Politics
Returning Officer Insists Akpabio Never Scored 61,329 Votes
The Returning Officer for Essien Udim in the 2019 National Assembly Elections, Dr William Olosunde has dispelled the news purportedly credited to him, that the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini asked him to cancel votes scored by Senator Godswill Akpabio of the APC in the last national assembly elections.
Dr Olosunde, while testifying last Monday at the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo, in the petition by Emmanuel Akpan of the APC against the election of Nsikak Ekong of the PDP for the Ikot Ekpene House of Representatives seat, said he had no contact with the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini during the collation process of the February 23, 2019 election.
When his attention was drawn by Counsel to the PDP, Solomon Umoh(SAN),to a publication in The Sun Newspaper crediting Mike Igini as the mastermind of the cancellation of votes in the area, the astonished lecturer quipped: “My lord, I never at any point, anywhere, to anybody and even at this tribunal, said that Mike Igini asked me to cancel elections in some wards in Essien Udim.
“If anybody quoted me as saying that Mike Igini directed me to cancel the election in Essien Udim, such a person is lying,” Olosunde stated. He said it was not until he entered the hall to announce his results that he saw Igini among the panel members on the table.
“I was told that my result was the one they were waiting before going to Abuja, I entered and saw Mike Igini on the high table, announced my result and left, he said.
“He never spoke or gave me instruction.”
Under examination, the Returning Officer maintained that elections in Essien Udim were marred by over-voting, absence of units’ results, thuggery and electoral violence.
The university lecturer confirmed before the tribunal that the total number of accredited voters in the area during that election was 19,455 as captured by the smart card reader report, Exhibit R153, while the petitioner Emmanuel Akpan is laying claims to 52,265 votes flaunted in Exhibit R 151.
He told the tribunal that following the absence of units’ results to back the ward results brought by ward collation officers, seven wards were cancelled.
“Ikpe Annang was the first ward that we cancelled when Dr David Edem came with the figures without any polling unit result, followed by Ukana West 1 and two others.
“I wrote it on the result sheet that the result could not stand since there were no units’ result to back the ward results brought for collation,” he said.
On cross-examination by S. I. Ameh SAN, counsel to the petitioner, Olosunde said: “It was the electoral officer who had drawn my attention to the absence of polling Unit’s results after I had started collation, and he took me to the head of operations on Monday 25/2/2019, not Mike Igini.
“It was the head of operations who communicated INEC’s Guidelines and Electoral Act to me.”
The Senate yesterday received the 2026-2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Bola Tinubu, marking the formal launch of the 2026 federal budget cycle.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, Tinubu said the submission complies with statutory requirements and sets out the fiscal parameters that will guide the preparation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He explained that the MTEF/FSP outlines the macroeconomic assumptions, revenue projections, and spending priorities that will shape Nigeria’s fiscal direction over the next three years.
The letter was read during plenary by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the document.
“It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026 to 2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the kind consideration and approval of the Senate.
“The 2026 to 2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 3, 2025, and the 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions therein,” the President stated.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the fiscal projections, pegging the oil benchmark price at $64.85 per barrel and adopting a budget exchange rate of ?1,512/$1 for 2026—figures expected to significantly shape revenue forecasts and expenditure planning.
After reading the President’s letter, Jibrin referred the document to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), with a directive to submit its report by Wednesday, December 17.
The Senate adjourned shortly after to allow committees to commence scrutiny of the fiscal framework and continue the ongoing screening of ambassadorial nominees.
Tinubu’s communication to the Senate came less than 24 hours after he transmitted the same MTEF/FSP documents to the leadership of the House of Representatives.
The letter was read on the House floor by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also urged timely legislative action as required by law.
The MTEF and FSP are statutory instruments mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and serve as the blueprint for Nigeria’s annual budgets.
They outline the government’s fiscal stance, macroeconomic assumptions, revenue frameworks, projected deficits, and sectoral priorities over a three-year period.
The Tide reports that approval by the National Assembly is a prerequisite for the executive to present the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
