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Fresh Plot To Rig Rerun: Wike Raises Alarm, Accuses Police Of Cover-UP …As Nabbed Printer Fingers Ex-Agric Comm, APC …Says Evil Forces ’ll Fail In Rivers
The Rivers State Governor has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), police and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of colluding to rig the forthcoming Rivers Rerun elections.
The governor stated that in collusion with INEC, the APC official printer, Atonyesia Peterside had printed fake result sheets for seven local government areas in Rivers South-East Senatorial District and Etche Local Government Area in Rivers East Senatorial District.
Addressing a World Press Conference at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike declared that INEC released all the official data of the specific polling units where elections will hold to the APC official printer, Atonyesia Peterside for the printing of fake result sheets, ballot papers and other sensitive materials .
The governor told the press conference attended by major Rivers State stakeholders that despite overwhelming evidence, the police have stated that they are under instructions from Abuja not to prosecute the printer.
He added that the police authorities have further stated that they will not arrest former agriculture commissioner and Rivers APC chieftain, Emmanuel Chinda, because the party considers it an embarrassment to APC.
According to him, the police are already working round the clock to destroy the overall evidence of the printing of fake election result sheets and other sensitive materials as well as doctor the confessional statement of the prime suspect, Mr Atonyesia Peterside, who is a cousin of the defeated APC governorship candidate in Rivers State.
He said: “We made sure that the overwhelming evidence were filmed before they were handed over to the police. We know the system that the police will destroy the evidence.
“Police instead of concluding the investigation and charge those responsible to court, the police are telling us that they are having pressure from above to release the culprits and not to charge them to court”.
The governor declared: “PDP will resist any attempt by INEC to rig the rerun elections in Rivers State. You go and print fake result sheets and you expect us not to resist it?
“Let me see the INEC official who will introduce the fake result sheets during the rerun elections. If you rig this election, you rig your life”.
”If you like bring American marines, we will resist them. Rivers State is not Edo and it is not Ondo. Nobody will impose any representative on us.
“INEC cannot take us for a ride. We will not allow it. INEC must stop its collusion with APC. Yes, INEC was appointed by the APC, but they were not appointed to rig elections”.
Wike stated that he believes that President Buhari will not support the electoral fraud being perpetrated by the APC, INEC and police as it is unlimited corruption.
It will be recalled that a plot by the agents of the Rivers APC to rig the forthcoming Rivers South-East Senatorial District was uncovered as the police on Saturday busted a fake result sheets printing syndicate in Port Harcourt.
The printing press, Help-Mate Consult located at 12, Isiokpo Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt, was printing fake result sheets for seven local government areas of the Rivers South-East when the police stormed the facility upon a tip off by a concerned Nigerian.
Earlier, the graphic designer of the APC official printer, Mr Godday Nanee, told journalists that former agriculture commissioner and Rivers APC chieftain brought the sample result sheets which he designed.
He said he was in the process of additional designing additional sensitive materials when the police stormed the facility.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that evil forces will never triumph over the state because the state is connected to God.
Speaking during the Deeper Life Christian Ministry November Crusade in Port Harcourt, Wike said that the prayers for Rivers State by the general superintendent of Deeper Life Christian Ministry has been beneficial to the state.
The governor noted that since the beginning of the monthly crusades in September, the state has been enjoying greater peace.
He said: “I commend our father, Pastor William Kumuyi for allowing Rivers State to connect and reconnect to God who is the chief security officer of the world and the chief security officer of Nigeria and this state.
“This connection to God has been very beneficial to Rivers State. We appreciate God for this gift of peace and we pray that it will continue to flourish”.
He said that the people of Rivers State will continue to work with for the development of the state.
The governor prayed God to continue to grant the general superintendent of Deeper Life Christian Ministry the sound health to serve humanity .
In his sermon, the General Superintendent of Deeper Life Christian Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi said that Rivers State will remain connected with God.
He noted that the state will enjoy greater peace because God is diligently working on the state.
