Politics
Stay In Your Areas, Gov Wike Tells Council Chairmen
The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike has again directed chairmen of the twenty- three Local Government Areas to reside in their various areas and not to operate from Port Harcourt, the state capital or any other area outside their local government.
By so doing, the governor said the council bosses would be abreast of the situation of things, especially security, in their various areas.
The Rivers State Chief Executive gave the order last Thursday, during the swearing, in ceremony of the local government council chairmen in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He expressed regret that most council bosses in the state abandoned their various LGAs only to live and operate from hotels in Port Harcourt.
“ Stay in your council areas. Don’t stay in hotels and in Port Harcourt. If you’re not at home, how do you know about the security situation in your local government ? Security is key “, he said.
Governor Wike who charged the council chairmen to pay proper attention to issues of security in order to stem security breaches in their various councils , stressed the need for them to establish robust working relationship with both the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and traditional rulers in their domain.
The Governor also warned them against embarking on needless travels outsiders the state and the country without officially notifying the state government.
Another major issue , last week in Brick House, was the anti-open grazing position of the Southern Governors. Wike disclosed the intention of his administration to forward to the Rivers State House of Assembly, an anti-open grazing bill, aimed at protecting farmlands and farmers.
“ So that everybody must understand it , it’s clear without any hesitation, we must do it to protect our farms, to protect our women, to protect our youths, so that nobody will go and kill them”, he said last Wednesday, at the inauguration of the Isaiah Odoli/ Omerelu streets in New GRA , Port Harcourt.
Last week witnessed the inauguration of more projects executed by the Governor Wike administration. They include: the 21km Odufor- Akpoku- Umuoye Road in Etche Local Government Area, nine reconstructed streets— Nzimiro, Herbert Macaulay , Amassoma , Arochukwu , Atako, Ogoja , Akure , Yola and Chinwo in Old GRA, Port Harcourt, and the Community Secondary School Eteo, in Eleme Local Government Area as well as the Community Secondary School Obeakpu, Ndoki in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
The Rivers State Governor called on the Federal Government to expedite action towards the completion of the abandoned East-West Road considering its economic importance to the nation.
He described as unacceptable, the Federal Government’s continued neglect of the road, particularly the Eleme axis where the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone, Port Harcourt Refinery and Onne Seaport are situated.
“ They are taking us for granted because we have nobody. God in his infinite mercy will give us somebody. The kind of treatment we are receiving from this Federal Government is unacceptable”, said Governor Wike during the inauguration of the Community Secondary School Eteo, in Eleme Local Government Area, last Friday.
Stressing that the project inauguration and flagging off was not limited to the road , Governor Wike explained that it also focused on other sectors as health, education etc. The construction of the Community Secondary School Eteo in Eleme and the Secondary School Obeakpu, Ndoki in Oyigbo were aimed at increasing access to quality education for the people.
The Governor appealed to the teachers and students of the schools to utilise the facilities provided by the state government and make sure that the schools are protected.
Inaugurating the Community Secondary School Obeakpu, the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu hailed the achievements of the Rivers State Governor .
“ Governor Wike remains a role model, worthy to be emulated. I advise other governors to come to Port Harcourt to see what Gov ernor Wike is doing”, Mantu said.
The plot by the Federal Government to regulate or outrightly ban social media attracted the attention of the Rivers State Governor, last week, as he described the plot as hypocritical.
He argued that the APC led Federal Government wants to use it’s disagreement with Twitter as a false premise to suppress criticism of the administration’s appalling handling of the nation’s affairs through the dubious regulation of social media, even when it used the same social media to tell lies against the past government under Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
Gov Wike attended the PDP Governors’ Forum meeting held last Monday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. He also attended a Special Thanksgiving Mass in honoure of the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem in Jos, the Plateau State Capital, last Saturday.
By: Chris Oluoh
Mr Okonkwo made the announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on yesterday, expressing gratitude for what he called Alhaji Abubakar’s show of faith in him.
“I give God all the glory for being appointed by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar as his spokesperson. I thank His Excellency for the immense confidence reposed in me,” Mr Okonkwo said.
The politician credited Alhaji Abubakar with championing dialogue over conflict within party ranks.
He noted that the former vice president favours conversation and compromise when party associates raise genuine worries, rather than dismissing their concerns.
“Rather than take offence at associates for expressing genuine reservations about any action taken, His Excellency always opts for dialogue and compromise that engender solutions to problems,” Mr Okonkwo stated.
According to him, recent talks with Alhaji Abubakar and other ADC leaders tackled worries about South-East political representation within the limits of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the current political climate. He said the discussions produced guarantees for the region’s interests despite existing constraints.
Mr Okonkwo also acknowledged the work of Dr. Kashim Imam; former ADC National Chairman, Ralphs Nwosu; Ekene Onwuka, Alhaji Abubakar’s Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, in preparing the party for next year’s elections. He thanked his loved ones and supporters for their support and prayers.
“I still covet your prayers for wisdom, courage, provision and protection needed to carry out this challenging responsibility, which will usher in a glorious and great Nigeria,” he added.
