Politics
Akwa Ibom PDP Challenges YPP To Provide Evidence Of Rigging Claims
The Akwa Ibom State branch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has issued a challenge to the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the state to provide evidence to back up its claims of an illicit collaboration between Governor Udom Emmanuel and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the rescheduled gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly Elections in favor of the PDP.
Apostle Nyeneime Andy, the state chairman of the YPP, had claimed during a press briefing on Wednesday that Governor Emmanuel spent several hours with INEC officials to plan the rigging of the aforementioned polls.
Andy asserted that the YPP had obtained information regarding a purported scheme to give an advantage to the incumbent PDP in Akwa Ibom State. He urged the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and international observers to pay close attention to the state to prevent the scheme from being carried out.
He further stated that the state’s PDP had collaborated with INEC to devise a plan to rig the upcoming polls. The alleged plan involves:
“Voting materials meant for Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency must not leave INEC office until 12.30pm on Saturday March 11th, 2023.
“Voting materials meant for the entire Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District must not be completed in some Federal Constituencies and must not leave INEC office before 10.00 a.m.
“Voting materials meant for Eket Senatorial District must leave INEC office on time as it is the presumed ‘sure bet zone’ for the PDP as the state governor hails from there.
“The early departure of materials for the district is to be well publicised to distract attention or disclaim any accusation about late transportation of materials to any other locations.
“PDP thugs in company of illegal police officers and some genuine military personnel will be drafted to strongholds of opposition parties (emphasis was on YPP) to disrupt election through violence and destroy all the voting materials and even pretend to kidnap some INEC officials so as to exonerate INEC from the deal.”
Additionally, Andy claimed that certain BVAS (Biometric Verification Machines) had been pre-programmed with vote tallies in favor of the PDP before the start of voting. In such cases, the BVAS would not display “0000”.
In response to these allegations, the Akwa Ibom State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Borono Bassey, issued a statement on Thursday entitled “2023 Elections and YPP’s First Excuse for Looming Defeat.”
In the statement, Bassey refuted the claims made by the YPP chairman and challenged him to provide concrete evidence to support his accusations.
He also criticized the YPP chairman, who is an overseer of a church in Uyo, for spreading lies and warned him against preaching against the sin of lying if he could not back up his claims with evidence.
The statement reads in part “We challenge Apostle Nyeneime Andy to produce even the tiniest shred of evidence that show that governor Udom Emmanuel had visited INEC office on the said day, else the lying state chairman of YPP should never stand before his church to preach against the sin of lying.
“We are shocked that the ill-fated and makeshift Political Party – YPP, is using reverse psychology to make false accusation on the electoral umpire, INEC, our Party, the PDP and Governor Udom Emmanuel, given that the security agencies have received several tip-offs about heinous activities by known YPP chieftains ahead of the forthcoming elections.
Bassey also disclosed that upon receiving the potentially life-threatening intelligence, the PDP immediately notified security agencies, who promptly took action to investigate and prevent any possibility of the YPP carrying out their alleged plans.
The PDP called on the residents of Akwa Ibom State to show up at their respective polling units and exercise their voting rights by using their Permanent Voter Cards to cast their ballots in favor of the PDP.
The party emphasized the importance of sending a strong message to those who seek to hinder the progress of the state by voting overwhelmingly for the PDP.
Politics
2027: Tinubu Will Beat Atiku, Obi by Wide Margin, Says Bwala
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has predicted that President Tinubu will defeat his major challengers by a wide margin in the 2027 presidential election.
Bwala made the prediction on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the political strength of the Tinubu administration and the state of the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the margin of victory for Tinubu would be so wide that Nigerians would be surprised.
SEE ALSO: Tinubu Celebrates Adviser Daniel Bwala On 50th Birthday
“Let me tell you, and let me say it categorically, and I’ll be happy to come back. The margin of gap that President Bola Tinubu will give each and every one of these candidates will be so much that you won’t believe it,” Bwala said.
Explaining the basis for his prediction, Bwala pointed to the number of governors he said had aligned with the president, arguing that governors control important political structures within their respective states.
“No, I am saying—you asked me to give data now. So this is data. You used to conjecture, I speak to data,” he said.
“Since then, President Bola Tinubu has got how many governors on his side? How many governors have joined him? The governors are the chief executive officers of their respective states. They coordinate the structures of the state. They won their own election to be governors.”
Bwala said the support of the governors would translate into political structures, resources and goodwill for Tinubu ahead of the election.
“These people say, ‘We are putting our goodwill, our resources, our structure, and our support to the President.’ You multiply that by the number of people that have come to him, then you stretch it further by the people who are impacted positively by his… what do you call it? By his policy,” he added.
The presidential aide also cited what he described as progress under Tinubu since 2023.
“Then you look at how his… Before he became President, the Naira… you couldn’t trade with the Naira around the world. You can do it now!” he said.
