The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a swipe at Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, whom it described as the leading but rather shoddy drummer for his 2027 political ambition.

Makinde is said to be nursing a presidential ambition on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the incumbent President Bola Tinubu also from the South-West geopolitical zone like him, in the next 2027 election cycle.

But, APC said while Nigeria’s democracy affords Makinde the liberty to his political aspiration, however, engaging in reckless executive flippancy, at the expense of the job he was elected to do as governor, was a disservice to the good people of Oyo State.

The ruling party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Sunday, said the Oyo State governor had at a recent event in Ibadan, blamed APC for the turmoil in his party, the PDP and other opposition parties.

Morka said, at the same time, Makinde bragged that a decision to cooperate with his Osun State counterpart to advance the interest of his “moribund party” in South-West would be beyond the influence of APC.

“If Makinde knew how best to keep APC’s influence at bay, exactly why has he not executed that strategy in “protection” of his party nationally? Like the proverbial bad workman that blames his tools, Makinde and his co-confused leaders of the PDP should quit pointing fingers at the APC and take full responsibility for their disgraceful failure to handle the party’s implosion and decay.

“Makinde’s unhinged 2027 ambition cannot be founded upon his unguarded and unjustified attacks against our great Party or the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that has launched the boldest and most ambitious reform effort in history to transform our country’s economy and build a solid foundation for progress.

“Governor Makinde has failed to prove himself as an effective leader. His lackluster performance as Governor speaks for itself, and undermines his credibility. Instead of prioritizing the needs of Oyo people who elected him to tackle their local issues, he has chosen to divert his attention and squander the state’s resources in pursuit of unhinged 2027 ambition. Makinde must know that Nigeria’s scale and complexities demand more than his vain and self-indulgent ambition.

“Makinde cannot even speak for the people of Oyo state regarding their future electoral choices or decisions let alone speak for Nigerians. Makinde and his partisan cohorts are only worried stiff that the looming transformation and prosperity from President Tinubu’s economic policies will consign their 2027 ambitions and calculations into the trash-bin of political irrelevance.

“We urge Nigerians to continue to stand firm in support of President Tinubu as the administration’s reform policies begin to yield the desired benefits for all Nigerians,” APC spokesman Morka stated.

The Local Government Elections in Abia State on Saturday faced significant challenges due to a lack of electoral materials and officials at polling stations.

Reporters from the News Agency of Nigeria, who were monitoring the election, observed that the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) had not delivered materials to polling stations by 11 a.m., although the commission had scheduled distribution for 7 a.m., with voting set to begin by 8 a.m.

At various locations, including Umuahia South, Osisioma, Aba North, and Aba South LGAs, neither materials nor officials were present at some polling units. Some ad hoc staff were seen waiting at local government headquarters for the arrival of election materials.

In addition, there was a noticeable low voter turnout at many polling units visited across the state. A few voters were present at some locations, waiting for the materials to arrive and for voting to start.

In areas such as Umuahia South, Aba North, South, and Osisioma LGAs, polling units were largely empty of voters, officials, and security personnel. Units visited included Polling Units 009 and 015 at Avonipupe Primary School, Unit 008 at Ipupe Village Hall, and several units at Ogbo Central School and Umuosu Community School.

In an interview, two prospective voters in Ubakala, near Umuahia, voiced frustration over ABSIEC’s failure to facilitate the election effectively. Mrs. Joy Eze shared that she was monitoring her polling unit for updates but eventually decided to tend to her salon customers while waiting. She was eager to vote in support of her preferred candidates for Chairmanship and Councillorship.

Another resident, Mrs. Onyinyechi Ishmael, expressed disinterest in voting, saying her previous experiences made her feel that votes do not count in the country’s elections.

“If our votes count as the leaders claim, I believe there will be signs that election will actually take place.

“Unfortunately, there is no sign that election will take place at the various polling units around my neighborhood,” Ishmael said.

In Aba, Mr Collins Ogbonna, a resident of Ward 3, said that he came out by 8 am to his polling unit 007 to vote but did not see any election officials.

Ogbonna attributed the poor voter turnout to “voter apathy and fear of gunmen” in Aba.

He called on the residents to come out and vote to ensure the right persons assumed political leaderships at the grassroots.

The Deputy Chairmanship Candidate for Zenith Labour Party in Osisioma LGA, Mr Aguwa, told NAN that the eletoral materials had been brought to the council headquarters for the polls.

Aguwa further said that the representatives of other parties inspected and confirmed the materials to be complete.

He, however, said that the materials had yet to be shared “because the LGA, which has about 301 polling units, is complex.”

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Voter Education and Enlightenment in ABSIEC, Dr Kelechukwu Okere, has described the report of absence of materials at the polling units as “pure falsehood”.

Okere told NAN that the commission made adequate arrangements for the seamless distribution of materials and election officials to ensure a smooth exercise.

Zenith Labour Party, ZLP has won in 15 out of the 17 Local Government Areas in Abia State during the Local Government Elections held on November 2, 2024 while the Young Peoples Party claimed victory in the remaining two LGAs.

The results were announced by the Chairman of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. George Chima, at the commission’s headquarters in Umuahia, the state capital, on Saturday.

“We have fulfilled the duty we were inaugurated on September 5 to carry out.
“It wasn’t an easy task, but we went above and beyond to raise awareness about the election across the state,” Chima stated.

Highlighting the significance of the election, he noted,
“In recent times, this commission has not conducted an election with over 12 political parties participating. This, in itself, is a milestone for the commission.”

Chima confirmed that the election took place across all 17 LGAs of the state, describing it as “free, fair, and credible.”

He added, “We have been able to complete a task that could typically take six to twelve months within a span of two months.”

The Commission Chairman congratulated both the winners and the opposition, emphasizing the need to maintain peace in Abia.

“In any election, there are winners and losers, but the most important thing is that Abia remains peaceful. I urge everyone to uphold this peace.”

He also expressed gratitude to security agencies for their support and commended political parties for “playing by the rules.”