Politics

APGA Guber Candidate, Nweke Reveals How PDP Plans To Rig Enugu Election

Published

3 years ago

March 3, 2023

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Enugu State, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., on Friday, alleged that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has perfected plans to rig the March 11 governorship election.

Recall that the PDP suffered a heavy defeat during Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in the State.

Nweke, who spoke to journalists at his campaign office, said he had alerted all the various arms of security agencies.

He alleged that there were plans by the PDP in Enugu State “to compromise INEC officials and adhoc staff to bypass the use of BVAS and generally disrupt the governorship and house of assembly elections in the state through the use of thugs to cause mayhem, with a view to dispersing voters at polling units in order to have opportunity to rig the elections, subvert the will of the people to achieve victory at all costs.”

He said since suffering massive losses across the state on February 25, 2023, “the PDP has held series of meetings at various locations to perfect their nefarious plans to ensure that they disrupt the electoral process, compromise INEC staff and deploy maximum violence.

“A source that attended the meetings reported that they lamented that they were falsely led into believing that BVAS was impregnable by INEC and that manual voting was impossible.

“According to them, events in Port Harcourt and some parts of the country had demonstrated otherwise, and that they must now take advantage of it by deploying sums of money to compromise INEC staff, buy votes and cause maximum violence to scare voters who do not vote for them and intimidate others into voting for them against their will.

“They have therefore resolved to buy INEC staff to sabotage the elections as described above, and also to specifically ensure that the original result sheets are neither brought to the polling units nor the ward and local government collation centres.

“Since the IREV malfunctioned last Saturday, they reasoned that they would calmly write new results when the representatives of other political parties disperse at various collation centres in the belief that results had been announced.”

Nweke mentioned a female INEC staff, who he said had for several years been the liaison between the PDP and INEC officials.

“It would appear that the relationship has been groomed for years in preparation for this election.

“We have also been informed that sums running into hundreds of millions have been exchanged over the years and through third-party agents to conceal the money trail,” he claimed.

He added that the said INEC was under obligation to do everything in her power to ensure the declaration of Peter Mbah as the next Governor of Enugu State.

“Currently, INEC maintains a secret office at a located at Independence Layout for this purpose.

“They have also reportedly recruited the security agencies into their plot. The role of the security services is purportedly for them not to show up when they start causing mayhem at polling units and collation centres until they have accomplished their wicked plans.

“Furthermore, they have secured substantial numbers of ‘election duty’ stickers and plan to use that to evade security by moving around in vehicles on which these stickers are pasted.

“They have also produced Security Systems Uniforms for thugs to disguise as escorts to INEC personnel from the point of dispatch to a pre-arranged location where rigging will be carried out using the non-collected PVCs of voters across the 17 Local Government Areas.”

He vowed that the APGA in Enugu would do all that is possible “to guarantee the safety of our people, ensure that you exercise your right to vote on March 11 and see that your vote is protected.

“We will not take lightly any plans to subvert or abuse the democratic process.”

But reacting, the Director of Communications/Spokesperson

Enugu PDP Campaign Council, Barr. Nana Ogbodo said Nweke was already giving excuses for his expected abysmal performance in the forthcoming election.

The party described Nweke’s allegations as a disingenuous effort at preemptive excuses for his expected abysmal outing in the election.

It said Nweke’s impact on the March 11 polls “ends with making preposterous conjectures, nothing that the race is clearly above his ken as he has all the while been boxing above his weight.”

The party said Nweke had only succeeded in making the ballot papers longer than necessary.

The statement read in part: “We would ordinarily not dignify Nweke with a response because his impact on the forthcoming general elections begins and ends with congesting and making the ballot papers longer than necessary.

“He is therefore only laying the formwork of excuses for his expected abysmal outing in the governorship poll.

“Nweke went into APGA ostensibly on the wrong permutation that PDP’s governorship ticket would go outside Nkanu land so he could harvest from the expected anger of the people. Unfortunately for him, events mocked at his foresight as that was not to be.

“We therefore advise Nweke to climb down from this high horse and first present himself for a popularity test in his hometown, Ozalla, before pursuing an illusionary governorship ambition.

“Perhaps, as a former Minister of Information, who defended perceived electoral deficits in the 2007 election and engaged in hot exchanges with the then Senate President, Ken Nnamani and the international communities on the conduct of the election in Enugu or as former Chief of Staff, who may have meddled with the electoral processes as he alluded in his press release, Nweke is still unaware that the Electoral Act 2022 has effectively put a stop to whatever ignoble roles he might have been playing in the past.

“We also reckon that Nweke, who has been a senior stakeholder and a major beneficiary of successive PDP governments until March 2022 when he embarked on his delusional governorship voyage on the platform of APGA will ultimately return to the umbrella after his crushing defeat on March 11.”

Politics

FULL LIST: Borno Tops In Voter Online Pre-registrations

Published

3 days ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Borno State has recorded the highest number of voter online pre-registrations nationwide as of Week Nine, according to newly released data from the Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday.

