Headline

Security Tightens As Plot to Disrupt Ekiti APC Primary Again Uncovered

Published

8 years ago

May 12, 2018

Eric

The security agencies have uncovered a plot to disrupt the Ekiti All Progressives Congress (APC) primary once again as done last Saturday when thugs smashed ballot boxes to the ground.

There were insinuations that some aspirants had resolved to ensure the primary failed to hold at all cost.

The plot was hatched to frustrate the perceived domineering influence of an aspirant on the conduct of the primary.

The aspirant is believed to enjoy the backing of the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

To counter the plot, it was learnt that some aspirants, who held the fear that the primary would be manipulated to give him an undue advantage, were plotting a consensus.

“The plot is that if the primary is frustrated, the party will have no time to organise another primary. The option will then be a consensus candidate or voting among aspirants.”

Findings by our correspondent revealed that no fewer than 10 mobile units were expected for the primary.

As of press time, five mobile policemen units were already on ground.

They are Mobile Unit 02 from Keffi, Obalende Lagos; Unit 37 from Lokoja, Kogi State; Unit 39 Osogbo, Osun State; Unit 15 Ilorin, Kwara State and 22 Odudua, Ikeja, Lagos.

Sixty three mobile policemen make a unit.

Lending credence to the plot to disrupt the primary, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps said it had uncovered a plot to disrupt the primary again by politicians. The Deputy Commandant General, Ahmed Jega, disclosed this at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti on Friday.

He said, “About 2000 men have been mobilised. I want to urge our men to be vigilant and ready to face any challenge. We must not compromise we must be neutral.

“Any staff found wanting or compromising will be officially sanctioned. Staff must be at their duty post.”

Asked why deploying a huge number of his men, Jega said, “We have a security report that some thugs want to destabilise the process and it is part of our responsibility to maintain peace.” Also speaking, the Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee and Nasarawa Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, promised massive security within and outside the venue of the primary on Saturday. He said the committee had discovered that there were fake and spurious observers at the aborted primary.

Al-Makura spoke at a meeting with aspirants and stakeholders in Ado Ekiti.

He said, “There will be no observer for the primary. Only statutory observers: INEC and observers from the National secretariat will be allowed.

“The National secretariat have changed the ballot papers, it is completely new with clear photograph. Aspirants should come alone; for the period of the election leave your escort behind.” Briefing journalists later on the state of preparedness, the governor said accreditation would begin at 8.00 am.

The media parley was attended by the new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bello Ahmed; Director of Department of State Services, Mrs. Promise Iheanacho; Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr. Donatus Ikemefuna and Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Ismaila Kugu.

Al-Makura, said 2, 618 delegates would elect the standard bearer of the party while stating that the committee, in collaboration with security agencies, would not allow the exercise to be disrupted or manipulated by anybody.

Al-Makura said, “Any delegate accredited won’t be allowed to go out for any reason. Any delegate that enters the arena must be identified by his party membership card, and extra statutory identity like International Passport, Driver’s Licence and National ID Card.

“Such delegates must be identified with the list given to us by the National Secretariat. All accreditation must be completed for delegates from all the senatorial zones before voting starts. Voting will be done once at a time and it will start with delegates from Ekiti South, the farthest, then to Ekiti North and Ekiti Central, the closest. After identification, delegates will be given ballot paper and they will submit their delegates tag for punching and the will also submit the ropes of their tags.”

He added that some agents that were barred for their involvement in the fracas that broke out in the botched primary would be arrested if found in the vicinity of the primary.

Al-Makura disclosed that some of the hoodlums arrested for disrupting the primary were already being prosecuted in the court. He sought for the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure a successful primary saying the panel would be fair to all. Apart from security concerns, aspirants have also engaged themselves in rumour mongering and propaganda.

There was a rumour that a former Commissioner for Budgeting under Kayode Fayemi’s administration, Debo Ajayi, had stepped down for his former boss.

But Ajayi in a swift response through Debo Ranti Ajayi Campaign Organisation, denied working for Fayemi.

He said, “This is a grossly unfair, incongruous and libellous falsehood that has been addressed in the past as a fabrication of the imagination of mischief makers.

