Politics
Group Blames Buhari, Predecessors For NDDC’s Rot

A group, under the auspices of Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD) has blamed the perceived rot in the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC on undue interference by previous Presidents.
It said sadly enough, President Muhammadu Buhari has in the past six years allowed himself to be misled to toe the same line as his predecessors by not allowing the commission to be properly managed to achieve the objective it was set up to achieve for the region and its people.
National President of the group, Comrade Igbini Emmanuel made the allegations in a statement on Friday, insisting that the Act setting up the NDDC was being breached at the detriment of the region.
“While most people have blamed all others except Nigerian Presidents, for this sad state of the commission in the past 21 years, we hold firmly that by virtue of relevant sections of the NDDC Act, the incumbent President of Nigeria who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is to be held squarely responsible for state of the commission”, he said.
Drawing attention to breaches of the Act, Igbini said, “It is imperative for us to once again draw the attention of the public, particularly to Sections 18 to 21 of the NDDC Act which require that the President of Nigeria causes keeping of transparent financial records of the commission, and preparation and submission of Annual Audit Reports and appointment of Monitoring Committees consisting only of people of proven integrity to constantly monitor the management of funds and implementation of projects by the commission under the leadership of Governing Board duly nominated by the President and screened and confirmed by the Senate of Nigeria. If these were ensured by past Nigerian Presidents, NDDC would have positively turned around the sad state of the region”.
He lamented that the wilful mismanagement of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since its establishment in the year 2000 by the patriotic elected members of the then National Assembly, would continue to be blamed squarely on all past Presidents of Nigeria from year 2000 and would remain a scar in their conscience because of their deliberate refusal and or failure to patriotically and diligently exercise their statutory powers in line with relevant sections of the NDDC Act to ensure the commission achieved its set objective for the development of the people and region of the crude oil producing Areas of the Niger Delta
“It is sadly no more news that the commission which was deliberately established to specially attend to and address the many decades of massive destruction, deprivation and underdevelopment of the region, has almost become known as “Niger Delta Destruction Commission” in view of the fact that the trillions of Naira released to the commission for the development of the area have been massively looted and diverted by a few unpatriotic Nigerian elites in government and their allies. The recent Forensic Audit Report attests to this sad fact.
“We have since year 2015 continued to advise President Buhari against the danger of allowing himself to be misled by Governors of the oil producing states as well as some top chieftains of his APC to appoint so-called illegal Interim Management Team and to prevent the Senate confirmed members of substantive Board of NDDC to have free access to the commission to carry out their functions for the benefit of the region and its people.
“It is still unexplainable why President Buhari would suddenly turn around to prevent the same persons who on October 18, 2019, he nominated to the Senate for confirmation as members of Governing Board of NDDC from being inaugurated and appealed to the Senate to “consider and confirm the nominees in the usual expeditious manner”, from expeditiously accessing the commission to carry out their functions?”, he said.
Politics
Rivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-Month Suspension

The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
Politics
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Politics
Alleged Smear Campaign Against Yakubu, CSOs Demand Apology From Uzodimma

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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