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Wike Threatens To Challenge Ekiti PDP Exco Dissolution In Court …Says PDP Action Tyrannical, …Again, Dares Ayu To Suspend G-5 Govs …As Fubara Pledges To Prioritise Education, Security, Others
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has described the dissolution of the Ekiti State Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Dr Iyorchia Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party as an act of tyranny that would be challenged in court.
The governor, who dared the PDP national chairman, to suspend him or any of the G-5 governors, warned that the resort to despotism by the NWC would not do the PDP any good in the forthcoming general election.
The Rivers State governor stated this while speaking at the campaign flag-off rally by the state PDP Campaign Council in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, last Saturday.
Wike explained that the reason why the dissolution of the Ekiti State Working Committee would be challenged in court was because there were still members of the PDP who believe in the rule of law,warning that the party should respect its constitution.
“Let me also use this opportunity to say to Iyorchia Ayu and his team, your dissolving Ekiti State Exco will not help you in anyway. Your suspending people will not help you in anyway. The battle line has been fully drawn. As I speak to you, we will do everything legally possible to challenge any decision we know is illegal.”
He stressed that the Ayu-led NWC’s resort to tyranny ould do more damage to the PDP as far as the 2023 general election was concerned.
“So, don’t think you can threaten people by saying so, so persons have been suspended. Rubbish! Completely rubbish! We are above that level that you think you can threaten anybody, intimidate anybody with whatever illegal decision you have taken.”
The Rivers State governor dared Ayu and his cohorts to extend the despotic tendencies to the G-5 governors, and see if they would withstand the repercussion.
“So, we are waiting for you to announce my own and any other of my friends. Like I have said, when a man says you will not sleep, he too, will he sleep? Will Ayu sleep? Will those his cohorts sleep? So, don’t worry, we have the capacity to pay back. We have the capacity to tell you that enough is enough.”
Wike urged Rivers State electorate in Khana to vote for the PDP governorship candidate, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, as well as all national and state legislative candidates in the 2023 general election in order to consolidate on the achievements of his administration.
The governor cautioned the people not to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, who was facing alleged criminal charges for his role in the sale of Rivers State Government assets by Chibuike Amaechi-led administration.
“Some people are shameless. A man who colluded with his master to strip Rivers State of its resources, sold our gas turbines which were constructed, installed by Dr Peter Odili’s administration. It was sold at the cost of $308million. So, we have filed criminal charges against Tonye Cole.”
The governor described Cole’s claim that all the flyovers constructed by his administration were mainly in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas as hypocritical, since he lives in Port Harcourt.
“Ask him how many flyovers did his boss, the former minister do. It shows you he does not know about governance in Rivers State. His mentor told his people that he was going to construct Trans Kalabari Road. Did he do it? Today, we are at the verge of commissioning the first phase of the Trans Kalabari Road.
“Again, we have agreed with Julius Berger to dualise from Emohua to Tema junction. So, ask him, rather than to siphon Rivers State Government money, what did they do? What has he contributed to the people of the state? Nothing!”
Wike announced that the state government has awarded contract for the reconstruction of internal roads in Bori in fulfilment of his promise during the recent commissioning of the dualisation of the Bori-Kono Road.
Addressing the mammoth crowd at State School 1, Bori, the venue for the state-level campaign rally, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general election, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, said PDP government in the state has done tremendously well in Khana.
It is on that basis, Fubara stated, that the consolidation team was soliciting votes from the electorate in order to engender continuity and consolidate on the gains made already.
“We are not asking for your votes, for your support without a reason. We are here to ask for your votes because we have performed. Our party has performed, our leader has performed, and we are taking up from there. We are not here to say support us because it is our own turn.It’s not a business of turn;it is a business of performance.”
He promised to build on the gains recorded in education, security, and other critical sectors to bring more development to not just Khana but the entire Ogoni.
“My dear Khana people, we are here to ask for your votes because we have performed very well in this local government area. Governor Nyesom Wike has, among other things, given you a super-highway linking three local government areas of Tai, Gokana, and Khana. I believe this calls for celebration!
