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Rivers Youth Drum Support For Wike

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The four kilometer walk embarked upon by youths across the State for the governor in Port Harcourt dominated headlines last week. The Walk tagged “Walk for Wike Season 11” terminated at Government House as the participants numbering over four thousand were addressed by the deputy governor Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo.
Organizer of the event and leader of the “Rivers connect”, barrister Dike Vincent Amadi said the youths were motivated by Chief Wike’s good governance in the past two years. He said the administration has reviewed all the arms of government, unlike in the past administration when the judiciary was shut down for a year, and the legislature became an appendage of the Executive.
Today, Amadi observed that Rivers State has become a construction site as there was no local government area that has not been touched.
In her remarks, the deputy governor averred that the governor has shown purposeful leadership and was ready to do more unlike at the federal level where the government was yet to touch the lives of the common man.
Before the Youth Walk on Wednesday, the deputy governor had represented the governor on Monday when she visited sites of a devastating flooding at Eneka and Rumukwurusi, all in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
The governor through his deputy expressed sadness over the effects of the rain at Eneka community and promised quick intervention to avert such occurrence in the future.
The deputy governor in a statement last Thursday commended the governor for the release of counterpart funding for a water scheme in two local government areas of Akuku-Toru and Opobo/Nkoro, where Cholera had claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
According to Dr. Harry-Banigo the gesture demonstrated by Chief Wike was a life saver. She added, “His release of the second tranche with speed of lightening and his willingness to extend the projects to other local government areas speaks volume”.
Last Friday, Governor Wike demonstrated government’s resolve to tackle kidnapping by handing over four armoured personnel carriers to the Nigerian police. The governor said his administration will do all in its powers to eradicate crime in the state.
He expressed the hope that the gesture will help curb the wave of kidnappers attacking vehicles on roads outside Port Harcourt.
Last Saturday, the state governor was at Oghara in Delta State as part of peace initiatives by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reconcile members. Chief Wike is the co-Chairman of the PDP Reconciliation Committee and was accompanied by former Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Prince UcheSecondus, Senator Lee Maeba, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, Dr. Tammy Danagogo and Ambassador Desmond Akawor.
The governor met with former Delta state Governor, Chief James Ibori and assured that, “We must work as brothers. We must work as a team. We must not allow our united front to be divided”.

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Kwankwaso Agrees To Rejoin APC, Gives Terms, Conditions

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The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has given terms and conditions to rejoin the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sen. Kwankwaso, while addressing a gathering at his Kano residence, said any political alliance must recognise and respect the interests of his party and political movement.

The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.

In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.

“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.

“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.

“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.

“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.

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I Would Have Gotten Third Term If I Wanted – Obasanjo 

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.

Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.

“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.

Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.

“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.

He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”

On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.

Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.

He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.

He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.

“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.

“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.

“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”

The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.

 

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Rivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-Month Suspension

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The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.

President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.

The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.

The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.

Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.

The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.

However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.

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