“It is most unfortunate that some persons, who are insecure about their chances at the coming primaries, are bent on perpetrating these lies and rumours.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, my aspiration is a call to service and a response to the agitation of the South Senatorial district to produce the next governor. My motives are borne out of a commitment to the Ekiti Restoration project and the desire to offer my expertise, both as a technocrat and politician, to provide unparalled leadership and the best governance in the service of Ekiti-land.

“It is impossible for a man led by a divine call to be a mere front for another candidate. I therefore intend to participate and if God be true, intend to win in the primary elections.”

It will be recalled that the Special Adviser on Politics to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, on Thursday withdrew from the Ekiti governorship race.

Ojudu said he withdrew his ambition in the interest of the party owing to the growing tension among aspirants on the primary.

The Punch

Headline

Israeli Ambassador Accuses Iran of Spreading Terror, Sponsoring Extremist Activities in Nigeria

Published

3 days ago

March 6, 2026

Eric

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of sponsoring extremist activities in Nigeria and other parts of the world, alleging that Tehran supports groups aimed at destabilising countries while pursuing its hostility against Israel.

Freeman made the remarks on Friday while speaking during an interview on The Morning Show on Arise News.

The envoy claimed that Iran is the only country within the United Nations that openly expresses a desire to destroy another sovereign state, referring to repeated threats against Israel.

According to him, the Iranian government has, over several decades, supported militant groups and terror organisations around the world in pursuit of that objective.

Freeman alleged that Iran has backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, adding that Tehran was also behind the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas against Israel.

He further claimed that Iranian activities aimed at spreading instability have been observed across several regions, including Europe, Australia, and parts of Africa.

Speaking specifically about Nigeria, the Israeli ambassador alleged that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria receives backing from the Iranian government.

According to Freeman, statements of support from Iran’s leadership, including posts by Ali Khamenei on social media, have openly indicated such ties.

He said: “The issue here is about Iran. Iran is the only country in the world, in the United Nations, who expressly desires to wipe another country off the face of the earth. Iran has stated its very policy is to destroy Israel. Is to wipe Israel off the map is to make sure they kill every single person and no regime, no country that has an express desire to destroy Israel, and it’s not only an expressed desire.

“We’ve seen over 47 years, they’ve taken all the actions they can in order for that to happen. We’ve seen them sponsor terror organizations. They were behind October the seventh massacre of Hamas. We’ve seen them sponsoring Hezbollah. We’ve seen them acting in Europe. We’ve seen them acting in Australia. We’ve seen them acting in Nigeria.

“We’ve seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance for them to try and carry out their aim of destroying Israel, and Israel will not allow another country to have nuclear weapons when they’ve expressly stated they want those weapons to destroy Israel”.

“I think that it is well documented. We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic movement of Nigeria is sponsored and is backed by the Iranian regime. This is not me saying this, we’ve seen that documented by the Iranian regime.

The Supreme Leader posted on X his support and his backing there. So that’s very open. And there are other areas as well that Iran is working for, destabilizing, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa.”

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

1 week ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during the week, released a fresh elections timetable, with major amendments to accommodate the just passed and signed Electoral Act 2026 by the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu respectively.

Following the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities, the Commission has reviewed and realigned the Schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework.

Accordingly, the Commission has resolved as follows:

Presidential and National Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 16th January 2027 as against the earlier stated February 20, 2027
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 6th February 2027 as against the former date of March 6, 2027

Also in accordance with the approved Schedule of Activities, the electoral bidy noted in the revised timetable that:

Conduct of Party Primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from primaries, will commence on 23rd April 2026 and end on 30th May 2026.

Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will commence on 19th August 2026.

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will commence on 9th September 2026.

As provided by law, campaigns shall end 24 hours before Election Day. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines. The Commission will enforce compliance with the law.

But in a swift reaction, the opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), rejected the revised 2026–2027 general election timetable, describing it as a politically biased schedule designed to favour the re-election agenda of President Bola Tinubu, and calling on all Nigerians to speak up enmasse to reject the revised timetable.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday argued that the new deadlines and compliance requirements under the Electoral Act 2026 create near-impossible hurdles for opposition parties seeking to field candidates.

On February 13, INEC initially scheduled the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were fixed for March 6, 2027.

