Niger Delta

LG Polls: APC Alleges Plan To Release Fake Results

Published

12 years ago

October 10, 2014

Dr Uwem Ite, addressing members of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt during the club’s meeting recently.

The All Progressives
Congress (APC), Delta State chapter, has alleged plans by the state Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) to announce fake results during the October 25 local council polls in the state.
The state Secretary of the APC, Mr Chidi Okonji, who made the allegation at a news conference on Thursday in Asaba, however, said the party was ready to challenge any form of electoral fraud during the polls.
“There is widespread speculation going on now of plans by the state electoral commission to announce already prepared results for the coming local government elections in the state.
“But I can bet you that if the plans go through, we at the APC will mobilise our supporters to challenge the results.
“Our women are ready to go naked and curse whoever attempts to rig the coming election because the people are tired of this system. Our people need a change,” Okonji said.
The APC scribe faulted the failure of the DSIEC to publish and display the voters’ register with barely two weeks to the elections.
Okonji expressed fear that the development did not augur well for the conduct of a free, fair and credible local council polls in the state.
“The delay in publishing the voters’ register by DSIEC is a scientific way of rigging the elections.
“As it is now, I can not tell you that I am sure that this coming elections will be free and fair; but I bet you that we will resist any attempt to deny our people their right to elect their choice candidate.”
On the alleged defection of some APC members in the state to APGA, Okonji dismissed the allegation as a mere rumour
He said no card-carrying member of the APC in Delta defected.
“The story that some of our members recently defected to APGA is not true. Those people that went to declare for APGA are not our members.
“Anybody can wake up and say he is an APC member, but if you ask them to produce their identity card, they don’t have it.”
However, when contacted, the Chairman of DSIEC, Mr. Moses Ogbe, told newsmen that the allegations by the APC scribe were unfounded.
“How can we announce an already prepared result when the election has not even been conducted? This is ridiculous.
“We have not even gotten the result sheets; so how do we announce results. The APC’s allegation is a false claim intended to cause disharmony ahead of the elections,” Ogbe said.
The DSIEC boss explained that the commission could not meet up with the earlier plan to display the voters’ register on the 17 September due to the delay in receiving the original register from INEC.
He said that DSIEC only received a soft copy of the register from INEC on Oct. 3, adding that the commission was currently printing out the register for onward display in all councils in the state.
“We just got the DVD of the voters register from INEC on the 3rd of October; we are presently printing them out.
“So far, we have completed the printing of 16 local government areas registers; once the printing is completed, we will publish them in all local government areas.
“DSIEC is going to use the voter register produce by INEC; we can not produce a separate voters’ register.
“The process is not as easy as they think. We are talking about over two million voters in the state,” Ogbe said.

Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.

He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.

The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.

He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.

According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.

“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.

“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.

He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.

According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.

Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.

He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.

The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.

“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.

“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said

In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.

He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.

The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.

He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.

According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.

The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.

The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.

Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.

The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.

She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.

“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.

“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.

The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.

AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.

“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.

“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.

According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.

Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.

“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.

He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.

“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.

Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.

CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.

The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.

Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.