POLITICS
Alia Suspends Benue APC Delegates Primaries over Security Threats
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has ordered the suspension of the delegate primary election for the Guma 1 State Constituency.
He attributed the immediate suspension of the delegate primarily to security concerns in the area.
The governor, while speaking at a press conference held at the Government House, Makurdi, on Saturday, said the security of the state remains paramount, and for a local government area that was already volatile.
He explained that he would not allow the continuation of the exercise, as it could trigger more violence in the local government area and across the state.
“The security of the state remains paramount to all of us. This day was the day the APC were to conduct Delegate primaries for the Guma 1 Constituency By election, but unfortunately, it was marred by misconduct and this was posing some threats and insecurity in the local government area.
“In the last six months, the state has experienced relative peace and efforts are being made by security agencies to maintain that peace and I wouldn’t want all the efforts we have put in place to be in vain. I wouldn’t want anything that would trigger insecurity at any corner, not just in Guma local government, but the entire state.
“This is why it has become very important that I suspend the delegate primaries that are expected to take place in Guma local government today,” the governor explained.
He regretted that the party faithful who came out to make their choice were stopped at the gate of the Avine Agbom Hotel in Daudu, by some politicians who are not even from the local government, but came only to hijack the process.
According to governor Alia, since people get quite emotional and sensitive over issues of politics, the development has made the youth of the area emotional, with tensions rising in the area, and as such, it has become important as the Chief security Officer of the state, to order the suspension of the exercise.
He said Guma local government where the election was supposed to take place is the most vulnerable area in terms of insecurity, and as such, if the government does not step in immediately, the rising tensions will metamorphose into a serious security challenge.
He reiterated the desire of his administration to maintain absolute peace in the state, with the return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes still a matter of necessity.
He charged the security apparatchiks in the state to ensure that there is peace and harmony in Guma local government and the state as a whole, saying he trusts the National Working Committee of party to ensure that the right thing is done, as Guma local government is too fragile for anything less than peace at this time.
The governor was flanked at the press conference with the Commissioner of Police, George Chukwu, the State Commandant of Operation Whirl stroke, Major General Sunday, the Commandant, 401 Special Force Base, Rabiu A, Director of DSS in the State, Jonathan Kwe amongst other heads of security agencies in the state.
Meanwhile, the State Chairman of APC in the State, Comrade Austin Agada stated that the party had already conducted the primary delegates’ elections.
He disclosed that there was no security challenge as of today that could warrant suspension of the party delegates primary by the state governor.
“We have already conducted the primary and it was done under tight security and a peaceful atmosphere where all the delegates exercise their franchise freely without violence.
“Two aspirants were screened by the electoral Committee from the national Secretariat Abuja and during the election, one of the aspirants scored 38 votes while his opponent scored 3 votes.
“The national Secretariat of the party sent people to come and conduct the primary and they did a very good job. They cleared two aspirants to stand for the primary and at the end of the day, one of the aspirants scored 38 votes, while his opponent scored 3 votes.
“All the delegates and party stakeholders participated in the primary and it was done free, fair and credible. Therefore, the suspension of the primary would not hold water because the exercise was monitored by INEC officials and the electoral Committee from the national Secretariat”, Agada stated.
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
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