POLITICS
Suspected Thugs Disrupt Elections in Parts of Port Harcourt
Suspected political thugs disrupted Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections in parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers capital.
The affected polling units included Ward 5 Unit 43 Elelenwo and Ward Nine Unit Three, Rumueme, both in Obio/Akpo Local Government Area.
The suspected thugs who some voters described as “virgilantees” stormed ward nine, unit three Rumeme around 4.
20p.m. in two Toyota Siena buses.They commandeered the electoral officers and the materials into the vehicles and zoomed off as the unarmed security personnel at the polling unit watched helplessly.
Earlier, a voter in the unit, Mr Samuel Uzochukwu told reporters that he and his wife had been at the polling station since morning waiting for INEC officials who later arrived late.
According to him, the BVAS machines the officials came with were not functioning for hours before they were rectified.
“The exercise is a sham; we have been here since morning and it’s now 3.53p.m. and only 40 persons have been accredited and we have over 2000 voters here as you can see,” he said.
Another voter, Emma Ajoku said he came out to vote but was very disappointed that he could not vote at almost 4p.m.
“They started at 11a.m. and said one BVAS was not funtioning and up till now few persons have been accredited,” she said.
At Ward Five Unit 43 Elelenwo some suspected thugs snatched the ballot boxes before the votes cast could be counted by INEC officials.
A voter, Johnson Woka said the hoodlums came into the polling unit, chased away voters who were waiting for their votes to be countered and made away with the ballot boxes.
“When the political thugs came to the centre, they insisted that the votes would be counted at the Registration Area Centre (RAC) and some voters protested.
“We told them that what they are demanding contradicted INEC processes that state that votes should be counted at the polling units.
“They proceeded to the Presiding Officer and the lone police officer and said they had agreed to move the ballot boxes to the RAC which we knew was not true,” he said.
Another voter, who simply gave her name as Cynthia said the thugs also harassed some voters who had attempted to resist them.
“One of the political thugs even smashed an iPhone belonging to a lady who was alleged to be filming them when they raided the centre,” she added.
In Unit 20, Ward 10, Obio/Akpo LGA, all the voters were frustrated as they were disenfranchised, because the BVAS did not function while the INEC officials left the polling station in company of some policemen.
Some of the voters, Grace Ogar and Engr. Austin Omoko said they were frustrated as no one cast his/her votes.
The Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) Isaac Okpiri said, “as you can see everywhere is charged and everybody is tensed up. I can’t say anything again.”
A voter in Ward Ward 10, Unit 21, Faith Mark, said she did not vote due to the malfunctioning of the BVAS machines deployed to the unit.
“They called out only 100 names. Some military men arrived and they INEC officials left with them,” she said.
Another voter, Ifeanyichukwu Nsuofor, expressed sadness for being disenfranchised, saying the three BVAS machines in the units were not functional. (NAN)
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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