Politics
Abaribe Advocates Full Electronic Voting To Enthrone Credible Elections
The Senator-elect for Abia South Senatorial District, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, has called for full electronic voting in the country in order to enthrone transparent and credible elections.
Abaribe was re-elected for a sixth tenure in the Upper Chamber in last Saturday’s National Assembly (NASS) elections on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
He spoke on his victory and the challenges that characterised the electoral process in an interview with newsmen in his Obingwa country home on Thursday.
He said: “I am one of those that believed that the process of the elections was flawed.
“But I call for calm and peace and people should resort to the legal means to redress the error.
“It is such a bloody shame that INEC will manipulate the scores by candidates.
“It happens because the result sheets are in the hands of INEC officials.
“We should introduce full electronic voting that is tamper-proof.
“It is possible. We are in electronic age.
“It is time we got adapted to modern technology.
“We cannot continue to play with our existence.”
The former Senate Minority Leader said that it had become shameful that the country’s electoral process was still being conducted manually.
He said that the practice where result sheets were often mutilated with written, cancelled and re-written scores in the process of falsification to rig elections was debasing to the country’s image.
Abaribe said that INEC dashed the people’s hope for a fair and credible exercise with its failure to achieve electronic transmission of results from the polling units to its portal.
“Throughout its planning stages, INEC kept assuring us that it was prepared to conduct credible elections so we thought that everything would work smoothly,” he said.
According to him, the transmission of results electronically failed, coupled with the failure of other logistics for the distribution of electoral materials.
“The sensitive materials did not arrive early and they were found in the hands of those, who had no business with them,” he further said.
Abaribe, who polled 49,693 votes, also spoke on how he roundly defeated Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, who came a distant third with 28,422 votes.
“The margin of defeat would have been massive, if the process had worked well without hitches here and there,” he said.
He attributed his victory to his quality representation to his constituency and being closer to the grassroots.
“My title is “Mma aya (sword) Ndigbo worldwide.
“I have the love of the Igbo nation. My people love me.
“It is good to always be with your people, stand for them always and make yourself accessible to them.
“My people showed me love and it is sweet victory for the downtrodden, civil servants and pensioners, who are owed arrears of salaries,” he said.
He promised to reward his constituents for their trust by remaining a strong and consistent voice in the National Assembly.
Abaribe took a swipe at the outgoing Ikpeazu-led administration for its lacklustre performance in eight years.
“Abia gets tax revenue, revenue from oil derivation and not owed Federal Allocation for both the state and Local Government councils yet the government cannot pay salaries and pensions,” he said.
Abaribe, who was a founding member of PDP, said that the party’s poor showing in the NASS election had further buried PDP in Abia.
“PDP is gone and buried along with the Progressive Peoples Alliance that transmutted itself into PDP.
“They have ended up grounding the party and themselves,” he said, adding that APGA would work hard to install Prof. Greg Ibe as the next governor.
“We will fight for Ibe to become the governor to repair the rot that the PDP-led government had caused in its eight years in the state,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
-
News3 days agoRSG Targets Nine Million Residents in Mosquito Net Distribution Campaign
-
Oil & Energy3 days agoAiyedatiwa Signs New Electricity Bill
-
Oil & Energy3 days agoNLNG Commissions Research And Innovation Centre In RSU
-
Maritime3 days agoMarine Minister Commends President Tinubu On NPERA Bill Assent
-
News3 days agoKenPoly Holds Eight Convocations, August 29
-
News3 days agoRSG Begins Another Phase of Projects Commissioning Today
-
News3 days agoRMAFC Completes Revenue Sharing Review, Proposes New Pay
-
Maritime3 days agoNAGAFF Petitions IGP Over Alleged Maritime Police Harassment