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Guber Polls: 2,000 Communities, Female Youths, Traders Endorse Wike
Over 2,000 communities spread across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, have endorsed Governor Wike for a second term,
The endorsement was made at a conference of UCDC Chairmen and Secretaries in Port Harcourt.
The Coordinator-General of the United Community Development (UCDC), Mr. John Onwubualili who said that the more than 2,000 communities in the 23 local government areas of the state would support the Governor for second term of office.
Mr. Onwubualili also said it was the desire of the organisation to work with the various stakeholders to ensure free, fair credible and peaceful elections in the state.
“We shall not allow any form of intimidation from any agency to deprive Rivers people from participating in the elections.
“We are also ready to collaborate with INEC and security agencies to ensure that our votes are well counted”.
Onwubualili further said that the group would embark on a one week protest, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies refused to allow free and fair elections in Rivers State.
He also said that the group would not allow any form of postponement of elections in the state.
According to him, the group will collaborate and synergise with the government and the various development partners to identify needs and ensure proper project sitting and maintenance in the various communities.
The Coordinator-General said the UCDC would hold town hall meetings in the 23 local government areas and in the various constituencies with the view to sensitizing the people on the importance of appreciating the various developmental projects of the present administration in their various communities.
He also requested the government to use the next four years of the administration to embark on human capital development/empowerment, attract foreign investment into the state for job creation as well as the renovation of schools.
Also requested were, the provision of office space for the organisation in Port Harcourt, appointment of a Special Adviser for CDC Affairs as well as financial assistance to the body for the town hall meeting.
Meanwhile, thousands of Female Youths from the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State have endorsed Governor Nyesom Wike for a second term.
Governor Wike was also endorsed by Non Indigenous Female Youths residing in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state .
In a programme tagged: “Female Youths For Governor Wike “, the young ladies took over the Obi Wali Cultural Centre where they displayed their preference for Governor Wike in dance, music and songs.
The mobilisation was so massive that the female youths spread across the vicinity of the Obi Wali Cultural Centre.
All the female youths expressed gratitude to the Rivers State Governor for his developmental strides and commitment to the advance the welfare of Female Youths.
Special Assistant to the PDP Rivers State Governorship Candidate on Female Youths, Hon Soibi Ibibo Jack said female youths from the 23 Local Government Areas are totally in support of the Governor’s re-election.
She said Governor Wike is the most gender-friendly governor since the creation of the state. She that Governor Wike has created opportunities for women to be in government.
Hon Jack said female youths apart from voting for Governor Wike will defend their votes across the polling units of the state.
She said that Governor Wike is the best thing to happen to Rivers State. She said supporting the re-election of Governor Wike will help women get more presence in government.
It was a declaration of profound commitment to the re-election of Governor Wike by the Female Youths of Rivers State.
Selected Female Youths from the different ethnic groups of Rivers State took turns to profess their endorsement of Governor Wike. They stated they will promote the governor’s re-election and deliver their respective units.
Female Artiste, Jikume Bethelem thrilled the audience with some of her popular tunes.
Accepting the endorsement of the Female Youths, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike stated that he is overwhelmed by the mobilisation and support of the female youths for his re-election.
The governor said that the time has come for Rivers women to take their rightful place in the governance of the state. He said that he will continue to promote the growth of women and female youths in governance, politics, business and the Civil service.
“This is an opportunity for the female youths to express themselves. This mobilisation is awesome. What you have done here is to give female youths a voice in the politics of the state.
“By this mobilisation, you are saying that female youths must be involved in governance. You are saying no government will be formed without female youths “, he said.
The governor urged the Female Youths of Rivers State to sustain their mobilisation beyond the elections to enhance their relevance in the polity.
He urged the women to fight for their positions and not wait to receive positions on a platter as has been the case.
He said: “The women should fight for their place in government. They should not wait to be given positions because they are qualified to struggle and win such positions.
“Time has come when women must take their appropriate places in Rivers State”.
The governor stated that with their number, female youths are in the right position to stop anyone from manipulating the electoral process in the state.
Governor Wike directed the Female Youths to go to their respective polling units to form association of women and female youths to mobilise for votes .
“As registered voters, go back to your respective units and form associations of girls/women in each unit. From the Coordinator of Female Youths for Governor Wike, we require 4442 names of girls who will serve as leaders of each of the 4442 polling units.
“In each polling unit, each leader must lead in the mobilisation of girls/women “, the governor said.
He charged the female youths to also lead the charge to defend their votes across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
“This is not the period to tie wrapper. This is the period of jeans and canvass. You have to be prepared to defend your votes.
“This is a war between darkness and light. When you are confronting darkness, you get prepared. APC is dictatorship and PDP is freedom. To crush dictatorship you have to be prepared “, he said.
The governor said that in his second term, Female Youths will be appointed as Commissioners and Special Advisers. He added that during the next Local Government Council polls, the state will produce nine female local government council chairmen.
Speaking further, Governor Wike announced that female youths will get allocation of shops at the Mile One Market and Fruit Garden Market when they are completed.
He added that the female youths will receive interest free loans and be given 40 percent of employment out of the new 7000 appointments into the State Civil Service.
Governor Wike urged Rivers State Female Youths to vote massively for Atiku Abubakar and other PDP candidates for the emancipation of the country.
