News
Supreme Court Verdict’ll Resolve PDP Crisis – Chieftain
National Vice-Chairman (South-South) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Emmanuel Ogidi, said impending Supreme Court verdict rather than political solution would resolve the party’s leadership crisis.
Ogidi told newsmen that the expected ruling would help to lay to rest, many issues that could re-emerge and trouble the party in future.
“To tell you the truth, there will be no political solution to the problem, because there are so many grey areas. “If we didn’t take this to the Supreme Court, too many things would have come back to haunt the party, so it was wise we went to the court.
“The political solution is just a family thing. Sometimes people think it can be easy, but in this case, there is no way. “That is why each time they keep saying let’s go for political solution, some of us know that it is going to be difficult and short-lived and therefore, look forward to the court verdict,” Ogidi said.
He said that though the court of Appeal Court already gave a judgment, true PDP members and leaders believed that Supreme Court, as the conscience of the ordinary man would right the wrong. PDP “It is the Supreme Court judgment that we are waiting for.
I believe it will do the right thing. “One man cannot call a convention and cancel it; no one is given such kind of power. Even the President does not have such power.”
The party chieftain said that the stay-of-execution filed by the party against the Court of Appeal judgment was still on course, and accused the National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff of not implementing judgment.
According to him, the court ruled that the party should revert to status quo ante as it was before May 21 convention in Port Harcourt, but Sheriff is appointing people into the National Working Committee (NWC).
“He appointed deputy chairman and publicity secretary in disregard to the ruling and contrary to the party’s Constitution.
“He has no such powers and all the people he has appointed are aliens to us.” He also accused Sheriff of going about, changing elected executive committees of the party in the states “even when he has no NWC to make decisions for the party”.
Ogidi called on party members who know the truth to speak up, saying that the party was ready for Sheriff and his sponsors. “PDP is us; we have a lot at stake in PDP. We cannot allow one man to destroy it.”
On Sheriff’s decision to hold on to Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa’s Reconciliation Committee’s report, Ogidi said that the report of was still open to suggestions and modification. “Dickson was advised to talk to all stakeholders and the committee is going round.
They have even said that they were going to make some adjustments to the recommendations. “It is a recommendation that has to be `sold’ to all organs of the party.
So, Sheriff cannot say that is the final,” Ogidi said. He dismissed Sheriff’s advertisement for vacancies at the party’s National Secretariat, saying that he had no power to sack the workers there and replace them.
He said that Sheriff could not compel the staff to work with him because they workers did not know his strange members of NWC.
Ogidi maintained that PDP members in the South-South remained committed to the decisions of the May, 2016 Port Harcourt and loyal to the National Caretaker Committee constituted by the convention.
He advised all members and supporters to remain calm as genuine leaders of the party were pursuing the course of justice to its logical conclusion.
National Vice-Chairman (South-South) of People Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Emmanuel Ogidi, said outcome of Thursday’s stakeholders’ meeting revealed that National Chairman, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, lacked capacity to lead the party.
Ogidi stated this in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
He said that walking out on former President Goodluck Jonathan, governors, Board of Trustees (BoT) members and other prominent party leaders at the Abuja meeting “revealed the character of Sheriff and spoke a lot about him”.
According to him, Sheriff’s conduct on that occasion was not just disrespect for Jonathan but a proof that he cannot be trusted.
Sheriff had told newsmen that he walked out of the meeting convened by Jonathan to find solution to the party’s leadership crisis because he was not allowed to address the session in his capacity as national chairman.
Ogidi said that Sheriff had obviously showed that he was not competent to lead the PDP “and even to be chairman or head of a village meeting”. He said exhibiting such action in the presence of Jonathan who granted him a waiver into the party was condemnable.
“Sheriff showed that he is not a PDP member or a party man. Sheriff did not know what PDP went through for 16 years. “Who is Sheriff and when did he join PDP? It was the same Jonathan that he disrespected that day, who gave him a waiver to join.
“He is not a member of the party; he does not understand how the party works. “The former president convened a meeting, and by his status and capacity, everybody responded.
“Former Senate Presidents, David Mark and Adophous Wabara and others, including former national chairmen, were all there. Who-is-who in PDP were there as well as the founding fathers of the party.
“If Sheriff was an intelligent man, he shouldn’t have done what he did. Even the small supporters he had, he disappointed them; some of them felt so bad. “If he was a party man he wouldn’t have done that.
