Politics
Work For Rivers People, Not Your Parties – Rt Hon Oji
Following the December 10, 2016 conclusive rerun legislative elections in Rivers State, the newly elected members of the State legislature were inaugurated at the hallowed chambers of the State House of Assembly recently.
Among those who witnessed the august event was one time Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Iyk Oji.
In this interview with Opaka Dokubo in Port Harcourt, the former lawmaker did an x-ray of the house.
Excerpts.
How do you feel about the way issues around swearing-in of all elected legislators were resolved?
I will borrow the words of the late K. O. Mbadiwe to say that the House now is in an “Accord Concordia: The House is ready for legislative duties which they owe Rivers people. What happened was like a breath of fresh air into the Assembly and I commend the leadership of the House of Assembly and the State for taking that civilized and mature path. It is a path of honour which every Rivers man should be proud of and commend them for.
In parliament, we are interested in the over all well being of the entire Rivers people. You come into parliament on the springboard of a party but the moment you take your oath of membership and oath of allegiance, the overall interest of Rivers people should be paramount to you. I think that that is what they have realized and that is what they have done.
What do you make of the composition of the rivers state house of Assembly today?
The House is well constituted. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the majority or minority party, what matters most is the interest of Rivers people.
If I was opposition, I will not do opposition to the detriment of the interest of those who elected me, otherwise I’ll be recalled. So, all of them should know that there is now one Rivers State House of Assembly that is made up of honourable members, not Party A or Party B. Party becomes secondary at this stage. What matters is that they’re honourable members of one house and that house owes a lot to the people of Rivers State who elected them. And they should focus on that and refuse to be distracted.
In effect, people who are not in government would want to use you to create instability and they will be doing that to your detriment. If the government fails, all of them have failed, irrespective of what party they belong to and if the government succeeds, they have all succeeded. That ‘s how it is.
It is one government and government has three arms: the executive, legislature and judiciary. So they’re all part of government, not part of opposition or majority. And that is what I will always want them to keep at the back of their minds as they work … that they’re working for Rivers people, not necessarily for their parties.
What advice do you have for the majority on how To Accommodate The Opposition And How Should The Opposition Comport Themselves?
My advice first is on concepts. If I find myself in their shoes, I wouldn’t see myself as a member of an opposition, I’ll see myself as a member of Rivers State House of Assembly. You’re supposed to be a legislative scrutiny of executive initiative. It’s a collective responsibility. So, you see yourselves as members of one indivisible house but who came under the platform of different political parties. It’s like many children of the same parents. You may have your internal disagreements but they’re never fundamental enough to tear your family. So, brothers and sisters can disagree and settle tomorrow.
As far as a parliament is concerned, where fundamental issues arise, you always have alignments and re-alignments of political forces. It’s always there. So, let them know that they’re not there as opposition members. They’re there as members of Rivers State House of Assembly who came from another party.
I ask for guardedness of language. Even when we’re disagreeing on an issue, we do it in a spirit that is so enlightened. Politics is an enlightened discourse that involves philosophical modes. And that’s why I said that where fundamental issues arise, you’re bound to have alignments and re-alignments of political machineries but it doesn’t make me an opposition in government because I’m also a part of that government. If they have this mind, things will work well. It won’t be them and us. It will be just us and so it becomes a win-win situation for all Rivers people.
What Should Rivers People Expect From This 8th Assembly?
First, I expect the Assembly to work well with the executive. They’re there to ensure that Rivers State is raised to a high level of fulfillment and to do that, you need peace, you need harmony. So, let them create an enabling environment that will allow peace and harmony to thrive.
I even want to appeal to political gladiators in the state from all shades of opinions that it has pleased God to make one party control Rivers and another party control the Federal Government. This is not an election year, I therefore expect every Riversman, whether you’re in the party that controls federal or not, to allow peace to reign here and allow peace to reign there too. Let Nigerians benefit. Let Rivers State have peace and benefit from developments.
Those on the other side of the divide should cooperate with those on this side. Government is turn-by-turn. Wait till election and if you have the muscle to vote out, you do so but if you can’t, you accept what God has done.
For the rest of Rivers people I also expect that, we have produced leaders, we shouldn’t mess up our leaders whether they’re in A or B. Our leaders should have mutual respect for themselves. The younger generation should look up to those in offices. As far as I’m concerned, every office comes from God.
Today there’s just one governor in Rivers State and the state is also blessed to have a minister whom I expect to work in harmony with the governor on ground here in the overall interest of Rivers people at the centre too. So, there should be a meeting point. There should be a synergy of efforts.
What is your charge to the legislature in rivers state at a time like this?
The legislature in Rivers State has tried. We’ve had very trying moments. They rose beyond all forces and continued again. We saw what happened in the parliament of some states. We didn’t degenerate to that level. We believe in God that they will learn more.
After every election, new persons are injected into the parliament, they go through the rudiments and by the time they’re settled for work, people introduce confusion. They should allow these people to work and I believe that they too will do well if they’re allowed to work. We shouldn’t distract them.
We want to encourage them to work as a family and as a team in the over all interest of the whole Rivers people. We’re looking up to them. They’re our leaders today. That’s the truth.
Wherever we see them, we should accord them the honour they deserve and encourage them to do more. We shouldn’t pull them down. To whom much is given, much is expected. When they call you honourable, you should also carry yourself with a modicum of respect.
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.