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Akpabio: Nigeria’s elections better since PDP left power
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has asserted that Nigeria’s electoral process has seen substantial improvement since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was no longer in power.
Akpabio made the observation during the plenary session on Wednesday, as recorded by NASSTV, while speaking on the second reading of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Reflecting on the evolution of elections in Nigeria, the Senate President suggested that even veteran politicians would acknowledge the system’s marked advancements compared to previous years.
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He addressed a colleague, saying: “I’m sure that even myself and Senator Abaribe, who have been around for almost two and a half decades in these electoral matters, I know you don’t care about political party, you win elections in any party.
“You have a lot of experience, but you will agree with me that since PDP left, the elections have improved tremendously in this country,” Akpabio said.
He recounted that the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had publicly admitted the defects of the 2007 general elections that led to his presidency.
Akpabio recalled the 2007 scenario: “I recall, I’ve been close to most of the presidents since 1999, and I recall in 2007, when I won as a governor, our then president, may his soul rest in peace, President Yar’Adua, had to come out publicly to say that the election that brought him as president was totally flawed,” he said.
“He said it was full of inconsistencies and rigging. Since then, we have plugged the holes.”
Regarding the 2023 general elections, Akpabio noted that despite the continued attempts by Nigerians to exploit weaknesses, the overall system has gotten better. He highlighted the extensive legal arguments concerning the interpretation of the constitutional requirement for presidential victory, specifically in relation to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He described the legal debate: “Imagine this last election, we had to go up to the Supreme Court arguing as to whether winning the Federal Capital Territory was the only reason why you should become president,” he said.
“People were saying, No, win FCT and then you have won the presidency. So, you can lose in 36 states of the federation, but once you win FCT, you have become president. They wasted time, had panels upon panels on television, and at the end of the day, we got to the Supreme Court and back.
“Common sense could have told us that that was not the intent of the Electoral Act.”
The Senate President further criticized electoral fraud, especially instances where non-winners allegedly secure their positions through the judicial system.
He claimed that certain unnamed individuals from Anambra State traveled internationally during the 2023 elections to create documents, which they subsequently presented in court post-polls.
Akpabio shared a specific allegation: “Nigerians will still do mischief. For those of us from Anambra, we know that there are people who travel abroad during election, crafting papers, and immediately after the election, they go to court. Suddenly, you’ll find they’re inside the Senate, and the real winner is crying outside.”
He emphasized the necessity for further amendments to the Electoral Act to eliminate legal ambiguities and strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.
He concluded by stressing the need for reform before the bill proceeded: “We must find a way to plug the loopholes of such occurrences so that we can have a better electoral system,” Akpabio said, before calling for the bill to proceed to second reading.
Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo has suggested implementing legislation requiring government personnel to utilize Nigerian carriers for overseas travel where available.
The proposal was presented on Sunday at a ceremonial departure event for Air Peace’s first direct service between Abuja and London Heathrow Airport.
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Benjamin Kalu, who serves as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Air Peace’s Chairman Allen Onyema attended the ceremony at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The minister revealed plans for legislation called the Fly Nigerian Act, expressing confidence that it would receive parliamentary approval through Kalu’s support.
Under the proposed framework, government employees traveling internationally would be obligated to book with Nigerian carriers operating their intended routes.
The requirement would only be waived when no domestic airline services the destination, Keyamo clarified.
The minister referenced similar policies implemented globally, citing American and Indian aviation preference laws as examples, and stressed Nigeria’s need to support its national carriers similarly.
He outlined the practical application: before any government representative—whether legislators, ministers, or agency directors—books international travel, they must first verify whether a Nigerian airline operates that route and prioritize it accordingly.
Keyamo confirmed the ministry’s dedication to advancing this legislation through the approval process.
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the South-East in the National Assembly have issued a warning that they may withdraw from the party’s upcoming national convention if the National Woman Leader position is reassigned from their region.
The PDP convention is scheduled to hold on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
However, growing discord has emerged within the party as the South-East caucus in the House of Representatives maintains that the woman leader role must continue to belong to their zone.
