News
…Says Sheriff’s A Mole Recruited By APC

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has declared that despite the Federal Government’s sponsorship of Ali Modu Sheriff to cause crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), the party will continue to wax stronger.
The governor explained that the Federal Government is sponsoring Sheriff as a mole in the PDP because of the destructive crisis that has engulfed the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the national level.
The governor, who spoke at the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt yesterday, after receiving 7,800 APC decampees who joined the PDP, noted that the machinations of the Federal Government against the PDP will fail.
He said; “Sheriff is a mole of the APC who is being sponsored by the Federal Government. They are sponsoring Sheriff because of the crisis in the APC “.
He charged PDP members to relax and wait for God’s intervention.
Wike said that Rivers State has witnessed mass execution of pro-people projects despite the deliberate ploy of the APC and Federal Government to distract his administration.
He said: “The APC has nothing to tell Rivers people on why they should remain in that party. After two years, there is no single Federal Government project in the state”.
Wike said that the defection of APC members to the PDP signals the death of the political party in the state because it was founded on falsehood and deception .
He said: “We were looking for our brothers, they were kidnapped through lies and deceit. We prayed for our brothers to return, and today, they are back.
“Our brothers and sisters from the APC have returned at a time when the administration has started direct empowerment of the people. Everybody who has returned has equal rights with older members of the party.”
The governor advised party leaders at all levels to accommodate the new members, saying that inclusive politics should be embraced across the board.
He reiterated his assertion that the Inspector-General of Police plotted to assassinate him, pointing out that the actions of the police chief exposed him.
On the 2019 General Elections, Wike stated that the plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig in Rivers State will fail.
He stated that only card readers should be used for the 2019 elections, saying that any gap for INEC to use manual accreditation would lead to the manipulation of results.
Also speaking, former acting National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus said that Rivers State is a PDP state.
He state that the mass defection of APC members was due to outstanding performance of the governor.
Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, said that this was the first batch of defectors, adding that in two weeks, another set of APC members will defect to PDP .
Leader of the APC Decampees, Chief Glory Emeh said that the APC has been decimated due to the performance of the governor.
He said, of the 84 leaders in APC in Rivers State, more than half have defected to the PDP
He said the remaining half, have already resolved to defect.
Highpoint of the event was the match past by the decampees from 20 local government areas.
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.