Out of a total of 8,003,196 Nigerians who completed the pre-registration process, Borno accounted for 826,130 entries, the highest figure recorded across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Osun State follows with 646,580 pre-registrations, while Lagos is next with 604,819. Kebbi registered 581,135, slightly ahead of Kaduna, which recorded 510,490. Ogun is close behind with 510,062, and Kano comes next with 421,941. Kogi also posted high numbers, registering 361,233, while Zamfara and Yobe followed with 304,065 and 292,714, respectively.

Jigawa added 284,384 pre-registrations, with the FCT recording 228,264. Oyo followed closely with 224,713. Katsina registered 205,933, while Sokoto and Nasarawa posted 209,392 and 183,519, respectively.

Politics

Tenebe Fingers Edo APC Chieftains As Plot To Replace Him As Chair Thickens

Published

3 days ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Plot to replace Jarrett Tenebe as State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State is gathering momentum going by series of social media posts shared by Tenebe, as monitored by our correspondent.

It was gathered that Senator representing Edo North at the red chamber, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Regional Development, Hon. Abubarkar Momoh, are not keen to support Tenebe’s re-election as Edo APC Chairman.

Tenebe’s absence at last week’s empowerment programme of Senator Oshiomhole gave credence to the cold war in Edo North APC.

However, as the plot to remove Tenebe gathered moment, the Edo APC chair, it was gathered, is fighting back following suspension of Etsako East Ward 9 Chairman of the party, Mallam Adamu Ototobor, who is a loyalist to those opposing Tenebe’s return as APC Chairman.

The cold war amongst the Edo APC bigwigs became evident when Tenebe, in series of social media posts, made allusion to the plot to replace him as Edo APC Chairman by accusing Momoh of scheming to take control of the Edo APC by working with a ‘dangerous click’.

Tenebe had said in one of his posts: “Minister of Regional Development, Hon Abubakar Momoh, I have led the party to the best of my ability, I can as well leave the party to you and your dangerous click, there is already a place in history for people like me.” (Sic)

The APC chairman further posted: “I supported you during your House of Representatives election when you were rigged out by this new click.

“If that was a crime, just know that there is a place for people like me and I know that was why I helped you.

“I encouraged people from other political parties who lost their ways to swell our fold in APC. If that’s my crime, Abubakar Momoh, I will leave the party for you and your new click, just know I am fulfilled.

“In this party, I have lent a voice to those who cannot speak; I have fought for the oppressed, possibly the reason why Momoh and his ‘usl…’ click wants me out.

“During the last local government council organised by Governor Godwin Obaseki, I traveled with my team on canoe, which could have capsized but this time, Abubakar Momoh was moving from one air condition office to his air conditioned home with his family.
“Today all is set, Jarrett is no longer capable, him and his ‘usel…’, wicked click wants me out. I will leave so that peace will reign.”

Momoh, in his reaction, said Tenebe should be allowed to exhaust himself, adding that he would not join issues with the Edo APC chairman.

Politics

Okpebholo’s Eight-year Tenure Non-negotiable, Says Commissioner

Published

3 days ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Edo State Commissioner for Youth, Honourable Charity Amayanvbo, has said that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s eight-year leadership mandate is non-negotiable, describing his administration as one that has rekindled hope and unity among Edo people.

Amayanvbo made the statement in Benin City during a courtesy visit by Comrade Kelly Okungbowa, popularly known as Ebo Stone, founder of the Youth for Youth movement.

According to the Commissioner, both the Binis and Edo youths are solidly behind Okpebholo, whose leadership style, he said, has restored dignity to traditional institutions and reaffirmed respect for the revered Oba of Benin Kingdom.

“Governor Monday Okpebholo has restored the confidence of the people in government. He has brought back dignity to our traditional institutions and rekindled the hope of Edo youths. His eight years in office are non-negotiable,” Amayanvbo asserted.

The Youth commissioner commended the governor for what he described as “unprecedented infrastructural strides, especially in Edo South, citing major projects such as the Ramat Park Flyover, the Second Flyover at Adesuwa Road, and the ongoing statewide road rehabilitation as clear evidence of visionary leadership.”

He also lauded the governor for restoring the authority of the Benin Traditional Council and for his bold call to the Edo State House of Assembly to investigate the Mosium for West Africa (MOWA) projects — a move Amayanvbo described as “transparent and accountable governance in action.”

Comparing Okpebholo’s performance with that of his predecessor, former Governor Godwin Obaseki, Amayanvbo remarked that Okpebholo had “done what a Benin man could not achieve.”

He urged Edo youths to rally around the governor, pledging continued support for his developmental vision aimed at building a greater Edo State.

In his response, Comrade Kelly Okungbowa (Ebo Stone) hailed Hon. Amayanvbo for his fatherly leadership and reaffirmed his movement’s loyalty to the Governor.

He pledged to mobilize Edo youths to deliver a 2.5 million-vote bloc in support of both Governor Okpebholo and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assuring that the Youth for Youth movement would stand firmly behind the Governor’s “non-negotiable mandate.”