Politics
Bayelsa Poll: INEC Excludes Sylva’s Name From Candidates List, APC Kicks

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has excluded the name of the candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Timipre Sylva, from the final list of candidates for the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The amended list, which was uploaded on the commission’s website on Tuesday, was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
Sighted by Vanguard yesterday, the column for the names of the APC candidate and his running mate, Joshua Maciver, was left blank with “court order” remarks on it.
According to Oriaran-Anthony, the action of the commission is in obedience to court orders on the lists, served on the commission.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa Guber: Ijaw Elders Charge Candidates On Peaceful Conduct
Recalling that the commission published the final list of candidates for the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election on June 9, in accordance with the provision of Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Election, she said after the publication, INEC was served with an order of court in respect of the nomination of candidate of the APC for the poll.
“By virtue of the provision of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the commission is bound to enforce the orders of the court on the nomination of candidates by political parties in the state.
“The Amended list of candidates in respect of the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election is hereby amended pursuant to the orders of court served on the commission,’’ Oriaran-Anthony said.
On October 10, the Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified Sylva from participating in the state governorship election.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa Guber: Why Court Disqualified APC Candidate, Sylva
Meanwhile, The APC has said delisting its candidate, Sylva from the list of governorship election by the INEC was premature.
Mr Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said this in a statement in Abuja.
“This action by INEC may not be unconnected with the High Court judgement of Oct. 9 which disqualified Chief Timipre Sylva as candidate of our party.
“Our candidate and party promptly appealed that judgment and brought other processes seeking stay of the judgment’s execution.
“Recognising the extreme urgency of the matter, the Court of Appeal granted an order of accelerated hearing of the matter now fixed for definite hearing on Friday Oct. 27,” Morka said.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa Guber: Why Court Disqualified APC Candidate, Sylva
He added that INEC was a party in the matter and had been served with all relevant filings and orders regarding the matter.
He said that delisting APC’s candidate in the circumstances as INEC had done, was clearly premature and could preempt the outcome of the valid appeal in the matter.
He said that removing the party’s candidate from the list of governorship contestants in Bayelsa would foist a situation of helplessness on the appellate court, the candidate and the party should the appeal succeed.
Morka urged INEC to withdraw its amendment under reference in the interest of fairness.
He appealed to the people of Bayelsa, especially APC’s teeming members and supporters, to remain calm while the judicial process runs its full course.
He expressed confidence that the party’s candidate would be victorious both at the Court of Appeal and at the poll.
Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a judgement delivered on Oct. 9, disqualified Sylva from featuring in the Nov. 11 governorship election.
Okorowo ruled that Sylva having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of Bayelsa would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.
VANGUARD
Politics
Tinubu, Six APC Governors Hold Closed-door Meeting At Aso Villa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday met with six governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.
The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.
In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.
The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.
Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.
The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Navy Officer Who Had Altercation With Wike Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt
President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.
This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.
These strategic meetings, frequently conducted in secrecy to ensure confidentiality and candid discussion, have aimed to undertake a comprehensive review of ongoing security operations nationwide.
Discussions have prioritised enhancing coordination and communication among military, police, and intelligence units to foster a more unified and cohesive response to security challenges.
In addition, the sessions have explored innovative and tactical measures that leverage intelligence gathering, rapid deployment, and community engagement to dismantle criminal networks and restore order.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs
Throughout these consultations, President Tinubu has underscored that safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians is paramount.
He has called on the security apparatus to move beyond reactive measures and adopt more preventive, intelligence-driven strategies that anticipate threats before they escalate.
The administration’s renewed approach signals a commitment to reinforcing national security architecture and improving the operational effectiveness of all agencies involved in the fight against crime and insurgency across Nigeria.
In other news, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has expressed optimism that the security challenges – terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crime – Nigeria has been facing for almost three decades now will be overcome.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut
The NSA described those behind the “painful and unnecessary” challenges as “evil” and vowed they would be defeated.
Ribadu made remarks during the opening of a one-day dialogue organised by the National Peace Committee, in partnership with the delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and the U.S., on “a whole-of-Society Approach to the Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria,” on Thursday in Abuja.
