities.
He identified three critical pillars of the framework as mapping and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units.
The INEC boss said the security arrangement would provide comprehensive protection for electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, as well as voters.
He added that the framework was intended to ensure that every polling unit, irrespective of its geographical location or history of security challenges, remained safe and accessible for the exercise of democratic rights.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the South-South security architecture comprised approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network, he said, brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies across the six states.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Providing an overview of the region’s electoral significance, the INEC Chairman said the South-South had the fourth-largest voting bloc in the country, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register.
Rivers State alone, he said, accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters spread across the 23 local government areas.
Alhaji Abubakar made the demand following revelations that some INEC registration officers allegedly abused their access to the voter registration system to introduce irregular records into the database.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president described the development as a serious breach of the Commission’s internal safeguards and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged INEC to identify the officials implicated in the alleged misconduct and explain what disciplinary or legal measures had been taken against them.
Alhaji Abubakar also called for an independent forensic audit of the preliminary voters’ register to establish the scale of the alleged manipulation, identify affected records and determine how the questionable entries were introduced into the system.
He further insisted that INEC preserve all relevant voter records, image files, system access logs and electronic audit trails to prevent the destruction or alteration of evidence before an independent examination could be conducted.
The former vice-president also demanded that the Commission disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that transparency was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had earlier disclosed during a television interview that some registration officers across the country allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the voters’ database.
Dr Bayode explained that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped identify questionable records and establish how some irregularities entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all suspicious photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from poor registration procedures.
The development followed public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs, alleged duplicate entries and other inconsistencies discovered in the preliminary voters’ register published online on October 26, 2026.
INEC has maintained that the published document is a preliminary register and that it is reviewing questionable records ahead of the certification of the final Register of Voters.
The controversy has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the voters’ register as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.
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