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‘Obuah-Led Rivers PDP Can’t Expell Amaechi’

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A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Elder Chidi Weheoka has described the purported expulsion of Governor Chibuike Amaechi from the party as baseless , null and void.
Speaking to newsmen Wednesday Weheoka said the State Chapter of  the PDP cannot expel Amaechi since the governor is a member of the party’s National Executive Council(NEC), hence only the national body could do so.
” They don’t have powers anywhere based on the PDP constitution to expel a member of NEC. Even the National Working Committee don’t have such powers and it’s only NEC. The law says you can suspend the person for one month thereafter you can review it and call the person back. So they don’t have the powers at all. They don’t know what is PDP constitution. As far as they are concerned they just have one master somewhere who tells them governor has done this today expel  him,’’ Weheoka stated.
He described the new executive council of the party in the state as illegal recalling that an Okehi High Court had recognized the Chief Ake-led exco before the Abuja High Court ruled contrary.
Commenting on the attack on the four Northern governors who visited the State a week ago, the Chairman of the Rivers Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Agency said a lot of people misconstrued the visit of the governors. He revealed that the governors had come to show solidarity to one of their own Rt. Hon Amaechi who is the authentic chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum(NGF).
” I thought any well meaning Rivers person should thank them for coming to say to the governor that we are solidly behind you,’’ he said.
Condemning those who threw stones at the governor’s convoy during the visit, the Ikwerre born politician said,’’ the persons who did that know the power that be in Abuja who sent them so they should hold those people responsible and not innocent Rivers State people’’.
Weheoka said aside that, the president’s wife has equally contributed to the crises since she has disclosed her quarrel with Governor Amaechi over the sitting of primary school in Okrika.”
Weheoka while expressing disappointment over the persecution the governor was facing over his outcry for the ceding of oil wells from the state to neigbouring states of Akwa Ibom , Abia and Bayelsa, he said the crisis the state is facing stems from Amaechi’s defence of the state’s territorial resources.
He, therefore, challenged the president to stand up and speak condemning the situation if really he is not sponsoring the crisis, reasoning that the only way to end the political log jam is to follow the truth and defend justice.
On whether Governor Amaechi would defect to any other party, the PDP elder was of the opinion that it would be too early to say so since Amaechi himself has not declared. However, he observed that,’’ if we in Rivers State would defect the whole Rivers State would defect; if we want to go we would gather every person to speak out their mind on why they are going’’.
But for now, he said, Amaechi still remains, in PDP,” the governor has not told me he is leaving PDP and he is not the kind of man that takes decision alone. If he wants to take decision about the way forward for Rivers State that would bring progress, unity, rule and peace and above all security of lives and properties.’’

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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