By Julius Tambaya, Abuja

 The presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Peter Agada, has pledged to usher in a fresh era of transparent, technology-driven governance if elected President of Nigeria in the 2027 general elections.

Agada, a former Director of Finance for the Obidient Movement in the 2023 elections, voiced strong optimism about defeating his political rivals.

He made the commitment while unveiling his bold policy roadmap tagged “Labour Direct” , a people-centered agenda designed to tackle Nigeria’s most pressing challenges head-on.

The YPP presidential flag bearer who, spoke in an exclusive interview with DAILY ASSET, stated that his administration would be anchored on an “open-network governance” model, emphasizing total inclusivity, accountability, and direct citizen engagement through the ‘Labour Direct’ framework.

He further stressed the urgent need to align skills development with current market demands. He further called for a complete overhaul of the public service, advocating for a merit-based recruitment system to replace favoritism and mediocrity.

“As an accomplished professional architect with vast international experience, I will approach national security through a smart blend of community-based intelligence and cutting-edge technology,” Agada noted.

He also highlighted massive job creation plans, with a strategic focus on agricultural industrialization and the solid minerals sector—two areas he believes hold the structural key to absorbing Nigeria’s teeming youthful population

On the alleged politicization of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the current administration, Agada revealed ongoing, high-level international collaborations aimed at restoring public confidence in the nation’s electoral process.

“We are already working with corporate development partners and the governments of the United States and China to build and deploy a robust, technology-based system,” Agada declared. “This will ensure prompt, transparent, and tamper-proof transmission of election results.”

Positioning himself as a bridge between competence and compassion, the YPP candidate promised a government that works for every citizen, irrespective of tribe, religion, or political affiliation.

African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed the claims by a rival group of uploading presidential nomination details to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal, describing it as false.

Consequently, the party has urged INEC to investigate what it described as forgery and unauthorised use of documents it purportedly issued.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, said it was not true that a group, led by Nafiu Bala, uploaded names of presidential and other candidates into the INEC nomination portal.

According to him, INEC cannot issue nomination portal access or nomination codes to a leadership it does not officially recognise under the Electoral Act.

He said that the commission would not issue separate nomination portal codes to different groups claiming leadership of the same registered political party.

“The claim is a blatant lie. INEC does not issue nomination portal access or nomination codes to a leadership it does not recognise,” Abdullahi said.

He challenged those making the allegation to provide credible evidence showing that an unrecognised group successfully accessed and uploaded nominations on the commission’s portal.

The spokesman said the party had formally notified INEC of what it considered apparent forgery and unauthorised use of documents bearing the commission’s identity.

“We trust that the commission will investigate this matter and take necessary steps to correct this blatant misrepresentation,” he said.

Abdullahi declared that ADC was not factionalised, insisting that INEC recognised only one leadership which had completed its nomination process lawfully.

He said the party had already uploaded details of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, on the INEC portal.

“Our focus remains firmly on presenting Nigerians with a credible alternative that can restore security, revive the economy and create jobs in 2027,” he said.

The spokesman urged party members, supporters, the media and the public to disregard contrary claims and rely only on official communications issued through authorised ADC channels.

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa State, has issued a scathing rebuke of the Bayelsa State government over the proposed ₦100billion proposed ongoing stadium project at Igbogene, Yenagoa Local Government Area.

The opposition party, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Ikaebimo Mark and made available to our Correspondent via email, said it was shocked that a state grappling with widespread hunger, unemployment, poverty, poor healthcare, weak educational outcomes, and a struggling economy commits over 100 billion naira to a stadium project at the expense of investments.

The party stated that while it recognizes the importance of sports development and agrees that sporting infrastructure has a place in the development of any modern society, it is not convinced that the stadium project is worth pursuing at the expense of several graduates without jobs and residents of Bayelsa who cannot afford one meal a day and lack access to clean potable water.

The opposition party also criticised the state government for investing such huge funds in a stadium while the agriculture sector has been starved of funds and several small businesses are collapsing under harsh economic conditions.

It further dismissed the justification for the construction of the stadium by Senator Diri as a form of empowerment for the youth, stressing that youth empowerment involves improving the living conditions of the youths of the state.

‘’The PDP believes that the greatest infrastructure any government can build is the economic well-being of its people. Youth empowerment is not measured by the size of a stadium but by the number of young people gainfully employed, the number of thriving small businesses, the number of skilled entrepreneurs created, the volume of investments attracted, and the opportunities available for young people to build productive and prosperous lives.’’

The PDP lamented the neglect of the existing Samson Siasia Stadium, which has served Bayelsa for years, raising serious questions about the government’s claim that sports is its principal vehicle for youth empowerment.

It challenged the Diri government to make public the number of youths it had empowered for the past six years through sports and the full details of the project funding for the stadium.

The statement reads in part ‘’If sports truly constitute the government’s strategy for empowering young people, why has the state’s flagship stadium not been transformed into a vibrant hub for talent discovery, sports tourism, grassroots development, and sports-based enterprise. We challenge the administration to make public, full disclosure of names and particulars of Bayelsa Youths his administration has empowered in the last six years, using the Sampson Siasia stadium in Yenagoa.

‘’Bayelsans deserve to know the economic justification for multiple stadium projects at a time when the state urgently requires industrial parks, agro-processing centres, technology hubs, vocational training institutes, manufacturing clusters, and investment corridors capable of generating sustainable employment and wealth.

‘’The PDP therefore calls on the Bayelsa State Government to immediately publish the full details of the stadium project, including its procurement process, contract value, funding arrangements, project scope, implementation timeline, and expected economic returns. Bayelsans deserve complete transparency regarding a project of such enormous financial magnitude.’’

The party urged the Diri-led administration to immediately declare a State Economic Recovery, Wealth Creation, Employment Generation, and Food Security Initiative to confront the worsening hardship across the state.

It implored the government to rise to its responsibility and invest in industries, agriculture, skills development, innovation, entrepreneurship, and private-sector growth if it truly desires to empower the youth.