Featured
Saraki, Tambuwal, Fatai, Others To Dump APC For PDP
The mood at Wadata, the edifice housing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, was that of excitement owing to what a source described as the imminent defection of prominent politicians “very soon,” including Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Governors Aminu Tambuwal, Samuel Ortom and Abdulfatai Ahmed of Sokoto, Benue and Kwara States, respectively, among others.
In a chat with newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, the source credited the PDP Contact and Integration Committee and the Reconciliation Committee led respectively by former Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke and Bayelsa State Governor, Hon Seriake Dickson for a job well done, noting that leaders across the various political parties were unanimous that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration should be voted out of power in 2019.
Asked if the party regards the imminent return of the aforementioned as sufficient compensation for its loss of Ekiti to the APC; the source said, doing so would amount to acceptance of fraud as a way of life, adding that the PDP has already taken a decision to reject the governorship election results which saw the declaration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the APC as winner.
He also called on Nigerians to expect more defections into the fold of the party in the months leading to the general election, arguing that the past three years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has left the country more divided that it has ever been “since the attainment of independence in 1960.”
He said: “By now, Nigerians are aware that Senator Saraki and some governors are perfecting plans to return home. Mind you, I didn’t say returning to a party because I believe and they know that the PDP is their home. They belong here and this is where they can be what they want to be, politically.
“It is not just these governors but more governors and members of the National Assembly, both from the Senate and the House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly. This is good news for Nigerians who have watched their country drift toward anarchy and despondency in the last three years.
“The Ekiti episode is being addressed but I don’t want to think that we need lose one to win two or three as the case may be. What happened was robbery as attested to by local and international observers. But in the meantime, we are making inroads into the polity that will position the party on a solid footing to win the Presidential elections in 2019.”
It would be recalled that, last Wednesday, PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus alongside River State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and Presidential hopeful, Sule Lamido, met with Saraki and Kwara State Governor, Ahmed AbdulFatai in Ilorin as part of efforts to woo the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) members back to PDP formally.
Meanwhile, Secondus, Lamido, Baraje and others have held secret talks on the way forward.
The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki; the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus; and a presidential aspirant of the PDP, Alhaji Sule Lamido, last Wednesday night, held a private meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, had on Tuesday said it was premature for him to declare whether or not he would contest for president in the 2019 general election.
Saraki, while on his first visit to Kwara State since his Code of Conduct Tribunal victory at the Supreme Court, had also said it was not time for him to declare whether he would defect to the PDP or any other political party from the APC.
Other notable politicians who attended the meeting behind closed doors included the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed; his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom; a former PDP Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, who also led the new PDP bloc of the All Progressives Congress; and the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, among others.
Also present at the meeting were the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Senator Lawal Shuaibu and Senator Barnabas Gemade.
According to sources at the meeting, though some of the politicians had joined the eighth Fidau prayer for Baraje’s late mother, Aishat, they later converged at Saraki’s house, where they were joined by other politicians, including Lamido, Secondus and others who reportedly could not attend the Fidau.
The sources said they strategised on the 2019 election politicking. There were also unconfirmed reports that the politicians discussed strategies for the speculated defection of Baraje, Ahmed, Saraki and his loyalists from the APC to the PDP.
Ologbondiyan, who confirmed the meeting, claimed that though it was a brotherhood meeting, they also discussed political issues.
According to him, they discussed how to move Nigeria forward.
He said, “It was a brotherhood meeting. Our leaders met and they shared thoughts on the future of Nigeria and how to improve the living condition of Nigerians and how to make Nigeria a better place for all to live in.”
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS) to carry out their duties with discipline, loyalty and a firm commitment to the success of the administration and the wellbeing of the people of Rivers State.
The governor warned that any involvement in unauthorised nocturnal meetings or any conduct capable of embarrassing the government will attract immediate dismissal.
Fubara gave the warning yesterday shortly after the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Dagogo S.A. Wokoma and the new Chief of Staff (CoS), Barrister Sunny Ewule, were sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
As part of the ceremony, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi administered the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on the duo before the governor gave his charge.
Addressing the appointees, Fubara reminded them that their elevation to the new positions was a call to service and not a platform for political grandstanding or the pursuit of personal ambition.
He stressed that their foremost responsibility should be to themselves and to the people of Rivers State, stressing that their conduct must always reflect integrity, restraint and dedication to public good.
Speaking directly to Dr. Wokoma, whom he described as an accomplished academic and mathematician, the governor expressed confidence in his intellectual depth and capacity to deliver on the new assignment.
The office of the Secretary to the State Government, Fubara stressed, demands thoroughness, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility. He charged the SSG to represent the State with honour at all times.
“Your duty includes representing the state government. You need to represent us in a way and manner that will bring honour to us.
“What is important to this administration is to see that the good works that we started and the ones that we met, are concluded in a way that will bring progress and development to our dear state,” he stated.
Turning to the new Chief of Staff, the governor explained that he is expected to ensure smooth administrative coordination, managing official engagements effectively and safeguarding the image of the Government House.
He underscored the sensitive and personal nature of the role and emphasised that the position operates strictly under the authority of the governor.
Fubara stressed that the role does not permit independent political engagements or private strategy meetings without his knowledge and consent.
“Let me sound it here very clearly. Your duty is to make sure that you handle the administrative duties and image making roles perfectly well, liaising with whoever is coming for any official assignment here.
“If you involve yourself in nocturnal meetings and all those things, I will sack you. I’m very serious. What is important to me today is peace, progress and prosperity of this state. I’m not going to compromise anything for it,” he said.
The governor cautioned that involvement of the new appointees in any action capable of bringing the government or his office to disrepute would attract appropriate sanctions.
While congratulating the new appointees, Fubara expressed optimism that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
He called on all public officials to work together in unity, observing that collective success is stronger and more enduring than individual achievement.
The governor who also addressed the Permanent Secretaries present at the ceremony, directed those of them who have reached retirement age to start preparing their handover notes without delay.
The notice, he said, was not intended to scare anybody but to prepare their minds towards the inevitability of exiting the service one day and to pave way for an orderly transition.
He warned against any attempt to engage in financial misconduct or last-minute irregularities, stressing that he was closely monitoring the system to ensure strict enforcement of accountability rules.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.