Politics
NSCDC Will Not Tolerate Attacks on INEC Offices – Audi
NSCDC Will Not Tolerate Attacks on INEC Offices – Audi
By Michael Mike
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi has said that the continued attacks of offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in parts of the country would no longer be tolerated.
Audi, also that the Corps would be evolving strategies in collaboration with other sister security agencies to ensure that elections are peacefully conducted in the South East, even as he disclosed that all men and officers of NSCDC would be deployed for the elections.
Speaking at a 2-day capacity building workshop in Abuja for all State Commandants and the Corps’ strategic managers ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Comptroller General of the NSCDC, said his agency will ensure that voters, domestic observers, election sensitive materials and electoral officers’ safety and security are well coordinated.
Audi, who admitted that the Southeast has a peculiar security challenges toward next month’s elections, said: “I cannot disclosed strategies in the open but be rest assured that we are working with other security agencies to ensure that elections are peacefully heard in the South east.”
Audi asked the State Commandants of the NSCDC to ensure safety of INEC office in their territories, warning that @his leadership won’t tolerate any attack again.”
He said: “We must protect INEC offices nationwide. We must give both physical support and otherwise to all the INEC offices in our care. We will not take it lightly if we hear of any attack on INEC facilities around your command again.
“With less than five weeks to the general elections, the Corps will release very soon, a revised standard operational guidelines on election duties, and other salient election security rules for personnel, which is aimed at ensuring safe and secured electoral processes nationwide.
He noted that: “In addition to physical security, this strategic management workshop will also develop common policy guidelines that can be used in deepening the capacity of Corps personnel, assist officers and men to comply with global standards of election security management.
“It is my earnest expectation that this workshop will further strengthen our capacity in our preparations ahead of the general elections, build our confidence as strategic commanders, while ensuring that voters, domestic observers, election sensitive materials and electoral officers’ safety and security are well coordinated.”
He noted that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), has produced a revised code of conduct and rules of engagement for security personnel on electoral duty, adding that “It is expedient that we become conversant with this updated document as strategic commanders and relate the knowledge to our respective subordinates.”
The NSCDC boss lamented that the scepticism raised by Nigerians and foreign diplomats towards the successful conduct of the 2023 polls due to security concerns resulting from attacks on INEC facilities in some parts of the country, as well as facilities of some sister security agencies, occasioned violence in the political rally/campaigns of certain parties, hate speeches between political gladiators, jettisoned media town hall meetings, have generated cause for concern in recent times.
In her welcome address, the Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mariga Peran, said the present fear for safety amid the rate of attacks on lives and property across the country poses a significant threat to the success of the 2023 general elections, compounded by several security-relevant incidents last year like the series of prison breaks with the successful release of terrorists around the country.
Peran said the NSCDC plays a vital role among the security agencies engaged with securing the election, hence the training.
She said: “With a good reputation among the citizens, NSCDC enjoys public confidence like hardly any other security agency in Nigeria. Not only the NSCDC committed to advance their skill sets and deliver quality services constantly, you have also early on understood the importance of inter-agency collaboration for the greater good of Nigeria.
The KAS Country Representative said: “there is need to identify security lapses, hence enabling personnel of security agencies to strengthen their skills and operations for the good electoral conduct, investigation, arrest and prosecution of offenders.”
The scepticism raised by Nigerians and foreign diplomats towards the successful conduct of the 2023 polls due to security concerns resulting from attacks on INEC facilities in some parts of the country, as well as facilities of some sister security agencies, occasioned violence in the political rally/campaigns of certain parties, hate speeches between political gladiators, jettisoned media town hall meetings, have generated cause for concern in recent times.
Politics
Mass defection hits Gombe State NNPP, SDP, LP as over 1, 000 leaders join APC
Mass defection hits Gombe State NNPP, SDP, LP as over 1, 000 leaders join APC
Ahead of the 2027 general election, the camp of the ruling APC in Gombe State received a boost as over 1, 000 opposition political leaders and members from Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of the state, on Monday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The opposition leaders and members are from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Labour Party (LP).