The appointment arrives weeks after Mr Okonkwo publicly attacked the ADC’s pick for running mate in 2027. He’d warned that choosing a vice-presidential candidate from the South-South would worsen what he sees as political neglect of the South-East, a region without a president or vice president since 1999.
Despite Mr Okonkwo’s objections, the ADC later announced former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as Alhaji Abubakar’s running mate following the ex-vice president’s clinching of the party’s presidential nomination.
The Red Chamber passed the bill last Wednesday after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as “a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”
The senate leader said the proposal to establish state police was a matter of urgent public importance that could not be delayed because of political interests, given the country’s security challenges.
He explained that the proposal did not originate recently but emerged from memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal underwent extensive consultations and rigorous scrutiny because of its sensitive nature.
Bamidele said the National Assembly consulted widely with the Executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, the leadership of the Nigeria Police and other stakeholders before passing the bill.
He added that during the public hearings conducted across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025, participants overwhelmingly supported the creation of state police.
“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today,” he said.
The Senate leader noted that recommendations from the Nigeria Police contributed to the bill, particularly on accountability and oversight mechanisms aimed at preventing abuse of state police by political actors.
According to him, the police’s support for the proposal underscores its national significance in tackling insecurity at the state and local levels.
Bamidele also said the bill received broad bipartisan backing in both chambers of the National Assembly.
“Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties — PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party — that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial basis.
“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone,” he said.
He argued that national security should transcend political affiliations, saying political actors in other countries often set aside partisan interests to support initiatives that strengthen security.
Bamidele called on opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would promote peace and stability, adding that they have a responsibility to offer alternatives that would strengthen the country.
“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” he said.
The group also urged the National Assembly leadership to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, while all diverted or unaccounted public funds are recovered and paid into the treasury.
In a letter dated June 27, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.
The organisation disclosed this in a statement signed and released by Oluwadare, yesterday.
SERAP also asked Akpabio and Abbas to disclose the identities of contractors and companies, including their shareholders and beneficial owners, that allegedly received constituency project funds but failed to execute the projects.
It gave the National Assembly seven days to act on its recommendations, warning that it would institute legal proceedings should the legislature fail to respond.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter stated.
It said, “The allegations involve several federal ministries, departments and agencies, including the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON); the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Volm; the Federal Polytechnic, Udana; the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
“The Auditor-General identified numerous cases of payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for contracts not executed or services not rendered, undocumented expenditures, inflated contracts, procurement irregularities and failures to account for public funds, recommending in each case that the funds be recovered and remitted to the treasury.
“According to the 2022 audited report, contained in pages 367 to 396, the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON or Council) Abuja paid over ‘N22 million [N22,944,565.16] into the private account of some members of staff of the Council from the Constituency Projects Fund Account.
“There ‘was no evidence of the utilization of the funds and no explanations on the purpose for the payment of such amount into the individual accounts.”
SERAP added, “The Council (EHORECON) also in 2021 ‘awarded suspicious consultancy contracts of over N12 million [N12,030,818.29] for the development of Modern Abattoirs in Kebbi State and the supervision of 7 projects in Kebbi, Jigawa, and Headquarters Abuja.
“The money was to ‘produce bills of quantity, architectural design, structural design, mechanical design, and electrical designs for the contracts and supervision.’ But ‘the ‘items could not be found.’”
Altogether, SERAP said the Auditor-General’s 2022 report alleged EHORECON paid more than ?1.8 billion in constituency project funds through questionable transactions.
For the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, SERAP said the institution “in 2022 reportedly ‘paid over N279 million [N279,700,500.00] to 3 contractors to empower and train youths in selected vocational areas in Borgu and Kontagora, Niger State, train women and youths in entrepreneurship in Niger East Senatorial District and to train youths and women in agro production and self-reliance in Barki Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau State.
“But the money was paid to the contractors without any document.’”
Other irregularities involving the college include another ?279.7 million in mobilisation fees allegedly paid without documentation, and more than ?629.4 million paid to unqualified contractors for various constituency projects without evidence of due process, contract advertisements or details of the contractors.
SERAP further alleged that the Auditor-General’s report identified multiple financial irregularities involving the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, including over ?407 million allegedly paid as mobilisation fees without supporting documents, more than ?399 million paid to unqualified contractors, contracts allegedly inflated by over ?192 million, over ?279 million paid for projects not fully executed, ?50 million allegedly paid for an unexecuted borehole project, and more than ?83 million disbursed without the required documentation or approvals.
It also alleged that NAPTIP reportedly irregularly awarded contracts worth over ?21.8 million, paid more than ?176.8 million for logistics and consultancy services without supporting documents, and disbursed over ?89.6 million and ?4.4 million for projects that were allegedly not executed.
The report also alleged that NILDS failed to submit audited financial statements for 2012 to 2022, did not remit over ?15 million in stamp duties, and spent ?1.6 million without authorisation from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
SERAP said the report recommended the recovery of the affected funds and their remittance to the treasury.
It argued that corruption in constituency projects disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable Nigerians by diverting resources meant for public services and development.
It added that the National Assembly, in exercising its oversight responsibilities, should demonstrate leadership by ensuring accountability in the management of constituency project funds.
The organisation further argued that the allegations, if established, would amount to breaches of the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which require transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public resources.
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