Politics
Let The Electoral Process Be Without Acrimony
In every election year in Nigeria, there is always the suspicion that the ruling party in a particular area be it at the state or federal level would be finalising plans to rig or abort the will of the electorate.
Sometimes, these suspicions might be unfounded but the antics of the ruling party might give credence to this notion. Recently, the controversy over the appointment of Mrs Amina Zakari as the Chairperson, Advisory Committee and the presidential election collation centre is being criticised by the opposition parties and other stakeholders in the Nigerian project.
According to sources, Mrs Zakari is supposed to have completed her tenure as an INEC commissioner since August of 2018. Apart from that, she is said to be a niece to the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari.
The fear is that as a blood relation to the president, she might use that connection to subvert the vote counting exercise. Another area of grouse by the opposition parties has to do with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, who is supposed to have retired from the service since January 3.
The Inspector-General has served the mandatory 35 years and his continual stay in office, according to them is illegal as the constitution bars him from being retained or reappointed as he is no longer a serving officer.
According to them, the president should do the needful by appointing a new IGP otherwise, retaining him means that Mr Idris will not be answerable for his actions but will only do the biddings of his master.
Although these claims cannot be dismissed outright the action of the president vis-a-vis the ruling party in disobeying court orders and breaching the constitution leave much to be desired.
The concern raised by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) is not just a propaganda tool or false alarm but should be seen as a patriotic act as the country should tell its leaders that we are under a democratic rule and not dictatorship in any guise.
If a serving officer has reached the mandatory retirement age or has served for the stipulated 35 years, he or she should honourably vacate such office. But where the services of such persons are still needed, then the necessary due process should be followed to avoid the situation where eye brows would be raised.
However, the recent pronouncements by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that it is now set to conduct a free, fair and credible election by presenting copies of the voters register to the political parties is highly appreciated. This is because with the register, political parties now can monitor and scrutinise the number of eligible voters, monitor the voting process and also ensure that the number of votes cast during next month’s elections reflect with what is in the register.
Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmmod Yakubu, has said that a total of 84 million Nigerians registered to vote, that the register was up to date and that as part of the measure put in place, smart card readers would be used for the exercise. He also said the use of the separate incident form had been abolished and called on the political parties to submit a list of their agents to INEC, not later than 14 days to the election.
The implication of these pronoucements is that the political parties will no longer give excuses that the electoral body is not prepared for the elections. From observations so far, INEC has shown that it has put in place all necessary facilities for now and what remains is the conduct of the election proper.
For the political parties, the issue of having centres should be seen as a serious task. This is because from past experience, some party agents did not even show up at the polling centres and how are we sure that this time would be different with the number of parties hovering over 70 and with 97, 119,973 polling units that will be manned.
Hopefully for the candidates some of the smaller parties which would not be able to afford the services of volunteers may have to rely on agents of the major political parties especially in the rural areas. And if that is not possible, they should strive to have agents at least in the 8,809 collation centres at the ward level.
With the large number of poltical parties, the logistics will be enormous and following the confidence expressed by INEC for the task ahead, all the political parties should go into the field and start canvassing for the people’s mandate. This time around, no excuses would be accepted as what we want are zero tolerance to rigging, vote buying, violence and indolence. Serious candidates especially those vying for the state houses of assembly seats should not tie their future to that of the governorship candidate. Now is the time to tell Nigerians why they should be voted for. Since this exercise comes every four years, adequate preparations should be made by the political parties to support their candidates in next month’s elections.
The police hierarchy on its part has assured that it would not be partisan likewise that of the armed forces. But with the current tensed security situation, the fear is still there that the ruling party could probably use the situation to its advantage especially at the presidential election.
Today, the world is watching the political trend in Nigeria, the situation is still tense but not as that of 2015 where there were fears that the election would end up causing civil unrest in the country. The two major actors are all from one geogaphical region, same religion and culture, so the presidential election now has nothing to do with differences of faith.
This time around, it is less complicated and the main issues are “development and quality service delivery”.
The election should be tension-free as we are not at war. From 1999 to 2018, the security agencies including the armed forces were allowed to play roles which constitutionally they were not permitted. Nigeria should do away with the curfew tradion on election days. 2019 elections should be an improvement on that of 2015 ditto the security situations.
Why is it that Nigeria is the only, country in Africa where on election days. everywhere is blocked, the streets empty with gun-totting policemen and members of the armed forces patrolling the major highways?
Let us learn to do things differently. In neighbouring West African countries, the situation is quite not the same. Let our politicians strive to improve on the electoral process especially by allowing the free movement of people on election days. Elections can even be conducted in a way that movement can not be restricted, afterall it is not everybody that will vote on election day.
Also modalities could be put in place to make it less stressful whereby a potential voter can just walk in and cast his or her ballot.
Tonye Ikiroma-owiye
Mr Okonkwo made the announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on yesterday, expressing gratitude for what he called Alhaji Abubakar’s show of faith in him.
“I give God all the glory for being appointed by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar as his spokesperson. I thank His Excellency for the immense confidence reposed in me,” Mr Okonkwo said.
The politician credited Alhaji Abubakar with championing dialogue over conflict within party ranks.
He noted that the former vice president favours conversation and compromise when party associates raise genuine worries, rather than dismissing their concerns.
“Rather than take offence at associates for expressing genuine reservations about any action taken, His Excellency always opts for dialogue and compromise that engender solutions to problems,” Mr Okonkwo stated.
According to him, recent talks with Alhaji Abubakar and other ADC leaders tackled worries about South-East political representation within the limits of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the current political climate. He said the discussions produced guarantees for the region’s interests despite existing constraints.