They were received by Mr Inuwa Garba, member representing Yamaltu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in company of Mr Adamu Lambam, APC chairman, Yamaltu Deba LG.
Speaking during the ceremony in Lubo community in Yamaltu Deba LG, Malam Tasiu Isa, the Chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the council said joining APC was to strengthen the good governance being delivered by the party.
Isa said that Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and President Bola Tinubu have done well for the people through the execution of live-changing projects.
“We, the executives of the SDP from this LG and all the ward executives are joining the APC today and we are more than 500 officials.
“If we join our supporters and members, then we will be talking of thousands of SDP members; we are convinced that APC is the party to be because the party has good governance as evidence,” he said.
Isa commended Rep member Garba for his people-centric approach to representation, saying that Garba’s leadership style was complementing that of Gov. Yahaya.
For Mohammed Hinna, Labour Party chairman, Yamaltu Deba LG, joining APC remained the best option for any patriotic Nigeria who wants to see a better future for the country.
Hinna said with the efforts of President Tinubu and Gov. Yahaya, it would be difficult to remain in opposition, “if you truly a political leader that has the love of the people at heart.”
Mr Adamu Lambam, the APC chairman for Yamaltu Deba said more opposition leaders and members have been joining the APC at the council because of the good governance being delivered by Yahaya in their LG.
Lambam said that the party would continue to welcome anyone who wants to join the APC, adding that “APC is the people’s party because of the developmental strides of Tinubu, Inuwa and Garba.”
Reps member Garba said with the defection, the structure of opposition parties in the council has been weakened and “this is good for APC ahead of 2027.”
Garba said that the performance of Tinubu and Yahaya would make campaigning for APC ahead of 2027 election easier for them when the ban on campaign is lifted in August.
He appealed to members of the APC to remain united while mobilising more members at the grassroots by informing them of the many good things that Mr President and Yahaya have done.
Mass defection hits Gombe State NNPP, SDP, LP as over 1, 000 leaders join APC
Politics
Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri’s Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman
Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri’s Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman
Faults Akpe’s Nomination, Says Governance Now A Family Enterprise
A chieftain and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Barr. David Perebo has expressed deep dissatisfaction over Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri segregational, sidelining mode of conduct of the party ward and local government congresses.
Condemning in strong terms of the segregational mode of conduct of the APC ward and local government congresses across the state, the chieftain described the congresses as witch-hunt of a selected group of stakeholders, leaders in the party.
The APC member condemned the governor deliberate segregation of key stakeholders in various wards and local government areas are geared towards generating division.
Pursuant to the marginalized mode of conduct of the congresses, ward and local government executives of APC in Sagbama addressing the press, expressed dissatisfaction over non-inclusion of critical stakeholders who stood firmly as an opposition in building the party in Bayelsa state.
The party executives said Senator Diri inability to conduct all inclusive congresses in various wards, local governments across the state, has proven beyond shadow of doubt of the governor incapability to manage affairs of the party in Bayelsa state.
Governor Diri who couldn’t manage insignificant affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP leading to Mr George Turnah factional leadership in Bayelsa, has transferred the same attitude from the PDP to the APC barely four months of defection.
The statesmen said the governor has deceptively taken total control of the APC leadership structure in various wards and local government areas across the state, by installing his followers who defected to the APC from the PDP, while excluding old APC members who built the party.
Diri who preach all-inclusiveness in leadership, has deceptively taken over the leadership structures of Brass, Nembe, Yenagoa, Sagbama, Kolokuma-Opokuma, while allowing Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku and David Lyon to nominate the Chairmen of Ekeremor, Ogbia and Southern-Ijaw as compensation.
Furthermore, the governor whose intentions failed woefully to use his relative, Mr Gesiye Isowo as at then Bayelsa PDP Secretary, as Bayelsa APC Caretaker Chairman before any official defection to the APC, has perfected preparations to use him as Chairman of APC in Bayelsa State.