READ ALSO: Northern PDP leaders endorse Kabiru Turaki for party chairmanship
Rep. Ikenga-Imo Ugochinyere, spokesperson of the South-East PDP caucus in the House, announced this position in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
He indicated that the legislators will release an official disclaimer regarding the Ibadan convention should they verify that the role has been reassigned to another region.
According to Ugochinyere, the lawmakers are ready to defend the political rights of the region, stressing that any move to strip the South-East of the woman leader position would amount to a deliberate insult.
He said, “We don’t want to see PDP suffer more setbacks; still, we will stick to our position at the Ibadan convention if, in the next few weeks, what we are hearing is confirmed.”
The representative cautioned that no elected official from the South-East would continue their PDP membership should this arrangement proceed. He noted there remains adequate time for party leadership to address this grievance before candidate screening commences.
Ugochinyere clarified that the previous zoning formula, which designated Enugu State to provide the woman leader, became void after Governor Peter Mbah’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He noted that this defection also impacted Mbah’s selection for the woman leader role, who has similarly moved to the APC.
The PDP Spokesman accused certain elements within the party of plotting to shift the position to the South-South, warning that such a move would provoke anger across the South-East.
“However, confirmed information is filtering in that some people are trying to move that woman leader position out of the South-East to the South-South,” he said.
The South-East caucus reached out to PDP leaders across the South, including Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, requesting their support in ensuring the role stays within their zone.
Ugochinyere described any attempt to take the position away as “an insult” to the South-East and a move that could further divide the party.
Furthermore, he warned that a boycott by South-East lawmakers could intensify the existing turmoil within the PDP and discourage members from attending the Ibadan convention.
Fear swept through the Orile-Iganmu neighborhood of Lagos on Sunday following a gas explosion that tore through part of the Orisunmibare Market, off Baale Street, consuming numerous shops in intense flames.
While the incident claimed no lives, the blaze that ignited approximately 2:13 p.m. destroyed merchandise valued at millions of naira and caused traders and local residents to flee for their lives.
Authorities traced the source of the explosion to a gas retail establishment that reportedly stored numerous cylinders of different capacities.
READ ALSO: Deadly petrol tanker explosion rocks Abeokuta–Sagamu expressway
An eyewitness, identified simply as Ejem, who narrowly escaped, recounted: “I was inside when it happened. Around us here, there are three filling stations — one is the MRS filling station opposite my street; another is a gas company behind my street; and then there’s a man who has a very big shop where he sells gas.
They said one of the boys at the shop was pressing his phone when the explosion occurred.
The fire spread quickly because part of the nearby market also had shops where people used camp gas for cooking.”
Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, verified the event, noting that personnel arrived swiftly and successfully managed the emergency.
“No lives were lost, except for one person who sustained a minor hand injury,” she said.
In a related development, firefighting teams addressed a separate emergency involving a 33,000-litre petrol tanker along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, close to the Berger Car Depot.
The tanker, bearing registration number AAB-942YC, discharged its cargo following a collision with a Mercedes-Benz Jeep (plate number LSR 606HX) and seven additional stationary vehicles on display for purchase.
According to Adeseye, “Prompt intervention by the Ajegunle and Ijegun-Egba Fire Crews prevented the spill from escalating into another disaster. The remaining fuel has been safely transferred to another tanker, while recovery of damaged vehicles is ongoing.”
Additionally, the Fire Service conducted a rescue operation for an individual trapped within an underground drainage system along Ikorodu Road, near Idiroko Bus Stop, inward Maryland, Anthony Village, on Saturday afternoon.
Adeseye reported that the emergency call came in at 12:24 p.m., prompting immediate dispatch of the Ilupeju Fire Station to the location.
“Upon arrival, responders discovered that a male adult, about 55 years old, had accidentally fallen into a manhole. Our rescue personnel immediately initiated a confined-space rescue operation using specialized equipment, and after sustained effort, the victim was recovered alive and handed over to the Police from Anthony Division for further action,” she stated.
The operation, which continued until 3:41 p.m., concluded successfully with the area properly secured.
Adeseye emphasized the agency’s dedication to safeguarding lives and property throughout Lagos, highlighting that despite handling multiple emergencies over 48 hours, “all incidents were efficiently contained without any loss of life.”
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