Politics
The Next Rivers Governor
Last Saturday, the Kalabari ethnic nationality conferred on Governor. Nyesom Wike the chieftaincy title of Se- Ibidokubo of Kalabari (meaning a champion of development of the Kalabari ethnic nation).
The event which took place at the school field, Abalama in Asari-Toru Local Government Area was the high point of the civic reception held in honour and appreciation of the Rivers State Governor by the traditional institution, governments and people of Kalabari Kingdom.
In all its form and content, the occasion could not have been better organised. Traditional rulers and chiefs from all three local government areas of Degema, Asari-Toru and Akuku-Toru turned out in their gorgeous regal best. The famous traditional iria dance and token masquerade displays spiced up the occasion with the brief appearances of top Nigerian entertainers like Flavor and Gordons as icing on the cake.
Perhaps to emphasise the point that the occasion was mainly organised to express gratitude to the state chief executive for his developmental footprints in Kalabari land, only banners and billboards with messages welcoming the governor were erected. There were indeed none promoting any aspirants to any political office
No speeches were also entertained from government or political party functionaries. In fact, only four good will messages were taken from Prof. Nimi Briggs, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Ms Ann Kio-Brisggs, Niger Delta environmental activist, Chief Dumo LuLu-Briggs, businessman, politician and philanthropist and Engr. Dagogo Jack.
As if forbidden to speak pointedly, all of them spoke in inuendos and euphernisms in reference to the one central issue preoccupying the minds, hearts and souls of every bonafide Kalabari son and daughter (at home or in the diaspora; in APC or PDP or any other political party; politically active or passive).
Prof Briggs broached it when he said that the Kalabari man had well paid his dues in the overall development effort of Rivers State and therefore is well deserving of his reward come 2023.
His submission drew cheers and applause of affirmation from the crowd as did the petition of Chief Dumo Briggs that Governor Wike use his good office to take the Kalabaris out of the political wilderness in 2023.
In his reponse, Governor Wike was true to type as he did not make any commitments but categorically told his hosts (and indeed other Rivers people) what they must do if they desired to produce the next governor of Rivers State.
According to him, the Kalabari people needed the strength of unity and the power of single mindedness in order to achieve their dreams while advising them to love themselves more and refrain from in-dividualism and selfishness.
He said he would not commit himself with a promise to hand over power to a Kalabari son or daughter but urged them to prepare to show themselves worthy of the coveted seat in an all comers’ open contest.
“ If you are waiting for me to say that I will give power to Kalabari, you’re wasting your time because I will not say it,’’ Governor Wike said, emphasising that ’’ I have not promised anybody that he will be governor after me’’.
He said he maintains his position that Rivers people don’t have to destroy themselves over the governorship of the state, adding that he had the same message for the Kalabaris as he had for the Ogonis and indeed all Rivers people.
‘’Like I told the Ogoni people when they honoured me, you must stop destroying each other because of the governorship of Rivers State .
“ Kalabari people, you must put yourselves together and stop bringing yourselves down. You have been aspiring to be governor since 1999 but you can’t get it by fighting yourselves.
‘‘Anybody that wants to be governor should prepare himself for it, you must stop being selfish about it. It can be anybody,’’ he admonished.
Governor Wike affirmed that the governorship of Rivers State come 2023 will go to any Rivers man who demonstrates capacity to fight and win the office just as he did in 2015 and 2019 against a host of stiff and intimidating opposition forces from within and outside.
‘’ Everybody has the chance of becoming the Governor of Rivers State, but you must have the capacity to stand to fight for it,’’ he said, averring that the next governor of Rivers State requires a personality who would not dither in his convictions but be bold, courageous and resolute to withstand invading and marauding forces aiming at the soul of the state and its people.
‘’ When I wanted to be governor, I came out and fought for it. I fought a sitting governor and I said let heaven fall, I will be governor and I am governor today with your support.
“ Anybody that will be governor of Rivers State must be prepared to face the army and police.
‘‘You remember when they brought military to fight us, did I run and leave you? I didn’t.
I stood my ground. I stood firm, and with your support, we defeated them. So anybody that wants to be governor must stand firm,’’ he said.
Of course, going by the last two experiences, Rivers people and those resident in the state have cause to be apprehenive and jiteryjittery elections next year. Especially, with the opposition party in the state still in shreds, it is difficult for anyone to see how fast they could organise themselves to engage in a serious electoral contest with decency if they desire to win.
Be that as it may, there are many who believe that beyond the federal security aparati, the invading and marauding forces that need to be kept at bay would include economic and social enemies of the people.
To this end, therefore, the next governor of Rivers State, many expect, must show capacity to take Rivers people to a whole new level of economic prosperity and social wellbeing.
They say that the next governor should be one that will be a worthy successor to Governor Wike who has worked tirelessly to build a strong foundation for sustainable growth and development of all sectors of the society. He or she must therefore show a workable concrete economic blueprint and clear roadmap to building a yet further united and stronger Rivers State.
He must possess the drive and the zeal to improve the lot of the common people. Surely, not just a politician will do.
By: Opaka Dokubo
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed his legal team to resume all court proceedings against Mrs. Tracy Ohiri over her repeated allegations of indebtedness and other claims against him.
Mrs Ohiri had publicly accused Senator Umahi of owing her N280 million for campaign materials from his tenure as party chairman in Ebonyi State.
The allegations went viral on social media, where she also accused the Minister of sexual harassment.
Security agencies arrested Mrs Ohiri, and she was subsequently prosecuted. Her lawyer, Barrister Marshall Abubakar, intervened, leading to the deletion of all posts and a public apology, which also gained widespread attention online.
