Politics

THERE’S NOTHING TO FEAR, LP CHAIR ASSURES MEMBERS IN RIVERS

Published

1 minute ago

October 5, 2026

The Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr. Jolly Orlu-Orlu, has urged members of the party to dispel fear and remain confident ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mr Orlu-Orlu made the call at the party’s meeting held in Isiokpo, headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government Area, at the weekend.

He said the party had made necessary adjustments and put measures in place to strengthen its structures and position its candidates for the forthcoming elections.

According to him, members should remain resolute, assuring them that the party would not be left without representation at the end of the 2027 electoral process.

Mr Orlu-Orlu said the LP was part of the political arrangement known as the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State and would work within the arrangement to pursue its interests in the elections.

Recent reports have, however, shown differing positions within the LP in Rivers State over the coalition, with some party figures publicly distancing themselves from the arrangement.

The Ikwerre LP chairman said his confidence was also strengthened by what he described as adjustments by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as the determination to prevent electoral irregularities in the 2027 elections.

He maintained that the party would work against any form of electoral fraud, stressing the importance of protecting the integrity of the electoral process.

Mr Orlu-Orlu further said the LP was in good working relationship with the leadership of Ikwerre Local Government Council, urging party members to remain committed and continue to operate confidently within their communities.

He said the relationship with the council leadership was part of the reasons members should feel at home and remain focused as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.

Expressing optimism about the party’s prospects, Mr Orlu-Orlu said LP members should expect the party to secure representation in the Rivers State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate.

“We are sure of the Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and even the Governorship seat,” he said.

The chairman consequently urged members to continue mobilising at the grassroots, maintain unity and work collectively towards achieving the party’s objectives in the 2027 general elections.

By: King Onunwor

Politics

TOMPOLO TAKES CAMPAIGN FOR TINUBU TO TARABA, DONATES VEHICLES

Published

58 seconds ago

October 5, 2026

The Tide

As campaigns for the January 2027 presidential election gather momentum, the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement has launched its grassroots mobilisation campaign in Taraba State, calling on residents to support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.

The Movement, led by its Grand Patron, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, said the President’s reforms require more time to consolidate and deliver greater benefits to Nigerians.

Represented at the launch in Jalingo by High Chief Kestin Pondi, Tompolo said Taraba was benefiting from the policies of President Tinubu’s administration, stressing that continuity was necessary to sustain the gains recorded so far.

He said, “Taraba is thriving because President Tinubu has good reformation policies that are moving the state forward. If we want those policies to continue and be more solid, to consolidate on them, we need to give the president another four years.”

According to him, another term would ensure that civil servants continue to receive their salaries as at when due, while Governor Agbu Kefas would have more time to develop the state.

Tompolo said some challenges previously experienced by Nigerians, including fuel queues and disruptions in university education have reduced, attributing the changes to policies of the administration.

He acknowledged that reforms come with challenges but said they require time to produce their full benefits.

“Every policy needs time to consolidate; every policy needs time to show dividends. Every policy reformation will always come with its own challenges, but once we bear a little and they pass, we will go to the smooth road we are to ride on,” he said.

He urged supporters of the movement to take the campaign to every level of the society, including homes, religious centres, wards, local government areas and polling units.

Speaking at the event, Governor Kefas said the people of Taraba State were already witnessing the impact of President Tinubu’s administration through projects being implemented in the state.

“Taraba is ready. You don’t need to tell the people of Taraba State what the President is doing; they are seeing what the President is doing through me,” Governor Kefas said.

The governor said his administration remained committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President, adding that the state would continue to work with the Federal Government on development projects.

“We are moving forward with the mandate of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President and, by the grace of God, we are going to go to all the units, the wards and be flagging off projects and commissioning projects, not telling empty stories,” he said.

Governor Kefas also pledged massive support for President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“I want to assure you that we are going to turn out en masse and give the President 100 percent votes. We are ready for Mr. President,” he said.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Asuku, said the group was in Taraba State to extend its message of support for the President and the state governor.

Mr Asuku urged Nigerians to maintain the current political direction, arguing that abandoning the reforms of President Tinubu’s administration would be counterproductive.

“The surest way for us today is the APC. We are on the right trajectory and that is why we should remain where we are,” he said.

He commended Governor Kefas for what he described as achievements recorded in Taraba State over the past three years, saying the turnout at the event reflected grassroots support for the governor.

The highlight of the event was the donation of 25 campaign vehicles, generators and electronic speakers for grassroots mobilisation.

