Politics
I’ll Continue To Uphold Christian Virtues In Governance -Fubara
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured the people that his administration will continue to uphold Godly virtues in the governance of the State.
Fubara gave the assurance yesterday, while speaking as a Special Guest at the Synod General Thanksgiving Service of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Province of Niger Delta, Diocese of Evo, held at St Philip’s Anglican Church, Oro-Igwe, Obio Akpor Local Government Area, of the State.
The governor, who read the only lesson at the service, thanked the Evo Diocese for their prayers and support during his electioneering period. He said he was happy to attend the 2023 edition of Synod in the Diocese in his capacity as Governor of Rivers State.
“ About this time last year when we had Synod, we were preparing for elections. The Lord Bishop and the Rt Hon Speaker called me but I refused to attend; the guests were dragging for space, but I didn’t want to drag for space. When you have Jesus, you don’t have to struggle for anything. I’m happy to be here today to look at your faces to assure you that I’m with you. Election is over, what we are doing now is governance and everybody is carried along”, he said.
The governor said his administration, in response to the enormous task of governance in the State, started on a strong footing with the commencement of the landmark Port Harcourt Ring Road project.
“About our administration, we started with a very gigantic project for the expansion and development of a better Rivers State. We will also do other things in terms of new development in the areas of agriculture and others”, he added.
While assuring that he will also embark on the development of other critical sectors of the economy, Fubara frowned against the unpatriotic acts of some people who delight in de-marketing the State, and urged the Church to be good ambassadors by portraying Rivers State in good light.
“I want to appeal to you as a Church, please, we shouldn’t just leave the crusades for the government and party members, but everyone of us should try to market our State. We have some leaders whose mission is to talk down on Rivers State, they will tell you it’s Rivers of blood, but meanwhile they are living here, they’re coming here every night; Rivers State is peaceful, we are doing our best.
“ While you are doing your Church work, also be crusaders to tell people that in Rivers State, we have a better mission, that against what they are telling you, Rivers State is a place to invest”, he stressed.
The Governor also drew attention to the increasing drive of the youth towards social vices as a result of the negative impact of technology and urged the Church not to rest on its oars to inculcate morals in the youth.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Bishop of Evo Diocese and President of Synod, Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, thanked the Governor and his entourage for attending the Synod.
Also, the guest preacher and Bishop of Diocese of Esan, Rt Rev Gabriel Elabo, during his sermon said ultimate authority and power can only be found in the name of Jesus Christ and urged Christians who are politicians to rely completely on Jesus Christ for their breakthroughs and not to search for powers elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, on Wednesday, declared that his administration would not take the mandate of Rivers people for granted but work for the development of the State.
Addressing the organised labour in the State, who went on a protest to Government House, the Governor, represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Hon Chidi Amadi, said he feels the pains experienced by workers and the masses at large as a result of subsidy removal by the Federal Government.
Fubara commended the workers for their peaceful disposition during the protest and assured them that their complaints would be given due consideration and channelled to the appropriate authorities.
He said his administration had already rolled out transport buses in the state to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal.
By: Beemene Taneh
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.
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”.
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.