The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement has commenced mobilisation in Borno State to rally support for the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in 2027.

Borno is the home state of the Vice President.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement in Maiduguri on Tuesday and distribution of campaign materials of 44 vehicles, 88 speakers, 44 generators, 44 amplifiers, and 44 microphones, at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Square, College of Education, the Grand Patron of the movement, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, urged the people of the state to reciprocate the retention of Vice President Shettima by voting massively for the APC in 2027.

Represented by Kestin Pondi, Managing Director of Tantita Limited, Tompolo said the people of Borno State should demonstrate the confidence and trust of the President in their son and for all the security gains being recorded in the state by supporting the administration and re-election in 2027.

He urged the party faithful to extend the goodwill extended to President Tinubu to the grassroots by mobilizing other citizens, noting that the President has laid a solid foundation that will make it easier to build a more prosperous country when victory is achieved in the 2027 general elections.

Furthermore, he showered praises on the Borno State Governor for the visible development strides that greet every visitor to the state and appealed to the electorate to vote for the APC governorship flag bearer to ensure the continuity of these achievements.

The campaign unveiling was performed by Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, represented by his deputy, Umar Usman Kadafur, and supported by party chieftains.

Flagging off the campaign, the Deputy Governor said the state remains prepared for what he described as massive grassroots support for President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima.                                                                                                  

Addressing party faithful, the APC Deputy National Chairman, North, Ali Bukar Dalori, called on members to take the campaign to the grassroots and mobilise support for President Tinubu.

Borno APC governorship candidate, Engineer Mustapha Gubio, said the Tinubu administration has demonstrated what he described as dividends of democracy, pledging continued support for the Tinubu–Shettima ticket in 2027.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has warned the public against dealing with impostors parading themselves as candidates and leaders of the party in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.

The party also said that it was yet to join any coalition or working arrangement with any other political party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party made its position known in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the party’s Founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam.

“It has come to the knowledge of NNPP leadership that certain individuals, who have been expelled from our fold, confirmed by court judgments and INEC, have been parading themselves as leaders of the party with the intent to extort money from unsuspecting political parties and candidates.

Aniebonam particularly urged the APC, NDC and ADC to be very cautious in dealing with people who come as representatives of other parties without proof.

“All contestants, coalition or political parties, who may have been duped, should go back to the impostors for a refund of their money paid as contestants’ fees or for alliance.

“The authentic NNPP with the basket of fruits logo is not a member of any coalition. It stands to reason that as a national political party, we are independent,” Aniebonam stated.

According to him, the NNPP will announce certain decisions with regard to strategic alliances with any of the political parties for purposes of the 2027 general elections if there is need to.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the following people have the mandate of NNPP as the authentic leaders to speak and take informed decisions on behalf of the party.

“These are the recognised officials by INEC.

“The officers include, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, Founder and Chairman, Board of Trustees; Dr Agbo Major, National Chairman; Oginni Olaposi, National Secretary; Prince Toyese, National Treasurer; and Aisha Kade Onyia, National Woman Leader,” Aniebonam stated.(NAN)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stressed the need for proper archiving, cataloguing and documentation of operational and electoral records ahead of the 2027 general elections.

These, according to the commission, are critical measures for sustaining public trust and institutional credibility.

INEC’s Director of Voter Education (VEP), Victoria Eta-Messi, gave the task on Tuesday in Abuja during a two-day capacity-building workshop for INEC staff members in the Graphics, Library, and Documentation (GLD) division from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The theme for the workshop organised by the VEP department was “Preserving Institutional Memory Through Effective Archiving and Documentation.”

Eta-Messi, while describing archiving and documentation as a key aspect of the electoral process, cautioned against the practice where historical electoral materials in state offices were stored improperly, leading to loss of critical institutional knowledge.

She identified the GLD as a “key leg” in the VEP department, entrusted with proper archiving for posterity, for reference and for lesson learning.

“A lot of times, we go to the states and things are in boxes, packed away somewhere and they rot. That does not allow us to do a comparative analysis and to learn from what existed in previous cycles of election.

“So, it is important that we begin to do the right thing; we begin to preserve knowledge and preserve our processes so that we can compare and learn, and consolidate on what existed, and then improve on what we had before then,” she said.

Eta-Messi said that the training was designed to strengthen the capacity of officers under the GLD division, which she described as the youngest yet vital division in the publicity department.

“GLD is the youngest division in the department, and coincidentally, there is a lot that the division needs to do.

“This is why we are trying to ensure that we build capacity in the respective states so that we begin to do what we are expected to do,” Eta-Messi said.

She urged PAOs, who double as GLD desk officers in their respective states, to take advantage of the training to be better prepared and positioned to do the work upon return to their various states.

“Let us try to help the department to help the commission to succeed in its archiving and documentation responsibilities,” she said.

Dwelling on the workshop’s overview and objectives, the GLD Deputy Director, Perpetual Aligwara, said that the commission’s credibility depended as much on its memory as on its neutrality.

According to Aligwara, every election cycle generates decisions, residues and lessons that are critical to the commission’s continuity, hence the need for the workshop ahead of 2027 polls.

She warned that without structured records management, the commission faces severe operational and legal risks.

Aligwara said that with proper documentation the commission would not only be able to explain its decisions better, but speak with authority.

“Without careful record management, the commission faces a big danger of losing the procedural knowledge of the commission’s activities, such as electoral activities, when staff or commissioners exit at the end of tenure and many others,” she stated.

She highlighted others challenges to include: inconsistent application of guidelines across state and local offices due to undocumented practice and repeated litigation or public trust risk when the rationale behind past decisions cannot be produced.

Aligwara cautioned officers against relying on temporary digital platforms or phone storage for critical photo and video records.

She called for the establishment of central, secure archives across all state offices to store election guidelines, result documentations, litigation records and all INEC activities in the form of written documents and pictorials.

Aligwara noted that in spite of the present digital world, people are still engaged in reading and sorting out information for research and other things.

“Institutional memory is not a luxury for an electoral management body like INEC.

“It is a safeguard for consistent, transparent and public confidence across election cycles.

A commission that documents its work builds trust that outlasts any single election,” she said.(NAN)