Politics
Chris Finebone’s Unedifying Advocacy
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Our attention has been drawn to a write up by Senibo Chris Finebone titled: “gov wike confesses to grabbing govt buildings and gifting same to his cronies, says rivers APC” which is a rejoinder to our properly articulated response, dismissing Dr. Dakuku Peterside’s feeble attempt to muckrake spurious and unfounded irrelevancies in the commendable effort of the Rivers State Government to recover its own properties and upgrade them to befitting habitable standards.
We are indeed quite saddened by the fact that Senibo Finebone, has in recent times sunk into the murky primordial cesspool of verbal rambling and rigmarole, ostensibly to maintain a reputational ‘presence’ and sustain an unnecessary relevance in the political space.
While we sympathize with his figurative plight in the unenviable task of this new and unedifying advocacy, we are even more amused with his latest indulgence to hold brief for the hapless Dakuku Peterside, “in the confusion and frenzy” to support a simplistic allegation, challenging the constitutionally engrained and inalienable authority of a properly constituted State Government, to recover and develop its own properties, where and how it seems legitimately appropriate.
One would have expected that Senibo Finebone would have been a little bit more guarded and judicious in dealing with the functional and operational semantics in his application and deployment of the phrase, “grabbing government buildings and gifting same ….”; a matter over which we went to great lengths to address and clarify for Dakuku Peterside’s pedestrian understanding.
And in their typical omniscient egotism, Finebone quips that: “The APC will not be surprised if the governor is unable to provide the right answers.” Well we are happy to disappoint you by stating clearly that we have already provided the RIGHT answer in our very detailed and concise clarification of the recovery of government property, which of course we know, is not the answer you are expecting and will not accept.
Once again and for the avoidance of doubt, we declare that the matter is crystal clear and the summary of it is that Finebone either does not understand the art of governance or is completely ignorant of the constitutional authority that
Government has right to revoke properties in public interest.
One is at a loss to figure out which part of the statement: “The Rivers State Executive Council took the decision to recover dilapidated government quarters from civil servants and illegal occupants within Old and New Government Residential Area (GRA), Port Harcourt and reallocate them to competent private individuals,” that Senibo Finebone and the APC do not understand.
And by the way, we take very strong exception to this very primitive, divisive, clannish, discriminatory and sectional mindset which the APC is surreptitiously but with acrimonious intent, trying to sow amongst our people, by categorizing as “cronies” and casting aspersion on distinguished Rivers people who provided sufficient evidence of their capacity and capabilities, to drive the urban renewal intiative of the state government to be beneficiaries of re-allocation of Government properties.
To now describe deserving Rivers people who were reallocated properties in recognition of their capacity to deliver on the urban renewal programme of the state government, as “cronies” of the Governor, is not only churlish and in bad faith, but clearly reflects the divisive nature of the APC which has already pervaded their structure and permeated into the mindset of the factionalized party. We do not need this kind of bitter, divide and rule mentality in Rivers State.
Of course we will overlook all the other petty and snide innuendos about buildings and the weightless and utterly useless threat that “The APC will soon publish a full dossier of Gov Wike’s landed properties (many acquired through proxies, some bought, sold and bought again through a myriad of fronts, etc.). Such threats are for the benefit and enjoyment of rabble rousers and, itenerant cretins who indulge in incoherent arguments.
Finally, we challenge Finebone and his ilk to provide evidence of all those they feel have been unjustly evicted.
It is quite unfortunate that Finebone is definitely in the wrong company and hobnobbing with dodgy companions and the sooner he stops defending the indefensible, the better for him.
Ibim is Special Assistant, Media to the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Rivers State.
The Rivers contest is expected to draw heightened attention in the oil-rich state, as political actors position for influence in a district long regarded as strategic to the balance of power in Rivers State.
INEC disclosed that the by-elections will hold concurrently with the Ekiti State governorship election, underscoring what promises to be a politically charged day across several parts of the country.
Beyond Rivers, the electoral body listed other affected constituencies to include Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, Ondo South Senatorial District, and Enugu North Senatorial District.
The vacancies, according to INEC, arose from a combination of deaths, resignation, and other constitutional developments. In Nasarawa, the demise of Senator Godiya Akwashika has left a gap in a district considered a stronghold of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In Enugu, the passing of Senator Okey Ezea has set the stage for a competitive race in the South-East.
Similarly, the Ondo South seat became vacant following the resignation of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who now serves as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa seat in Kano opened up after the death of Hon. Muhammad Danjuma Hassan.
