Politics
Rivers Assembly Passes Chieftaincy Bill …Directs Revenue Board Chairman To Re-Appear
The Rivers State House
of Assembly has passed the State Chieftiancy and Council of Chiefs Bill 2014 even as the lawmakers asked the Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Board to reappear before the House with documents that show payment of taxes to the state.
The lawmakers had last Wednesday deferred the debate to yesterday after a heated argument over the bill and payment of salaries of traditional rulers occupying ethnic stools.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Chidi Lloyd noted that what the committee did was a technical work and said the law as it was now had a lot of mistakes in the classification of chieftaincy stools.
Lloyd said there were stools that existed in local government areas other than where they were domiciled such as Nye we eli Obuduga, which he said appeared under Ikwerre Local Government Area, stressing that what they did as a committee was to ensure that they put all the chieftaincy stools in proper perspective as it is contained in the first schedule of the committee report.
According to him,’’ we also look at some certain thorny areas in the law which also include the ouster of the power of the court from hearing any chieftaincy matter, saying, it was not important to say that no court shall have jurisdiction to entertain chieftaincy matters.
“We identified certain stools in Rivers State whose jurisdiction extends beyond local government of origin.
The Amanayabo of Kalabari is the Amanayabo of all Kalabari people both at home and in the diaspora as the fragmentation of local governments did not elude him not to be allowed to acquire just liabilities that come from those areas where his jurisdiction extends to and recommended that he should enjoy access that comes from those local governments he superintends over.
He warned that they are not making a law targeting an individual, adding that no occupant of any stool will remain there forever as he urged his colleagues to look at the report dispassionately without bias
The committee recommended that before a Governor can withdraw certificate of recognition from any First Class Chief or any other Chief, the chief must have been investigated, and given a fair hearing of the case.
Hon Gift Wokacha who represents Ogba Egbema/ Ndoni Constituency 1 commended the committee for a work well done but said the issue present was an issue of law and any law that is made has to stand the test of time. He said there are issues that must be look in to objectively and critically evaluate them and see whether they are in order..
He said the recommendation that an ethnic stool should receive payments from other local government where his jurisdictions extend to is not feasible
But, In his contribution, Hon Onari Brown, representing Akuku Toru 1 also kicked against the sharing formula and said he was not against the ethnic stool receiving stipends from other Local government where he superdents but the percentage should be lesser that what he gets from his area where he domiciles.
Others who made their contributions includes Hon Sam Eligwe, Hon Ibiso Nwuche, and Hon. Lucky Odili who did not share the same views.
Based on the arguments, the Speaker, Rt.Hon Otelemaba Dan Amaechree divided the house and it was resolved that the bill be passed in to law.
Meanwhile, The Speaker however directed the Clark to inform the executive that the bill has been passed in to law.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has directed the Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Board, Mrs Onene Osila Obele –Oshoko has been dircted to re appear before the state House of Assembly in the legislative day.
The speake, Rt.Hon Otelemaba Dan-Amaechree directed that Mrs Oshoko to re appear with documents relating to internal revenue generation of the state.
The directive came following the inability of the Chairman of the Internal Revenue Board failure to respond promptly to questions posed to her by the lawmakers
Mrs Obele-Oshoko was directed to appear before the House following the dwindling internal revenue of the state from the average of about #17billion to #13billion monthly.Those summon along side the Chairman of the Internal Revenue service includes, the commissioner of Finace, Dr Chambelian Peterside, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Generation, Chief Nwankwo Nwankwo.
The House leader, Hon Chidi Lloyd informed the invitees that the invitation was born out of a motion from the deputy leader who was worried about the dwindling revenue of the state, noted that it was unfortunate that the board Chairman came without preparation
Lloyd disclosed that for the past three years artisants,shop owners have not paid tax to the state government, stating that it has cost the state government very much
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed his legal team to resume all court proceedings against Mrs. Tracy Ohiri over her repeated allegations of indebtedness and other claims against him.
Mrs Ohiri had publicly accused Senator Umahi of owing her N280 million for campaign materials from his tenure as party chairman in Ebonyi State.
The allegations went viral on social media, where she also accused the Minister of sexual harassment.
Security agencies arrested Mrs Ohiri, and she was subsequently prosecuted. Her lawyer, Barrister Marshall Abubakar, intervened, leading to the deletion of all posts and a public apology, which also gained widespread attention online.
However, days after the apology, Mrs Ohiri resumed her claims against Senator Umahi.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Senator Umahi said he had informed Barrister Abubakar during the intervention that if Mrs Ohiri could provide verifiable evidence, logs, and communications from the period in question, some of his associates were willing to contribute a sum of One Billion Naira (N1billion) to her, evidence which, he said, she had yet to provide.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has been monitoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding the claims and counterclaims by Mrs. Tracy Ohiri.
“Ordinarily, this would have been ignored, but in the interest of truth and public clarity, it is necessary to address the issues directly”, the statement read.
The statement clarified that Barrister Abubakar acted in good faith and without any financial interest, motivated solely by a desire to assist Mrs Ohiri.