“Let us take for granted that we in PDP offended him, is that how to treat the party? “I haven’t seen where a man is bigger than the party. Your community can offend you but you cannot do anything to your community,” Ogidi said.
He recalled that PDP had in the past had issues with its national chairmen at different times, even at conventions, and they were resolved amicably. “Even when Chief Audu Ogbe, a former chairman of the party, had issues with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he didn’t behave like this.”
Ogidi said that Sheriff was acting national chairman, whose substantive position was being recommended by the National Executive Council for endorsement at the May, 2016 national convention.
“He was never a chairman,” he said. He, however, urged members of the party to rise now and speak up, saying “this is the time to speak”.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers through Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a Lagos-based courier firm.
The agency said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome, Italy.
The statement partly read, “Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In another operation on Wednesday, March 18, Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the departure hall intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage uncovered 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg, and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg concealed in two large winter jackets.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg; and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan,” the statement added.
In a separate operation at a courier firm in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States.
“Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand,” he said.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the same substance.
Babafemi said the agency also recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos on Wednesday, March 18, adding that two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the Third Mainland Bridge while conveying 8,380 bottles of the syrup.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on March 16.
In the FCT, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway on March 18, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday, March 17, arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg of skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
In a similar development, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria Highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, March 17, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, March 20,” Babafemi said.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo Highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol, while in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects include Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The agency said its commands across the country also intensified War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
News
RSG Applauds FRSC, NDLEA For Enhancing Security In Rivers …As NDLEA Pushes For Drug Tests In Schools, NYSC Camps
The Rivers State Government has commended the dedication and collaboration of federal government agencies in sustaining security in the State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), CN Bature Dawa, in Port Harcourt, last week, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara appreciates the strong synergy between the agencies in promoting his administration’s vision of peace, prosperity and progress in the State.
Wokoma urged residents to remain law-abiding, noting that respect for the law is essential for good governance and sustainable development in all parts of the state.
He stated that the governor has remained committed to initiatives that promote peace and social order, stressing that the administration will continue to support programmes of federal agencies aimed at strengthening security and public safety.
“Our governor is committed to peace, progress and prosperity in Rivers State. I therefore encourage all residents, especially young people who are often targeted by those involved in drug abuse, to stay away from drugs, crime and reckless driving,” he said.
In his remarks, the State NDLEA boss, Dawa, disclosed that the agency has arrested 39 suspects in the state from December 2025 to date, including 16 new cases currently under investigation.
He explained that the NDLEA, through its Drug Demand Reduction and Drug Supply Control Units, has intensified efforts to curb the spread of illicit drugs and ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Dawa also called on parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, while urging hotel owners and managers to remain vigilant and prevent their facilities from being used for drug-related activities.
He further advocated the introduction of drug integrity tests in schools and within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as part of measures to discourage drug abuse among young people.
In a related development, Dr Wokoma received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Inyang Umoh, during a courtesy visit, and urged residents to abide by road safety laws and drive in consideration of other road users.
In his remarks, the FRSC boss expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the continuous support to the Corps.
Muslims in Rivers State have commended Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his dedication and commitment to the development of the state.
They also lauded the governor for promoting peaceful co-existence among various religious groups in the state.
Vice President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ,Alhaji Nasil Awhelegbe Uhor, gave the commendation last Friday during the Eid-el Fitri prayer to mark the end of Ramadan fasting period, at the Port Harcourt Central Mosque, Niger Street, Port Harcourt.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the prayer, Alhaji Uhor said Governor Fubara has shown exemplary leadership in the affairs of the state.
Uhor who is the leader of the South South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, called on Muslims to remain committed to the ideal of peace and fear of the Almighty Allah.
According to the Rivers State Islamic leader, the message is for Muslims to imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink into their lives and shape their ways of doing things.
He urged Muslims to imbibe the culture of love and respect for one another.
“My message is that all Muslims should imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink with them,” he advised.
Uhor stressed the need for Muslims and all Nigerians to remain patriotic, while avoiding all forms of anti-social behaviours.
He also called on the political leaders to put the country first, stressing that there is no need for Nigerians to continue to wallow in abject poverty when the country is so rich with natural resources.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Rivers State, Alhaji Ibrahim S Yalo, urged Muslims to fear God, and speak the truth always.
According to him, time has come for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of peaceful coexistence, speak the truth and be each others keeper.
“Nigerians own a duty to ensure peace, live together in fear of God and speak the truth always,” he said.
By: John Bibor
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