Politics
NDDC To Ibori, Uduaghan, Others: You Can’t Deny Receiving Contracts
…Insists Forensic Audit Will Expose All Beneficiaries
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, on Tuesday, said it stood by the list of prominent Niger Delta leaders released by the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as contractors in the Commission, saying what the Minister released was only a tip of the iceberg. Director, Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Mr. Charles Odili, said the Commission has details of the contracts and proxies used to collect them, including the 250 contracts collected in one day in the name of the National Assembly.
He also disclosed that scholars of the Commission facing hardship abroad over non-remittance of their fees and stipends would be paid by the end of this week, adding that President Muhammadu had given an order to the effect.
Meanwhile, the Commission has invited President Muhammadu Buhari to commission the N24 billion Ogbia-Nembe Road cutting across 14 riverine communities in Bayelsa State.
Speaking on the release of list of NDDC contracts handled by members of the National Assembly, Odili said: “The one submitted by Senator Akpabio was not compiled by the minister but came from the files in the Commission.” The NDDC spokesperson clarified that the list submitted to the National Assembly was actually compiled by the then management of the Commission in 2018.
He observed that there was another set of lists for emergency project contracts awarded in 2017 and 2019, but these were not submitted to the National Assembly.
Odili affirmed: “The Interim Management Committee, IMC, of the Commission stands by the list, which came from files already in the possession of the forensic auditors. It is not an Akpabio’s list, but the NDDC’s list. The list is part of the volume of 8,000 documents already handed over to the forensic auditors.”
He also said that prominent indigenes of the Niger Delta whose names were on the list should not panic, as the Commission knew that people used the names of prominent persons in the region to secure contracts, adding that the ongoing forensic audit would unearth those behind the contracts.
The spokesperson said the intention of the list was to expose committee chairmen in the National Assembly who used fronts to collect contracts from the Commission, some of which were never executed. Odili added that the list did not include the unique case of 250 contracts which were signed for and collected in one day by one person, ostensibly for members of the National Assembly.
On the forensic audit exercise, he said that it was on course and the Commission had positioned 185 media support specialists to identify the sites of every project captured in its books for verification by the forensic auditors.
Odili advised members of the public to discountenance the “avalanche of falsehood being orchestrated by mischief makers,” regretting that “more insinuations and accusations may be thrown into the public space by those opposed to the IMC.”
On the payment of scholars, Odili explained: “The delay in the remittance of the fees was caused by the sudden death of Chief Ibanga Etang, the then Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration, EDFA, of the Commission in May.”
“Under the Commission’s finance protocol, only the Executive Director (Finance) and the Executive Director (Projects) can sign for the release of funds from the Commission’s domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
“With the death of Chief Etang, the remittance has to await the appointment of a new EDFA.” “Senator Akpabio, the Honourable Minister, said President Buhari who has been briefed on the protest by students at the Nigerian High Commission in London, has ordered that all steps be pulled to pay the students by the end of this week. We expect a new EDFA to be appointed this week. As soon as that is done, they would all be paid,” he added.
On Ogbia-Nembe road, he asserted that the 29-kilometre flagship project built in conjunction with the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, creates a land link to the ancient city of Nembe for the first time. He disclosed that NDDC management’s invitation to Mr President was delivered through the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
He said required 10 bridges and 99 culverts, but” to conquer the swampy terrain, the construction involved digging out four metres of clay soil and sand filling it to provide a base for the road.”
According to him: “The road has cut the journey time to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, from three hours to one and a half hours.”
“This project is a not only a flagship of intervention in the Niger Delta, it is also a model of development partnership between the Commission and international oil companies in the region,” he said. Vanguard News Nigeria
By Augustine Akhilomen
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has described the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi as a “miracle centre presidential candidate.”
Bwala was reacting to Obi’s recent interview where he gave condition before agreeing to debate with the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
In an interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, Obi had said he would debate with Umahi when he qualifies as a presidential candidate of a political party.
He made the remark against the backdrop of the minister’s declaration that he was ready to debate with Obi over road infrastructure.
However, Bwala in a post on X, questioned how Obi emerged as presidential because he never went through the process of primary election.
Bwala wrote: “Peter Obi is telling Chude on his podcast that if H.E Dave Umah wants to debate him, he should first qualify as a presidential candidate first.
“Funny; the Peter Obi @PeterObi how did he qualify to be a presidential candidate? Did he (Peter Obi) participate in any presidential primaries?
“In fact has he ever participated in any presidential primaries? Imagine a miracle centre presidential candidate questioning a successful governor and performing minister on qualifications.”
The Peoples Democratic Party faction led by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced the successful upload of the names of its presidential candidate, running mate and National Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal ahead of the 2027 general election.
The party’s National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
Mohammed said the submission demonstrated the party’s commitment to participating fully in the 2027 general election.
“I am pleased to inform all PDP members and Nigerians that our great Party, under my leadership, has successfully uploaded the names of our Presidential Candidate, his Running Mate, and our National Assembly candidates onto the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal,” he said.
“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the promise we made that, under my leadership, the PDP will fully participate in the 2027 General Elections. Today, we have taken another decisive step towards fulfilling that promise,” he added.
A screenshot from the INEC PCR Portal accompanying the announcement shows the PDP dashboard with 410 new candidate forms registered, of which 367 have been submitted, and 42 remain pending.
The PDP chairman said the party was awaiting the completion of the upload of its governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates.
He congratulated members of the party on the completion of the latest phase of the nomination process.
“As we await the conclusion of the upload of our Governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates, I, on behalf of the National Working Committee of our Party, extend my heartfelt congratulations to all PDP members across Nigeria and around the world,” he said.
“Together, we will continue to build a stronger, more united Party and a better future for our nation.”
The development comes hours after INEC extended the deadline set for political parties to submit the names of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through the commission’s online nomination portal.
It also follows the announcement by the ruling All Progressives Congress that it had completed the upload of its 471 candidates, including President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, 109 Senate candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, to the INEC portal.
The All Progressives Congress has announced the successful upload of its 471 candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal, confirming President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 general election.
The submissions comprise the presidential and vice-presidential ticket, 109 Senate candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, completing its nominations for the offices covered by the portal.
The announcement was made by the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in a statement on Sunday, a day after the close of INEC’s portal for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Yilwatda congratulated the party’s candidates, leaders and members on the completion of the exercise.
“I congratulate our candidates, leaders, and members of APC on the successful 100% upload of our Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP),” he said.
He added, “With this milestone achieved, our focus now shifts to mobilisation and preparations for a successful campaign and decisive victory at the polls.”
The upload confirms Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election, ending months of speculation over whether the APC would retain its current presidential ticket.
The development comes after INEC fixed 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, as the deadline for political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online portal.
According to the commission’s timetable, political parties received access codes to the portal on June 26, while the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E commenced on June 27 in line with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
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