The ex-governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa said the Independent National Electoral Commission under the current Chairmanship of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is for sale and any highest bidder could buy the Commission with the right amount of Money to win elections in Nigeria.

The politician said, the country has found itself where rich politicians can buy the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, the police, and the army to win elections.

He stated this while featuring on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs show, a political podcast, pondering that citizens no longer interrogate character, antecedents and backgrounds of politicians seeking for their votes.

“Unfortunately, our society has grown to such a level where if you say vote for me, I am no longer asking what you can do? What are your antecedents? What type of character do you have? We don’t ask such questions again. And, of course, even if I don’t vote for you, you can buy your way through if you have the right amount of money,” Udenwa said.

When asked if politicians could buy the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, the army, and the voters, he replied, “You can buy everybody.”
Udenwa declared that elections in Nigeria are buying, stressing that the practice must be curbed for the correct leaders to emerge.

Commenting on crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he said, the ruling All Progressives Congress was behind the endless crisis in order to weaken opposition.

Achike Udenwa is a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, blamed the crisis on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Despite acknowledging the PDP’s internal problems, the ex-governor maintained that external hands contributed to the party’s crisis.

“There are external hands trying to destroy the PDP through internal sources. We are still battling the problem, and I believe PDP will not be destroyed.”

Udenwa said the PDP is aware that the ruling party is involved in its lingering crisis; however, he refused to mention the names of people the APC uses to unsettle the opposition party.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to review the party constitution to accommodate the interests of its growing members across the country.

This comes as the APC, at its 13th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, constituted a 7-man ‘Constitution Review Committee’ to improve upon the constitution drafted by its founding fathers over 10 years ago.

The members of the committee are: Hon. Mai Mala Buni – Chairman, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele – South West, Barr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba – South South, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari – North West, Prof. Babagana Umar Zulum – North East, among others. The committee is required to come up with a workable document and submit its recommendations to the party’s NEC for adoption.

In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Chairman of the Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, stressed that the idea is geared towards promoting inclusivity and greater participation of party members across the country.

Buni, who noted that the concerns of the party and its members are key to achieving great success, emphasized that areas of the constitution that require adjustments will be fixed to fit into current realities.

“The 13th National Executive Committee (NEC), in its wisdom, appointed us as members of the party to look at certain parts of the constitution with a view to expanding it. We are to expand and look at many critical areas that we will improve upon. And of course, certain areas that will benefit members of the party and ensure wider participation.

“As you are aware, there is nothing like static perfection. Development is about continuous improvement, and of course, laws are made for men, men are not made for laws. Laws can always be adjusted to accommodate the interests of the party and its members.

“A party like the APC, the biggest party in Africa today, has so many leaders. I want to assure you, the committee will deliver. The party is growing, and we have to do many things to accommodate more people. You know, a political party is where you have a lot of competing and conflicting interests. The President, in his wisdom, has seen to all these things, and of course, there has been a clamour for many changes. With that, I am sure we are going to address some of these clamours.

“The caliber of the members of the committee are seasoned and committed party members who are willing to contribute to the development of the party,” he said.

Gov. Buni, however, assured that the committee would make consultations with the founding fathers to produce an improved version of the constitution that will be beneficial to the party and its members. He said, “Those who drafted the constitution of the party, we are consulting them because we know it takes wisdom to produce a party constitution. We cannot discard their wisdom and create something different. We will consult them.

“It is all about inclusivity. We are going to work on that, and by the grace of God, we are sure God will guide us and see us through to deliver the work as expected of us.”

Speaking on whether the schedule of the committee will further cement the party for the 2027 general elections, the Yobe governor said, “The party is initially structured into six geopolitical zones. Each geopolitical zone is headed by a committee, and I happen to be the one in charge of the North East. This new committee is to strengthen and further widen the scope of operations and for proper inclusion. It is all about inclusivity.

“We don’t want to exclude people; we want to include people. That means we want to have a document that will strengthen the party and prepare it for the 2027 election.

“Political parties don’t have a stopgap where you say, ‘You stop here, and then you continue at the end.’ No. It is all about end-to-end, open-ended things. You start from 2023 to 2027; it’s all about preparation. While the President is working and delivering to the nation, it is in preparation for 2027.

“There is no specific time for certain things; it is all about being in government. You are the one expected to be delivering. So, it is part of the delivery. We are delivering it, and it is part of it. We are strengthening the party. You can’t strengthen the party by being static. That is the point I am driving at. We can’t be static and expect to be delivering; you keep improving, and that’s what we are trying to do.”

The Elders’ Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, has expressed its confidence and support in the dynamic leadership of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, reaffirming its commitment to their shared vision for the progress and development of the state and nation.

The Forum made their stand public at a press briefing in Makurdi, on Saturday, February, 22nd, 2025.

Led by its Chairman and former Senator representing Benue North-East Senatorial District, Senator Barnabas Gemade, the Forum commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the good steps he is putting in place for the overall good of the country, expressing its unwavering confidence in the ability of the Alia led administration to improve the welfare of the citizens and enhance the state’s fortunes.

They commended the Benue State House of Assembly for performing their oversight function without fear or favour, praising them for their recommendation for the removal of the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, amidst serious allegations of mismanagement and abuse of office.

The Forum’s statement read in part, “After a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese’s removal, it is clear that the Benue State House of Assembly acted within the constitutional framework outlined in Section 292(1)(a)(ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

“We stand in solidarity with the Assembly on this decision, especially given the serious allegations that necessitated such action including mismanagement of the sum of N666,984,687.20k in less than one year and manifest abuse of office by acting outside the scope of his work as the Chief Judge evidenced in granting a waiver of Section 76 of the Benue State Electoral law duly pass by the Benue State House of Assembly and assented to by the Executive Governor of Benue State amongst other grievous misconduct.

They expressed their solidarity with the leadership of the State Assembly for holding its 13 members accountable for attempting to discredit the same decision they were part of.

“We further commend the State Assembly for promptly sanctioning their erring members who attempted to ridicule the serious business of the house when in one breath they voted along with their colleagues for the removal of the Chief Judge and in another breath stepped outside the house Chambers and immediately addressed a press conference castigating the same decision they had just supported by a more than two-thirds majority vote.”

Commenting of the motion by Senator Aba Moro, calling on the National Assembly’s intervention in the case against Justice Ikpambese, the APC Elders’ Forum described Senator Moro’s call as a misguided attempt to override the independence and collective decision of the Benue State House of Assembly, cautioning him to focus on the affairs in his party, the PDP, as well as prioritize the welfare of his constituents over his apparent quest to undermine the APC administration in Benue State.

“We wonder why Sen. Moro who, as a leader in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has turned a blind eye to the monumental crises affecting the Rivers State House of Assembly where the PDP controlled State Government has chosen to recognize and deal with a three member faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“As Elders in his state, we urge Sen Moro to focus on providing quality representation to his constituents rather than his desperate attempt to destabilize a performing APC administration in his home state.”

In a clarion call for harmony in the overall interest of Benue State, the Forum urged all stakeholders to put aside their differences and work together with Governor Hyacinth Alia, advising those opposed to the government to adopt a more constructive approach of criticisms, which the governor can build on, rather than criticising and condemning everything he does in the state.