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Ambassador Raises Alarm, Says APC Plotting to Violently Abort Polls in Rivers
By Akanimo Sampson
Ambassador Desmond Akawor, the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Rivers State has alerted Nigerians and the international community of an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to violently prevent the general elections from holding in the state.
Akawor who was speaking in Port Harcourt, the state capital, said last January 23, some leaders of the APC addressed a world press conference wherein they issued a direct and specific public threat to the effect that:
…there will be no National Assembly, Governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Rivers until all the cases pending before various courts have gone to the apex court for final decisions…
According to him, this February 7, ‘’a senior chieftain of the APC Prince Tonye Princewill issued another threat on behalf of the APC asserting that the party will prevent the general elections from holding in Rivers.’’ Princewill claimed that it will be lawful to be lawless if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to unlawfully include the APC and its candidates in Rivers on the ballot.
The APC chief had declared to Daily Post, there will be no elections in Rivers. With no reaction from the security agencies, ‘’Transportation Minister and Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Chibuike Amaech,i yet again renewed the APC’s threat at its presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt and arrogantly promised to deal with the Governor of Rivers and the PDP’’, Akawor said..
The rest of his testimony goes thus: ‘’While inciting his supporters with the bizarre Igbo war song: orule mgbe anyi gawa anya onye ujo abiala nge anyi na awa anya; meaning, it is time to go violent and anybody who is a coward should stay away from us even as the President Muhammadu Buhari watched helplessly.
‘’On Sunday, February 17, Princewill, reaffirmed the subsisting threat and plot of the APC to disrupt, cause havoc and prevent the general elections in Rivers. In his words: …I still see disaster come Saturday. Unless we’re on the ballot, the election won’t be smooth anywhere…
‘’Whilst the APC and its leaders continue to publicly declare their perverted intentions to take the laws into their hands and disrupt the general elections in Rivers State with maximum violence, neither the security agencies nor the Presidency have deemed it necessary to reprimand, investigate, caution and or arrest and prosecute the minister, Princewill and the leadership of the APC on the possible consequences of their outrageous and inciting utterances, threats and hate speeches to the peace, public order and security of lives and property in the state.
‘’Instead, we have started witnessing concerted efforts by the APC, INEC and the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Army and the Police to actualise both the intent and content of the dangerous agenda of the APC to truncate the electoral processes in the State, as we get closer to the election dates.
‘’For instance, on Friday, February 15, 24 hours to the now rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections, the APC-led Federal Government deployed full military arsenal to cordon off, overrun and prevent voters and normal residents from getting to the Local Government Areas of Akuku Toru, Andoni, Asari Toru, Bonny, Degema, Okrika and Opobo/Nkoro.
‘’Indeed, in Okrika Local Government Area, indigenes and residents were physically barred by masked gun-trotting soldiers from returning home as early as 6.00 p.m. that Friday on the directives of the General Officer Commanding the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarham. This is in spite of the fact that the restriction order on movement of persons by the Acting Inspector General Police was to take effect from 6.00 a.m. on February 16,
‘’Earlier on the same day, the said Major General Sarham sent military officers to the Central Bank Office, Port Harcourt to prevent INEC officials from distributing the available sensitive election materials to the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
‘’We are also aware that the military has planned to cordon off collation centres across the state and prevent PDP agents’ access to these centres in order to rig the rescheduled elections on Saturday, February 23.
‘’Furthermore, information available to us indicates that APC has procured armed thugs, military uniforms and branded military and police vehicles for the purpose of rigging the rescheduled elections.
‘’It should therefore be noted that the partisan involvement and activities of Major General Sarham and his soldiers are contrary to the code of conduct for military officers issued by the Nigerian military high command as well as the INEC guidelines and international best practices.
‘’In the same vein, the APC has re-engaged the Commander of the Rivers State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Akin Victor Fakorede, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) with Force No: 41985, as its mercenary to actualise the party’s plan to either rig or prevent the peaceful conduct of the general elections in the state with impunity.
‘’Fakorede was indicted by INEC during the infamous Rivers State National and State Legislative Houses re-run elections for perpetuating electoral malpractices, undue interference and criminal abuse of his official calling as a security operative to advance the partisan interests of the APC.
‘’Fakorede was earlier deployed to Bornu State Police Command on election duties specifically, Bornu South Senatorial District, vide IGP’s deployment signal of February 11.
‘’True to character and in line with their defined strategies, Fakorede and his SARS team were seen arresting indiscriminately, supporters of the PDP in Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme and some other local government areas of the state on Friday, February 15, even when the elections had not commenced and without reasonable cause.
‘’Sadly, the said Major General Sarham in conjunction with Fakorede and SARS operatives have also been detailed to track, arrest and detain leaders of the PDP across the state from Thursday, February 21, until after the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday, February 23, to actualise their plan to rig the elections in the state.
