Politics
RVHA In 2012: A Score Sheet
Rivers State House of Assembly in 2012, continued to maintain its apex position as one of the leading state legislative arms of government in the country.
From the inception of the Seventh Assembly, the House has recorded milestones in the performance of legislative duties that have impacted significantly on the lives of Rivers people.
The leadership of the Assembly under the tutelage of Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree was greeted with excitement, hope and expectation of a possible paradigm shift in focus and conceptualisation of deliverables to engender the enactment of people oriented laws.
As many expressed absolute confidence on the leadership of the House, some political pundits saw the change of baton as a mere window dressing as the incumbent Speaker and the immediate past speaker Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry belong to the same political caucus.
However, apart from sharing and taking decisions jointly as members of the same kitchen cabinet, beginning from 1999, when Governor Chibuike Amaechi was Speaker, individual differences, style and charisma would be the determining factor in the assessment of each occupant of the number three position in the state government.
The existence of a political cell within the Assembly came to the fore during the “red carpet event organised by the House to honour past Speakers and outstanding law-makers past and present that distinguished themselves in public service.
Appreciating the Ambassador of the Rivers State House of Assembly award to him, former Speaker Tonye Harry said “many people will not understand the relationship between me and the incumbent Speaker. We belong to the same political caucus in the House since 1999, where major decisions that subdued some troublesome members were taken and he Amachree had been our leader”.
The outcome of the red carpet ceremony was the institution of an annual special legislative session to be attended by past and serving lawmakers in the state.
Hon. Tonye Harry, thanked the House leadership for the innovations introduced into the administration of the Assembly particularly for institutionalising the Red Carpet event and the House Hall of Fame as remarkable stints of a good leadership.
A significant mark of success and development remains peaceful co-existence, thus, the Assembly within the period under review engaged stability and cordial working relationship with the other arms of government.
The period under review equally witnessed the passage of new laws, repealing of others and resolutions of the House that has sufficiently contributed in shaping the state government to succeed.
Apart from acknowledging the laws enacted by the state lawmakers, the opposition political parties had described the Assembly as a mere “rubber stamp” of the executive.
But the House committee Chairman on Information and Training Hon. Onari Brown, debunked the insinuations of being remoted from the “Brick House”.
According to Hon. Onari, the three arms of government are to work for the betterment of the society while the lawmakers as representatives of the people are to leverage on their mandate to make justifiable laws that would improve the standard of living.
Hon. Brown argued that unnecessary antagonism and confrontation from the legislature on the executive would not do anybody any good, rather as responsible citizens that seek the development of the state, a lot of issues are settled through dialogue.
Moreso, he said, the Governor as former lawmaker understands the rhythm of the House and complies without armtwisting.
In terms of input to debates, exposure to legislative business, leadership styles, comportment and experience the state Assembly leads the pack. Just recently, the state Assembly successfully hosted the Pan African Parliamentary Conference in Port Harcourt with the theme “promoting good governance in Africa”.
The conference attracted dignitaries from far and near within the African continent thereby selling the potentials of the state to the outside world.
One issue which had agitated the minds of concerned constituents in the state borders on the near absence of constituency projects by the lawmakers. According to Mr. Stanely Etena, said most of the lawmakers made promises to the people but “they are yet to fulfill them and since we cannot remove them now, we shall wait till when they come to renew their mandate.
While Mr. Etena may not be alone in his assessment of performance via the projects, some are leading in that diretion. The lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency Hon. Aye Pepple, recently fulfilled his electioneering campaign of building a befitting Finima Youth Centre commissioned by the Speaker of the House.
He did not stop there, Hon. Pepple organised a two-Day seminar for Bonny youths to equip them with necessary knowledge to face future challenges and the lawmaker crowned the year with inter ward football competition to identify hidden talents among the youths of the area.
The move no doubt had endeared him to his people, especially the youths.
Similarly, Hon. Onari Brown wrote his name in gold when he completed and commissioned corpers lodge in Obonoma Akuku-Toru LGA equipped with modern facilities and a Lawn Tennis Court.
Others include Hon. Chidi Lloyd that recently commissioned, market he built for the women of Ogbakiri in Emohua LGA, Hon. Okechukwu Ankara a computer centre, Victoria Nyeche amongst other touched their constituents.
However, many are yet to nominate projects for sponsorship in their areas.
Since the 2013, Appropriation bill was presented to the House December 24, 2012, as the Assembly resumes from Christmas and New Year holidays, the lawmakers are expected to swing into action to debate the budget estimates of Governor Amaechi with a view to ensuring early passage to guarantee completion of on-going projects embarked upon by the state government.
Certainly, Rivers people expect to see more robust debate by the lawmakers to justify their mandate of speaking the opinion of their people while oversight functions of the House will keep the executive on their toes to deliver on their promises.
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.
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