Rivers

PDP Takes Campaign To Elele-Alimini …Emohua Campaign Train Visits Ward 9

Published

1 month ago

February 6, 2023

In continuation of the ongoing Ward to Ward campaigns across the 14 political wards in Emohua Local Government Area (LGA), Chairman of Emohua LGA, and Director General (DG) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in the LGA, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, last Wednesday led the LGA campaign train to Elele-Alimini community (Ward 9) to sensitization and mobilize voters in the ward ahead of the 2023 general election.
Dr. Lloyd, who described Elele-Alimini as one of the major beneficiaries of the State Governor, Nyesom Wike’s infrastructural revolution in Emohua LGA, charged stakeholders of PDP in the community to improve on their previous strategy to ensure that the PDP wins convincingly across the polling units in the ward in the forthcoming general election.
He stressed that the party doesn’t need to campaign in Elele-Alimini Community to win the election because the PDP-led Rivers State Government already left a campaign statement in the community with the construction of Elele-Alimini internal roads.
He said the entire Elele-Alimini should be secured for Sir Siminilayi Fubara and other candidates of the PDP in Rivers State in the 2023 general election, in appreciation for the dividends of good governance in the community.
The leader of PDP in Elele-Alimini and former Chairman of Emohua LGA, Barr Emmanuel Nyema Wonodi, and other stakeholders in their separate remarks, reassured that all candidates of the PDP in Rivers State will be delivered in the Ward as they have always done since the PDP was founded.
Chief Emma Wonodi, who was also a Special Adviser to Governor Nyesom Wike, noted that Elele-Alimini was one of the first communities to benefit from Governor Wike’s rural development program with the construction of Elele-Alimini internal roads, said the community will reciprocate the Governor’s uncommon love with their Voters Cards in the general election.
Former Chairman of Emohua LGA and leader of PDP caucus in the LGA, Eze Paul Wonodi, urged voters in Elele-Alimini to take advantage of the forthcoming general election to appreciate Governor Nyesom Wike for keeping to the promise made to the community during the electioneering campaign in preparation for the 2015 general election.
Wonodi, who expressed optimism that the State Governor will not hesitate to keep to his promise of constructing the section of the community road that was not captured in the internal road project, said the only way to attract more government presence to Elele-Alimini community was to secure all polling units in the community for the PDP candidates in Rivers State.
The Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Engr Chukwuemeka Woke, in his brief remark, lambasted the APC governorship candidate, Pastor Tonye Cole, who recently gathered the remnant APC supporters at a private facility in Elele-Alimini to ask what the PDP Governorship Candidate, Sir Siminalayi Fubara intends to consolidate if elected into office.
Woke, who enumerated the number of infrastructure projects sited in Emohua LGA by the PDP-led Rivers State government, said the blueprint of PDP governorship candidate, SiM Fubara, is centred on consolidating on the achievements of the Nyesom Wike-led administration, which the governorship hopeful understands better than any other candidate.
He rebuked Pastor Cole for comparing himself with the Governorship candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, saying that the former Acountant General of Rivers State is not operating in the same frequency with him.
He advised the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State to be more concerned about the absence of his godfather in his campaign train.
Earlier, the member representing Ikwerre-Emohua Federal Constituency, Hon Barr. Boniface Emerengwa, who enumerated his constituency projects across Ikwerre and Emohua LGAs, promised to capture Elele-Alimini community in the next phase of his constituency project distribution if re-elected to the national assembly.
The immediate past Chairman of Emohua LGA, High Chief Tom Aliezi, who spoke on the sideline of the ward sensitization rally in Elele-Alimini, thanked Governor Nyesom Wike for his magnanimity towards the people of Elele-Alimini through project distribution and political recognition.
He said the 2023 general election would be a payback for those who neglected Elele-Alimini community when they were in power, stressing that the people have resolved to stand by Governor Wike, who, he said, remembered the community after the previous administration abandoned the community.
In his own remark, former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Emohua LGA, Engr Nnamdi Abah, who expressed optimism that the PDP in Emohua LGA will come out victorious in the forthcoming general election, said he returned to the PDP to contribute and be part of the victory of Sir Siminialayi Fubara and other PDP candidates in Rivers State.
Engr Abah stated that the existence of the APC in Emohua LGA was traceable to Dr. Chidi Lloyd and himself, describing his resignation from the APC to join the Emohua Council Boss who had earlier left the APC back to the PDP where he was a founding member as added advantage to the PDP in the forthcoming general election.
He stressed that the PDP has no strong opposition in Emohua LGA in the 2023 general election.

