By Our Correspondent

As the campaign for 2027 election kicks off, a chieftain of the Accord Party, Adeleke’s victory proofs Osun residents appreciate good governance -Timothy Folaranmi
, popularly known as Timo Ejigbo, has described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election as a victory achieved through prayers, perseverance and the confidence of the people of Osun State in his administration.

It would be recalled that the incumbent governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, won the election with 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who secured 444,815 votes.

Folaranmi, who spoke while reflecting on the outcome of the governorship election, said the Governor performed very well during his first tenure, hence the reason why the residents voted him for a second tenure in office.

According to him, Adeleke’s performance was responsible for the support he received from voters, expressing confidence that the governor would perform better during his second term.

“The people of Osun that voted for the Governor know who he is and the work he has been doing that warranted them voting for him, and I believe that he will do better than the first term,” Folaranmi added.

Speaking on his motivation for political participation, Folaranmi said his involvement in politics was driven primarily by his desire to contribute to the welfare and development of his people rather than personal gain.

“I do not have much, but the little God gives me, I give it out. I can just say giving out is my talent. What drives me into politics is not just personal gain. One of the reasons I joined politics is so that we can help our people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Comrade Tunde Salami, popularly known as Sportman, commended Folaranmi for his contributions to sports development and grassroots mobilisation in Ejigbo.

Salami said Folaranmi had become a major contributor to football development in the local government, describing his interventions as significant to the growth of young talents.

“Today, when we talk about sports development in Ejigbo Local Government, we cannot do without Comrade Timothy Folaranmi. He has done a lot in the football circle,” Salami said.

Salami also highlighted Folaranmi’s sponsorship of the Timo for Imole Football Competition, which he said began in 2024/2025, noting that the competition had provided opportunities for young footballers in the area.

“He hosted the first edition of the football competition in 2024/2025 called Timo for Imole Football Competition. The first prize came with millions of naira, and we are just deciding on the second edition last week. He is the best so far and we really appreciate him,” he said.

He further disclosed that Folaranmi had supported referees, players and coaches, including assisting some coaches who recently completed professional training courses.

Salami said the sports community in Ejigbo was grateful for Folaranmi’s interventions and promised that stakeholders would reciprocate his support by contributing to the development of sports in the area.

He said Folaranmi understood the importance of sports to youth mobilisation, adding that the politician had made sports one of the pillars of his grassroots engagement.

“He also believes that where we have youths is mainly in sports. That is why he made sports one of the pillars of mobilisation,” Salam added.

By George Mgbeleke

Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima and Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara on Thursday inaugurated the newly constructed 33.5-kilometer Elele-Egbeda-Omoku dual carriageway, a major infrastructure project designed to boost connectivity and enhance economic activities.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Onwuka Nzeshi,the project, is a critical transit corridor linking several communities across Ikwerre, Emohua, and Ogba–Egbema–Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

The Vice President, who performed the official commissioning of the road, described it as an example of a subnational government’s efforts to expand the nation’s road network in order to enhance movement of goods and people as well as expand economic opportunities.

Shettima stated that roads are the most democratic instruments of development as they serve the farmer carrying produce to the market, the trader seeking customers, the worker traveling to seeking employment, the student going to school, and the patient seeking medical care.

He recalled that the road being celebrated once stood as a warning rather than an invitation to commuters because of the deep gullies that made every journey a herculean task amidst security concerns.

He applauded Governor Fubara for the intervention made by his administration which has put the ugly memories people had of the road behind them. He said that by transforming the once deplorable route into a modern dual carriageway, illuminated for safer movement by day and night, Governor Fubara has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the people of Rivers State.

Delivering his address at the ceremony, Governor Fubara emphasised that the completion of the road has transformed a route previously plagued by avoidable man hour losses and insecurity into a fast and secure highway.

According to him, the Elele – Omoku Road is not just a signature project but an eloquent testimony of his administration’s love and care for the people of Rivers State, describing it as a promise kept.

“For anybody who understands the nature of this road, they will appreciate what we have done here. It’s not just a project; it’s a statement that we have made to show our people that we care for you.

“We already know what normally happens on this road. It is a corridor for kidnap; it is also a very big corridor for bunkering. I’m very, very convinced that with what we have done today, those things will be things of the past. Security agencies can now operate effectively along this corridor,” he said.

