Politics
S’Court Victory Excites Wike
The special thanksgiving to celebrate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Supreme Court Victory, penultimate week, led other activities in Government House last week.
Speaking at the interdenominational service held at the Ecumenical Centre, the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike said Rivers State is dear to God hence the judgement went in favour of senator Makarfi led caretaker committee. Wike noted that Rivers State was in the forefront of the fight to get justice, hence there was need to thank God for his mercies.
The Rivers State Governor described Senator Sheriff as an agent of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilize and destroy the party.
He expressed gratitude to God for giving PDP leaders the wisdom to discover Sheriff’s ploy early in order to save it from doom.
Last Monday, Governor Wike played host to the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services. He used the visit to announce that the State will flag off the total rehabilitation of 175 primary schools across the state.
The governor held that rather than establish another commission to cater for the infrastructural needs of senior secondary schools, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) should be empowered by law to handle such issues as it will be more economical for the country.
In Rivers State, he stated that his administration was re-positioning basic education to secure the future of the state. He regretted that though some states claim they have made primary education their top priority, it is worrisome that such states leave UBEC fund un-accessed.
Also last Monday, the governor was represented by his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo at the 2017 France National Day Celebration in Port Harcourt.
The governor expressed regrets that while French Nationals were out in the streets and beaches celebrating democracy of several –centuries and good memories last year, terrorists struck to cut short the celebration.
He urged French Government to partner with the Rivers State Government in its development quest, “we want you to be our ambassador to bring in more companies, more investors to the state”.
Last Wednesday, the governor attended a special expanded caucus meeting of the PDP at Abuja. The meeting was held to chart a new course for the party after leadership tussle was laid to rest by the country’s Supreme Court.
The state first lady, Justice Eberechi Nyesom Wike issued a statement Wednesday over activities of fraudsters using her picture and name on social media. She urged members of the public to disregard requests by these fraudsters, urging them to report any further fraudulent requests in her name.
Last Thursday, the governor flagged off the reconstruction and furnishing of 175 basic schools across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state before now, the school were in deplorable condition abandoned by the immediate past administration.
At the event, Chief Wike announced that his administration had awarded contracts for the equipping of laboratories of selected secondary schools and re-stocking of libraries.
The governor took time off last Friday to inspect ongoing projects. He visited the Bonny/ Bille Jetty, judges Estate site, Sani Abacha Round reconstruction and assured that he would not be deterred by the rains to complete the projects.
At the weekend, the governor through, his deputy attended the wedding of Miss Member at Christ Church Port Harcourt.
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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