General
PDP Tells INEC to Declare Rivers Governorship Results
By Dipo Olowookere
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been urged to conclude the collation process and declare results of the botched March 9, 2019 governorship election in Rivers State.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made this call on Wednesday during a solidarity visit to the Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Chairman of the opposition party, Mr Uche Secondus, who led the team, said INEC should also collation the process for Bauchi State, saying that the losers can approach the election tribunal to seek redress.
According to Mr Secondus, it is illegal for anyone to stop an election midway, saying, “I call on the INEC Chairman not to drag the country into crisis because of inconclusive elections. This manoeuvre is not good for the nation’s democracy.
“He should go ahead and conclude the process of elections in Rivers and Bauchi States. We should move ahead. Those aggrieved should approach the tribunal.”
The PDP National Chairman said that leadership of the party are with the Rivers State Governor, saying, “We are here to say that we stand with you. We have prayed with you in private and we are standing with you at this crucial and trying moment. We ask God almighty to ensure that you cross this red sea.”
National Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Tsauri said that the military should concentrate on the protecting the nation’s territorial integrity instead of getting involved in election matters.
He said that the negative involvement of the military in the Rivers State Governorship election is a threat to nation’s democracy.
“The military should protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria. They should not be involved in electoral matters. The involvement of the military in the Governorship election of Rivers State is an attempt to truncate the nation’s democracy “, he said.
He called on INEC, security agencies and the APC federal government to work within the law at all times.
The PDP National Secretary said INEC should do what is right regarding the Governorship and State Assembly elections in Rivers State by declaring the results.
He described Governor Wike as a pillar of the party, who worked for the PDP when it mattered most.
“We are here to identify with you. If we talk of PDP, Rivers State is the first to be mentioned and you are the pillar of the party. We are confident that justice will be done. God is with you and the people of Rivers State are with you,” he said.
He noted that the people of Rivers State voted overwhelmingly for Rivers State Governor because of his excellent works.
Responding, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike said that the enemies of the state are struggling to stop the Collation and Declaration of the Governorship election.
He said that the police is now inviting Electoral and Collation Officers to intimidate them over collated results in the Governorship Election.
He said: “The Police is trying to intimidate Collation and Electoral Officers by inviting them for one offence or the other so as to impinge on the Collation Process.
“Imagine where the police is inviting the entire Returning Officers, the entire electoral Officers and Entire Electoral Officers because allegations have been made against the INEC officials. This is just to let the entire world see what we are talking about “.
The Governor said that the enemies of the state continue to roll out strategies to destroy the Governorship Election Collation Process.
“They go by this strategy, if it fails, they go by the other strategy. They brought the Army , it failed. They have gone to the court and now they want to use the police”.
Governor Wike said that the good people of Rivers State will overcome all the challenges thrown at the state by the system.
“Like I said, this victory will be the best. It will be the sweetest amongst all the states. That is what I see coming. There is no election that will be held in this state and another party will win.
“Not to talk about a party that is not on ground. They have failed and that is the truth of the matter “, he said.
Governor Wike said the political situation in Rivers State has exposed the negative aspects of the system.
“In the end, PDP will emerge victorious in this State. It is a victory that can be delayed, but not denied.
“This morning, the other political party went to court to stop Collation. As God will have it, the court did not grant them their request.
“You see how funny it is. The candidate of AAC said he won the election. The same candidate has gone to court to stop Collation and seek for the cancellation of an election, he claimed that he won “, he said.
By Dipo Olowookere
A $15 million debt facility has been obtained by Watt Renewable Corporation from the AfriGreen Debt Impact Fund to finance hybrid solar power plants to be built and operated by the former, especially in Nigeria.
WATT intends to use the projects to serve commercial and industrial clients in Nigeria, particularly in the telecommunication and financial services sectors.
By integrating solar hybrid solutions, the firm aims to significantly reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, enabling its clients to achieve substantial energy cost savings while promoting environmental sustainability.
As a pioneer in renewable energy solutions, WATT continues to drive innovation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The company’s robust roll-out plan includes deploying hundreds of hybrid solar power sites nationwide to meet the growing energy demands of commercial & industrial clients.
This strategic expansion aligns with WATT’s vision to revolutionize energy access across Africa, enabling sustainable development and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The funds from AfriGreen provide the critical capital needed to accelerate WATT’s ambitious projects, strengthening its market position and empowering businesses with reliable and affordable energy solutions.
Business Post gathered that to mitigate the currency risk for WATT in the event of devaluation of the Nigerian Naira, AfriGreen is offering a local currency facility that matches the payment structure of the power purchase agreements.
“We are thrilled to partner with AFRIGREEN on this transformative journey to expand reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Africa.
“With this support, it enables us to accelerate our shared mission of providing hybrid solar power to businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting economic growth while enhancing energy security for our clients,” the Managing Director of WATT, Mr Oluwole Eweje, said.
“We are delighted to support WATT in rolling out hundreds of hybrid sites across the country.
“This represents another key transaction for AFRIGREEN in Nigeria. The combination of high energy prices, good solar irradiation, and strong demand from industrial and commercial energy users makes this market particularly attractive for companies like WATT.
“By leveraging these favourable market conditions alongside WATT’s exceptional operational performance and a well-structured financing solution, we are setting the stage for a strong and lasting business partnership,” the Managing Director of AfriGreen, Mr Alexandre Gilles, stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has denied issuing a directive that gas supply to power generating companies (GenCos) be halted.
In a statement on Wednesday, the authority also denied instructing wholesale gas suppliers to stop further supply of gas to companies due to failure in payment obligations.
The NMDPRA described reports stating that it has directed the stoppage of gas supply to GenCos over N2 trillion debt as “false and completely unfounded”.
“It has absolutely no bearing on the information shared at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Lagos between the Authority, the OPTS, IPPG and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry,” the NMDPRA said.
“The purpose of the engagement was to sensitise stakeholders on the requirements, opportunities and benefits associated with the implementation of the wholesale supply license as provided by sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
“It was a follow-up to an earlier stakeholder engagement held at the NMDPRA corporate headquarters in Abuja on November 27, 2024.
“The Authority wishes to reassure all our stakeholders and indeed the general public that at no time was the false statement made at that event and anywhere else, and are advised to completely disregard the publication as every effort is being made to ensure that the supply and distribution of natural gas and petroleum products to end users is seamless and unabated as we head into the festive season and indeed all through the coming year 2025.”
Recall that Nigeria’s national grid experienced another collapse on Wednesday, the 11th time in 2024 as Gencos couldn’t generate enough power, compounding issues facing the Nigerian power sector.
This was the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shutdown in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria is currently experience a cut in power supply after the national grid collapsed for the 11th time in 2024.
This is the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shut down in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
However, just when Nigerians were thinking they will not witnessed another national grid collapse in the year, it issue reared its ugly head again.
On Wednesday afternoon, most of the energy distribution companies suffered power outage, prompting them to inform their customers of the situation.
One of the DisCos, Ikeja Electric Plc, in a message to electricity consumers under its franchise area, said, “Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, December 11, 2024, at about 13:32 hours affecting supply within our network.
“Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders. Kindly bear with us.”
Recall that on Tuesday, in a report, Google listed national grid as one of the top trending searches by Nigerians this year.
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