Politics
Stay In Your Areas, Gov Wike Tells Council Chairmen
The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike has again directed chairmen of the twenty- three Local Government Areas to reside in their various areas and not to operate from Port Harcourt, the state capital or any other area outside their local government.
By so doing, the governor said the council bosses would be abreast of the situation of things, especially security, in their various areas.
The Rivers State Chief Executive gave the order last Thursday, during the swearing, in ceremony of the local government council chairmen in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He expressed regret that most council bosses in the state abandoned their various LGAs only to live and operate from hotels in Port Harcourt.
“ Stay in your council areas. Don’t stay in hotels and in Port Harcourt. If you’re not at home, how do you know about the security situation in your local government ? Security is key “, he said.
Governor Wike who charged the council chairmen to pay proper attention to issues of security in order to stem security breaches in their various councils , stressed the need for them to establish robust working relationship with both the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and traditional rulers in their domain.
The Governor also warned them against embarking on needless travels outsiders the state and the country without officially notifying the state government.
Another major issue , last week in Brick House, was the anti-open grazing position of the Southern Governors. Wike disclosed the intention of his administration to forward to the Rivers State House of Assembly, an anti-open grazing bill, aimed at protecting farmlands and farmers.
“ So that everybody must understand it , it’s clear without any hesitation, we must do it to protect our farms, to protect our women, to protect our youths, so that nobody will go and kill them”, he said last Wednesday, at the inauguration of the Isaiah Odoli/ Omerelu streets in New GRA , Port Harcourt.
Last week witnessed the inauguration of more projects executed by the Governor Wike administration. They include: the 21km Odufor- Akpoku- Umuoye Road in Etche Local Government Area, nine reconstructed streets— Nzimiro, Herbert Macaulay , Amassoma , Arochukwu , Atako, Ogoja , Akure , Yola and Chinwo in Old GRA, Port Harcourt, and the Community Secondary School Eteo, in Eleme Local Government Area as well as the Community Secondary School Obeakpu, Ndoki in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
The Rivers State Governor called on the Federal Government to expedite action towards the completion of the abandoned East-West Road considering its economic importance to the nation.
He described as unacceptable, the Federal Government’s continued neglect of the road, particularly the Eleme axis where the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone, Port Harcourt Refinery and Onne Seaport are situated.
“ They are taking us for granted because we have nobody. God in his infinite mercy will give us somebody. The kind of treatment we are receiving from this Federal Government is unacceptable”, said Governor Wike during the inauguration of the Community Secondary School Eteo, in Eleme Local Government Area, last Friday.
Stressing that the project inauguration and flagging off was not limited to the road , Governor Wike explained that it also focused on other sectors as health, education etc. The construction of the Community Secondary School Eteo in Eleme and the Secondary School Obeakpu, Ndoki in Oyigbo were aimed at increasing access to quality education for the people.
The Governor appealed to the teachers and students of the schools to utilise the facilities provided by the state government and make sure that the schools are protected.
Inaugurating the Community Secondary School Obeakpu, the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu hailed the achievements of the Rivers State Governor .
“ Governor Wike remains a role model, worthy to be emulated. I advise other governors to come to Port Harcourt to see what Gov ernor Wike is doing”, Mantu said.
The plot by the Federal Government to regulate or outrightly ban social media attracted the attention of the Rivers State Governor, last week, as he described the plot as hypocritical.
He argued that the APC led Federal Government wants to use it’s disagreement with Twitter as a false premise to suppress criticism of the administration’s appalling handling of the nation’s affairs through the dubious regulation of social media, even when it used the same social media to tell lies against the past government under Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
Gov Wike attended the PDP Governors’ Forum meeting held last Monday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. He also attended a Special Thanksgiving Mass in honoure of the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem in Jos, the Plateau State Capital, last Saturday.
By: Chris Oluoh
Alhaji Abubakar, who is also the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressed that Chief Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him is yet another failed attempt to rewrite history.
Alhaji Abubakar specifically said that if the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness, he (Atiku) would feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his (Obasanjo) life and political career.
These were contained in a statement the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President, Mr Phrank Shaibu, released in which Atiku said he watched the former President’s interview with profound sadness, but not anger, because it reflected the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.
Alhaji Abubakar said the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians, stressing that he is proud that he stood against the third-term agenda and stood by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the words of Alhaji Abubakar: “I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition. If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour.
“No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty”.
Alhaji Abubakar noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals, but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.
He said: “The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict. It Is therefore unfortunate that the same man whose unconstitutional ambition was resisted now seeks to sit in judgment over those who defended the Constitution”.
The ADC Presidential candidate said it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Chief Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had”.
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he said.
Alhaji Abubakar further stated that Nigerians also deserve to remember the other side of history which Chief Obasanjo conveniently omits, saying: “History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom”.
He further said: “When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing.
“Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Alhaji Abubakar, however, said he harbours no regrets over any of those acts.
According to him: “Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions”.
He added, however, that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.
Alhaji Abubakar particularly expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.
In the words of Atiku: “The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds”.
The former Vice President said he had deliberately maintained restraint over the years out of respect for the office Chief Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they once shared.
He said: “That restraint should never be mistaken for weakness or docility. There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue. While I have no desire to engage in a public quarrel with a man I once stood beside in his most difficult moments, neither will I permit falsehoods, half-truths and calculated attempts to rewrite history to go unanswered.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to, are his own facts,” Alhaji Abubakar insisted.
The ADC presidential candidate reaffirmed that his attention remains firmly fixed on Nigeria’s future.
According to him; “I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.
“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people,” he stated.
According to the electoral umpire, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, and end on January 15, 2027, exactly 24 hours before the elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
INEC also announced that campaigns for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026, and conclude on February 5, 2027, ahead of the polls slated for February 6, 2027.
The commission explained that the campaign schedule complies with the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates that electioneering activities must not begin earlier than 150 days before an election and must end at least 24 hours before voting.
INEC urged political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to strictly adhere to the approved timetable and conduct their campaigns in accordance with the law, while encouraging the public to obtain electoral information only from its official communication channels to avoid misinformation.