Seventeen thousands of Christian faithful and officials of the Rivers State Government attended the November Crusade of the Deeper Life Christian Ministry.
President Bola Tinubu yesterday signed into law four tax reform bills aimed at transforming Nigeria’s fiscal and revenue framework.
The four bills include: the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
They were passed by the National Assembly after months of consultations with various interest groups and stakeholders.
The ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa, yesterday.
The ceremony was witnessed by the leadership of the National Assembly and some legislators, governors, ministers, and aides of the President.
The presidency had earlier stated that the laws would transform tax administration in the country, increase revenue generation, improve the business environment, and give a boost to domestic and foreign investments.
“When the new tax laws become operational, they are expected to significantly transform tax administration in the country, leading to increased revenue generation, improved business environment, and a boost in domestic and foreign investments,” Special Adviser to the President on Media, Bayo Onanuga said on Wednesday.
Before the signing of the four bills, President Tinubu had earlier yesterday, said the tax reform bills will reset Nigeria’s economic trajectory and simplify its complex fiscal landscape.
Announcing the development via his official X handle, yesterday, the President declared, “In a few hours, I will sign four landmark tax reform bills into law, ushering in a bold new era of economic governance in our country.”
Tinubu made a call to investors and citizens alike, saying, “Let the world know that Nigeria is open for business, and this time, everyone has a fair shot.”
He described the bills as not just technical adjustments but a direct intervention to ease burdens on struggling Nigerians.
“These reforms go beyond streamlining tax codes. They deliver the first major, pro-people tax cuts in a generation, targeted relief for low-income earners, small businesses, and families working hard to make ends meet,” Tinubu wrote.
According to the President, “They will unify our fragmented tax system, eliminate wasteful duplications, cut red tape, restore investor confidence, and entrench transparency and coordination at every level.”
He added that the long-standing burden of Nigeria’s tax structure had unfairly weighed down the vulnerable while enabling inefficiency.
The tax reforms, first introduced in October 2024, were part of Tinubu’s post-subsidy-removal recovery plan, aimed at expanding revenue without stifling productivity.
However, the bills faced turbulence at the National Assembly and amongst some state governors who rejected its passing in 2024.
At the NASS, the bills sparked heated debate, particularly around the revenue-sharing structure, which governors from the North opposed.
They warned that a shift toward derivation-based allocations, especially with VAT, could tilt fiscal balance in favour of southern states with stronger consumption bases.
After prolonged dialogue, the VAT rate remained at 7.5 per cent, and a new exemption was introduced to shield minimum wage earners from personal income tax.
By May 2025, the National Assembly passed the harmonised versions with broad support, driven in part by pressure from economic stakeholders and international observers who welcomed the clarity and efficiency the reforms promised.
In his tweet, Tinubu stressed that this is just the beginning of Nigeria’s tax evolution.
“We are laying the foundation for a tax regime that is fair, transparent, and fit for a modern, ambitious Nigeria.
“A tax regime that rewards enterprise, protects the vulnerable, and mobilises revenue without punishing productivity,” he stated.
He further acknowledged the contributions of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, the National Assembly, and Nigeria’s subnational governments.
The President added, “We are not just signing tax bills but rewriting the social contract.
“We are not there yet, but we are firmly on the road.”
The Senate has issued a 10-day ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over its failure to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts probing alleged financial discrepancies amounting to over ?210 trillion in its audited reports from 2017 to 2023.
Despite being summoned, no officials or external auditors from NNPCL showed up yesterday.
However, representatives from the representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and Department of State Services were present.
Angered by the NNPCL’s absence, the committee, yesterday, issued a 10-day ultimatum, demanding the company’s top executives to appear before the panel by July 10 or face constitutional sanctions.
A letter from NNPCL’s Chief Financial Officer, Dapo Segun, dated June 25, was read at the session.
It cited an ongoing management retreat and requested a two-month extension to prepare necessary documents and responses.
