Politics
Wike Tasks Monarchs On Peace
Last week in Government House began with the Second Session of the third Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Evo with Governor Nyesom Wike and his wife attending.
He used the occasion to task the church to play their role in the emergence of good leaders in the country. He said, “In Anambra and Imo states, the Catholic Church plays key role on who leads those states. In Rivers State, the Church should rise up and take a position.”
Announcing the revocation of Certificate of Occupancy of Novotel Hotel in Port Harcourt, the governor regretted that the hotel has turned itself as a place where electoral malpractice and other forms of election fraud are carried out.
In the words of the governor, “we cannot allow hotels to be used for unwholesome activities. The Special Adviser on lands has been directed to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy of Novotel.”
Last Monday, the governor declared open the 106th Quarterly Meeting of the state Traditional Rulers Council and enjoined the royal fathers to assist government in security and maintenance of peace in their domains.
The governor used the event to explain the visit of Acting President penultimate week, staying that despite blackmail of ex-Governor Amaechi and his party, the APC, that the nation’s number one citizen was formerly invited to inaugurate projects in the state.
Chief Wike frowned at the ex-governor’s penchant to blackmail the judiciary, describing the visit of the Chief Judge of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen as purely official and for the betterment of the judiciary.
Last Tuesday, the Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, in a statement, urged Rivers people to be wary of the antics of the opposition. She said while others states of the federation where the opposition lost elections are united and forward looking, the APC in Rivers State has turned into a crying baby bent in detracting governance.
The governor through his Special Assistance on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaududi last Tuesday said there is an overwhelming evidence of ex-Governor Amaechi’s corrupt activities. He regretted that the former governor has continued to work against interest of Rivers State.
Last Wednesday, the Chief of Staff Government House, Chief Emeka Woke, met with political stakeholders in Emohua Local Government Area and harped on the need for peace.
Woke said, “I want to enjoin my brothers who are in opposition political parties never to encourage violence of any kind. If the locall government area is destroyed, where will you conduct the election you are hoping to win.”
As part of moves to ensure peace and harmony amongst communities in the state, the state Deputy Governor, Dr. Harry-Banigo met with representatives of Deeken and Deeyor communities in Gokana Local Government Area last Thursday.
She commended both communities and members of the Rivers State Boundary Committee and reiterated the need for all communities to live peacefully with their neighbours.
Last Saturday, Governor Wike welcomed delegates and members of the African Bar Association who are in the state for a four-day conference. The governor assured them of a peaceful and memorable stay during the event.
The Chief of Staff, Government House, last Saturday, was at the airport to receive former Tanzanian President, Dr Jakaya Kikwete who is billed to deliver key note address at the African Bar Conference
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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