Senator Douye Diri has perfected preparations to produce the Bayelsa APC Chairman, Secretary, including other relevant positions to take total control of the party structure in the state, as deliberate steps towards producing a governorship candidate in the next gubernatorial election.
Unknown to Lokpobiri, Ogbuku who are rumoured to have governorship ambitions in 2027, Governor Douye Diri will never support any of them as successor, rather he is nurturing a relative from Nembe extraction whose father is from Sampou to succeed him as Bayelsa Governor.
In the same vein, the APC chieftain has condemned the decision of the Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri over nomination of his maternal relative from Ayamasa town, Pastor Peter Pereotubo Akpe as Deputy Governor with motives to revolve the government as a family enterprise.
The chieftain who that stands for justice, fairness, and transparency in governance, has expressed intense dissatisfaction over Governor Douye Diri’s nomination of his relative as deputy governor against Bayelsans.
The sudden passing of the Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo whose cause of sudden death still uncertain, created room for timely replacement of the office of the deputy governor according to Section 191 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said the governor has privatized governance of Bayelsa as a family enterprise with Akpe nomination as deputy when expected to choose from other competent Bayelsans.
Senator Diri has virtually privatized governance of Bayelsa by appointing only relatives in sensitive positions: Chief of Staff now Deputy Governor, Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Domestic, Director of Transport, and other government house appointees.
The aggrieved party stakeholder said successive administrations since 1999 has credibly and transparently distributed political appointments across the three senatorial district, but the reverse has been the record in Senator Douye Diri administration.
The governor take decisions without putting into consideration of those who consciously built his political reputation. He defected to the APC without considering the feelings of leaders working closely with him.
Bayelsans has witnessed that the governor has no conscience and empathy, enveloped with greed and ingratitude against those who helped in building his political career and reputation; such as former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Dr. Timi Alaibe, Senator Seriake Dickson.
Senator Diri political trajectory has been driven by pettiness, rumours, propaganda, capitalizing on illiteracy, poverty and stomach infrastructure syndrome of some Bayelsans, while privatizing and managing resources of the state as a family enterprise.
In self-delusional, deceptive pretense of building peace, unity, he brought in opposition members to replace those who fought (some lost their lives) for his emergence, instead of acknowledging, and compensating them for their support and sacrifices.
Douye was very selfish to abandon Jonathan, Alaibe in PDP, especially Dickson who believed and trusted him as successor. Yet, he embraced the people who fought against those who worked for him in the election.
The way and manner the governor had shown ingratitude to Jonathan, Dickson, Alaibe, and others, same thing he will do to Lokpobiri, Ogbuku, Lyon, and other leaders in the APC.
Douye doesn’t understand that those who are praising him, are doing so for political patronage (monetary terms), and desert him after office.
Signed:
Barr. David Perebo
APC Chieftain Writes From Yenagoa
Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri’s Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman
News
National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu’s Second Tenure
National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu’s Second Tenure
By Comrade Philip Ikodor
The National Progressive Hub (NPH), a leading support group for the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on all Nigerians to rally behind President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR for a successful second term in office come 2027.

In a statement, National Coordinator/Convener, Honorable Bukie Okangbe, praised the APC administration for its efforts towards nation-building and economic stability. Okangbe highlighted the NPH’s previous support for President Tinubu, including a National Security and Endorsement event in 2022 that contributed to the party’s successful general election outcome.
The NPH is gearing up for a Grand Endorsement event for President Tinubu’s second term, scheduled to hold on February 26th at the Musa Yaradua Center, CBD, Abuja. The event will also feature the inauguration of 36 state coordinators, including the FCT, and address critical national issues.
“We invite everyone to join us at this significant event,” Okangbe said. “Your presence will be a testament to our collective commitment to Nigeria’s progress and the APC’s vision for a better future.”
The event promises to be a landmark occasion, showcasing the NPH’s dedication to the APC and President Tinubu’s leadership.
National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu’s Second Tenure
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