Politics
Wike Harps On Effective Revenue Drive
The Holy Ghost Rally organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God at the Amiesimaka Stadium, Igwuruta was the curtain raiser for activities in Government House last week.
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom. Wike and his wife, Justice Suzette Wike attended the rally together with other top government functionaries. In his remarks, Chief Wike hailed the church for the success of the programme and promised that his administration will tap from it by sponsoring next year’s edition.
The governor recalled that it was during the rally last year that he got a word of revelation about his triumph at the Supreme Court, noting that there is nothing God cannot do. He reiterated that Rivers State is a Christian state and will do any thing to support the growth of the church.
On his part, General Overseer Worldwide of the Redeemed -Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye prayed and ministered for over 40,000 participants at the prayer meeting. Last Monday, the State Governor, declared open the 105th Quaterly and General Session of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council. He announced that government will take delivery of new vehicles for the royal fathers, but said the car donation will be done in batches.
The governor at the Traditional rulers meeting also announced plan to build a befitting Secretariat for the council and reiterated his resolve to ensure that each of the 23 Local Government Areas has one first class traditional ruler.
Old Port Harcourt Township was agog last Tuesday when the governor flagged off the reconstruction of 10 roads in the area. Wike said the project is in fulfillment of his electoral campaign promise that the area will wear a new look after long years of abandonment.
On his part, caretaker chairman of the Port Harcourt City Local Government, Mr. Christian Chiokwa thanked the governor for the various projects he has done in the area which included roads, installation of street and traffic lights.
The weekly State Executive Council took place last Wednesday and was presided over by governor Wike. Shortly after the meeting, Wike took time out to visit various project sites including the Pleasure ParK at Rumuola and the Emmanuel Centre at Njemanze and Abonnema Wharf Roundabout.
Last Thursday, two boards were inaugurated by the governor in Government House. They are: State Pensions Board and State -Hospital Management Board. The governor also hosted Bank Executives the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) the and later Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oluyole.
Addressing the board members, Chief Wike congratulated them for the appointment, saying the inauguration of the State, Hospital Management Board is overdue. The board is chaired by Chief Silas Eneyo.
The governor said the Board needs to start work immediately considering the renovation and rehabilitation of the various general hospitals in the state. He urged them to remove all hiccups in the state secondary health care management system.
For the State Pension Board, he charged them to be transparent and firm in the discharge of their duties. “We need to radically purge the system and ensure that the right thing is done”, he said.
Shortly after the board inauguration, Chief Wike met with Bank Executives in the State. During the meeting, the State Governor informed them that government want to eliminate all tax duplications and hiccups. Wike also announced that all multiple accounts will also be eliminated to allow for an effective revenue drive and reduction of leakages in the system.
Alhaji Abubakar, who is also the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressed that Chief Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him is yet another failed attempt to rewrite history.
Alhaji Abubakar specifically said that if the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness, he (Atiku) would feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his (Obasanjo) life and political career.
These were contained in a statement the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President, Mr Phrank Shaibu, released in which Atiku said he watched the former President’s interview with profound sadness, but not anger, because it reflected the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.
Alhaji Abubakar said the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians, stressing that he is proud that he stood against the third-term agenda and stood by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the words of Alhaji Abubakar: “I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition. If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour.
“No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty”.
Alhaji Abubakar noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals, but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.
He said: “The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict. It Is therefore unfortunate that the same man whose unconstitutional ambition was resisted now seeks to sit in judgment over those who defended the Constitution”.
The ADC Presidential candidate said it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Chief Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had”.
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he said.
Alhaji Abubakar further stated that Nigerians also deserve to remember the other side of history which Chief Obasanjo conveniently omits, saying: “History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom”.
He further said: “When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing.
“Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Alhaji Abubakar, however, said he harbours no regrets over any of those acts.
According to him: “Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions”.
He added, however, that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.
Alhaji Abubakar particularly expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.
In the words of Atiku: “The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds”.
The former Vice President said he had deliberately maintained restraint over the years out of respect for the office Chief Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they once shared.
He said: “That restraint should never be mistaken for weakness or docility. There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue. While I have no desire to engage in a public quarrel with a man I once stood beside in his most difficult moments, neither will I permit falsehoods, half-truths and calculated attempts to rewrite history to go unanswered.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to, are his own facts,” Alhaji Abubakar insisted.
The ADC presidential candidate reaffirmed that his attention remains firmly fixed on Nigeria’s future.
According to him; “I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.
“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people,” he stated.
According to the electoral umpire, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, and end on January 15, 2027, exactly 24 hours before the elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
INEC also announced that campaigns for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026, and conclude on February 5, 2027, ahead of the polls slated for February 6, 2027.
The commission explained that the campaign schedule complies with the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates that electioneering activities must not begin earlier than 150 days before an election and must end at least 24 hours before voting.
INEC urged political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to strictly adhere to the approved timetable and conduct their campaigns in accordance with the law, while encouraging the public to obtain electoral information only from its official communication channels to avoid misinformation.