The letter partly read, “Having carefully reviewed your request, we hereby request your kind consideration to reschedule the engagement for a period of two months from now to enable us to collate the requested information and documentation.
“Furthermore, members of the Board and the senior management team of NNPC Limited are currently out of the office for a retreat, which makes it difficult to attend the rescheduled session on Thursday, 26th June, 2025.
“While appreciating the opportunity provided and the importance of this engagement, we reassure you of our commitment to the success of this exercise. Please accept the assurances of our highest regards.”
But lawmakers rejected the request.
The Committee Chairman, Senator Aliyu Wadada, said NNPCL was not expected to submit documents, but rather provide verbal responses to 11 key questions previously sent.
“For an institution like NNPCL to ask for two months to respond to questions from its own audited records is unacceptable,” Wadada stated.
“If they fail to show up by July 10, we will invoke our constitutional powers. The Nigerian people deserve answers,” he warned.
Other lawmakers echoed similar frustrations.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) insisted that NNPCL’s Group CEO, Bayo Ojulari, must personally lead the delegation at the next hearing.
The Tide reports that Ojulari took over from Mele Kyari on April 2, 2025.
Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North) said the two-month request suggested the company had no answers, but the committee would still grant a fair hearing by reconvening on July 10.
Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) warned the NNPCL against undermining the Senate, saying, “If they fail to appear again, Nigerians will know the Senate is not a toothless bulldog.”
Last week, the Senate panel grilled Segun and other top executives over what they described as “mind-boggling” irregularities in NNPCL’s financial statements.
The Senate flagged ?103 trillion in accrued expenses, including ?600 billion in retention fees, legal, and auditing costs—without supporting documentation.
Also questioned was another ?103 trillion listed under receivables. Just before the hearing, NNPCL submitted a revised report contradicting the previously published figures, raising more concerns.
The committee has demanded detailed answers to 11 specific queries and warned that failure to comply could trigger legislative consequences.
The National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) said over 17 million Nigerians travelled out between 2023 and 2024.
This is as the association announced that it would be organising a maiden edition of Eastern Travel Market 2025 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital from 27th to 30th August, 2025.
Vice Chairman of NANTA, Eastern Zone, Hope Ehiogie, disclosed this during a news briefing in Port Harcourt.
Ehiogie explained that the event aims to bring together over 1,000 travel professionals to discuss the future of the industry in the nation and give visibility to airlines, hospitality firms, hospitals and institutions in the South-South and South-East, tagged Eastern Zone.
He stated that the 17 million number marks a significant increase in overseas travel and tours.
According to him, “Nigerian travel industry has seen significant growth, with 17 million people traveling out of the country in 2023”.
Ehiogie further said the potential of tourism and travel would bring in over $12 million into the nation’s economy by 2026, saying it would be a major spike in the sector, as 2024 recorded about $4 million.
“The potential of tourism and travel is that it can generate about $12 million for the nation’s economy by 2026. Last year it was $4 million.
“In the area of travels, over 17 million Nigerians traveled out of the country two years ago for different purposes. This included, health, religious purposes, visit, education and others,” Ehiogie said.
While highlighting the potential of Nigeria’s tourism, he said the hospitality industry in Nigeria has come of age, saying it is now second to none.
The Vice Chairman of NANTA, Eastern Zone further said, “We are not creating an enabling environment for business to thrive. We need to support the industry and provide the necessary infrastructure for growth.”
He said the country has a lot of tourism potential, especially as the government is now showing interest in and supporting the sector.
Ehiogie emphasized that NANTA has been working to support the industry with initiatives such as training schools and platforms for airlines and hotels to sell their products.
He added, “We now have about four to five training schools in the region, and within two years, the first set of students will graduate. We are helping airlines sell tickets and hotels sell their rooms.”
Also speaking, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NANTA, Stephen Isokariari of Dial Travels, called for more support from the industry.
Isokariari stated, “We need to work together to grow the industry and contribute to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
“With the right support and infrastructure, the Nigerian travel industry has the potential to make a significant contribution to the nation’s economy.”