Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has said Igbos who voted for Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in 2023 will vote for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

DAILY POST reports that Obi, who contested the presidential election in 2023 under the platform of Labour Party, won in Delta State.

Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, Governor Oborevwori said such will not happen again in the coming election.

The governor claimed that the Igbo community in the state are working with him to ensure President Tinubu’s re-election.

He further claimed that even the religious leaders, who kicked against the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023, are now backing the ruling party.

He said, “The Igbo community in Delta State that voted Peter Obi in 2023 are on the same page with us. I have told them to vote for party not candidate.

“The love they have for me, I have confidence they will vote for Tinubu. The two factors that determine the 2023 election in Delta were religion and non-indigene but I have been able to manage them so we are now working together.

“What happened that time will not happen again. Before I moved to the APC, we notified our religious leaders for them to pray for us, so you can’t pray and curse at the same time.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has stated that Persons With Disabilities, PWDs, have every right to participate in elections in line with Section 54 of the Electoral Act, as preparations intensify for the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, made the declaration on Tuesday in Osogbo while delivering her welcome address at an engagement meeting with PWDs and Electoral Officers on the deployment and use of assistive devices ahead of the election.

Babalola described the gathering as a significant step towards ensuring that the electoral process remains inclusive, transparent and accessible to every eligible voter, irrespective of disability.

She said the meeting underscored INEC’s commitment to inclusivity, equity and accessibility, stressing that persons with disabilities play a critical role in shaping Nigeria’s democracy and should not be excluded from the electoral process.

According to her, “The commission is determined to remove barriers that may hinder participation and to ensure that every eligible citizen can exercise the right to vote independently and with dignity.”

She added that improved access to voting tools and electoral information would encourage greater participation among PWDs and help reduce voter apathy within the community.

“Persons with disabilities have an equal right to participate in the electoral process. They also have the right to exercise their civic duties without fear, intimidation and discrimination, especially in political and leadership roles at all levels in Nigeria,” Babalola said.

The REC disclosed that INEC had launched a Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Electoral Process and established a Department of Gender and Inclusivity to coordinate programmes aimed at promoting participation among vulnerable groups.

She noted that the commission had consistently engaged political parties on the need to establish PWD desk offices, a move which she said had led many parties to integrate disability-related functions into their National Working Committees.

Babalola explained that “Section 54 of the Electoral Act provides for assistive and inclusive devices designed to help PWDs vote independently, including Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses and posters for voters who are deaf.”

She said the devices were developed through consultations with disability groups and are intended to enhance voter autonomy, protect confidentiality and facilitate a seamless voting experience on election day.

The REC urged participants at the workshop to master the use of the assistive devices and share the knowledge within their various clusters to ensure that all eligible PWD voters are adequately prepared before the governorship poll.

In a goodwill message, the Osun State Director of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Adebiyi Adefarasin Stephen said the agency remained committed to working with INEC to ensure a smooth electoral process and greater public confidence in the election.

The NOA Director stated that “democracy could only be meaningful when it is inclusive. The right to vote and be voted for belongs to every eligible Nigerian, including persons with disabilities.”

He commended INEC for convening the engagement and called on stakeholders to provide practical feedback to improve the deployment of assistive devices across polling units in the state.

Also speaking, the Osun State Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, Steven Idowu, called for greater support for persons with disabilities in exercising their civic rights and urged stakeholders to work towards building a society where every voice and every vote counts.

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, on Tuesday said Nigerians would reelect President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

Eno explained that Tinubu has made funding available to state governors to embark on projects.

In an interview on Arise Television, the governor stated that Tinubu has stabilized the naira against the dollar.

He said: “First of all, Tinubu has made funding available for us to do all of the projects we have done, 1,300 kilometers of roads and to have been able to put up 458 compassionate homes to be able to support 12, 000 elders to be able to built hospitals in all the 31 local government areas, to be able to modern schools that are solar powered.

“Look at the tax reforms and the benefits to the people, look at the dollars that is now stable from when he took over, look at our foreign reserves; you will know that there is enough reasons for Akwa Ibom and Nigerians to return him to finish the job that he has started.”

On if he would work for Tinubu’s reelection in 2027, Eno said: “We trust God and with God on our side, I’m an advent believer in the God factor, Akwa Ibom is up for Tinubu and the APC.

“We are on the ground and we just finished the primaries, I had 392,000 and the president had closed to 400,000.

“Apart from the governor, all the senators are APC, 24 out of the 26 members of the House of Assembly are APC. 30 out of the 31 Chairmen of the local governments are APC, local government councillors and maybe very few in one local government are APC.

“So these are the people in the field and on the ground working, so you believe that people will just sit down and allow one party to overrun us?

“I respect all the people but the more the merrier so that people can have a choice. I don’t have any fear, we are on the ground.”