Governor Fubara acknowledged that the delivery of the project would not have been possible without the support of the people in the communities along the route and thanked them for their unflinching support for his administration.

Fubara who expressed happiness at the presence of the Vice President at the commissioning ceremony, said it was a demonstration of the fact that Rivers State remains an integral part of Nigeria and that the country is standing by the state.

“For a long time, I felt that maybe, we’re not part of this country. But today, I feel very happy that our country is also standing by us. I feel happy and fulfilled that even in the face of all our trials, the face of all the ordeals that befell this administration, there are still positive things that people can see and look at and say: ‘Yes, you meant well for the people,” he said.

In an earlier presentation, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Prof. Temple Nwofor, affirmed that the road project was delivered according to high engineering standards and specifications to ensure long-term structural integrity.

Nwofor stressed that the contract, awarded to Messrs Craneburg Construction Company on March 26, 2024, included 6 kilometers of drainage and a 99-meter long by 11-meter wide bridge at the Ubimini axis, alongside full street lighting across the entire length of the highway.

“The basic specifics of this project is a total construction and rehabilitation of approximately 33.5 kilometers of road works with a width of 7.3 meters on both sides of the dual carriageway, an asphaltic binder course of 50mm, an asphaltic wearing course of 50mm, a concrete shoulder of 1.2 meters on both sides, and a concrete median of 1.4 meters.

“This road project represents another significant step in the determination of the Rivers State Government to provide durable infrastructure that will improve connectivity,” he said.

By George Mgbeleke
Following the commencement of campaign for 2027 general election on wednesaday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced a two-day strategic communication workshop for Heads of Department, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), from its state offices across the country, as part of preparations for general Election.

The workshop, holding in Abuja from August 19 to 20, 2026, is designed to strengthen the capacity of state-level communication officers to engage effectively with voters, tackle misinformation and disinformation, and promote public confidence in the electoral process.

Declaring the workshop open, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the Commission was contending with several operational challenges, including funding constraints under the envelope budgeting system, a growing electorate and its expanding statutory responsibilities.

Haruna said the recently suspended Nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise was expected to result in a voter register of more than 100 million voters, highlighting the scale of the responsibilities confronting the Commission ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the workshop was organised in response to identified capacity gaps among VEP officers nationwide, expressing confidence that the training would provide participants with practical knowledge and tools to effectively discharge their voter education and public information responsibilities.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the workshop, Haruna said the training was particularly important as political parties begin their campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the training would help VEP officers develop effective communication strategies ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Assembly elections expected to follow three weeks later.

On voter apathy, Haruna cautioned against placing the responsibility for low turnout entirely on INEC, describing voter participation as a broader democratic challenge.

He cited the Commission’s recent off-cycle governorship elections, which he said had continued to improve in credibility, noting that observers, civil society organisations and the media had commended the most recent exercises.

The National Commissioner stressed that although voter education was a statutory responsibility of INEC, political parties also had an important role in mobilising their supporters to participate in elections.

He further noted that weaknesses in internal party democracy, particularly in candidate selection processes, could contribute to voter disengagement.

In her welcome remarks, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity Department, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, said the workshop was intended to address a longstanding shortage of professional communication training among Heads of Department, VEP.

Eta-Messi explained that recent redeployments had compounded the challenge, with some officers without formal communication backgrounds now responsible for media relations and public communication in politically sensitive environments.

She said the training would strengthen participants’ ability to manage misinformation campaigns, coordinate voter education programmes in their states and communicate election-related information and results accurately and confidently.

The Director reaffirmed the department’s commitment to ensuring that INEC’s communication remained visible, accessible and accountable to citizens and other stakeholders.

She also commended the resource persons, Prof. Okey Ikechukwu and Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, describing them as experienced communication professionals engaged to strengthen participants’ capacity as effective voter education practitioners.

The workshop features five thematic sessions covering strategic voter education as development communication for sustainable citizenship; legal literacy as a strategy for effective voter education; INEC’s internal and external communication policy; understanding and countering deliberate misinformation in the electoral process; and the effective release of official information, including what information should be released, where, when, to whom and how.

The training brings together Heads of Department, VEP, from INEC state offices nationwide alongside officials of the Commission’s Voter Education and Publicity Department.