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We’ll Resist Polls Rigging – Wike

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While the 56th Independence anniversary dominated
activities in Government House penultimate week, the thanksgiving over coronation of Chief Mike Elechi in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area opened the week in Government House.
Chief of Staff, Engr. Emeka Woke who represented Governor Nyesom Wike at the Thanksgiving Service at Elele Town urged support for the Wike administration as more developments were on the trail.
On the same day Chief Wike and other top State Government officials attended a special crusade organised by the Deeper Life Christian Ministry in Rivers State tagged “Connected in Rivers” at Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The governor used the Christian programme to call on the Federal Government to do more to arrest the economic recession. He however said the present economic downturn will not stop his administration from its current transformation drive in the State. “I can tell you that Rivers State will not see that problem. This State is a special State for God,” he assured.
After a break on the Monday holiday to mark the nation’s 56th Independence Anniversary, Governor Wike resumed his activities on commissioning projects and laying foundation for new ones. Last Tuesday, the governor in company of the new President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Mahmood, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), unveiled the ultra-modern NBA, Port Harcourt building sited in the heart of the Central Business District of the metropolis.
In his speech at the building inauguration ceremony, Chief Wike called on lawyers, to reciprocate government’s gesture by offering free legal services to indigent members of the pubic, to enable them have access to justice.
The NBA President described the event as, “the most pleasant event that I will be participating” adding that, “this edifice is a national edifice for the legal profession.”
Shortly after the NBA building was unveiled, the governor in company of top government functionaries and party bigwigs visited the site of the outgoing reclamation at Ogbunabali/Nkpogu waterfront to see the level of work.
The governor, last Wednesday, laid foundation for the construction of ultra-modern landing jetty for Bonny/Bille and Nembe Waterfront in the Town area of Port Harcourt. He addressed a huge crowd of residents and business people who were elated that the project will enhance transport and communication for the riverine communities.
Addressing the crowd, Chief Wike urged them to be vigilant and ensure that they fully participate in the upcoming rerun polls, while assuring the citizens that he would do everything to resist attempt to rig the polls, as they did in Edo State.
On the same day, the governor through a press statement felicitated with teachers in the State in commemoration of this year’s World Teachers Day. He described teachers as critical to his administration and restructuring of the education sector, as a tool for empowerment.
Also last Wednesday, the deputy governor, congratulated the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Kenneth Kobani on his 52nd birthday. Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo said Kobani has remained a leader and true representative of Ogoni people.
Chief Wike, last Thursday took a project site tour of the ongoing Port Harcourt Pleasure Park at Rumuola, Aba Road in the city. The governor returned back to the State on Friday, but on the early morning hours of Saturday led other State officials to stop officers of the Directorate of State Security and Police from forcing themselves into Judges Quarters in Port Harcourt. He was manhandled by the security agents.
On Saturday, Chief Wike flagged off the construction of Abua Road and later hosted Rivers United Football Club to a dinner.

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Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

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In a renewed effort to deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced the commencement of its Zonal and National Public Hearings across the country.

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.

 

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Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has stirred fresh political controversy by dismissing claims that President Bola Tinubu was highly instrumental to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015 after the merger of political parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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”.

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Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi

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Former Presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has accused Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of spreading false information about Nigeria’s debt profile, claiming it is deterring foreign investors from the country.

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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