Politics
Isoko APC leaders decry marginalisation, seek commission’s MD
All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in Isoko, Delta State, have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the marginalisation of the ethnic nationality.
According to them, Isoko, the second place oil was discovered in the Niger Delta after Oluibiri, has not had any federal presence or any of their sons or daughters appointed as minister or into any federal executive position since 1999.
They said the only thing representing federal presence in Isoko is a police station and street lights by the NDDC.
In contrast, the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups have had ministers and others appointed to executive positions and enjoy other essential infrastructure.
The leaders are urging President Tinubu to appoint an Isoko person as the Managing Director of the newly created South-South Development Commission (SSDC) for the sake of equity and fairness.
They stressed that their peaceful agitation for inclusion at the national level, if continuously neglected, could give rise to violent agitation, which they have been working to avoid.
They made the call on behalf of the Isoko ethnic nationality at a briefing in Lagos.
Delta State APC Secretary, Chief Peter Akarogbe, said it will become difficult to sell the party to voters and convince people to work for it if the injustice persists.
He believes there is no better opportunity to address the neglect than to appoint an Isoko person as the SSDC MD.
He said many eminently qualified sons and daughters of Isoko can head the new commission.
Akarogbe said: “Our people have been marginalised for too long. In Delta South, there are three ethnic nationalities: Isoko, Ijaw and Itsekiri.
“Only Isoko has not gotten anything – either appointment or federal government presence. And it’s making it difficult for us to sell the party to our people.
“We believe it is an oversight by the President, so we want to draw his attention to these anomalies.
“The SSDC has been created. The chairman has been appointed from Cross River State. The headquarters is also in Akwa Ibom State. The board has not been constituted.
“We are calling on the President and all those in authority to look in the direction of the Isokos – for a son or daughter of Isoko to be appointed as the Managing Director of that commission for the sake of equity and fairness.
“We’re major stakeholders. Isoko is the largest onshore oil producer in Nigeria, producing close to 400 barrels per day onshore. So why should we not be considered for a federal appointment?
“We’re drawing the President’s attention to the oversight and pleading with him to appoint our own as the MD of the SSDC.”
Delta South APC Youth Leader Hyacinth Ewariezi described it as “painful and disheartening” that Isoko has not had a Federal appointment since 1999.
“I feel the SSDC was created for the Isoko to be accommodated because we have been blacked out despite our significant contribution to the economy.
“Party-wise, we have contributed our quota. So, the President should remember us by appointing an Isoko son as the MD. That is the agreement of the Isokos.
“When this is done, Isoko will surely reciprocate by voting him en masse in 2027.”
State APC Welfare Secretary, Mrs Hoplyn Akpotu-Ayu, stressed that the Isoko ethnic nationality cannot continue to be neglected.
She said: “Considering our contribution to the economy, this marginalisation saddens us, so we want the Federal Government to remember us this time.
“The entire Isokos agreed that we should be given this appointment, and we plead that nothing should sabotage that unanimous plea, especially given our enormous contribution to the economy.
“That way, we will be able to convince our people to vote APC in 2027.”
According to Mrs. Akpotu-Ayu, if an Isoko person is appointed MD of SSDC, he will be in the best position to attract the much-needed infrastructure and projects that have been lacking.
“It will also give our people hope that, having appointed their son to that position, other appointments will follow.
“In the Senatorial district, the President had the highest number of votes from the Isoko nationality.
“So, there is no justification for continuously neglecting us just because we have no person at the top speaking for us.
“The President needs to know that such a level of marginalisation is being carried out against a populous ethnic nationality with great voting strength.
“The best way the President can correct it is to give this MD-ship to an Isoko son.
“Ijaws and Isekiri have produced many ministers and senior special advisers, chairmen of commissions and federal commissioners. Isoko has never gotten one. It’s like man’s inhumanity to man. It’s not fair.
“So we urge the President to address the issue to avoid violent agitation because when peaceful agitation is resisted, it could give rise to violent agitation.
