Politics
PDP Hails President Action On Flooding
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the
President for the firm and reassuring steps the Federal Government has taken to
mitigate the impact of flooding across the states of the federation and
forestall further threat to the nation. The Party has also called on relevant
government agencies and entire Nigerians to brace up for the challenge of food
shortages which the impact of the flooding may likely occasion.
“Flood disasters are a global phenomenon but our peculiar
challenges of development demand deeper insight and capacity which the
President has demonstrated. We therefore commend him for the medium and long
term measures being put in place to first ameliorate the suffering of the
affected Nigerian communities as well as for the steps already being taken to
permanently put under check, the incidence of flooding in future.”
“We note that the Presidential Technical Committee set up by
the President urgently rounded off its interim impact assessment of the flood
ravaged states upon which government energized its agencies to offer immediate
relief. We note also that the President has been in synergy with the Leadership
of the National Assembly and Governors of the affected States in confronting
this menace. We particularly commend the President for releasing the sum of
17.6 billion Naira and for setting up National Committee on Flood Relief and
Rehabilitation to further assist it in raising fund for the ‘post impact
rehabilitation of the affected victims’. It is further reassuring that the
President and his Vice will tour the affected states.” The Party also called on
the members of the committee to justify the confidence reposed in them by the
government.
Rising from its National Working Committee (NWC) meeting
Wednesday, the PDP expressed sympathy for the flood victims and announced
additional plans to complement the efforts of the Federal Government in
bringing relief to the flooded communities. It as well commended individuals,
groups, corporate bodies and the international community for the rescue and
care they offered to the flood victims.
“The National Chairman of our Party, Dr. Bamanga Turkur will
lead the team of our party leaders to the affected states to share in the pains
of fellow Nigerians besides offering additional assistance to them to
complement the efforts of the federal government towards surmounting this
challenge.”
PDP further urged the federal, state and local governments
as well as farmers to take measures to avert imminent food shortages on account
of floods.
“The NWC intend to liaise as matter of overriding importance
with all the relevant agencies of government to work out plans to forestall
possible food shortages arising from this. Food security is cardinal to our
manifesto.”
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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