Politics
NEW Rivers: The Beginning Of A Historic Revival
From whatever angle you view the Rivers story, you will eventually come to the conclusion that Rivers State is on the right path, craved by the people when they first opted for Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, as their Governor in 2015.
As a reporter/observer who has witnessed this life-changing relationship between Governor Wike and Rivers people, I will take the next few weeks to discuss key aspects of this phenomenal drive to re-position Rivers State.
It is necessary to start this narration from the beginning. Governor Wike was drafted into the leadership race by Rivers people in response to the worst political and economic treachery against the people by the immediate past APC Administration in the state.
Rivers people co-opted Governor Wike to place a derailed state back on track. Between 2013 and 2015, the failed then outgoing administration had weakened the foundations of governance, destroyed the fabric of brotherhood and sold the soul of Rivers State to external political marauders . Rivers people needed a political tactician and warrior to save the state from total political slavery and economic damnation.
Therefore, the preference of Wike ahead of 16 other Governorship Aspirants was for the reason of rebuilding and re-positioning Rivers State from the ashes of failure imposed on the state by the immediate past APC Administration. From the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State, leaders opted to elect Governor Wike and entrench the PDP in the state. They fought against the huge financial war-chest of the immediate past APC Administration.
On December 8, 2014, PDP Delegates from all the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State unanimously voted for Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2015 election in the state. On April 11, 2015, the good people of Rivers State overwhelmingly voted for Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as their governor. He polled 1,029,102 votes.
This was fundamentally the people’s project. It has always been driven by the people. That is why the entire structure is impregnable from within and without. True, some political engineering has been deployed, but the strength of Rivers people is deep and solid. It cannot be swept away easily.
Once the Rivers decide to flow, no quantum of machinations, no matter how well crafted can stop the flow. In the beginning, Rivers people set on a mission in one voice and they have remained undefeated ever since.
In the decision to create a new Rivers State, people came from the 23 Local Government Areas. They defied the riverine and upland divide and placed Rivers ahead of other reasons. They refused to hand their destiny into the hands of a treacherous few. Collectively, Rivers people became their own godfather. They handed over the state to God on the platform that: “the voice of the people is the voice of God “.
Despite the overwhelming victory in 2015, officials of the defeated APC moved from court to court shopping for illegal injunctions to stop the oath taking ceremony. Where ever they went, the hand of God frustrated Governor Wike’s first duty after taking over the reins of governance on May 29, 2019 was to restore the institutions of governance and democracy destroyed by the immediate past APC Administration. This is one of the most vital actions taken to kick-start the process of development in Rivers State.
Governor Wike re-opened the courts and appointed an Acting Chief Judge and Acting President of the State Custumary Court of Appeal. The Judiciary which was castrated by the past administration was revived. The Rivers State House of Assembly which relocated to the Government House, Port Harcourt under the previous administration was duly proclaimed and given the rightful autonomy to carry out its legislative functions.
According to the Former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the State had collapsed irretrievably at the time Governor Wike was handed the mandate by Rivers people.
Amaechi said, ‘’ I’m not joking, we have no money anywhere. In Rivers State, no money. I think Nyesom Wike is coming, we are waiting. He will look for money for salary; there is none. So, he will have to manage. But when he pays out salary, we will see whether they can build the schools, the roads, even to get a loan”.
Governor Wike inherited four months of unpaid salaries and three months of unpaid pensions. Governor Wike cleared these salary and pension arrears. The weakened economy was duly reflated, with mass economic activities set in motion.
Ever since, the Rivers economy has been on the ascendancy. It is a given that workers and pension welfare take precedence over other considerations .
Steps were taken to revive the state’s security architecture which was destabilised by the failure of the immediate past APC Administration to fund monthly financial obligations for security operations. With this, Governor Wike rebuilt the security infrastructure of Rivers State.
After reviving the state, Governor Wike set out to implement the New Rivers Development Blueprint. His careful implementation of this programme has seen Rivers State emerge as the country’s headquarters of projects and progress.
The Wike administration ended the misery of Rivers people and set the people on the path of development.
He has used Rivers mandate to create an atmosphere of hope where the people genuinely yearn for more. In every community, Rivers people have keyed into the season of stability, prosperity , new vision, new thinking, and better possibilities.
Governor Wike has planted the process of purposeful and rewarding leadership propelled by a dynamic team.
He has delivered on the social contract he entered with Rivers people in 2015. The people have renewed his mandate because they want him to Consolidate on the gains of his first term. We shall provide details of his outstanding accomplishments in his first term .
Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media.
Simeon Nwakaudu
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to reconvene for an emergency session tomorrow February 17, 2026, to deliberate on issues arising from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who described the electoral body’s announcement as one of “constitutional and national significance.”
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the statement, members of the Green Chamber were notified of the emergency sitting through an internal memorandum from the Speaker’s office.
The session is expected to focus on legislative matters connected to the newly released timetable, reflecting the House’s resolve to act promptly on issues affecting the nation’s democratic process.
Rep. Rotimi noted that all related businesses would be treated with urgency and urged lawmakers to prioritise attendance in view of the importance of the deliberations.
INEC had on Friday formally unveiled the comprehensive schedule for the 2027 polls, including timelines for party primaries slated for July to September 2026, as well as the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration in April 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing consultations and proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the controversy over the transmission of election results continues across the country, the Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), a pro democracy organisation in the country, has criticised the National Assembly for not giving express approval to real time transmission of elections results.
To this end, the group is calling on all civil society organisations in the country to mobilise and push for a better Electoral Reform in the country.
This was contained in a press statement titled, “Defence For Human Rights and Democracy Demands Real Time Election Transmission of Result”, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
The group described the refusal of compulsory real time transmission of result results by the Senate as undemocratic, adding that the situation will give room for election manipulation, rigging and voters apathy.
It said that the provision of mandatory real time transmission of election results would have significant improvement on the nation’s democracy.
According to the statement, “Since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, it is 27 years, so our Democracy has metamorphosed from being nascent and as such significant improvement should have been recorded.
“Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is really disappointed at the National Assembly, especially the upper chamber (Senate) for not approving ‘Real Time Electronic Transmission of Election Result’.
“This undemocratic act of theirs, if not tamed, will give room for election manipulation and rigging’”.
Signed by Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon on behalf of the organisation, the statement further said, “The Defence For Human Rights and Democracy unequivocally supports real time transmission of election result”, stressing that his group will resist any act by the National Assembly to undermine the nation’s democracy.
“DHRD,unequivocally supports ‘True Democracy’, which is Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“Therefore, anything that will crash the hope of Nigerians to Freely, Fairly and Transparently elect candidates of their choice in any given election should and will be vehemently resisted because good governance begins with leaders elected through credible process. By so doing, leaders have entered a social contract with the citizens to equitably manage their affairs and abundant resources”, the statement added.
It urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue in order to avoid civil unrest.
According to the DHRD, “To avoid civil unrest,voters apathy, election rigging and manipulation, rather to promote citizens participation, advancing our Democracy and entrenching free, fair, credible and acceptable electoral outcome, the National Assembly should amend the electoral act in a manner that will deepen our democracy and boost citizens confidence.
“On this note, The Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is calling on all other civil society organisations (CSOs) to mobilise, organise and push for a better electoral act amendment by the National Assembly”.
By: John Bibor