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Wike Dedicates Campaign To God

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As various political parties fine-tune their strategies towards the general elections set to kick-off next month in the country, issues bordering on election campaigns dominated activities in Government House, Port Harcourt, last week .
The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) was at the  Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Garrison Junction, Port Harcourt, last Sunday to dedicate her 2019 Campaign to God.
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, at the event, charged Rivers people to use the forthcoming election to end dictatorial tendencies.
He said that PDP decided to dedicate the campaign to God because it is a tradition that has worked for the good of the party.
Methodist Archbishop of Port Harcourt, Most Rev Sunday Agwu declared that one good term deserves another, and remarked that Governor Wike has performed credibly with the people’s mandate.
Last Saturday the Governor who was in a mobilisation meeting at Unit 7 in Ward 9 of Obio/Akpo Local Government Area, called on Rivers people to vote out the evil APC- led Federal Government come February 16th to attract benefits to the state.
He said since 2015, the Buhari administration has not initiated or executed any project in the state, hence there is mass mobilisation across the 4442 polling units in the state to carry all Rivers people along in the move to oust Buhari from the presidency.
Governor Wike told the mammoth crowd which comprised members of other political parties: “ Vote out Buhari and vote in Atiku Abubakar.  Let Buhari and APC pack and leave the Presidential Villa. Buhari’s tenancy has expired “.
Another major event which took place in Brick House, last week, was the visit of the new Commissioner of Police to the state, Mr Usman Belel.
The Commissioner of  Police told Governor Wike that he came to formally introduce  himself and to also seek the support of the administration.
He assured the police under his command will work professionally to fight crime.
Wike who welcomed the police boss in the state expressed worry that public institutions are beginning to lose public confidence because of the way they are being run. He tasked the new Police Commissioner to improve the performance of police in the state
He informed the visitor that his predecessor, Mr Zaki Ahmed, allowed himself to be used negatively against the state.
“ Rivers State will not forget that it was Zaki Ahmed’s time that thugs invaded the Rivers State High Court which is located near the police headquarters. He didn’t bring anybody to book “, Wike said.
The Governor assured the new Police Commissioner of his administration’s support to the command  to fight crime across the state and urged him to focus on ending kidnapping, cultism, and other violent crimes.
The Minister of Environment, Mr Suleiman Hassan Zarma also paid a courtesy visit to Government House last Friday.
The minister said he and his team were in the state to hand over sites to contractors for commencement of the Ogoni clean up exercise.
The Brick House landlord, Governor Wike, condemned the deliberate neglect of the Niger Delta region by the Federal Government in spite of the fact that the region remains the economic life wire of the nation.
“ We are dying because we are keeping the country alive. Nobody wants to give us attention “, he said.
Stressing that environmental degradation is worse than insurgency, the governor regretted that while the Federal Government considered it necessary to take $1billion from the Excess Crude Account to address insurgency, nothing was being done to address the environmental pollution in the region.
He chided the Ogoni clean up exercise, saying Federal Government is politicising the exercise instead of showing concern.
He said each time election draws near, Federal Government remembers the Ogoni but as election ends, nobody talks about it again.
“ Three years ago, the president represented by the VP flagged off the clean up during the rerun elections. One month to the general elections, the Minister of Environment has come to hand over the sites.

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2027: Bayelsa APC Adopts Tinubu As Sole Candidate  … As Lokpobiri, Lyon Shun Meeting 

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The Bayelsa State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress(APC) have passed a ‘Vote of Confidence’ on President Bola Tinubu and also adopted him as sole candidate of the party for the 2027 presidential polls.
Speaking in Yenagoa, the state capital, during the ’12th Expanded Stakeholders’ meeting of the party, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, stressed the importance of the state’s chapter of the party to its national leadership.
Represented by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, the National Chairman urged all stakeholders to unite to secure victory for the party, come 2027 general elections, adding that the party will give the state chapter the necessary support it requires to win in all future polls.
He appealed to aggrieved leaders of the party in the state to jettison their differences and tow the path of peace, describing the reconciliatory move as commendable while promising that the party’s national leadership will do all within its powers to ensure its success.
“President Tinubu is a pragmatic leader, and a progressive determined to transform Nigeria for the betterment of all. The developmental strides recorded by the  president is attracting governors and National Assembly members from the opposition into the APC.
“We’ll ensure that the interest of the
party is managed. Bayelsa is important to our party, and we must do whatever we have to do, for the victory of the party in the state. We have a very good candidate in the president and that is why the South- South governors are taking the lead to join our party in support of the president for his reelection”, he said.
“Mr. President is on the move to take Nigerians to the promised land, and the only way to achieve this is in unity. The leadership of the party in the state need to show more tolerance and carry everyone along. Other state governors in other regions that are not in our party will soon join us, so that if the president is returned, everything will go smoothly.
“I want the former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, to personally lead the reconciliation so we can achieve the unity we desire. Forget all differences and bring everyone together”, he added.
Also speaking, the leader of the state chapter of the party  and former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, noted that the national secretariat of the party  had not treated the state fairly, noting that if the national leadership of the APC had given the state the support it needed, the party would have achieved more.
Chief Sylva called on absentee leaders of the party at the meeting, particularly Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and former Governor-elect of the State, Chief David Lyon, to close ranks and work with other leaders to move the party forward.
“I wonder why the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and former Governor-elect, Chief David Lyon are not here. We’re all Bayelsans, we’re all Ijaw people, they should come and let’s work together for the greater interest of the party. We did well in 2023, but not what we expected.
“2027 is already a done deal, if we have the support of the national leaders of the party. Today we’re more ready than ever before.The only thing we lack is support from the party at the national level. With your support we’ll be the strongest, and nobody will be able to stand us in elections”, Chief Sylva said.
In his remarks, the Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku, noted that most people thought the party was no more in existence, but that the NWC could see that the party is alive and kicking.
“Reconciliation is on and those in charge are doing well. The party has members in the state who were ‘victory-hungry”, he said.
Earlier, State Chairman of the party, Dr Dennis Otiotio, said the meeting was to critically appraise the performance of the president and also adopt him as the sole candidate of the party for the 2027 presidential election.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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Alleged Smear Campaign Against Yakubu, CSOs Demand Apology From Uzodimma

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The Transparency and Accountability Rights Initiative, a coalition of Nigerian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), has issued a strong condemnation of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, accusing him of orchestrating a malicious smear campaign against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and development advocate Dr. Chima Amadi.

During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.

The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”

“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.

“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.

The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”

They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”

The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”

The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.

  • A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
  • An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
  • A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.

The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”

“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.

“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.

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Stopping Natasha’s Resumption Threatens Nigeria’s Democracy – ADC 

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the immediate reinstatement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, warning that continued obstruction of her return after a six-month suspension poses a threat to Nigeria’s democracy and undermines women’s participation in politics.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.

“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.

The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.

The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.

“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.

Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.

“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.

The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.

“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.

 

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