For the February 11 Presidential Rally in the state, Governor Wike directed the Female Youths to mobilise 500 young ladies per local government and wear a distinct uniform for the programme.
Highpoint of the occasion was the defection of Female Youths from APC to the PDP.
Also, traders and construct ion workers have declared their unflinching support for the re-election of Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
This is as the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike assured traders at the Fruit Garden Market that his administration would deliver the market next month.
Addressing the traders after inspecting the ongoing construction of the burnt Fruit Garden Market, last Saturday, Wike said work would be sustained because he wants the traders to sell in a conducive environment.
The governor thanked the traders for their support, saying that he will always live up to their expectations.
He said unlike the failed All Progressives Congress (APC), he runs a promise-keeping administration that caters for all sections of the state.
Wike charged the traders to use their permanent voters’ cards to re-elect him and vote for other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in order for his administration to deliver more dividends of democracy.
The traders, who trooped out in their numbers to welcome Wike, sang his praises, and assured him of their votes.
Wike took out time to make purchases at the Fruit Garden Market.
Also, last Saturday, the governor inspected the concluding construction works at the Judges’ Quarters in Port Harcourt.
The construction workers, on sighting the governor, broke into singing and dancing, declaring their support for the re-election of Wike.
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The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has directed his lawyers to withdraw all ongoing defamation lawsuits against several individuals, saying he was moved by counsel during a New Year Mass.
Speaking at the Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, yesterday, Akpabio said he had filed nearly nine lawsuits against individuals he accused of defaming him.
He said, “I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name.
“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitor to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”
In 2025, Akpabio had filed several high-profile defamation lawsuits, including one against colleague Senator Natasha Akpoti?Uduaghan.
In late 2025, Akpabio filed a N200 billion defamation lawsuit against her over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied and urged her to substantiate in court.
Earlier in the year, Akpabio’s wife also filed defamation suits against Akpoti?Uduaghan over claims she said had harmed her family’s reputation.
Relations between the two lawmakers soured after Akpoti?Uduaghan accused Akpabio of influencing her suspension from the Senate in March 2025, following her public allegations of misconduct.
The Senator had previously challenged actions taken against her in court, including a N100 billion defamation suit she filed against Akpabio and other defendants over alleged remarks that she said damaged her reputation.
With yesterday’s announcement, Akpabio has formally ended all pending legal disputes arising from defamation claims, signalling closure to the publicised litigations as the year begins.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the best form of gratitude Rivers people owe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for protecting the interest of the State is to galvanize massive support for the President in 2027.
Fubara disclosed this last Monday during the commissioning of Permanent Secretaries Quarters built by his administration at Elimgbu in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the State.
He said that the State has what it takes to deliver the President during the 2027 general elections.
“We’ve taken a decision,our decision is for the good of Rivers State, our decision is to say thank you for the protection we have from Mr President, our decision is to prove that we have what it takes to deliver Mr President.”
Fubara expressed delight over the completion of the project, stating that the initiative was to provide accommodation, a basic need of life for public servants in the state to improve their productivity.
He explained that lack of effective social welfare was at the root of some incriminating actions that undermine the purpose of governance, noting that the commissioning of the newly built Permanent Secretaries Quarters marks a significant milestone in civil service welfare and institutional development.
“Insecurity begins when individuals are uncertain of what the next hour holds. This situation is especially challenging for family men and women, affecting confidence and decision-making,” he observed.
Fubara emphasized the need for proper maintenance of the facility and urged the beneficiaries to protect the project like a personal property, while directing the State Head of Service to appoint a facility manager to ensure long-term maintenance.
In her remarks, the Special Guest of Honour and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who unveiled the project, expressed appreciation to the governor and Rivers State for inviting her to commission the project.
She commended Fubara for prioritizing the welfare of Permanent Secretaries who are senior public servants and accounting officers, noting that the project reflects purposeful and visionary leadership, and urged other states to borrow a cue from the Rivers State Governor.
Walson-Jack described the initiative as a strategic investment in staff welfare and institutional continuity which she noted is in line with Renewed Hope Initiative on provision of mass housing and social stability.
“The commissioning of these houses reflect a deliberate commitment to the dignity, welfare, and productivity of senior public servants responsible for policy coordination and service delivery,” she said.
In his goodwill message, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibode Bashiru, who led a high powered delegation on a visit to the governor, congratulated Rivers people for aligning with the Pan Nigerian political party, assuring that the interest of Rivers State will be duly protected in the APC.
He described President Bola Tinubu as a detribalised Nigerian who anchors his leadership on equity, fairness and justice, adding that the APC will provide a level playing ground for all.
The APC chief scribe also commended Fubara for providing good accommodation for public servants, stating that it will address issues of sabotage, compromise and disloyalty on the part of public servants.
Giving the project description, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, said the estate comprises 29 units, including nine standalone duplexes and 20 terrace buildings.
Facilities feature a water treatment plant, synchronized power generators, CCTV and alarm systems, a gym, recreational areas, and green spaces—designed to enhance comfort, performance, and productivity.
Earlier, the Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr Mrs Inyingi Brown, had thanked the governor for his visionary initiative and unwavering commitment to the welfare of Rivers State Civil Servants, and restated the commitment of the State civil servants to the success of Fubara’s administration.
By: Taneh Beemene
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