By: Theresa Fredrick & Charity Amiso

Rivers

IPC Condemns Election Day Attacks On Journalists In Lagos, Others

Published

13 hours ago

March 20, 2023

The Tide

The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has expressed regrets over the reported incidents of attacks on journalists and other media professionals who covered the Saturday March 18, 2023 rescheduled Gubernatorial/States House of Assembly elections in some parts of the country including Rivers, Lagos, and Ogun States.
This was contained in a statement signed by IPC’s Freedom Officer, Melody Lawal, and made availabe to the Press in Port Harcourt, weekend.
The IPC noted that its “Journalists’ -Election-Day-Safety-Alert-Desk” confirmed that AIT Reporters and cameramen, Henrietta Oke, Amarachi Amushie and Nkiru Nwokedi were molested and prevented from covering the elections at some polling units in Eti-Osa, Ifako-Ijaiye and Amuwo Odofin Local Government Areas of Lagos State by political thugs and hoodlums.
According to the statement, Nwokedi temporarily lost her phone before it was recovered with the help of Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) men, while Amushie was rough-handled, her camera damaged, and the cameraman beaten under the watch of a political chieftain.
The Alert Desk also established that Arise Television News crew, which comprised of a Reporter, Mr.Oba Adeoye; Cameraman, Opeyemi Adenihun; and driver, Mr. Yusuf Hassan, were also attacked while covering voting in Elegushi area of Lagos.
“The cameraman, Opeyemi Adenihun suffered facial injuries, while drones and equipment were seized”, it said.
In Ogun State, News Agency of Nigeria’s reporter, Adejoke Adeleye, was among journalists molested in Itori Odo Area of Abeokuta South Local Government where they faced mob attack by political thugs who also reportedly assaulted INEC officials with axes and allegedly destroyed ballot boxes.
It also expressed dissatisfactions that some overzealous security agents disallowed INEC approved journalists from executing their jobs in some areas in Rivers State.
The IPC, however, condemed these unacceptable attacks which constituted both the violation of the fundamental rights of the affected journalists and media workers and major assault on press freedom.
“Following the attacks on journalists during the presidential and national Assembly elections on February 25, we had called on the Police, the Political Parties and all concerned to take measures to protect them today.

It is therefore worrisome that such attacks have been repeated”, the statement added.
The statement, further charged security agencies to thoroughly investigate the various attacks and ensure that the perpetrators face the consequences of their illegal and actions on the people.

By: King Onunwor

Rivers

RSU Commits To Holding Inaugural Lectures

Published

13 hours ago

March 20, 2023

The Tide

Management of the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the traditional holding of Inaugural Lectures to advance knowledge-based research and development of the university, despite the enormous challenges in the country.
Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nlerum S. Okogbule who stated this during the 85th inaugural lecture held recently at the Senate Chamber of the University, said the institution has kept faith in the importance and essence of inaugural lectures, which, he said, is held monthly, since his emergence as the Vice Chancellor of the University.
Prof. Okogbule, who also stated that the present university management remains committed and focused in rendering laudable services to the state, described the 85th inaugural lecture as unique as it is held before the break of the university for the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly election.
Earlier, the 85th inaugural lecturer and Professor of Mass Transfer of Chemical Engineering, Professor Awajiogak Anthony Ujile, called on various agencies of government to monitor the activities of process industries with a view to determining compliance to regulations on water policies and protection of infrastructure.
Professor Ujile, who spoke on the topic “Contending with Reliability, Availability, Sustainability of Water and Infrastructural Protection Using Chemical Engineering Mass Transfer”, admonished the Federal and State Ministries of Environment to take ground water protection issues as most paramount, and ensure institutionalization and enforcement of waste disposal system to enhance quality water protection in the society.
Professor Ujile urged public office holders to, as a matter of necessity, provide quality water for the people in the country.

Rivers

Voters Happy With Early Arrival Of Election Materials

Published

13 hours ago

March 20, 2023

The Tide

Some voters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital on Saturday expressed happiness over the early arrival of electoral materials to their polling units despite the apathy that greeted the exercise.
A cross section of the voters told The Tide that election materials arrived at their polling centres between 8 a.m. and 8:25a.m.
They described the elections as peaceful and commended the orderly conduct of the process, but bemoaned the low turnout.
Emmanuel Nweke said he arrived at his polling centre, Unit 3 Ward 6, Woji, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area at about 8:45 a.m. and met the INEC officials and materials already seated.
“This is how elections should be conducted; in a manner that is devoid of violence and malpractice.
“It did not take me up to three minutes to be accredited and vote. I must commend INEC for this”, he said.
Another voter, Nmasi Gabriel, 49, said she arrived at polling Unit 4, Ward 6 around 9a.m. and cast her ballot seamlessly.
“But I don’t think that I will be able to wait till 2:30p.m. when the actual vote counting will commence.
“If the Presidential and National Assembly elections were organised like this, maybe more people would have come out to vote today and the country would be better for it”, she added.
A voter in Ward 12, Unit 4, Rumuowoji, Port Harcourt Local Government Area, Mr Chima Asiegbe, said he was impressed by the early arrival of the NEC officials with the voting materials.
He, however, lamented the low turnout of voters, but noted that the exercise was peaceful.
Chief Boniface Amadi, another voter, blamed the low turnout on alleged lack of confidence the electorate had in INEC, going by the conduct of the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The source reports that the main contenders for Rivers Governorship position are PDP’s candidate, Sim Fubara, and Tonye Cole of the APC, supported by former Governor, Chibuike Amaechi.
Others are former Senator, Magnus Abe of the SDP and the Labour Party candidate, Beatrice Itubor.