At no point did the lawyer discuss or negotiate any payment with the minister, although some well-meaning associates independently offered support”, the statement added.
Senator Umahi reiterated the conditions for resolving the matter: either the claims must be tested in court, or Mrs Ohiri must provide credible evidence, including all relevant communications, to substantiate her allegations.
The minister emphasised that Barr Abubakar conducted himself with integrity throughout the process.
“Following the failure to meet these conditions, particularly the inability to provide verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes to ensure the truth is fully established,” the statement said.
Senator Umahi said despite years of public provocations and attacks, he chose to remain silent, focusing on national and state services.
He thanked Nigerians who had taken time to assess the facts and noted that “not everyone who presents themselves as a victim truly is one, and in some cases, narratives are deliberately inverted.”
The Minister affirmed that he will not be distracted by Mrs Ohiri’s allegations and remained committed to his mandate at the Ministry of Works.
“The focus remains on results, service, and ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from projects that improve connectivity, economic growth, and national development. This administration will continue to pursue its transformation agenda with dedication, transparency, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” he concluded.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned proceedings in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions.
Justice Stephen Jumbo made the pronouncement during a recent sitting in Port Harcourt.
The suit, which borders on the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure in the state, was instituted against the factional State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, alongside the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and other respondents.
Also joined in the matter are the PDP as a corporate entity, the Rivers State Government, as well as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, including their respective Vice Chairmen and Councillors.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, approached the court via an originating summons seeking judicial interpretation on the validity of actions taken by the Chief Chukwuemeka-led state executive committee of the party.
Central to the dispute is whether the said executive committee, whose emergence the claimants contend has been nullified by a subsisting court judgment, retains the legal authority to act on behalf of the party in critical electoral matters.
The plaintiffs specifically urged the court to determine whether the factional leadership could validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the purpose of participating in local government elections.
They further questioned the legitimacy of the PDP’s participation in the August 30, 2025 local government elections, contending that any list purportedly submitted by the factional leadership was invalid and of no legal consequence.
In addition to the declaratory reliefs sought, the claimants also prayed the court to grant consequential orders addressing the outcome and conduct of the said elections across the affected local government areas.
At the resumed hearing, counsel representing the PDP and the affected local government councils informed the court that they had only recently been served with the originating processes and accompanying documents.
The defence team, comprising several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), disclosed that service of the court processes was effected on March 13, 2026, leaving them with limited time to adequately prepare their responses.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable them study the processes and address the legal issues raised, particularly as they relate to jurisdictional questions and points of law.
Counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, did not oppose the application, following which the presiding judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions, with a possible ruling expected ahead of the substantive suit.
By: King Onunwor
A former state lawmaker in the old the Rivers State, Professor Alex Eseimokumo, has described Nigerian opposition political parties as mere preposition political parties.
He also advised the country’s electorate against selling their votes during next year’s general elections.
The former legislator, who is also the president of the Institute for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Entrepreneurial Research, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide on the sidelines of an event organized by the institute in Port Harcourt.
He said opposition political parties in Nigeria have been reduced to preposition political parties as most of them are not only dinning with the government but advising government on what to do to win election.
“The problem in Nigeria is we are not practicing politics the way it is supposed to be.The opposition are more in preposition.
“You see, opposition is supposed to find out things that are wrong in government but in our present day politics, you see opposition even dinning with the other group. So, there is basically nothing like opposition in Nigeria “, he said.
He lamented a situation where some individuals within the opposition are allegedly working hard to prevent their parties from fielding presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, adding that such individuals were only there to protect their personal interest.
Prof. Eseimokumo said as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he could not wish his party to fail in the election, even though nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
He noted that though the government in power has been trying it’s best, there was more to be done.
In his words, “I’m an APC member, so I don’t have the right to criticize my party but a word of advice: we still need to do more, more people oriented leadership where everybody will feel carried along.
“For now, I’m campaigning for APC to be re elected and if I stand here to say APC is not doing well, I’m not being fair to myself. But I think, with God all things are possible, there can be changes”.
On his assessment of the performances of governors of the Niger Delta states, Prof Eseimokumo said the governors were doing well within the limit of their resources.
” I don’t know what is given to them as allocation, but if what we are seeing in terms of window dressing is not window shopping, then they are doing well”, he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Eseimokumo has advised Nigerian electorates against selling their votes during the forthcoming elections.
He said credible election could only be achieved when the electorates refuse financial inducement during the elections.
According to him, though Nigerian voters had been difficult to persuade, the time had come for them to stop selling their votes.
Prof. Eseimokumo said the forthcoming elections will serve as a litmus test for the Nigerian electorate to demonstrate their desire for changes in the country, stressing that free and fair elections will continue to be a mirage in the country until the was a change in the attitude of the electorate.
“If you want your vote to count, don’t take money from anybody; if you want your votes to count, don’t collect money for your vote. The moment you collect money for your vote, you have sold your conscience”, he warned.
He said his institute will continue to work for peace, not just in the Niger Delta region but across Nigeria.
By: John Bibor
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