“So these are facts, verifiable data to suggest that President Bola from 2023 to now has made a marked progress.”
Bwala Claims Atiku, Obi Have Lost Key Supporters
Bwala also turned his attention to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who are among the prominent opposition figures expected to feature prominently in the 2027 presidential contest.
He claimed Atiku had lost a significant number of key political figures who previously worked with him.
“But in terms of the other candidates who said he will not win: Atiku Abubakar lost close to 35% of key people that you know around him,” Bwala said.
“All the governors that worked for him that time are not going to be with him, I need you to know that in case you don’t know.”
Bwala also claimed Obi had lost most of the critical figures who supported his 2023 presidential campaign.
“Peter Obi lost 75% of the critical people that carried his campaign—they’ve all disappeared,” he said.
“And some of them went to Atiku, some of them went wherever they could go to. In terms of the other candidate, they just came to mark presence there.”
‘They Lost the Election Already’
Bwala further accused some opposition politicians of displaying what he described as a “defeatist attitude” ahead of the 2027 election.
“But I’m talking of these people that you think they are making a case—what they have is what we call defeatist attitude,” he said.
“How can you in one breath say you’re winning election, and in another breath you’re already threatening Nigeria will be… there will be no Nigeria, there will be all those things?”
He added: “Even the talking points of their campaign will suggest to you that they’ve lost the victory. They lost the election already.”
Bwala Defends Tinubu’s Policies
The presidential aide also defended the administration’s policies, arguing that they were improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly those in the informal sector.
“See, how can our policy… Our policy is raising a lot of people from the doldrums,” Bwala said.
“Look at the people in the informal sector of the economy, the women… You need to see—some of these your news media have been covering it.”
He also questioned the level of engagement some opposition politicians had with ordinary Nigerians before becoming prominent political figures.
“In terms of these people you’ve mentioned, tell me the last time they were actively involved in caring about the internal… When was the last time Amechi, before today, before he was made Vice President, that he had any engagement with the masses?” he asked.
“So you can come overnight, immediately, and just start talking?”
Politics
2027: I’ll Bring Petrol Price Down to ₦300, Says Donald Duke
Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has said he would bring the price of petrol down to about ₦300 per litre if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Duke disclosed this on Wednesday while explaining his proposed approach to crude oil production and domestic fuel supply.
ALSO READ: 2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke
When asked about the realistic price of petrol under his presidency, the former Cross River State governor said his target would be to reduce the pump price to about ₦300 per litre.
“To bring it to about 300 Naira. I’ve told you… it sounds so outlandish, but I’ve given you the arithmetic,” Duke said.
He explained that his proposal would be based on allocating a portion of Nigeria’s crude oil production for domestic consumption and selling the remaining volume.
According to him, if the country’s daily consumption requires 600,000 barrels, that volume would be allocated for domestic use, while the remaining one million barrels would be sold.
“Because I allocate 600,000 barrels if that’s what you consume daily. Allocate that to yourself. The other one million, you can sell,” he said.
His proposal comes as the cost of petrol remains a major issue in Nigeria, with fuel prices having significant implications for transportation, businesses and household expenses.
Duke is seeking the presidency on the platform of the PRP in the 2027 general election.
Politics
2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke
Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, Donald Duke, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prove to Nigerians that it can deliver a free and fair election.
Duke made the call on Wednesday while speaking about the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process and public confidence in INEC.
The former Cross River State governor said the onus was on the electoral commission to convince Nigerians that the 2027 election would be free and fair, noting that previous developments had left many citizens sceptical about INEC.
SEE ALSO: 2027: Donald Duke Reveals Why He Wants to Be Nigeria’s President
“INEC has to prove… the onus is on them actually to convince Nigerians that there will be a free and fair election,” Duke said.
He recalled the postponement of the 2019 general election, which was announced just hours before voting was scheduled to begin.
According to him, the development contributed to Nigerians’ growing distrust of the electoral commission.
Duke said INEC had assured the public of its preparedness for the election before the postponement, which was announced around 4am on election day.
He criticised the explanations given for the postponement, saying the commission should have taken responsibility for the situation.
The PRP candidate, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said he was on the ballot at the time but did not participate because his party was involved in court proceedings.
Duke further said the fact that the same electoral institution remains responsible for conducting elections means INEC must now work to restore public confidence.
“That same INEC, the institution still exists, so the onus is on them,” he said.
He added: “The onus is really on INEC. They’ve got to prove the skeptics wrong. But so far, their records in the past, there’s a lot to… expectations are poor.”
Duke also recalled concerns surrounding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the 2023 general election.
“The last election in ’23, the BVAS suddenly stopped working. Now, he says it’s going to work. Let’s see,” he said.
The PRP candidate’s comments come as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with INEC expected to conduct the presidential and National Assembly elections in January 2027.





