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.
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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