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We’ll Obey Court On Rivers APC Candidates, Says INEC …Don’t Blame Wike For APC’s Woes -Abe
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it will not hesitate to implement the order of court restraining the commission from listing candidates of the All Progressives Congress for the general elections in Rivers State.
INEC National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Operations, Festus Okoye in an interview with newsmen, said INEC will delist names of the candidates of the APC after studying and finding merit in the judgement.
Okoye also said INEC was not concerned about the different interpretations of the judgement, adding that the commission has a team that will study the judgement and advise on the line of action.
According to him, “We are not interested in the conundrum in Rivers State. What we have said is that the moment any properly constituted court of law makes an order or gives a judgement and we obtain a certified true copy of that particular judgement and we confirm that it is a judgement from a properly constituted court of Law and that the judgement affects any of our processes, we will give effect to that particular judgement. This applies across board.
“There is what we call the ratio of a matter. Why we insist on obtaining court judgments and studying it before giving effect to them is because we do not want to rely on the reportage on the pages of newspapers or posts on social media.
“We want to know the ratio and the obiter in the matter before the court and what were the orders of the court as it relates to the matter before it.”
Recall that Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt issued a restraining order on INEC not to recognise any candidate of the APC for the general elections in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, Senator Magnus Abe of the All Progressives Congress (APC), representing Rivers South-East in the senate has urged supporters not to blame the present challenges of the party in the state on Governor Nyesom Wike.
Senator Abe made the call yesterday while reacting to the recent Federal High Court judgment which nullified the direct and indirect primaries allegedly held by two factions of the party in Rivers.
The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise APC candidates for the 2019 elections in the state.
Senator Abe expressed worry at the present challenges being faced by the party, saying, “It is baseless blaming the governor’’.
He said the foundation for the crisis was laid by the leadership of the party, which he said decided to relegate some interests and stakeholders to the background.
“Was it Wike that excluded some members from the elective congress? Was it also Wike that went ahead to hold primaries in spite of pending court matter?’’ he queried.
Senator Abe said that Governor Nyesom Wike is the ultimate beneficiary of the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congres (APC) in Rivers State.
He declared that those accusing him of working with Governor Wike were part of the problems of the main opposition party in the state, saying he neither being sponsored by Wike nor working for him.
Abe who stated this during a Radio interview yesterday monitored by The Tide accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of sponsoring a campaign of calumny against him ever since the governor honoured his invitation for his thanksgiving service held sometime in Port Harcourt.
He said, “That whole campaign of calumny against me was sponsored by the Minister of Transportation. And he did so in bad faith. And the person who is orchestrating that campaign is one Chief Chukwuemeka Eze.
“That I had a thanksgiving service and I invited Senators both from the APC and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and everybody in the senate as well as the senate President.
“That I also invited the Governor of Rivers State who happens to be Barr. Nyesom Wike and he honoured my invitation on a day when the leader of our own party was holding a parallel event in Bori (Khana Local Government Area) against me. Is that the basis of coming to the conclusion that I am working for Wike?
“Has it ever occurred to Rivers people that the ultimate beneficiary of the crisis in Rivers APC is Wike. Now who initiated the crisis? Was it Wike who said that the meeting all of us had and we agreed that should bring unity so that we should work together in the congresses should be thrown aside?
“Was it Wike who denied Ibrahim Umar and over sixteen thousand fellow members of your own party who fought with you during the last election some of them, their brothers lost their lives.
“Some of them had their houses destroyed and all that and they went to buy forms just for the right to take part in an APC activity and somebody decided that they cannot. Was it Wike who took that decision?
“At the time we went to Court and the Court said do not proceed, deal with the issue of these people first. Was it Wike who said that? At the time we made a request that since we are in court let us do direct primaries in Rivers State and people sat down and made a request for direct primaries which they knew would be in total conflict with the existing case that was already on at that time in the court.
“And there were two orders of the court at that time that were still in operation but people still went ahead to make a request for indirect primaries. Was it Wike who did that?
“When we set up the committee to say okay let us try and look for a solutions and restore peace within the party and people refuse. Was it Wike who refuse? So all these people turning around to call Wike’s name, they are the ones who are part of the problem,” Senator Abe stated.
He describe the situation the party in the state finds itself as a shame because some people mismanaged a situation that could have been better managed.
On the way forward for the APC, he noted that members of the party should be able to think and reason for themselves, saying one man cannot think for all the party stakeholders in the state.
“My own suggestion on the way forward is that I want to talk to our party members. I want people to be able to reason for themselves. Because we are now in a position where it is clear that one person cannot reason for all of us.
“I think that as much as possible the party needs everybody. In this kind of situation that we have found ourselves, we simply have to accept the reality that where we are today as a political party is a disgrace.
“We have to think for ourselves. We have to act to save our party. We have to understand how the party got to where it was. It was not by accident. It was by the deliberate actions of people who mismanaged a situation that could have been better managed,” the Senator said.
