Politics
Wike Dissolves Exco
The live interview on Rhythm FM in Port Harcourt last Monday by Governor Nyesom Wike threw the curtain open for activities in Government House last week.
Speaking to the citizens of the State, Chief Wike reassured that he will never make empty promises to the people because his administration is built on transparency, accountability and commitment to the welfare of the people.
The governor described as unfortunate the statements made by the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, while insisting that most of the abandoned projects and debts incurred by Amaechi were cleared by him as he assumed office in May 2015.
Last Tuesday, Chief Wike appeared on Channels Televison Sunrise Programme where he made more clarifications on progress made by his administration to move, the state forward. He noted that the Federal Government was still shielding Amaechi from prosecution because the former governor financed the 2015 general elections for the APC.
The governor also explained that the failure of the former governor to fund the operation of security agencies for over six months during his second term contributed to the degeneration of security in the state.
Later in the evening of last Tuesday, the governor played host to the management of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd led by its Managing Director, Mr. Tony Attah.
After the speech by Tony Attah, the governor expressed sadness that there was move to amend the NLNG Act without due consultations and recourse to the yearning and agitations of those communities who produce the natural resources.
Chief Wike urged the Federal Government not to allow the amendment of the NLNG Act to sail through at the National Assembly because of the negative multiplier effect it would have on the economy.
Earlier, the NLNG Managing Director appealed to the Rivers State Government to work with other stakeholders to ensure that the NLNG Act was not amended, as it would negatively affect the operation of the company in the international market.
Last Wednesday, the governor hosted the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the Health Implications of siting telecom masts near home and lamented that the trend was becoming common due to poor legal enforcement.
The governor urged telecom companies to obey rules regarding the location of masts adding, “the way these companies install masts near homes will definitely have health implications. I support the investigations by the House to change the situation”.
Last Thursday, the Rivers State Governor joined other governors in the federation in a peace meeting summoned by Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo at Abuja.
Returning to the State on Friday, Chief Wike met with Executives of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers of Nigeria (NUPENG) over the derelict state of the East/West Road stretching from Eleme Junction to Refinery Junction. The Governor promised that the bad portion would be reconstructed in collaboration with Indorama Petroleum Limited. He therefore called on NUPENG to resume operations after the labour body threatened to down tools.
Governor Wike last Saturday through his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, announced the dissolution of the State Executive council and wished the former Commissioners well.
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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