Analysts say the Rivers South-East by-election, in particular, could reshape political alignments in the state, as parties jostle to fill the void left by Sen. Mpigi and consolidate their foothold ahead of future electoral contests.
Stakeholder from Bayelsa East Senatorial District, on Monday, endorsed the incumbent Senator representing them to run for a second term.
Leading the stakeholders, the former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism and Special Adviser to Governor Douye Diri on Political Affairs (iii), Dr Iti Orugbani, said the reason for the endorsement was based on the federal lawmaker’s trajectory of good deeds and massive execution of projects across communities of the Senatorial district.
Dr Orugbani highlighted some of the projects to include landing jetties, telecommunication masts and town halls amongst others, noting that Sen. Agadaga’s performance has exceeded those of others who hitherto represented the oil rich area.
Bayelsa East Senatorial District comprises Ogbia, Brass and Nembe Local Government Areas of the State.
The Governor’s aide who called on the State’s Eastern political enclave to respect the 2022 new zoning agreement, which guaranteed second term for Senators from the District, stressed the need for political tolerance and peace in the forthcoming 2027 polls.
“In 2022 the leaders and stakeholders across party lines from Bayelsa East held a meeting and altered the old single term for Senators from the district’s agreement and signed that begining from 2023 any Senator emerging from the district must serve for a minimum of two terms.
“In 2023, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, then an incumbent Senator representing the Senatorial district under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was given a second term ticket by the party. Though he lost to the PDP.
“Now that the entire state is now APC and the District has an APC Senator in the person of Benson Agadaga from Ogbia LGA, why not also give him a second tenure?
“The stakeholders in 2022 changed the old political agreement because they saw that it wasn’t beneficial to the district any longer. And so, because it was Ogbia Local Government Area that started the old zoning arrangement by producing the first Senator in 1999, I want to plead that let Ogbia also begin the new two terms zoning agreement”, he said.
Also speaking, the duo of woman leader of a support group, ‘Agadema Women’, Mrs. Owadaba Jokori and the Information Officer of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Central Zone, Comrade Ikio, stated that the incumbent Senator has done well for the district in the past three years that he has been in office.
They lauded the federal lawmaker for his infrastructure projects, especially the construction of landing jetties in select communities of the three local government areas of the district, commending stakeholders for supporting the lawmaker in his second term bid.
In his remarks, Senator Agadaga thanked the stakeholders for the confidence reposed in him and the endorsements he has received lately from constituents and admirers across political parties.
The lawmaker noted that within the past three years that he has been Senator, he has delivered dividends of democracy to his constituents across the Senatorial District, emphasizing that the call for him to be senator from the Brass Senatorial District came to him as a surprise, noting that he accepted the clarion call when the clamour became so loud.
“I was Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, when various groups from the zone came calling on me to contest the 2023 Senatorial polls.
“Ever since winning the elections as a senator, I’ve continued to deliver on my mandate in both representation, lawmaking, oversight, project execution and support for constituents when called upon. And I shall continue to do more if elected for a second term”, the Senator said.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set May 15 as deadline for definite hearing in a suit filed by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The judge on Monday shifted the hearing date following the absence of the plaintiff, Mr Jideobi, and his lawyer in court without any information.
Apart from the absence of the plaintiff, who is a legal practitioner, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, who are 2nd and 3rd defendants in the matter, were also not in court.
Following the absence of the plaintiff and the two defendants, Chris Uche, SAN, representing Dr Jonathan, applied to the court to strike out the suit for lack of diligent prosecution.
Having joined issues with each other, Mr Uche said, the suit is liable for dismissal with a N5 million cost to be awarded against the plaintiff and payable to Dr Jonathan.
He argued that from all indications, the plaintiff has abandoned the suit and ran away upon sighting the preliminary objections raised against the suit, adding that the court is a busy place and not for unserious matters.
Justice Lifu, however, noted that there was no evidence of service of hearing notice on INEC and AGF to appear in court for the suit, adding that lack of service of hearing notice is fundamental.
The judge said rather than striking out the suit, he prefers to bend backward to accommodate the plaintiff and the two defendants for the last time.
While adjourning the matter to May 15, Justice Lifu ordered that hearing notice be served on the plaintiff and the 2nd and 3rd defendants who were not in court on Monday.
The plaintiff, Mr Jideobi, had filed the case seeking an order to restrain Dr Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as an aspirant for the 2027 election.
He is also asking the court to stop INEC from accepting, processing or publishing Dr Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
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