Politics
Plot To Unseat Speaker Will Face Dire Consequences – Wike
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has warned that those hatching plans to unseat the Speaker of the State House of Assembly would face dire consequences, saying they should be prepared to pitch a fight against PDP.
The governor also warned blackmailers and elements whose stock in trade was to create confusion within PDP to know that such indulgence would never fetch anybody the gubernatorial ticket of the party in the state.
He gave the warning last Thursday during the inauguration of the official residence of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly in Old GRA, Port Harcourt.
He vowed that he would never support anyone who does not have the vision and strength of mind to champion the cause of the state progressively to succeed him in 2023.
Performing the inauguration, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Austin Opara , said the administration of Governor Wike had impacted every arm of government, sectors, local government areas and transformed the state to the envy of the people of the country.
Also last week, Governor Wike announced the relaxation of the night curfew across the state with effect from last weekend.
In a state broadcast last Tuesday at Government House, Port Harcourt, Governor Wike stated that the relaxation of the curfew was sequel to the measurable improvements in the security situation in the state as well as other neighbouring states.
The governor, who explained that the primary concern of the state government was the security of the state commended residents of the state for their support and solidarity.
The two months roll out of Programme for inauguration of completed projects and flag -off of new ones by Governor Wike’s administration came to a successful conclusion last week with the flag-off of the 5.33KM Ogu-Ekporo-Kpogo-Wakama Road in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area last Friday.
It had been a harvest of projects as the state government rolled out projects across the 23 local government areas of the state. More roads, flyovers, the three new campuses of the state university located at Etche, Emohua and Ahoada were flagged off within the period. Other numerous projects on agriculture, education, housing, security, health and several other sectors were showcased.
Speaking at the Friday project flag-off in Ogu/Bolo , Governor Wike restated his vow not to betray the trust bestowed on him by the Rivers electorate.
He particularly acknowledged the doggedness of Ogu and Okrika women in resisting the military against rigging the 2019 election.
“This is one of the local government areas that was very strong for me. During the last 2019 election, it was historic, it was like the Aba Women Riot.
“ It was here that the women revolution started as against the military, that wanted to rig us out in that election. Each time I remember, I say God thank you for using these women”, Wike said.
For their strong support to his administration, Governor Wike, also promised to dredge 25 hecters of land , and to reconstruct the Eteo-Ogu road for them.
Also within the week under review, the governor urged the leadership of the National Union of Rivers State Students ( NURSS) to resist any attempt by disgruntled politicians to use them to cause friction or instigate them against the state government.
Governor Wike gave the advice last Monday during the inauguration of the ultramodern secretariat built for the student body at the state university by his administration.
He attributed the current ranking of the state university as one of the best in the country, to the huge investment his administration had made in the past six years to improve infrastructure, capacity building and welfare of workers.
The Rivers State Governor attended the meeting of the Southern Governors Forum ( SGF ) held last Monday at Lagos State Government House, Lagos.
SGF in the said meeting , came up with a six-point communique in which it demanded that southern states should produce the next president of the country; rejected the proposed 3 per cent oil host Communities fund passed by the Upper Chambers of the National Assembly in the Petroluem Industry Bill (PIB).
The Forum set 1st September 2021 as timeline for the promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in all southern states and also rejected the removal of the Electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act, among others.
By: Chris Oluoh
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
Politics
Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Politics
Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.
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