Mr Okonkwo also acknowledged the work of Dr. Kashim Imam; former ADC National Chairman, Ralphs Nwosu; Ekene Onwuka, Alhaji Abubakar’s Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, in preparing the party for next year’s elections. He thanked his loved ones and supporters for their support and prayers.
“I still covet your prayers for wisdom, courage, provision and protection needed to carry out this challenging responsibility, which will usher in a glorious and great Nigeria,” he added.
The appointment arrives weeks after Mr Okonkwo publicly attacked the ADC’s pick for running mate in 2027. He’d warned that choosing a vice-presidential candidate from the South-South would worsen what he sees as political neglect of the South-East, a region without a president or vice president since 1999.
Despite Mr Okonkwo’s objections, the ADC later announced former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as Alhaji Abubakar’s running mate following the ex-vice president’s clinching of the party’s presidential nomination.
The Red Chamber passed the bill last Wednesday after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as “a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”
The senate leader said the proposal to establish state police was a matter of urgent public importance that could not be delayed because of political interests, given the country’s security challenges.
He explained that the proposal did not originate recently but emerged from memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal underwent extensive consultations and rigorous scrutiny because of its sensitive nature.
Bamidele said the National Assembly consulted widely with the Executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, the leadership of the Nigeria Police and other stakeholders before passing the bill.
He added that during the public hearings conducted across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025, participants overwhelmingly supported the creation of state police.
“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today,” he said.
The Senate leader noted that recommendations from the Nigeria Police contributed to the bill, particularly on accountability and oversight mechanisms aimed at preventing abuse of state police by political actors.
According to him, the police’s support for the proposal underscores its national significance in tackling insecurity at the state and local levels.
Bamidele also said the bill received broad bipartisan backing in both chambers of the National Assembly.
“Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties — PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party — that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial basis.
“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone,” he said.
He argued that national security should transcend political affiliations, saying political actors in other countries often set aside partisan interests to support initiatives that strengthen security.
Bamidele called on opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would promote peace and stability, adding that they have a responsibility to offer alternatives that would strengthen the country.
“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” he said.
The group also urged the National Assembly leadership to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, while all diverted or unaccounted public funds are recovered and paid into the treasury.
In a letter dated June 27, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.
The organisation disclosed this in a statement signed and released by Oluwadare, yesterday.
SERAP also asked Akpabio and Abbas to disclose the identities of contractors and companies, including their shareholders and beneficial owners, that allegedly received constituency project funds but failed to execute the projects.
It gave the National Assembly seven days to act on its recommendations, warning that it would institute legal proceedings should the legislature fail to respond.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter stated.
It said, “The allegations involve several federal ministries, departments and agencies, including the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON); the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Volm; the Federal Polytechnic, Udana; the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
“The Auditor-General identified numerous cases of payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for contracts not executed or services not rendered, undocumented expenditures, inflated contracts, procurement irregularities and failures to account for public funds, recommending in each case that the funds be recovered and remitted to the treasury.
“According to the 2022 audited report, contained in pages 367 to 396, the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON or Council) Abuja paid over ‘N22 million [N22,944,565.16] into the private account of some members of staff of the Council from the Constituency Projects Fund Account.
“There ‘was no evidence of the utilization of the funds and no explanations on the purpose for the payment of such amount into the individual accounts.”
SERAP added, “The Council (EHORECON) also in 2021 ‘awarded suspicious consultancy contracts of over N12 million [N12,030,818.29] for the development of Modern Abattoirs in Kebbi State and the supervision of 7 projects in Kebbi, Jigawa, and Headquarters Abuja.
“The money was to ‘produce bills of quantity, architectural design, structural design, mechanical design, and electrical designs for the contracts and supervision.’ But ‘the ‘items could not be found.’”
Altogether, SERAP said the Auditor-General’s 2022 report alleged EHORECON paid more than ?1.8 billion in constituency project funds through questionable transactions.
For the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, SERAP said the institution “in 2022 reportedly ‘paid over N279 million [N279,700,500.00] to 3 contractors to empower and train youths in selected vocational areas in Borgu and Kontagora, Niger State, train women and youths in entrepreneurship in Niger East Senatorial District and to train youths and women in agro production and self-reliance in Barki Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau State.
“But the money was paid to the contractors without any document.’”
Other irregularities involving the college include another ?279.7 million in mobilisation fees allegedly paid without documentation, and more than ?629.4 million paid to unqualified contractors for various constituency projects without evidence of due process, contract advertisements or details of the contractors.
SERAP further alleged that the Auditor-General’s report identified multiple financial irregularities involving the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, including over ?407 million allegedly paid as mobilisation fees without supporting documents, more than ?399 million paid to unqualified contractors, contracts allegedly inflated by over ?192 million, over ?279 million paid for projects not fully executed, ?50 million allegedly paid for an unexecuted borehole project, and more than ?83 million disbursed without the required documentation or approvals.
It also alleged that NAPTIP reportedly irregularly awarded contracts worth over ?21.8 million, paid more than ?176.8 million for logistics and consultancy services without supporting documents, and disbursed over ?89.6 million and ?4.4 million for projects that were allegedly not executed.
The report also alleged that NILDS failed to submit audited financial statements for 2012 to 2022, did not remit over ?15 million in stamp duties, and spent ?1.6 million without authorisation from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
SERAP said the report recommended the recovery of the affected funds and their remittance to the treasury.
It argued that corruption in constituency projects disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable Nigerians by diverting resources meant for public services and development.
It added that the National Assembly, in exercising its oversight responsibilities, should demonstrate leadership by ensuring accountability in the management of constituency project funds.
The organisation further argued that the allegations, if established, would amount to breaches of the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which require transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public resources.
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