‘’We are aware that majority of the Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) and Presiding Officers (POs) INEC has recruited are card-carrying members of the APC, who have been meticulously trained, directed and motivated to work with the security agencies to actualise its overarching desire to rig the Presidential elections, and thereafter prevent the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections from holding in the state.
‘’In Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area an APC stalwart and former Chairman of the Local Government, MacClean Uranta, has met with the SPOs that were posted to the area and struck a bargain to pay N500, 000.00 to each of them in return for their cooperation to deliver on the unholy election pact, the APC has extracted from INEC and security agencies.
‘’On February 18, a meeting was held at the Abuja residence of the minister with the Returning and Collation Officers coordinated by one Professor Owunari Georgewill who is an APC card-carrying member, and who has been tipped to become the next Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, promised to bring a new list to replace all Returning and Collation Officers the APC has indicated that they were not comfortable with.
‘’In that meeting with the minister, they resolved to effectively frustrate next Saturday’s elections in Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt, Khana, Gokana, Tai, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Etche, Abua/Odual and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas at all cost.
‘’Among all these sinister actions, the most worrisome is the directive given by the President to the military and the police to deal ruthlessly and where necessary, kill any person who they consider to be disturbing the voting process.
‘’With this Presidential Order therefore, the military and the police now have the motivation to use maximum violence to disrupt the voting process at will and even kill PDP supporters who try to resist or question the legitimacy of their unlawful activities at the polling stations.
‘’These actions by the APC, INEC, the security agencies and the Federal Government clearly point to the undisputable conclusion that the plot by the APC to scuttle the general elections in Rivers is real and must be taken seriously and prevented by all well-meaning Nigerians and the international community before it degenerates into major crisis.
‘’As a responsible party, we of the PDP are desirous of ensuring that the general elections are peaceful, orderly and credible in Rivers. No political party has worked as hard as the PDP for the general elections in the State.
‘’We are fully mobilised, ready and fired up with our teaming supporters for the general elections. Let no one therefore take our obedience to the rule of law and constitutionality in the pursuit of our democratic rights to vote and be voted for through the electoral process as an act of cowardice, acquiescence or capitulation to intimidation, lawless behavior and dictatorship. No one has the monopoly of violence.
‘’We have the capacity and the will to mobilise our teaming supporters to resist intimidation and defend the collective rights of our people in Rivers to effectively participate in the democratic process and frustrate those who are bent on denying our democratic rights, as expressly guaranteed by our constitution.
‘’As we conclude it is our solemn prayer to the Almighty God to guide aright, the thoughts and actions of the nation’s leaders and institutions, in the entire electoral process, which actions or lack thereof, are critical to the success of the general elections in Rivers.
‘’We also appreciate the patriotic members of the security agencies who are daily working hard under very difficult environment to ensure the protection of lives and property and guarantee the will of the people during the general elections in Rivers.
‘’We most sincerely thank the teaming supporters of the PDP across the length and breath of our dear state and Nigeria for their peaceful disposition, solidarity and comportment throughout the campaigns, which held without any crisis, casualties or unpleasant consequences.’’
United States President Donald Trump has commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his decisive leadership in tackling terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria, particularly attacks targeting Christian communities.
Trump conveyed the praise in a letter dated July 6, 2026, the contents of which were made public on Wednesday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In the letter, titled “President Trump lauds President Tinubu’s decisive leadership against terrorists,” the US President applauded Tinubu’s efforts to confront security challenges and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations.
“Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people.
“I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities, and it is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous,” Trump wrote.
Trump described the relationship between the United States and Nigeria as increasingly important amid growing security challenges across West Africa.
“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time when conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat,” he stated.
The US President also highlighted ongoing defence cooperation between both countries, noting that American Special Operations Forces had been deployed to assist Nigeria’s military.
“I am proud to have deployed the United States Special Operations Forces—among the most elite military units anywhere in the world—to equip the brave men and women in the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the skills, tools and intelligence they need to protect your homeland and ensure the safety and security of citizens, particularly those of faith who have been under attack.
“I look forward to our continued discussions over the course of my Presidency,” Trump added.
According to the Presidency, Nigeria and the United States have expanded security cooperation in recent months following the establishment of a Joint Working Group co-chaired by the National Security Advisers of both countries.
The collaboration has centred on intelligence sharing, military training and coordinated operations against terrorist groups.
The statement noted that one of the key outcomes of the partnership was the joint operation carried out on May 16 against ISIS hideouts in the Lake Chad region, which reportedly led to the killing of the group’s senior leader, Abubakar Al-Minoki, along with several of his lieutenants.
The Presidency also disclosed that the US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Frank Garcia, visited Abuja last week, where he held talks with senior Nigerian officials and pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation in security and other strategic sectors.
…Usman, Abba plead mercy
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a man who claimed to be 50 years old and father of 19 children, Mahmud Usman, to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to offences of kidnapping for ransom, terrorism, among others.
Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar), described by the prosecution as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, was sentenced, along with his co-defendant, Abubakar Abba (also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda), who is said to be the group’s deputy leader and chief of staff.
Usman and Abba were arraigned earlier this year on a 32-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The two are said to be among the key terrorist leaders who were behind the Oriire, Oyo State school kidnap and demanded to be released by the government.
During their arraignment, Usman pleaded guilty to a count of illegal mining for funding terrorism/arms, and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.
He pleaded not guilty to the other 31 counts, while his co-defendant, Abba, pleaded not guilty to all the 32 counts.
On July 9, however, Abba informed the court of his intention to withdraw his earlier not guilty plea, but needed some time to consult with his lawyer, a request Justice Emeka Nwite granted and adjourned till July 20.
On Monday, both defendants pleaded guilty to the 32 counts when they were read to them, following which Justice Nwite convicted them accordingly.
While appealing to the court to be lenient in sentencing the defendants, their lawyer, Bala Dakun, said by pleading guilty, his clients now appreciate the gravity of the offence they admitted to committing.
Dakun said the convicts’ guilty pleas were not intended to trivialise the offence or justify their conduct, but a show of remorse and repentance, while seeking mercy from the court.
He said the convicts saved the time of the court and the resources and time the prosecution would have deployed in bringing witnesses to the court and proving their case beyond reasonable doubt.
Dakun told the court that Usman is 50 years old, with 19 children and the sole provider of the family.
He said the second defendant, Abba, is 35 years old, with three children and a wife.
The defence lawyer said both defendants suffer from arthritis and ulcers.
Dakun said his clients promised to work with security agencies by providing them information about the operation, financing and network of the terrorist groups in the country.
He said the convicts should be granted amnesty as has been done for some repentant Boko Haram members, who have been rehabilitated.
With the permission of the court, Usman spoke in English and said he felt remorseful and that they admitted the offences, for the court to have mercy on them and their dependants, who will suffer in their absence.
Usman, who admitted having 19 children, said he suffers from bad health and that he was planning to return to school before he was arrested.
After listening to Dakun and Usman, Justice Nwite, who rose briefly, returned to hand out the sentences. He sentenced the two to life imprisonment in relation to counts 30 and 31.
The judge also sentenced them to 20 years, without an option of fine, on counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 32.
The two defendants were handed 25 years in respect of count 11, while only the second defendant (Abba) got 15 years in respect of count 10.
Justice Nwite ordered that the sentences shall run concurrently from the date of their arrest.
The defendants were arrested by the prosecuting agency (DSS) in separate operations between May and July 2025.
They were charged with various offences including terrorism and terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, funding terrorism, fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), among other charges.
The two defendants were equally accused of coordinating sleeper cells, attacks, and maintaining ties with terrorist groups in the Sahel/Maghreb region.
President Bola Tinubu former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose
President Bola Tinubu former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of 26 persons into the boards and leadership of 10 federal government agencies and commissions, including former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency.
The appointments, which take immediate effect, were announced in a statement on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced 26 new appointments into 10 Federal Government agencies and commissions, with former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, emerging as chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), and Major General Junaid Bindawa as chairman of the National Salary and Wages Commission,” the statement read.
The Presidency said Fayose would head the REA board alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as members and non-executive directors, while “the incumbent DG of the agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three executive directors previously appointed make up the remaining board members.”
Tinubu also named Major General Junaid Bindawa as Chairman of the National Salary and Wages Commission and approved eight additional appointments into the commission.
The statement added that “Former member of the House of Representatives from Lagos, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, is the new secretary of the commission,” while Dr Ogbole Ene Lilian, Oladele Olatubosun and Yakubu Umar Barde were appointed commissioners representing Benue, Oyo and Kaduna states respectively.
It further stated that “Dr Mai Adamu Yau, from Borno, Ginika Florence Tor (Enugu), Engineer Lawrence Okoh (Edo) and Bello Morenike Iyabode (Kogi) were appointed as members of the Commission.”
The President also redeployed Tosin Johnson Adeyanju, who previously served as Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund, to the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission as Secretary.
Other appointments announced include Dr Abuh Mohammed as Director-General of the National Population Commission, Dr Akinola Odeyemi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Dr Anthony Inalegwu Godwin as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, and Engineer Julius Oloro as Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation.
According to the statement, “Engineer Julius Oloro, a former council chairman, is the new CEO of the Kwara-based National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), replacing Dr A.R. Kamal, who died last January.”
Tinubu also constituted the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission with Dr Abdullahi Maikano Saidu as chairman.
The board members, according to the Presidency, are “Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Aliyu Makama, Dr Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Idowu Onikola.”
The President further appointed Shuni Muhammad Dahiru as Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, replacing Professor Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, who was reassigned to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund in April.
He also named Gisaor Vincent Iorja as Executive Director (Finance) of the Federal Housing Authority, replacing Mathias Byuan, who resigned to contest the Benue State governorship election.
The Presidency said “all the appointments take immediate effect.”
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