The timetable, however, faced objections from some Muslim stakeholders who noted that the dates coincided with the 2027 Ramadan period.

Following the concerns, the National Assembly amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the required election notice period from 360 to 300 days, allowing INEC to adjust the election dates.

Subsequently, INEC released a revised schedule on Thursday, signed by its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, moving the Presidential and National Assembly elections to January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to February 6, 2027.

Reacting, the ADC said the requirement that political parties submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026, effectively bars opposition parties from participating.

The party stated: “The African Democratic Congress rejects the updated 2026–2027 electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. What has been presented as a routine administrative schedule of the upcoming general elections is, in fact, a political instrument carefully structured to narrow democratic space and strengthen the incumbent administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“According to the timetable, party primaries are to be conducted between April 23 and May 30, 2026, just 55 to 92 days from today. However, more significant is that, pursuant to Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties are required to submit their digital membership registers to INEC not later than April 2, 2026.

“That is only about 34 days away. Section 77(7) further provides that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate. These are not routine administrative rules but are deliberately constructed barriers designed to exclude the opposition from participating in the election.”

The party further noted that Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the digital register of members to contain name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN) and photograph in both hard and soft copies, while Section 77(6) prohibits the use of any pre-existing register that does not contain the specified information. It warned that failure to meet these requirements would lead to disqualification.

The ADC questioned the fairness of the digital membership requirement, noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress began its registration process in February 2025, long before the requirement became mandatory.

“It is not a product of foresight but insider advantage. They knew what was coming. They therefore had one full year to carry out an exercise that other political parties are expected to complete in one month, during which they must collect, process, collate and transmit large volumes of digital data to INEC under the threat of exclusion. This is practically impossible.

“Democratic competition is based on a level playing field that does not give any contestant an undue advantage. A system where one party exploits incumbency to gain a one-year head start on a requirement that other parties only became aware of when it was nearly too late is a rigged system.”

The ADC said it has joined other opposition parties in rejecting the Electoral Act 2026, adding that the INEC timetable is equally rejected as it appears designed to serve what it described as a self-succession agenda.

“Let it be clear that ADC will not take any action that appears to confer legitimacy on a fraudulent system. We are reviewing our options and will make our position known in the coming days,” the party said.

The party also called on civil society organisations, democratic stakeholders and Nigerians to scrutinise the timetable and demand fairness, stressing that democracy cannot survive when electoral rules are structured to produce predetermined outcomes.

The party has consistently accused the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) of scheming to silence the opposition as the 2027 General Elections draw closer, citing his manipulation of state governors and Assembly members from jumping ship, and settling with the ruling party.

Presently, the president’s party has a total of 31 out of 36 states governors, more than majority of the national and states Houses of Assembly.

A frontline publisher and chieftain of the ADC, Chief Dele Momodu, has warned that Tinubu is gradually transforming into full-blown dictatorship, stressing that his second term in office would turn state governors into ‘total slaves’.

Headline

Second Term for Tinubu Will Turn Governors into Total Slaves, Dele Momodu Warns

Published

1 week ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

Chairman, Ovation Media Group, and former presidential aspirant, Aare Dele Momodu, has expressed strong concern over what he described as growing political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among state governors across the country.

Speaking during an interview on News Central TV, Momodu said he was shocked by the level of backing the president is reportedly receiving, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could face serious risks if the current political trend continues.

The media entrepreneur cautioned that allowing Tinubu to secure a second term in 2027 could, in his view, lead to excessive concentration of power. He particularly criticized what he described as a growing wave of opposition figures aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress> (APC).

Momodu referenced reports of opposition governors, including Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, allegedly moving closer to the ruling party, describing the development as politically troubling.

According to him, some governors are allegedly competing to demonstrate loyalty to the president ahead of future elections.

“The governors are fighting to ensure Tinubu wins a second term, fighting to be the biggest thug for him. If a man in his first term can capture the bodies and souls of Nigerians this way, imagine what he would do with a second term. It will be a full-blown dictatorship, and the governors will regret it as they become total slaves to him,” Momodu said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and actively protect democratic institutions, warning that unchecked consolidation of political power could threaten the nation’s democracy and future stability.

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