“Isoko leaders are already suppressing the youths from taking arms. There should be a reward for being peaceful.
“When there was no offshore oil production, it was the Isokos and a part of the Urhobo that were sustaining the country, but today, the nationality is being neglected. The reward for their making peace should not be neglect.”
APC Isoko South Chairman, Vincent Egbogbo, said other ethnic groups have enjoyed a lot of political patronage from the Federal Government over the years.
“So, we’re appealing to the President to please wipe our tears by appointing our son as the SSDC MD. That is the only way the Isoko can be carried along.
“In fact, the gods of our land will go after anyone who obstructs this request from coming to fruition,” he said.
The leaders said many representations have been made to the Federal Government over the years, with letters also sent to President Tinubu, but none have yielded a positive outcome so far.
They are hopeful that the President will listen to their appeals this time.
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
Politics
Electoral act: Senate’s action confirms Nigeria ‘fantastically corrupt’, ‘disgraced’ – Peter Obi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the Senate’s refusal to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory, saying the move further exposes Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt and disgraced country.
Obi expressed his views in a statement shared on X on Friday, where he accused lawmakers of deliberately weakening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that his reaction came after a brief pause to mourn victims of a deadly tragedy in Kwara State, where over 150 people reportedly lost their lives.
“Let us first pray for the souls of the innocent Nigerians lost in Kwara. That painful incident is why I delayed responding to the shameful development surrounding our electoral system,” he wrote.
Describing the Senate’s decision as intentional and dangerous, Obi said rejecting mandatory electronic transmission was not a simple oversight but a calculated attempt to block transparency.
“The Senate’s open rejection of electronic transmission of results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027,” he said.
According to him, the action strikes at the heart of democracy and raises serious questions about the true purpose of governance in Nigeria.
“This failure to pass a clear safeguard is a direct attack on our democracy. By refusing these transparency measures, the foundation of credible elections is being destroyed. One must ask whether government exists to ensure justice and order or to deliberately create chaos for the benefit of a few.”
The former Anambra State governor linked the post-election controversies of the 2023 general elections to the failure to fully deploy electronic transmission of results, insisting that Nigerians were misled with claims of technical failures.
“
The confusion, disputes and manipulation that followed the 2023 elections were largely due to the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission,” he said.
He added that the so-called system glitch never truly existed.
Obi compared Nigeria’s electoral process with those of other African countries that have embraced technology to improve credibility, lamenting that Nigeria continues to fall behind.
“Many African nations now use electronic transmission to strengthen their democracy. Yet Nigeria, which calls itself the giant of Africa, is moving backwards and dragging the continent along.”
He criticised Nigeria’s leadership class, saying the country’s problems persist not because of a lack of ideas but because of deliberate resistance to meaningful reform.
“We keep organising conferences and writing policy papers about Nigeria’s challenges. But the truth is that the leaders and elite are the real problem. Our refusal to change is pushing the nation backwards into a primitive system of governance.”
Warning of the dangers ahead, Obi said rejecting electronic transmission creates room for confusion and disorder that only serves the interests of a small group.
He also recalled past remarks by foreign leaders who described Nigeria as corrupt, arguing that actions like this continue to justify those statements.
“When a former UK Prime Minister described Nigeria as ‘fantastically corrupt,’ we were offended. When former US President Donald Trump called us a ‘disgraced nation,’ we were angry. But our continued resistance to transparency keeps proving them right.”
Obi warned that Nigerians should not accept a repeat of the electoral irregularities witnessed in 2023.
“Let there be no mistake. The criminality seen in 2023 must not be tolerated in 2027.”
He urged citizens to be ready to defend democracy through lawful and decisive means, while also calling on the international community to closely monitor developments in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“The international community must pay attention to the groundwork being laid for future electoral manipulation, which threatens our democracy and development,” Obi stated.
He concluded by expressing hope that change is still possible if Nigerians take collective responsibility.
“A new Nigeria is possible but only if we all rise and fight for it.”
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