“We are now here to tell you to support us because it is our own turn, it is not a business of turn.It is a business of performance and competence. Our leader has performed very well, and we will be taking it up from where he will stop.
“We are going to touch the remaining places yet to be touched.He constructed several schools here, we are going to construct even more. We are going to invest massively in security in Khana Local Government Area to usher in more development to the LGA,” the guber candidate added.
Presenting flags to the two House of Assembly candidates in Khana, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter, Amb. Desmond Akawor, commended Governor NyesomWike for championing the inclusion of women in elective positions in the state.
“Your Excellency, you have given the female gender a sense of belonging. You do not just talk, you work the talk. No governor in Nigeria has included women in governance like you have done,” he said.
The Director-General of the New Rivers Vision Consolidation Campaign Council, Bro Felix Obuah, expressed confidence that, PDP would win convincingly in the governorship, National Assembly, and state House of Assembly elections in Khana Local Government Area.
In his goodwill speech, the member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, said Khana people would vote massively for Sir Siminialayi Fubara because Wike has done well in the LGA.
“We have 359 electoral units in Khana, and close to 200,000 votes. We are going to give maximum votes to Sim Fubara because you have done well for the people of Ogoni, particularly Khana people,” he added.
In his remarks, the senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District,Barry Mpigi, said the crowd was made up of real people of Khana with PVCs, and not like the people from neighbouring states that APC paid N200 for their rally in Etche.
“The people here are Khana people with PVCs, they are not like the people that were paid N200 by APC and taken to Etche. Governor Nyesom Wike’s legacies are Sim Fubara’s blueprints, this is why we are campaigning with the slogan:‘Continuity and Consolidation’,” he stated.
President of KAGOTE, Hon. Emmanuel Deeyaah, said in the last 24 years that democracy has endured; Khana people have continued to support the PDP.
He stressed that the people would show their voting strength on Election Day because they trust the leadership that has been provided to them.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has unveiled plans to permanently relocate the dumpsite along the busy Port Harcourt Airport–Obiri-Ikwerre Road, describing the current location as both a public health threat and a damaging first impression for visitors arriving in Port Harcourt, the State capital.
The Governor made this known on Tuesday during an inspection of a proposed replacement site, which is a disused burrow pit near Bambo Estate, off Eneka Road in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The location is being assessed as a potential permanent dumpsite for the State.
Governor Fubara, who was conducted by the Board Chairman, Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Dr Samuel Nwanosike, and its Managing Director, Dr Ibimina Wokoma, expressed concern about the environmental and health challenges posed by the existing site, which sits along a major entry point into the State.
“The kind of environmental hazards that we are facing there along the Airport–Obiri- Ikwerre Road; the smell on that road being the entrance into the State, we felt it’s not proper,” he said. “So, we are making alternative arrangements so we can have a permanent refuse dumpsite that meets acceptable standards.
“He added that the government would move swiftly to formalise ownership of the land and complete construction work on the access road to make the new site functional.“We have not concluded the issue of the burrow pit, but the access road, I think the government is doing something about it.
So, I will make sure that everything that needs to be done to ensure government owns this burrow pit is done,” he stated.
Governor Fubara also commended the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) for what he described as a more assertive and improved approach to managing refuse across the State.In addition to the dumpsite inspection, the Governor also visited the Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters located in Elimgbu Town, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to assess the extent of ongoing construction work on the facility.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Benibo Anabraba, to uphold the dignity of his office, protect the interest of the State, and discharge his duties with honour, respect, and responsibility.
Governor Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in ceremony of the new SSG, held on Monday at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
Describing Anabraba’s appointment as an act of divine favour, the Governor said positions of leadership are not attained by our own human effort but by God’s grace in our lives.
“Let me first congratulate you. I’m using the word ‘congratulations’ because a few of us, not by our power but by the special favour of God, find ourselves in exalted positions. It’s not because we are the best, but only by His grace.”