However, days after the apology, Mrs Ohiri resumed her claims against Senator Umahi.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Senator Umahi said he had informed Barrister Abubakar during the intervention that if Mrs Ohiri could provide verifiable evidence, logs, and communications from the period in question, some of his associates were willing to contribute a sum of One Billion Naira (N1billion) to her, evidence which, he said, she had yet to provide.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has been monitoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding the claims and counterclaims by Mrs. Tracy Ohiri.
“Ordinarily, this would have been ignored, but in the interest of truth and public clarity, it is necessary to address the issues directly”, the statement read.
The statement clarified that Barrister Abubakar acted in good faith and without any financial interest, motivated solely by a desire to assist Mrs Ohiri.
At no point did the lawyer discuss or negotiate any payment with the minister, although some well-meaning associates independently offered support”, the statement added.
Senator Umahi reiterated the conditions for resolving the matter: either the claims must be tested in court, or Mrs Ohiri must provide credible evidence, including all relevant communications, to substantiate her allegations.
The minister emphasised that Barr Abubakar conducted himself with integrity throughout the process.
“Following the failure to meet these conditions, particularly the inability to provide verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes to ensure the truth is fully established,” the statement said.
Senator Umahi said despite years of public provocations and attacks, he chose to remain silent, focusing on national and state services.
He thanked Nigerians who had taken time to assess the facts and noted that “not everyone who presents themselves as a victim truly is one, and in some cases, narratives are deliberately inverted.”
The Minister affirmed that he will not be distracted by Mrs Ohiri’s allegations and remained committed to his mandate at the Ministry of Works.
“The focus remains on results, service, and ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from projects that improve connectivity, economic growth, and national development. This administration will continue to pursue its transformation agenda with dedication, transparency, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” he concluded.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned proceedings in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions.
Justice Stephen Jumbo made the pronouncement during a recent sitting in Port Harcourt.
The suit, which borders on the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure in the state, was instituted against the factional State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, alongside the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and other respondents.
Also joined in the matter are the PDP as a corporate entity, the Rivers State Government, as well as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, including their respective Vice Chairmen and Councillors.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, approached the court via an originating summons seeking judicial interpretation on the validity of actions taken by the Chief Chukwuemeka-led state executive committee of the party.
Central to the dispute is whether the said executive committee, whose emergence the claimants contend has been nullified by a subsisting court judgment, retains the legal authority to act on behalf of the party in critical electoral matters.
The plaintiffs specifically urged the court to determine whether the factional leadership could validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the purpose of participating in local government elections.
They further questioned the legitimacy of the PDP’s participation in the August 30, 2025 local government elections, contending that any list purportedly submitted by the factional leadership was invalid and of no legal consequence.
In addition to the declaratory reliefs sought, the claimants also prayed the court to grant consequential orders addressing the outcome and conduct of the said elections across the affected local government areas.
At the resumed hearing, counsel representing the PDP and the affected local government councils informed the court that they had only recently been served with the originating processes and accompanying documents.
The defence team, comprising several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), disclosed that service of the court processes was effected on March 13, 2026, leaving them with limited time to adequately prepare their responses.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable them study the processes and address the legal issues raised, particularly as they relate to jurisdictional questions and points of law.
Counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, did not oppose the application, following which the presiding judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions, with a possible ruling expected ahead of the substantive suit.
By: King Onunwor
A former state lawmaker in the old the Rivers State, Professor Alex Eseimokumo, has described Nigerian opposition political parties as mere preposition political parties.
He also advised the country’s electorate against selling their votes during next year’s general elections.
The former legislator, who is also the president of the Institute for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Entrepreneurial Research, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide on the sidelines of an event organized by the institute in Port Harcourt.
He said opposition political parties in Nigeria have been reduced to preposition political parties as most of them are not only dinning with the government but advising government on what to do to win election.
“The problem in Nigeria is we are not practicing politics the way it is supposed to be.The opposition are more in preposition.
“You see, opposition is supposed to find out things that are wrong in government but in our present day politics, you see opposition even dinning with the other group. So, there is basically nothing like opposition in Nigeria “, he said.
He lamented a situation where some individuals within the opposition are allegedly working hard to prevent their parties from fielding presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, adding that such individuals were only there to protect their personal interest.
Prof. Eseimokumo said as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he could not wish his party to fail in the election, even though nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
He noted that though the government in power has been trying it’s best, there was more to be done.
In his words, “I’m an APC member, so I don’t have the right to criticize my party but a word of advice: we still need to do more, more people oriented leadership where everybody will feel carried along.
“For now, I’m campaigning for APC to be re elected and if I stand here to say APC is not doing well, I’m not being fair to myself. But I think, with God all things are possible, there can be changes”.
On his assessment of the performances of governors of the Niger Delta states, Prof Eseimokumo said the governors were doing well within the limit of their resources.
” I don’t know what is given to them as allocation, but if what we are seeing in terms of window dressing is not window shopping, then they are doing well”, he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Eseimokumo has advised Nigerian electorates against selling their votes during the forthcoming elections.
He said credible election could only be achieved when the electorates refuse financial inducement during the elections.
According to him, though Nigerian voters had been difficult to persuade, the time had come for them to stop selling their votes.
Prof. Eseimokumo said the forthcoming elections will serve as a litmus test for the Nigerian electorate to demonstrate their desire for changes in the country, stressing that free and fair elections will continue to be a mirage in the country until the was a change in the attitude of the electorate.
“If you want your vote to count, don’t take money from anybody; if you want your votes to count, don’t collect money for your vote. The moment you collect money for your vote, you have sold your conscience”, he warned.
He said his institute will continue to work for peace, not just in the Niger Delta region but across Nigeria.
By: John Bibor
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