Dennis Naku
The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has floated a culture content platform in collaboration with digital television group, Multichoice.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, disclosed this after a meeting with MultiChoice Head of Content Acquisition, Don Dotun Ojon, in Port Harcourt.
He assured that content entrepreneurs and film makers would enjoy the platform by promoting culture and other contents to sell the states tourism potentials.
He said MultiChoice M-net was now open to increase its patronage for content shots on locations in Rivers State, describing the State as one that has numerous potentials for film tourism.
“We were privileged to have Don Ojon with us at the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) at the weekend in Bonny and he saw, first hand, the numerous sites and opportunities that are open to creatives in the State. After that, we felt it was important to deepen the conversation and he obliged. This is a cheering news for the sector in the State,” he said.
Ndigbara stated that “Rivers State has many more untold stories to tell, many more contents to reel out and the assurances from the M-net Acquisition Manager is an indication that the industry in the state will soon enjoy a new lease of life”.
The Permanent Secretary thanked Ojon for the visit and assured that creatives in the State would grap this opportunity and show the world that Rivers State is a major hub for film tourism in Nigeria.
On his part, Ojon said the visit was to discuss on ways of promoting tourism in the State using creatives and film.
Ojon said although the company has recently been acquired by canal+ France and is undergoing restructuring, he would promote the chances of Rivers State to host the MultiChoice talent factory in the State.
With Asaba, capital of Delta State, being saturated, Ojon said the next port is Rivers State, which he said is capable of building fresh crop of creatives, new locations, new story lines and concepts.
He, therefore, called for collaboration from stakeholders in the State.
Kevin Nengia
This is according to a campaign timetable released by the APC Campaign Council last month.
The Tide reports that the APC presidential campaign kicked off in Kaduna on October 24 with President Bola Tinubu in attendance.
The campaign train later moved to Cross River, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Ekiti on November 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima representing the President at the rallies.
President Tinubu is personally scheduled to attend 12 states including Rivers, Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa and Lagos.
The Rivers State rally, scheduled to hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, is expected to witness a large crowd of party supporters drawn from a coalition of political parties in the State.
The party is expected to round off its presidential campaign in Lagos State on January 9, 2027.
The Tide reports that Tinubu has not visited Rivers State as President since he assumed office in May 2023. His last physical visit to the State was before his inauguration on Wednesday, May 3 – Thursday, May 4, 2023, when he was hosted by then Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt to commission the Rumuola/Rumuokwuta Flyover and the Magistrates’ Court Complex.
Tomorrow’s visit will be his first to the State since assuming office.
Fubara gave the charge on Wednesday while declaring open the 126th, 127th and 128th Combined Quarterly Meeting of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, in Port Harcourt.
The governor said the primary function of traditional rulers is to administer justice and ensure fairness, saying their conduct must not lead to division and unmanageable crises.
“Let me therefore, request, if that is the right word to use, that please, as we are entering into this political season actively, everyone should ensure that your conduct promoted peace in your place. Your actions should not be what would lead to the division and multiple crisis that we cannot manage as a government.
“I think with that, we can all live as one and we can also continue to make this progress that we are trying with all our mind, our body and our soul, to ensure that we deliver to our dear State,” he said.
Fubara urged the royal fathers to abide by the oath and constitution they swore to before ascending their respective stools, in the interest of stability and progress of the State.
He also enjoined them to set aside individual sentiments and place the interest of Rivers State above personal considerations, noting that this principle has guided his own day-to-day governance of the State.
“I want to enjoin everyone to keep aside issues of individual sentiments and ensure that the interest of our state supersedes whatever thing that we have in our mind. This is not just what I’m saying here, it is what I’ve also practiced and displayed in my day-to-day life in the governance of our dear State,” he said.
On the appeal for improved welfare for traditional rulers, the governor clarified that the delay in actualising some of the requests they made in the past was not from the government but from the inability of the Council to put its house in order.
Fubara explained that the issue of stipends paid to the traditional rulers by the local government councils, was a statutory benefit provided for in the constitution and not what a state governor can change by mere verbal pronouncements.
He assured that he remains a man of his word and will fulfill his promises to the traditional rulers before leaving office, next year.
He reaffirmed his respect for the traditional institution as custodians of culture and the closest link to the people, thanking them for their prayers and support.
The governor urged the royal fathers to ensure that the combined quarterly meeting featured fruitful deliberations that will strengthen peace and development in the State.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Eze Chike Amadi Worlu Wodo, expressed profound gratitude to the State Government for its efforts in maintaining a cordial relationship with the traditional institution.
Wodo highlighted the importance of traditional rulers in conflict resolution, noting that their closeness to the people places them in a strategic position to mediate in disputes involving chieftaincy matters, family disputes and land ownership in their respective communities.
The royal father drew the attention of the State Government to some challenges affecting the performance of the traditional institution, particularly the lack of official utility vehicles and logistical support needed to discharge its responsibilities effectively.
He also appealed for improved monthly stipends and better welfare provisions to reflect prevailing economic realities.
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