By George Mgbeleke
Barely few days to Ekiti Governorship Election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that extensive security arrangements have been put in place to ensure a peaceful, credible and violence-free governorship election in Ekiti State on Saturday June 20, this year.

The Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance during a mock accreditation exercise in Ado-Ekiti, where the Commission tested the functionality of its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the poll.

According to him, security personnel are being deployed from different parts of the country to identified flashpoints to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral officials and election materials throughout the exercise.

INEC Boss disclosed that INEC, in collaboration with security agencies, has already mapped out areas of potential concern and put measures in place to prevent any breach of peace during the election.

Beyond security preparations, the INEC Chairman expressed satisfaction with the performance of the BVAS during the mock accreditation exercise, noting that the device successfully accredited voters within seconds and effectively detected individuals who attempted to verify accreditation outside their designated polling units.

He explained that the technology now contains safeguards that make it impossible for presiding officers to upload results that do not tally with figures entered on official result sheets, thereby strengthening transparency and credibility in the electoral process.

Amupitan also dismissed concerns about possible delays in densely populated polling units, stating that INEC’s polling unit splitting arrangement and deployment protocols would ensure seamless accreditation and voting.

The INEC Chairman further revealed that all non-sensitive election materials have been distributed and batched, while electoral officers across the state have confirmed their readiness for the exercise.

He expressed confidence that voting would commence as scheduled across the state, assuring residents that the Commission remains fully prepared to deliver a free, fair and credible governorship election.

By David Owei

Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, Action Congress AC governorship candidate for Bayelsa State in 2007 and current Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority NDBDA, has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his contributions to democratic governance in Nigeria.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja in commemoration of
Democracy Day, Prince Amgbare recalled contesting the 2007 Bayelsa governorship election and challenging the flawed process through the courts. With the backing of then AC National Leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the Bayelsa Election Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt annulled the election in February 2008.

“As a follower of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I have continued to uphold the tenets and principles of democracy,” he said. “The best way to choose leaders in a democratic system is through the ballot. On this Democracy Day, I am reminded that democracy is not just about casting votes. It is about what happens after the votes are cast.”

“In 2007, I contested on the platform of the Action Congress. The process was flawed. The will of the people was threatened. But we did not take up arms. We did not burn tyres. We went to court,” he stated.

“That judgment proved three things. First, that the ballot is the only legitimate path to power in a democracy. Second, that the rule of law is alive in Nigeria when leaders have the courage to defend it. President Asiwaju Tinubu and the AC showed us then that opposition is not about abuse. It is about using the Constitution to check power.
We fought PDP dominance not with thugs, but with petitions and evidence. Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, and Bayelsa all won cases in court.

“That era taught Nigerians: ‘If your vote does not count at the polling unit, let it count in court.’ Third, that democracy requires sacrifice and patience. The court process was long and the pressure was high. But we stayed the course because we believed Nigeria was worth it. Today, that same commitment to constitutionalism is what President Tinubu is bringing to Aso Rock.”

Prince Amgbare added: “Democracy dies when citizens are afraid of courts. Democracy grows when leaders respect judgments, even when they lose. I am proud that my small role in Bayelsa 2007 became part of AC’s larger story: building a Nigeria where no president, no governor, no party is above the law. May God continue to guide our nation, and may His hand hold us fast as we build a stronger democracy. Happy Democracy Day.”

Prince Amgbare, who served on the steering committee of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform – CODER under convener Pa Ayo Opadokun, also praised President Tinubu’s support for CODER. Founded in 2009 by individuals and CSOs committed to ensuring “every vote counts,” CODER was a non-partisan watchdog for credible elections.

CODER played a key role in the first phase of electoral reform that culminated in President Umaru Yar’Adua’s reforms following the Uwais Committee recommendations. The coalition helped push for the 2010 Electoral Act amendments on voter register integrity, introduction of card readers, and stronger INEC independence – provisions that governed the 2011 and 2015 elections.

On February 15, 2008, the Bayelsa Governorship Election Appeal Court sitting in PH, nullified Governor Timipre Sylva’s election for non-compliance with the Electoral Act and widespread irregularities. A rerun was ordered for May 24, 2008. While Sylva won the rerun, the case became part of AC’s narrative of confronting rigging through the judiciary, not violence. Tinubu’s backing of Prince Amgbare reinforced his image as an opposition leader who bankrolled legal battles against PDP dominance.

AC was formed in 2006, mainly from the Alliance for Democracy AD bloc in Southwest Nigeria. It became the main opposition to PDP from 2007 to 2013, controlling Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, and Ogun at various times. In 2013, AC merged with CPC, ANPP, and a faction of APGA to form the All Progressives Congress APC, which ended PDP’s 16-year rule in 2015.

Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, while in Washington, USA, recently, before Nigerians seeking his view on unifying Nigerians, stated emphatically that if he becomes President, he will listen to every section.

To achieve the aim of unifying the country, ‘I will listen to all agitators, harmonise them and make some sacrifices with a view to bringing the country together.’

When Peter Obi stated that he would “listen to all agitators with a view to uniting Nigerians,” he offered a significant shift from the conventional, iron-fisted approach to state security and national cohesion.

This philosophy according to a release issued by Ibrahim Umar a presidential campaign spokesman positions dialogue, social justice, and inclusion as the primary mechanisms for healing Nigeria’s deep-seated geopolitical fractures. Unfortunately, his position has been misconstrued by some people who singled out Nnamdi Kanu as one of the agitators and ran with it just to attach Obi to their ethnic motives.

For decades, Nigeria has leaned heavily on military and security interventions to suppress regional grievances, whether in the Southeast, the Niger Delta, the Middle Belt or the North. Obi’s proposal, being twisted by opponents, suggests that agitation is often a symptom, not the root cause.

By shifting the strategy from active combat to active listening, Obi plans to treat agitators not just as security threats but as citizens with grievances — many of which stem from economic marginalisation, perceived injustice, and institutional neglect.

True national unity cannot be coerced; it must be built. The core argument for Obi’s dialogue-first model rests on three main pillars: Many regional agitations are driven by poverty, high youth unemployment, and uneven development. Listening allows the government to identify the socio-economic disparities driving the anger.
Agitation frequently flares up when a region feels entirely excluded from the federal power structure.

A conversational approach signals that every region has a legitimate seat at the table. And democracy, which our principal plans to practise realistically, will encourage structured dialogue to restore faith in democratic institutions and to demonstrate that the state values civic engagement over intimidation.
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
This timeless principle underpins the concept of engaging aggrieved factions to find a common, workable middle ground for a fractured nation.

Peter Obi’s Media Office, therefore, believes that his stance of listening to agitators is a pragmatic recognition that gun barrel diplomacy has its limits. For a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state like Nigeria, unity cannot be enforced by decree.

It must be negotiated through shared prosperity, fairness, and mutual respect. A New Nigeria is Possible.

End