The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained the absence of its chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, from the recent unveiling of candidates endorsed by the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The party disclosed that Okocha travelled abroad for medical treatment after his health condition deteriorated, stressing that his absence was not connected to any disagreement with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the APC Publicity Secretary in Rivers State, Chibike Ikenga.

According to the party, Okocha secured Wike’s approval before embarking on the medical trip, describing the FCT minister as the National Leader of the Rainbow Coalition.

The APC dismissed reports of a fallout between the two political figures, insisting that there was no disagreement between them.

The statement read, “There is NO DISAGREEMENT whatsoever and the Chairman will reunite with the party executive and the Rainbow Coalition upon his return from his medical trip.”

The party accused political opponents of circulating false reports about the relationship between Okocha and Wike in an attempt to create division within the coalition.

It urged party members and supporters to disregard the claims, maintaining that its relationship with other parties in the Rainbow Coalition remained cordial.

The APC also reaffirmed its commitment to working with other coalition members to secure victory for President Bola Tinubu, its governorship candidate, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, and other candidates endorsed by the coalition in the 2027 elections.

The party further described the unveiling of the coalition’s candidates as a successful event, despite Okocha’s absence.

It reiterated its readiness to collaborate with all parties under the Rainbow Coalition to achieve their political objectives in the forthcoming elections.

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has rejected a request by Aaron Greenspan seeking permission to obtain limited discovery from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and DCI Group in an ongoing lawsuit filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the development in a statement on Saturday.

In its ruling delivered on October 30, the court held that Greenspan’s proposed discovery concerning alleged cyberattacks on his website was not sufficiently relevant to the FOIA dispute involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Reacting to the decision, attorney Christopher W. Carmichael said the ruling reinforced the need to keep the case focused on the legal issues before the court.

“The Court’s decision makes clear that this Freedom of Information Act proceeding cannot be used to pursue discovery unrelated to the legal questions before it,” Carmichael said.

“By denying the request for discovery against President Tinubu and DCI Group, the Court reinforced the importance of keeping this litigation focused on the issues properly before it.”

The court also rejected a separate application by non-party Karl Von Batten seeking permission to submit an amicus curiae, or friend-of-the-court, brief. It equally declined Greenspan’s related request for judicial notice.

In addition, the judge denied Greenspan’s motion for summary judgment.

Attorney Oluwole Afolabi also commented on the outcome, saying the court had rejected both the plaintiff’s request for summary judgment and the separate application to introduce an amicus brief.

“The Court also denied the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and rejected a separate request to introduce an amicus brief,” Afolabi said.

“While the underlying FOIA issues remain before the Court, these rulings establish important procedural boundaries and clarify which matters are appropriate for consideration in this litigation.”

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has declared that the commission has no intention of changing the timetable for the 2027 general elections.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Amupitan made this known during an interactive meeting with INEC staff members from the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as part of an assessment of their preparedness for the forthcoming elections.

Addressing participants, the INEC chairman maintained that the elections would take place as scheduled, stressing that the commission had no reason to adjust the timetable.

He reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting credible elections in accordance with the law.

“Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,” he said.

Amupitan also disclosed that Rivers State would receive special attention during the electoral process because it has the highest number of registered voters in the South-South region.

He revealed that Rivers has 3,736,434 registered voters, followed by Delta State with 3,525,988; Edo with 2,865,263; Akwa Ibom with 2,566,198; Cross River with 1,928,978; and Bayelsa with 1,200,691.

According to him, the six states have a combined total of 15,823,550 registered voters, making the region an important area of focus for the commission, particularly Rivers State.

The INEC chairman further announced that the final voters’ register would be released on December 15, assuring Nigerians that the commission was working to address all outstanding issues before the deadline.

He said, “With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures.”

Amupitan disclosed that he had initially considered conducting a revalidation exercise for the voters’ register after assuming office but abandoned the idea after concerns were raised that the exercise would take place too close to the 2027 general elections.

He also expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to deliver peaceful, transparent and credible elections, noting that the commission had drawn valuable lessons from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State poll.

According to him, the experience gained from those elections had strengthened the commission’s readiness for the forthcoming general elections.

“Osun State elections gave us the confidence that we can achieve this despite the noise. It is good that we had a series of those elections before the general elections because we learn lessons from every election.

“We will conduct elections that will move the nation forward and not an election that will bring it down,” he added.