Politics
House To Set Up Non-Partisan Agency
The House of Representatives says it is ready to set up an independent non-partisan agency that would work with the National Assembly and monitor how the Federal Government spends the tax payers’ money.
The agency known as the office of the Government Accountability modeled after a similar institution in the United State of America and serves the American Congress.
The resolve to establish the agency came through a bill for an Act for the creation of the National Office of Government Performance, Audit and Accountability, 2009 sponsored by speaker of the House, Hon Dimeji Bankole.
The bill was slated for second reading and Bankole had to take the floor to lead the debate on the general principles of the bill.
In his presentation, Bankole disclosed that the mission of the organisation will be to support the National Assembly in meeting its congressional responsibility to help improve performance and ensure accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the people.
“It will provide the National Assembly with timely information that is objective, fact based, non partisan, on ideological, fair and balanced. It will undertake research, support congressional oversight by auditing the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAS) operations to determine whether federal funds are being spent efficiently and effectively.
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The foremost traditional ruler of Evo Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Eze Leslie Eke, has charged members of the Ok Chinda Vanguard, a political support group of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, to remain selfless but intentional in their mobilisation efforts to ensure the emergence of Hon. Kinsley Chinda as Governor of Rivers State in 2027.
Eze Eke, who is also the Nyerisi Eli Woji XII, gave the charge when he received leaders and members of the group in audience at his palace in Woji Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, recently.
Eze Eke, who described the APC governorship candidate as a perfect gentleman with the requisite educational qualifications, political experience and capacity to lead, urged members of the group to remain committed to their political mobilisation.
According to him, the Vanguard could only achieve its objective if its members placed their collective mandate above personal ambitions and the quest for political appointments.
The traditional ruler stressed that political supporters must focus on selling their candidate’s programmes, qualities and capacity rather than engaging in activities capable of overheating the political atmosphere.
He charged the group to combine selflessness with intentional and strategic mobilisation, saying such an approach would strengthen its efforts to deliver the APC candidate at the 2027 governorship election.
Eze Gbakagbaka, who is also Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ikwerre Government-Recognised Traditional Rulers and President of the Association of Christian Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (AOCTRON), assured the delegation of the support of his kingdom for the group and its governorship candidate in 2027.
He urged the members to pursue their campaign with respect for opposing views, adding that peaceful engagement remained essential to credible political participation.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Paul Wowhor, said the group was at the palace to formally induct Eze Eke as its Grand Patron and seek his royal blessings before commencing its political activities.
Dr Wowhor said the Vanguard was prepared to hit the ground running with extensive grassroots mobilisation and sensitisation across the state in its determination to secure victory for Hon. Chinda in the 2027 governorship election.
He said the group would take its message to the grassroots, mobilising support and sensitising voters on what he described as the qualities, experience and capacity of its preferred candidate.
Dr Wowhor further expressed confidence that sustained grassroots engagement would enable the Vanguard to build the necessary support for Hon. Chinda across the state ahead of the election.
The delegation expressed appreciation to the traditional ruler for accepting the role of Grand Patron and granting the group his royal blessings as it prepared to commence its political campaign.
King Onunwor
A top frontline politician and lawyer in Rivers State, Mr Princewill Dike, has described President Bola Tinubu as the “Open Your Hand Grand Master”, saying the President’s reported acts of personal assistance to people in distress demonstrate a dimension of leadership that should not be ignored in assessing his political support.
Mr Dike made the observation while reflecting on recent accounts attributed to former Super Eagles captain, Mr Kanu Nwankwo, and former Niger Delta activist and Amayanabo of Torusarama-Piri, King Dokubo Asari, who spoke about assistance they claim to have received from President Tinubu at critical moments in their lives.
According to the Ikwerre-Ubima Next Generation political arrow head, the testimonies attributed to Mr Kanu and King Dokubo were particularly significant because they present the President’s gesture of extending assistance beyond political affiliations, ethnic considerations and immediate political calculations.
Mr Kanu was quoted as saying that President Tinubu paid for his open-heart surgery at a time when people he approached for assistance, including some from his own Igbo nation, allegedly turned their backs on him.
The football legend reportedly explained that he had kept the story to himself until now because of questions surrounding his decision to support President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, having also supported him during the 2023 presidential election.
Similarly, King Dokubo was also quoted as recalling that President Tinubu showed kindness to him while he was in prison, including allegedly paying his children’s school fees and providing accommodation for him and his wife.
“The two accounts have brought into sharper focus the political significance of the expression “Open Your Hand”, a phrase that has recently featured prominently in political conversations in Rivers State”, he said.
The lawyer cum human rights activist recalled that former Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had at various times charged politicians and political leaders in the state to “open their hands”, stressing that leadership should not be reduced to rhetoric but should be demonstrated through practical concern for the people.
Mr Dike noted that the connection between President Tinubu’s reported acts of assistance and Chief Wike’s “Open Your Hand” political lexicon is that both point to the principle that those entrusted with power and resources should be willing to use their positions to make a tangible difference in the lives of others.
He therefore described President Tinubu as the “Open Your Hand Grand Master”, arguing that the accounts of Mr Kanu and King Dokubo provide examples of how personal intervention at critical moments could leave lasting impressions on beneficiaries, irrespective of political differences.
The human rights activist said the development should also challenge politicians in Rivers State and beyond to embrace a culture of generosity, compassion and responsible leadership, rather than waiting until election periods before remembering the needs of ordinary citizens.
Mr Dike maintained that, while political disagreements and criticisms are inevitable in a democracy, acts of kindness and assistance rendered to people in moments of vulnerability should also be acknowledged, stressing that “opening your hand” should become a practical test of leadership and humanity.
King Onunwor
The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Ikwerre State Constituency, Hon. Stasi Amadi, has declared her determination to clinch the Rivers State House of Assembly seat for her party in the 2027 general elections, saying it is victory or nothing.
Hon. Amadi stated this when she spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt at the weekend, insisting that her primary objective was to secure the seat and use the opportunity to put smiles on the faces of the people of Ikwerre Local Government Area.
She pointed out that her desire to provide a new dimension to political representation in the area could only be achieved if she occupied the seat as planned.
According to her, it would be counterproductive if the LP failed to feature in the composition of the Rivers State House of Assembly in 2027, considering the programmes and packages it has mapped out for the people.
Hon. Amadi said the party had, before now, planned how to change the narrative of political representation in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
She said the intention was to give the people a different meaning and definition of political representation through purposeful and people-oriented legislation.
“We, as a party, have planned, before now, on how to change the narratives of representation in Ikwerre Local Government Area. We want the people to, at least, have a different meaning or definition of political representation. That is why we are out,” she said.
The Labour Party standard-bearer maintained that her aspiration was driven by the need to ensure that the people received effective representation capable of addressing their concerns and improving their wellbeing.
She further stated that the programmes and packages already designed by the party would provide the basis for delivering the kind of representation, she said, the people of Ikwerre deserved.
On the possibility of stepping down for a candidate of another political party, Hon. Amadi said such a consideration was not part of their agenda.
She explained that the high spirit within the party and among its supporters had strengthened their resolve to pursue the Ikwerre State Constituency seat in the 2027 election.
Hon. Amadi, therefore, reaffirmed her determination to contest the election, stressing that her immediate target remained to clinch the Assembly seat for the Labour Party and deliver what she described as a new era of representation to the people.
King Onunwor