Politics
Abe Fingers Amaechi Over Removal Of Nddc’s Executive Director
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has been accused of successfully plotting the removal of the Executive Director, Finance and Accounts (EDFA) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Derek Mene.
The Senator representing Rivers South East District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe made the accusation in a statement issued in Port Harcourt at the weekend.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had dissolved the board of the NDDC and appointed Prof. Nelson Braimbraifa, as acting Managing Director of the agency.
But Abe in the statement issued by his spokesman, Parry Benson said he received news of the dissolution of the NDDC board with mixed feelings, alleging that Amaechi had long threatened to remove Mr. Mene from the commission due to his stand on issues in Rivers politics.
Abe wondered why Mr. Derek Mene was the only executive removed in the dissolution of the board, especially as he was replaced by someone from Rivers East Senatorial District, home district of the Transportation Minister.
The statement reads, “I received the news of the dissolution of the board of the NDDC with mixed feelings. First, let me thank the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari for the privilege given to the two prominent Rivers sons, Mr. Derek Lenyie Mene who served as Executive Director, Finance and Accounts of the NDDC and Iboroma Harry who served as the Rivers state Commissioner on the board.”
”However, it is an open secret that Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi had long threatened to remove Mr. Mene from the commission for his principled stand on issues of injustice and fairness in Rivers politics, particularly as it affects the marginalization of the people of Rivers South East Senatorial District in the leadership of the state.
”Coincidentally, the only executive removed in the dissolution of the board is Mr. Derek Mene and his position has now been given to someone from Rivers east senatorial district, home district of the Minister and present Governor of the state,” he said.
The Senator describes Mene’s removal as a further proof pf marginalization of people of the Rivers South East Senatorial district in the leadership of the state, pointing out that no amount of arm twisting will stop him from abandoned the struggle to enthrone equal rights and justice for Rivers people.
The statement further reads, “l am particularly proud of Mr. Mene, who stood his ground in the face of a vicious campaign of hate, calumny, threat, intimidation and deprivation. Our struggle predates the present board of the NDDC, and will outlive the dissolution of the board,” he said
Senator Abe however thanked President Buhari, the Minister of Transportation and all leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the opportunity given to the two illustrious sons of the state to serve in their various capacity in the NDDC
”Let me assure all lovers of justice in APC that the struggle for fairness, equity, justice and respect for our members in the APC, is no way affected by the dissolution of NDDC board.
He urged party members who are considering to decamp to other political parties to be patient and prayerful as the crises in the party is created by one man who thinks he has power over his fellow men, saying only God has supreme powers.
Dennis Naku
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.
-
Rivers3 days ago
Don Seeks Repositioning Of Tech Education For Dev
-
Education3 days agoPAMO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY -Nullifies Arrest warrant on VC
-
Niger Delta3 days ago
PANDEF Seeks 50% Oil Derivation Allocation Increase
-
Education3 days agoIAUE MOVES TO END GHOST WORKERS SYNDROME AS 400 NEW NON-TEACHING STAFF UNDERGO MANDATORY ETHICS TRAINING
-
News3 days agoFresh Ebola Scare As NCDC Records Two Cases
-
News3 days ago
Customs Partners EFCC, NDLEA, Others To Tackle Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing
-
Politics3 days ago2027: RIVERS GUBER CANDIDATES SIGN CHARTER TO PRIORITIZE CITIZENS’ DEMANDS
-
Politics3 days ago2027: South-East Govs Insist On Tinubu’s Re-election