Governor Fubara noted that the Office of the Secretary to the State Government is one of great honour, occupied by only a few since the creation of Rivers State, and urged the new appointee to serve with humility and dedication.
He, however, expressed confidence in Anabraba’s capacity to deliver, citing his past record as a principal officer of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“This position is a rare privilege. Guard that office with honour. Discharge your duties with respect. Protect the interest of Rivers State. When you leave office, let it be with honour, and that only comes through responsible service.
“I know you’re a dedicated person. This opportunity is not for show or display of power. It’s a call to duty,” he cautioned.
The Governor emphasised that the current administration is focused on restoring confidence of the people because peace has been achieved in the State.
He enjoined the new SSG to align with the vision of the administration and contribute meaningfully to the collective progress of Rivers people.
“We are emerging from a very difficult period and must reassure our people that we mean well for them, especially now that peace has returned to Rivers State. By the grace of God, do your work well. Help us succeed in this assignment that God has given to us,” the Governor added.
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Nigeria’s First Lady Flags Off Renewed Hope Health Initiative In Rivers …Targets Measles, Rubella, HPV Vaccination For Children, Women
The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated her commitment to expanding vaccine coverage nationwide, declaring that the ongoing Measles and Rubella vaccination campaign in Rivers State will surpass all previous records in scope and success.
Speaking through the wife of the Rivers State Governor, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, Senator Tinubu made this statement during the flag-off ceremony of the Measles, Rubella, and HPV Vaccine Sensitisation Campaign, organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday.
The campaign, implemented by the RHI in collaboration with the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, C-WINS, and international partners including WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and Vaccine Alliance, aims to protect millions of children and women from preventable diseases.
“We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the measles vaccine coverage achieved through this campaign exceeds that of the past,” Senator Tinubu affirmed. “Through technical and financial support, this partnership will ensure that by February, 2026, well-trained staff are deployed across communities to vaccinate all eligible children.”
Rivers State is among the Fourth Stream of Phase One states participating in Africa’s largest-ever health initiative, targeting over 106 million Nigerian children for vaccination against Measles, Rubella, Polio, and HPV. The local rollout is expected to commence in February, 2026, reaching children aged 9 months to 14 years across all 23 local government areas.
Senator Tinubu highlighted the risks of the targeted diseases, describing Measles and Rubella as “highly contagious and potentially deadly,” noting that Rubella can cause severe complications for unborn babies, if contracted by pregnant women.
“The best way to prevent both diseases remains vaccination,” she emphasised.
Narrowing down to efforts by the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and the State Task Force on Primary Healthcare, led by Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, she noted how instrumental it has been in ensuring comprehensive outreach through an inter-sectoral approach involving education, women affairs, information ministries, traditional and religious leaders, and the security sector.
Senator Tinubu urged parents and caregivers to cooperate fully with health workers.
“The Measles-Rubella vaccine is safe, effective, and free in all our health centres. Please, ensure your children are vaccinated at the right time to protect them from these deadly infections.
“Let us all play our part in spreading awareness. Together, we can safeguard the health and future of our children,” she said, before formally declaring the sensitisation programme open.
In her goodwill message, Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, commended the Renewed Hope Initiative for its sustained impact in Rivers State, noting that the Measles, Rubella, and HPV Sensitisation Programme marks “a significant step in promoting public health awareness, particularly among women and children.”
She highlighted the particular benefit to the girl-child through HPV vaccination, calling it “an investment in their future health and empowerment.”
The Rivers State Coordinator of WHO, Prof. Giwa Abdulganiyu, praised the collaboration between RHI and the State Government, describing the campaign as “a worthy step in the right direction,” and reaffirmed WHO’s continued partnership in achieving health for all.
Earlier, the RHI Rivers State Coordinator, Mrs. Tonye Briggs-Oniyide, welcomed guests, and reaffirmed the initiative’s goal of reducing the incidence of Measles and Rubella in the state.
“These diseases have the potential to cause emergencies and great distress in families. Today’s flag-off represents our collective determination to raise awareness and prevent such tragedies,” she added.