“This (security challenges) also shall pass. We are going through tough times. This will also go.
“But it’s very, very painful, what we are going through. It’s unnecessary.
They are very unfair to us, those who are responsible for this. They are evil.
“But they will be defeated. It’s a matter of time, and peace will be restored. That one we can assure you. Because there are people who are working, not necessarily making noise.
“There are people who are making sacrifices. Every single day, we go to bury our own deaths. Painful as it is. But most people don’t talk. Sacrifice is ongoing,” the NSA said.
Politics
JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held separate closed-door meetings with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru at the State House, Abuja.
The engagements came amid heightened political tension in Rivers State and renewed speculation over Governor Fubara’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Fubara arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before being escorted to the President’s office.
He departed at about 5:45 p.m., but details of the meeting remained undisclosed as of press time.
Shortly before his arrival, Governor Nwifuru had been ushered in for a separate audience with the President. The purpose of his visit was also not revealed.
READ ALSO:Police Arrest Suspect For Raping Woman To Death In Rivers
Nwifuru , a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and now an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor, has in recent months held several engagements with the Presidency, largely centred on infrastructure development and security coordination in the South-East.
Tinubu’s meeting with Fubara follows Friday’s defection of 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the PDP to the APC.
The mass defection has significantly altered power dynamics in the state legislature and heightened uncertainty about Fubara’s political trajectory.
lawmakers believed to be aligned with the governor remain in the PDP, and they have yet to resume their seats since the lifting of the state’s emergency rule on September 18.
READ ALSO:OPINION: Can Tinubu, Our Eddie Kwansa, Now Come Home?
The Guardian earlier reported that President Tinubu met with six APC governors in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.
The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.
In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.
The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.
Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.
READ ALSO:(VIDEO) Obasanjo To Tinubu: Why Are We Negotiating With Bandits?
The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.
President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.
This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.
Politics
Ambassadorial Nominees: Ndume Asks Tinubu To Withdraw List

Ahead of the Senate’s screening and confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees sent to the Red Chamber by the Presidency, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list from parliament.
The federal lawmaker declared that the composition of nominees was in clear breach of the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.
Checks revealed that while certain states have three and four nominees, states like Gombe have no representation, while the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, died last July.
The entire North East state has 7 nominees in the list.
Further checks revealed that the South West geopolitical zone has 15 nominees, while the North West and South East have 13 and 9, respectively.
READ ALSO:Full List: FG Releases Names Of 68 ambassadorial Nominees Sent To Senate For Confirmation
North Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees, while South South region has 12 nominees.
The Senate President at plenary on Thursday formally read the list of nominees and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.
The Senator representing Borno South in a statement issued on Saturday maintained that the list of nominees was in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution which mandates that the composition and conduct of the federal government must reflect the “federal character of Nigeria” to ensure national unity and loyalty.
The section reads: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut
The former Chief Whip of the Senate admonished President Tinubu to avoid taking decision that will fuel ethnic tension and promote distrust in the country, amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration.
He said: “My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country.
“He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on Federal Character Principle that government’s structure and operations must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria.”
Metro4 days agoEdo: How Pastor Hypnotised My Daughter, Made Her Abandoned NNPCL- Mother
News4 days ago9 Common Resume Mistakes Graduates Make – And How To Avoid Them
News4 days agoOba Of Benin Suspends Priest, Reaffirms Appointment Of Okao
Entertainment5 days agoIt Is Getting Out Of Hand – Tuface Cries Out Amid Marital Crisis
Headline2 days agoJUST IN: Soldiers Announce Military Takeover Of Govt In Benin Republic
Entertainment5 days ago‘We’re Coming To Save You’ – Teni On 2Face’s Distress Call
News5 days agoTinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut
Sports4 days agoJUST IN: Full Draw For 2026 World Cup Group Stages Confirmed
Entertainment5 days agoMy Marriage Ended Amicably – Comedian Sabinus Confirms Split From Wife
Metro3 days agoMy Husband Felt Insecure After I Got A Job, Accused Me Of Infidelity —Wife















