Politics
Attempt To Denigrate Rivers State Cannot Stick – St Franklin

Barr. Oraye
He is young. He is vibrant.
He is passionate about making a positive difference in his own way. Barrister Oraye St Franklin is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Rivers State on Social Media.
In this interview with Opaka Dokubo, the rising lawyer and politician bares his mind on some of the nagging contemporary issues in Rivers State.
Excerpts:
The Okrika speaking LGAs had a near Perfect situation in the last election. How were you able to achieve that?
Rivers State generally
is a PDP State. Our people are predominantly attracted to the PDP. The PDP has been the platform through which we have had our aspiration realized as a people. So, Okrika cannot be any different.
We’re a very passionate people. I will say Rivers people are a very passionate people.
For the Okrika man, as it were, when he takes a decision on an issue, he stands by it. As I said previously, PDP has been the platform under which we had consistently realized our aspiration as a people and in an election where you have a senator from the Okrika area and a House of Reps member, you cannot expect anything but massive support from Okrika people. And because it’s the platform where we realise our aspiration as a people, we didn’t need to do anything dramatic.
Our people are very knowledgeable, very passionate forthright, so there was nothing anybody could say from the opposition political party that would dissuade them from giving massive support to very honourable member of the national legislative houses.
We are a people who comport ourselves very well but you realize that for about a year now, Rivers State has been in the news for the very wrong reasons. There is this deliberate effort to project Rivers State as a flashpoint of violence and crisis and these things are coming from one direction. They ‘re coming from the handlers and leaders of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State.
You and I live in Rivers State and we know Rivers State to be a very peaceful state, we know Rivers State to be a very active and lively state, our people are very hospitable. The attempt to denigrate our people and our state cannot stick. I am sure a lot of people expected that Okrika, being branded as one of the flashpoints of crisis and violence and Rivers State would erupt in crisis but we’re glad that the entire world saw that Okrika was very peaceful. Our people went about exercising their franchise within the ambits of the law.
What makes the PDP so strong in Rivers State?
Since 1999, PDP has always won all the elections in Rivers State and you cannot achieve this mile stone for these number of years if you’ve not brought benefits to the lives of people of the state. No matter what anybody wishes to say, no matter the deliberate attempt by detractors to brand the PDP as a party of corruption and as a party that has mismanaged the wealth of Nigeria, the present state of Nigeria gives credit to the PDP.
Currently we’re having a biting fuel crisis. We ‘re also having economic challenges and we’re having the value of the Naira depreciating by the day. These didn’t happen under the PDP administration. Whether anybody admits it or not, there are benefits from the PDP to the people of Rivers State and to Nigerians. Those benefits are the strong points of the PDP. For Rivers State, they’re many.
As I said, and will continue to say, a party that has shown itself to be reliable to the people in giving them a platform to achieve their aspirations cannot be relegated to the background. You will always find people supporting the PDP.
What has kept you glued to the PDP even when many of your Associates have moved elsewhere?
The emergence of the APC in Rivers State is credited to rebellion and you’d only find people who have a role in that rebellion cause identifying with the APC in Rivers State. It was not born out of genuine intentions to advance the cause of our people. It was born out of a rebellions drive to possess power by all means necessary.
Many of us are not rebellion in spirit so you will not find us finding the APC attractive, more so when the PDP has always represented the interest of our people. It’s that single. The PDP gives us the platform for genuine interaction for the development of our state.
Look at the people who went to the APC, they also contributed in one way or the other in advancing the cause of Rivers State. If they could find the platform to serve our people under the PDP, what was the need to destroy that platform and bring in something else? There is no justification for that, there’s no justification whatsoever. That’s why I’m still in the PDP and you can see that since 1999 up to this present administration, the PDP has always brought succor to the lives of our people.
Look at what the current governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, is doing to the state. From day one, he has consistently moved from one level of achievement to the other in spite of the distractions. It tells you that the PDP is peopled by very passionate, result-oriented leaders who think of the development of our people because this the only state we have and we cannot afford to leave the state in the hands of those who are not so passionate about her success and development.
What do you think the Rivers State Government should do to attract its due from the Federal Government?
I think that what the current government is doing is not to go in confrontation with the federal government. You can see a clear deviation from what was the order in the last administration where there was too much confrontation with the federal government and for every little thing you blamed the federal government for not doing anything.
The current governor, Governor Wike, has deliberately opened lines of communication, has deliberately refused to be confrontational with the federal government in spite of many issues that would have warranted confrontation. Take for instance, the frequent changing of the security chiefs in the state. People say our state is insecure, people say Rivers State is a flashpoint of crisis and violence, how can we effectively tackle these challenges if we do not have security chiefs that are allowed to do their jobs?
In spite of these, the governor has not been confrontational with the federal government and we think that this is how it should be and it also would promote peace and development in the state. However, in this kind of relationship its two sided. There’s what is expected of the Rivers State Government and there’s also what is expected of the federal government. I believe that if the federal government sees the Rivers State Government as a partner in development there’s no reason why what is due us will not come to us. On our part, we have done, and we will continue to do, all that we ought do. But on the part of the Federal Government, we also expect them to do all that they’re expected to do.
In the light of the still coming Elections, What do we need to do to ensure a better exercise?
But for the incursion of the military in the last rerun elections, we would have had a peaceful exercise because across the state, all the issues we heard and we have documented are stories of military interferences in the electoral process, not even the police. Like in Tai, we had allegations of military people snatching ballot papers.
In Okrika Ward 6, there was the issue of the kidnap of corps members. In Ahoada West was where a youth corps member died. You would have imagined that the mere fact these were two court judgements against the involvement of the military in election, the military would abide by those judgements. But a situation where you find the military disobey court orders and a former governor going on air to say that they will disobey those restraining orders, it leaves so much to be desired of the system.
I would personally, suggest and expect that in the coming election, the military will stay abay and allow the appropriate authority which is the Nigerian police manage, provide cover and security for the election. And I would also expect that all political parties would abide by the rules of engagement. We only have one Rivers State and if we destroy or demarket our state in the course of the struggle for power, where is our love for the state? So, I would expect that all political parties will conform to the rules of engagement and allow the people decide those to be elected.
Democracy is a game of numbers, it’s about the majority who will always have their way while the minority will have their say. This is how the game is played.
What is there for young people in this Govt?
I will say there’s a lot for young people and this has been demonstrated by some key appointments by the governor. For instance, here lam and you are surprised that lam sitting here today. There are opportunities because the governor is passionate about excellence, he’s passionate about getting things done, he’s passionate about getting Rivers State to her pride of place among the commity of states in Nigeria.
The challenge, however is that young people must make themselves agents of change, they must package themselves properly, they must develop themselves, they must find education attractive and necessary.
There is no shortfall of opportunities for those who are prepared.
The governor has shown good intention and many more things will be rolled out with time.
For the young people in Rivers State, what is important to them is the realization of their aspirations.
As long as young people can dream and have their dreams realized, even the state will grow in leaps and bounds. So, the priority of this government is that the dreams of the young people do not die.
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.
Politics
Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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”.
Politics
Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi
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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