Politics
RSG Warns Against Blockade Of NDDC Gate
Rivers State Government has warned that it would no longer condone situations where some protesting youths of the Niger Delta region would block the gate of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) headquarters in Port Harcourt over frivolous agitations.
The state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, who gave the warning last Tuesday when the new Interim Management Committee paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Port Harcourt, said such protests were commonly carried out by youths from certain ethnic group who thought that the Commission belonged to them.
The Governor expressed dismay that such protests frustrated socio-economic activities in the state.
The Governor said: “ NDDC does not belong to any ethnic group in the Niger Delta region. It doesn’t belong to anybody. There are people who have seen themselves that they are the owners of NDDC. They leave their state and come to NDDC to block gate. We are peaceful people, but nobody should push us to the point where we can tell you enough is enough.
“The next time they try it again, to cause crisis in our state, l ‘ll mobilise our people against them. I am not saying if you have grievance with NDDC you should not seek how to settle it. But don’t use it to cause problem for us, to begin to make economic activities not to move on”.
The Governor challenged the Interim Management Committee to make a difference by focusing on the core mandate of developing the region.
Another major event in Brick House last week was the official presentation of letter nominating Governor Wike as the 2020 Extra Ordinary Personality of the Year Award by the management of Silverbird Group. Silverbird Creative Development Manager, Mr Jacob Akinyemi Johnson,who presented the Nomination Letter, said the Governor’s nomination was as a result of the projects he embarked upon and his fearlessness.
Johnson said : “ Your boldness made you the first prominent Nigerian to raise the alarm over the atrocities of the now disbanded SARS. And you also spoke against the politicisation of security. Now your forthrightness in telling the truth to power, including the presidency when you think things are going wrong is worthy of emulation”.
Commenting on Projects, Johnson said: “ You promised on the day you were sworn in for second term that you will work for Rivers State people to the very last day and you are living up to that task.
The Rivers State Governor thanked the management of Silverbird for the honour bestowed on him and the people of Rivers State.
He restated that his administration would continue to deliver developmental projects and improve the well-being of Rivers people till the very last day of his tenure.
Also within the week under review, Governor Wike was in Yola, the Adamawa State capital to inspect some projects embarked upon by his Adamawa State counterpart, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
Governor Wike, after inspecting the Greater Interchange and Underpass said he was impressed with the developmental strides of the Adamawa State Governor.
Governor Wike stated that with the overwhelming infrastructural development taking place in all the PDP states, which Nigerians could attest to, it would be impossible for the PDP not to win the 2023 general elections.
Also last week in Brick House, Governor Wike described as false, an article which was published in Guardian , with the headline, “ Tinubu Cannot See Presidency Gate In 2023”, and attributed to him.
The Rivers State Governor said, though it was true that he granted press interview to newsmen after projects inspection in Yola, but that questions asked, ranged from the purpose of his visit, the prospects of the PDP winning the 2023 general elections and Nigeria’s rating in the global corruption index which was recently published by Transparency International, and nothing to do with Chief Bola Tinubu.
A release by Gov Wike’s Special Assistant on Media , Kelvin Ebiri, stated that irrespective of political affiliation, Gov Wike has enormous respect for Chief Tinubu and would never say or do anything to malign the reputation of the elder statesman, describing the said report as mischievous.
By: Chris Oluoh
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.
Actor turned politician, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, announced the party’s choice of Mr Amaechi.
However in a statement, Mr Okonkwo said that the choice of Mr Amaechi from the South South strengthens the continued marginalization of people from the South East.
According to the former spokesperson of the Labour Party, any arrangement that would not factor a person from the South East either as president or vice president in the party is anti-Igbo.
He contended that Chief Raph Nwosu, who founded the ADC in 2005 and willingly surrendered it’s leadership to Senator David Mark did not do so to entrench Igbo marginalization in the party.
The former actor said: “I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a president or vice president since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice president in the ADC in 2027, will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in marginalisation of my own people further. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the national chairman and the president, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice president in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his vice.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as president or vice in 2027”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Monday said that the numerous projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu across the states in the southeast will give him upper hand over other presidential candidates during next year’s general elections.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during a mega rally organized by the Ebonyi State government and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during which President Tinubu and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections were adopted.
According to the APC National Chairman, no President had done for the southeast region what President Tinubu has done for them and expressed the confidence that the president would not only win in Ebonyi State but in the entire South East.
Prof. Yilwatda also used the occasion to address growing insinuations in some quarters that Ebonyi State had been conceded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dismissing the claim, Prof. Yilwatda said the state would not allow the PDP to win any position in the forthcoming general election.
“We will return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Francis Nwifuru as Governor of Ebonyi State in 2027.
“We want to return all APC senators, members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in 2027.
“Nobody has conceded Ebonyi to the PDP. Therefore, there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi PDP has no place, and there is no vacancy at all in the Government House come 2027,” the APC National Chairman declared.
He commended the people of the state for their support for President Tinubu and urged them to re-elect him in the next presidential election in appreciation of what he has done for the state and the entire South-East through infrastructural transformation and human capital development.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, who also spoke at the event, said the state had no other presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections apart from President Tinubu.
He declared that Ebonyi remained a stronghold of the APC and vowed that the party would deliver the President in the state.
Gov. Nwifuru said President Tinubu had shown exceptional commitment to the state and deserved total support for appointing Senator Umahi as Minister of Works, a role he said Senator Umahi had performed creditably.
“Ebonyi has no other presidential candidate apart from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will return him in the presidential election.
“We are standing here today to tell the whole world, especially those using the President’s name to orchestrate division and confusion in this great state, that we have only one party, and that is the APC.
“This statement became necessary because some people are going around claiming they have discussed with Mr President and that he has handed Ebonyi over to the PDP. They are also saying that Chief Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the President has given Ebonyi to him.
“Ebonyi is not for sale. We are restraining ourselves because the people are with us. Nobody should push us because we have what it takes to confront anyone trying to destabilise us.
“We want to tell Mr President that he has earned our votes. He gave us what we had never had in Eastern Nigeria — the office of the Minister of Works. And this Minister of Works is not sitting idle; he is working,” he stated.
Senator Umahi, in his remarks, said President Tinubu had done what no other President had done for Ebonyi State and the entire South-East by executing numerous projects across the state and the region.
“Ebonyi State is a one-party state under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot, not just for Ebonyi State but for the entire South-East and other geopolitical zones,” he said.