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Stolen BVAS, PVCs Will Be Replaced, Osun Election Safe – INEC
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the reported attack on one of its Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collection centres in Osun will not deter it from conducting a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.
Chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Dayo Oketola, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists on Monday in Abuja.
Some suspected hoodlums had, on Sunday, stormed an INEC PVC collection centre located at Oyinlola DC School, Ward 2, Okuku, attacking staff members on duty and carting away electoral materials, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and PVCs.
Mr Oketola, however, said that the incident had been formally reported to the police, adding that they had already commenced an investigation into the incident.
“The Osun incident has been reported to the police. As we speak, it is already public knowledge that the police have started an investigation,” Mr Oketola said.
He expressed confidence in the police to apprehend the suspects and recover the stolen commission assets.
“As a commission, we trust that the police will be diligent in their investigation, track those suspects, get them arrested and ensure they face the wrath of the law.
“We also trust that they’ll be able to recover our devices, including the BVAS that were reportedly carted away,” he added.
Mr Oketola maintained that, in spite of the attack, INEC’s operational preparations for the upcoming election remained firmly on track.
“It is a matter already under investigation, I cannot actually comment too much on it.
“But I know that that cannot distract INEC from carrying out the activities preceding the Osun governorship election.
“INEC cannot be distracted. We will conduct a free and fair election in Osun. That incident cannot distract us.
“The election will go on as planned, and we expect it to be free, fair and credible at the end of the day,” he said.
He disclosed that, as part of preparations, the commission was embarking on a pre-assessment tour of the state to evaluate operational readiness and engage key local stakeholders.
Mr Oketola also stated that a total of 4,427 BVAS devices had been configured for the governorship election, including 664 backup units, which could take care of any incident before and during the election.
He also said that INEC had established 97 Super Registration Area Centres (Super RACs) and 105 Registration Area Centres across all the local government areas in the state, which would be fully activated on the night before the election.
“Whatever was carted away will be replaced. Out of the 4,427 BVAS, we have 664 prepared as backups. There is no way whatever happened can disrupt our plans for the election,” he assured.
The chief press secretary described the stealing of PVCs as an exercise in futility, given the strict biometric verification required by the BVAS technology.
“Nobody can use another person’s PVC to vote in an election in Nigeria again. The era of ghost voters is gone. With BVAS, you must tender your PVC and undergo biometric authentication.
“The technology has been tightened in such a manner that nobody can use another person’s identity to vote any longer in Nigeria.
“That has been proven in previous elections, particularly those that were conducted under the leadership of Prof. Amupitan,” Mr Oketola said.
He assured registered Nigerians that the necessary administrative measures would also be taken by the commission to ensure that no voter would be disenfranchised in the state as a result of the incident.
“Once a voter’s name is already on the voters’ register, and somehow, your PVC happens to be among those that have been reportedly stolen, I want to believe you can’t be disenfranchised from exercising your right or participating in the election, come Aug. 15.
“Whatever the commission will do to solve that problem will be done. I know the commission will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no registered voter in Osun is disenfranchised on election day,” he said.
Mr Oketola, while assuring voters of their safety during the election, called on all stakeholders to collaborate with the commission to protect the nation’s electoral assets and ensure a peaceful voting environment.
“While the security agencies will provide adequate security to protect people and election materials, we also need all key stakeholders to be vigilant.
“The people, community leaders and traditional rulers, security agencies, religious organisations, political actors; all of us must work together to ensure that the Osun election is not just successful, but conducted in an atmosphere that gives people the confidence to come out and exercise their franchise,” Mr Oketola said.
(NAN)
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Fuel price: Lokpobiri asks NNPCL to explain to Nigerians why PH, Warri, Kaduna refineries are not working
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, should account for and explain to Nigerians why its Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries are not producing petroleum products.
He made this disclosure on Tuesday in an interview with Channels Television.
According to him, a brief from the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, showed that the state-owned refineries are not producing refined petroleum products after gulping between N23.84 trillion and N33.11 trillion on turnaround maintenance over the past two decades.
“The last brief I got from the GCEO [Bayo Ojulari] is that it’s very unfortunate that the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery and Kaduna refinery are not producing today.
“But new partnerships are being negotiated with some Chinese companies to come and invest their money and see how they can rehabilitate.”
When asked if those who deceived Nigerians into believing that the refineries were working should be punished, Lokpobiri said, “Call NNPC, tell them to come and account for it. I will tell them to come. Let them come and explain.”
