Activist warns against voter intimidation 

The Vice Presidential candidate of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has urged Delta voters to defend their votes and not be rigged out by the ruling party.

Amaechi, who spoke during an ADC town hall meeting in Effurun, Uvwie Local Council, Delta State, urged voters not to leave their polling units after voting and to protect their votes.

He urged Deltans to secure the victory of the ADC governorship candidate, Great Ogboru’s in 2027 as well as deliver the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

He said: “Don’t be allowed to be rigged out. After voting, wait till results are announced instead of rushing home to do nothing. If you make a mistake this time, it means that Ogboru will again not be sworn in.”

The former Rivers State governor also urged ADC candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State Assembly to work for Atiku’s victory to secure their own, rather than rely on appointments from an incoming Federal Government.

He said no candidates will be given appointments if they do not win their constituency, urging all ADC candidates to defend their votes and ensure that the party records victories from the presidential election down to the state legislature.

On the country’s economy, Amaechi criticised the Federal government’s removal of the fuel subsidy, which he said had triggered what he called “spiral inflation.”

He stressed that higher transportation and energy costs had affected farmers and businesses and eventually pushed up the prices of food, healthcare, education and other essential services. He said an ADC government would introduce a production subsidy for locally refined petroleum products as part of efforts to reduce fuel prices and ease the cost of living.

MEANWHILE, with political parties intensifying mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, an activist, Prince Babawale Sayo, has warned that threats from political actors could frighten voters and weaken participation in the polls.

Sayo said politicians risk turning elections into contests that citizens associate with danger rather than the peaceful exercise of their democratic rights.

He spoke on The Policy Room anchored by Lemmy Ughegbe while reacting to a string of controversial remarks attributed to political figures across the country.

The latest controversy followed comments by Edo State APC Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, who made an “AK-47 “ threat while speaking about the party’s plan to secure 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Edo State.

Tenebe’s remarks have prompted calls for an investigation by the ADC, while a coalition of civil society groups later defended him, saying his comments had been taken out of context and were linked to prayer rather than an endorsement of violence.