Politics
PDP Lambasts Akeredolu Over N1.5bn Official Vehicles
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has accused Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of purchasing two 670 LXE Jeeps valued at N1.5 billion for himself and his wife, Betty.
It lamented that the governor purchased the six-door vehicles for “his personal comfort and self-aggrandisement while Ondo State workers celebrated Christmas and New Year in unprecedented hardship, occasioned by the non-payment of their salaries.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, in a statement in Akure, said “It is on record that each time the governor procures official vehicles, he would buy two. One for himself and the other for his wife.
“These latest wonders on wheels were the third batch of vehicles bought by the governor since he assumed office about five years ago. It means, on average, two vehicles every two years.
“As we speak, the number of vehicles in the Governor’s fleet (most of which are armored) is about fifteen.
“This level of executive recklessness and insensitivity to the plight of the people is beyond any rational thinking.
“There are reports that wise counsel against this wasteful purchase was rebuffed by the Governor.
“Does it ever occur to Mr Governor that this open display of affluence is a direct affront on the sensibility of the people?
“Is Mr governor aware that, many students have dropped out of schools because their parents were unable to afford the astronomical fees of tertiary institutions, charged by the Akeredolu- led APC government?
“Is Mr Governor aware that, workers of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic are being owed eleven months salary?
The statement said ,“Is Mr Governor aware that, most of the workers in Ondo State who executed personal capital projects like building of houses and buying of cars using cooperatives and loans are no longer able to do so since he started the percentage payment of salaries?
“Is Mr Governor aware that Ondo State workers are no longer credit worthy? So much so that, those who do not have houses of their own are rejected by landlords if they seek accommodation?
It added that “Is Mr. Governor aware that, market men and women who used to get soft loans from the Ondo State Micro Credit Agency have vacated their stalls in the neighborhood markets because such loans no longer exist? Is Mr Governor aware that, many families have lost loved ones because they could not afford medicare?
“Is Mr Governor aware that, many of the artisans are closing shops or refusing to go to their workshops due to outright lack of patronage or poor patronage?.
“How can a governor presiding over such unimaginable misery have the presence of mind to procure armored vehicles valued at such an outrageous amount from taxpayers’ funds?
“Even Governors of states with enormous resources do not use such cars. Not even Governors in Bandits and Boko Haram infested enclaves buy these kind of cars.
“Did Akeredolu purchase these vehicles for security reasons or to further prove the point that, nothing will happen, no matter how he takes the people for granted? Whichever way, the truth is that, Ondo State deserves something better than they are being served at the moment.
“We have witnessed prosperity in Ondo State under PDP administration. We experienced decent life under the PDP compared to the present lack that is the order of the day.
“The same Governor that refused to buy even one bag of rice for his APC party supporters during Christmas, had as much as N1.5b Naira to buy cars for his personal comfort.
Peretei said “Mr. RotimiAkeredolu, SAN should look beyond his tenure as Governor. A good name is better than silver and gold.
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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