His comments came as Nigerians buy petrol for between N1,395 and N1,450 per litre in Abuja and its environs, worsening the cost of living.
Recall that the NNPCL, under its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, announced the restart of operations at the Port Harcourt Refinery on November 26, 2024. However, on May 24, 2025, the plant was shut down.
The Federal Government has secured fresh commitments from major Chinese power companies and financial institutions to accelerate critical electricity projects and deepen Chinese investment across Nigeria’s power value chain.
The commitments, which cover generation, transmission, equipment manufacturing, renewable energy and grid digitalisation, followed a high-level Nigeria-China power sector mission to Beijing led by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
Tegbe disclosed this in Abuja while presenting his scorecard for his first 100 days in office, saying the government was seeking to move beyond conventional contractor arrangements to partnerships that would bring additional capital, technology and technical expertise into the sector.
Among the companies involved are Sinomach, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), China National Electric Engineering Company (CNEEC) and TBEA, alongside Chinese financial institutions.
CMEC has reaffirmed its commitment to the 1.9GW Presidential Power Initiative, with the first transmission lines under the programme expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027.
CNEEC, the minister said, is advancing financing of $116 million for the Zungeru power evacuation project, while TBEA has proposed a $500 million industrial park for the local manufacture of power equipment.
The Chinese engagements also cover accelerated development of the East-West Super Grid, the Omotosho-Epe transmission line, cable supply and local assembly, a 300MW distributed renewable-energy programme and waste-to-energy pilot projects.
Tegbe said the government was also working with Huawei on grid digitalisation, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and technical training.
He said the objective was to ensure that foreign partnerships translated into bankable projects and completed infrastructure capable of delivering measurable improvements to the power system.
The minister’s disclosure comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s wider effort to restore financial stability to the electricity market, including the mobilisation of ₦1.23 trillion through two bond issuances to settle verified legacy obligations owed to power generation companies.
—₦120bn Annual Leakage Blocked—
Tegbe also disclosed that interventions along the Ikorodu-Sagamu industrial corridor were expected to block energy theft and related revenue leakages estimated at about ₦120 billion annually.
He said improved billing, collection and remittance remained critical to restoring the financial viability of the electricity market and ensuring that resources generated within the sector were available for continued investment.
The minister said the government was also preparing a new phase of investment in transmission infrastructure, including the proposed Transmission Super Grid and the East-West Grid, while exploring bilateral generation-distribution arrangements to improve the utilisation of existing power assets.
—Mambila Project Gets Fresh Impetus—
Tegbe said the government’s recent victory in the long-running arbitration over the Mambila hydropower project had removed a major obstacle to the development of the massive scheme in Taraba State.
An International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal in Paris last week rejected claims totalling about $3.38 billion brought against Nigeria by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company in disputes connected with the project.
The minister said the government was now exploring a pragmatic, potentially phased approach to delivering the Mambila project, alongside smaller hydropower schemes that could serve agricultural and industrial corridors.
He identified the next phase of the government’s power programme as one focused on converting agreements and ongoing reforms into bankable projects, additional transmission capacity and infrastructure capable of supporting future electricity demand.
Among the priorities, he said, were the East-West Grid, the Transmission Super Grid, Mambila and small hydropower projects.
Tegbe said the government would also continue to pursue greater private-sector participation in the electricity market, insisting that new generation capacity must be matched by viable demand and infrastructure.
“An inch of improvement is better than a mile of intentions,” he said, quoting Steve Maraboli as he reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to reforming the power sector under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Thousands of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, have joined the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.
The former APC members, who came from different local government areas across the state, announced their defection on Monday.
They declared that they had dumped the APC and were ready to work for the APM.
The event was held at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, in Ibadan.
Recall that the former APC members were led by Mr Ajiboye Sangogade, a Personal Assistant to the immediate past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Adelabu, who is an indigene of Ibadan, contested the recent APC guber primary election but did not secure the ticket.
Sangogade, a native of Ibadan, said he and his followers would work for the success of the APM in 2027.
The former APC members were received by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and other chieftains of the APM.
Makinde, while addressing the gathering, advised the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to channel his efforts toward contesting against the APM candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
The governor vowed that he will defeat President Bola Tinubu to win the forthcoming 2027 presidential election.
He advised the APC candidate to stop criticising his administration.
Makinde said: “God has signed off on what we are doing, and that is why it is raining.
“Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the Allied People’s Movement (APM), and this shows that our victory is only a matter of time. We will win massively in all elections in 2027”.
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