Politics

Nigeria @66: June 12 Must Be Remembered Beyond Public Holiday — Musawa

Published

7 hours ago

October 4, 2026

The Tide

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Mrs Hannatu Musa Musawa, has called for a deeper national understanding of the June 12, 1993 democratic struggle, urging Nigerians to remember the sacrifices behind the country’s democratic journey rather than reduce June 12 to a public holiday.

Mrs Musawa made the call at the national premiere of MKO, a documentary on the life, political struggle and legacy of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

The Minister said the documentary was particularly important for younger Nigerians, many of whom were not alive when the June 12 election was held and subsequently annulled by the military government.

Thirty-three years after the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Mrs Musawa said the events surrounding the election and the pro-democracy struggle that followed must remain part of Nigeria’s collective memory.

“For too many young Nigerians, June 12 is simply a public holiday,” she said, stressing that Nigeria’s democracy was the product of a struggle in which individuals paid significant personal costs.

According to her, the documentary honours the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the June 12 mandate and the democratic system Nigerians exercise today.

She said the creative industry had an important role in preserving the country’s political history by bringing major national events to younger generations through film, documentaries and other forms of storytelling.

“Through film and the creative economy, Nigeria will preserve its history,” Mrs Musawa said, adding that the country had a story that deserved to be told and preserved.

The Minister’s remarks came as the October 1 national premiere brought the June 12 experience back into public focus, with the documentary scheduled for nationwide cinema release on October 2, 2026.

Directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, MKO chronicles late Chief Abiola’s political journey and the events surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election, its annulment, the ensuing pro-democracy struggle and Chief Abiola’s subsequent detention and death in 1998.

The film had its international premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom in June 2026, before its Nigerian premiere on Independence Day.

Its Nigerian release is aimed at taking the historical account beyond the premiere audience and into cinemas across the country, particularly reaching younger Nigerians who did not experience the events of the early 1990s firsthand.

The documentary draws on archival materials and accounts from personalities associated with the period, including former military leaders, political figures, diplomats, members of late Chief Abiola’s family and other witnesses to the June 12 struggle.

President Bola Tinubu, the chief host, attended the premiere with First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

Also present were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; members of the National Assembly, Ministers and other dignitaries.

Politics

Alleged Attack On PDP In Calabar Barbaric — COPP

Published

7 hours ago

October 4, 2026

The Tide

The Coalition of Opposition Political Parties (COPP), Cross River State Chapter, has condemned the alleged attack on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sir Arthur Jarvis, and his campaign train at the palace of the paramount ruler of Calabar South on Friday.

The Publicity Secretary of the COPP in the state, Pastor Dominion Esang, made the condemnation in a statement made available to The Tide source in Calabar, the state capital, on Saturday.

Pastor Esang described the alleged attack, which occurred during the PDP governorship consultation in the area, as “barbaric, inhuman, shameful, disgraceful and highly regrettable act.”

“It is an act of political terrorism, an act of desperation, and an act that has no place in a civilised democracy. This is highly condemnable,” he said, adding that, COPP received with total shock, anger and dismay, the news of alleged attack on the consultation train.

Citing reports, the Publicity Secretary further alleged that “sponsored thugs and hoodlums waylaid the PDP campaign train, beating and injuring many innocent supporters, party faithful and journalists, and destroying campaign vehicles, equipment and materials worth millions of naira.”

He also stated that the attack on the PDP “was not just an attack on PDP, it is an attack on democracy, an attack on our Constitution, and an attack on all Cross Riverians.”

The coalition therefore called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, “to take personal interest and immediate note of this unprovoked attack meted on the governorship candidate of the PDP and his consultation train”, saying, “We demand a full scale investigation.”

Continuing, he said, “We call on the Government of Cross River State ably led by His Excellency, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, the Executive Governor of Cross River State, and all security agencies in the state – the Police, DSS, NSCDC and the Army, to ensure that all thugs and cultists who disrupted the lawful consultation of the PDP governorship candidate are brought to book and prosecuted according to the law.

“Let all candidates across the 18 local government areas campaigning for election or re-election do so within the ambit of the law. Let ideas contest, not thugs.”

He urged all political parties, all candidates and all Cross Riverians to come out boldly and campaign to the electorate without fear, stressing that, “no one should be intimidated.”

“ We are all from Cross River State. In the same vein, no political party is more important than the other. All parties are equal before the law.

“We stand in solidarity with the PDP family, its governorship candidate and all those injured. An injury to one is an injury to all,” the COPP’s Publicity Secretary stated.