Politics
Fubara Urges FG’s Action Against Crude Oil Theft
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has urged the Federal Government to ensure sanity and reduce economic sabotage to the barest minimum in the oil and gas sector by locating and clamping down on the cartel engaged in crude oil theft.
Governor Fubara gave the charge while addressing the Joint Presidential Committee on Crude Oil Theft on facility visit to the Niger Delta, who paid him a courtesy call in Government House, Port Harcourt, on Saturday.
Governor Fubara said the clamp down on this powerful cartel and their syndicates will address the depletion of national resources and huge revenue losses as a result of illegal bunkering activities and pipelines vandalism.
The Governor faulted the placement of surveillance roles and oil pipelines security in the hands of individuals, noting that the approach has remained counter-productive, while recommending a more wholesome approach in which all critical stakeholders, including host communities, will be involved in the security of oil and gas assets to achieve positive results.
He said, “We’re one of the first States that was able to break the rank of illegal bunkering. My predecessor had a special team; he funded them and he fought the cabal. We’ve sustained that committee; we’ve been giving the necessary support to security agencies and it has been yielding results. What brings all these is unemployment and poverty.
“The big people in this business aren’t from here, they are those in Abuja who have licence to operate. If they are not encouraging it, I don’t think it will thrive. We need to work, not just on the locals, but also see what we can do to really clamp down on those big ones that sit in Abuja that are also part of this.”
Governor Fubara who restated the commitment of the Rivers State Government to fighillegal bunkering activities in the State, called on relevant agencies and stakeholders to join the fight against economic sabotage.
He decried the neglect of critical infrastructure in Rivers State, citing the deplorable state of the East-West Road which is yet to receive any attention from the Federal Government despite its strategic importance to the economic development of the country.
In his remarks, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who led the delegation thanked the Governor for the audience, stating that the team was on a facility visit of the Niger Delta to ascertain the state of activities in the oil rich region.
He said beyond the resources in the region, the Niger Delta deserves peace and a better standard of living, and assured the commitment of the Federal Government towards the challenges of insecurity in the region.
Also speaking, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Bagudu said the team had the marching order of the President to visit facilities in the Niger Delta and work with the states to promote peace in the region and ensure that national assets are protected.
On Friday, Governor Fubara condemned the recent robbery attack and molestation of students at the Rivers State university, assuring that proper investigation will be done on the matter to bring the perpetrators to book.
Speaking to newsmen at Government Secondary School, Eneka, shortly after the inspection of ongoing projects in parts of the state ahead of the celebration of his 100 days in office, Governor Fubara frowned at the security lapses in the institution which paved way for the attack.
He said, “I heard what happened in the Rivers State University this morning, it’s not an issue that we should be talking about in this jet age, people invading campuses to molest students; we aren’t going to treat it with kid gloves, it’s something that I’ve to take seriously. I’ll be there to see what the school authority is doing about the security of the students.”
Addressing the students community during a solidarity visit and fact-finding on the unfortunate incident in the school, the Governor who empathised with the victims, assured them of proper medical attention, stating that the security of the students would not be compromised.
Governor Fubara, who inspected projects in four local government area of Eleme, Oyigbo,Tai and Obio Akpor in company of the Commissioner for Works, Dr Alabo George- Kelly, and the Commissioner for Education, Prof Chinedu Mmom expressed satisfaction over the pace of work done by the contractors handling the various projects.
He said the old Bori road connecting Ogoni, Andoni and Opobo will be flagged off for reconstruction during his 100 days in office celebration.
Projects inspected included Comprehensive Secondary School, Alesa Eleme in Eleme LGA; Botem, Gbeneue, Horo Road in Tai Local Governent Area; Government Secondary School, Koroma, also in Tai LGA; Okoloama-Afam Road in Oyigbo LGA and Government Secondary School, Eneka in Obio /Akpor LGA.
By: Beemene Taneh
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed his legal team to resume all court proceedings against Mrs. Tracy Ohiri over her repeated allegations of indebtedness and other claims against him.
Mrs Ohiri had publicly accused Senator Umahi of owing her N280 million for campaign materials from his tenure as party chairman in Ebonyi State.
The allegations went viral on social media, where she also accused the Minister of sexual harassment.
Security agencies arrested Mrs Ohiri, and she was subsequently prosecuted. Her lawyer, Barrister Marshall Abubakar, intervened, leading to the deletion of all posts and a public apology, which also gained widespread attention online.
However, days after the apology, Mrs Ohiri resumed her claims against Senator Umahi.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Senator Umahi said he had informed Barrister Abubakar during the intervention that if Mrs Ohiri could provide verifiable evidence, logs, and communications from the period in question, some of his associates were willing to contribute a sum of One Billion Naira (N1billion) to her, evidence which, he said, she had yet to provide.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has been monitoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding the claims and counterclaims by Mrs. Tracy Ohiri.
“Ordinarily, this would have been ignored, but in the interest of truth and public clarity, it is necessary to address the issues directly”, the statement read.
The statement clarified that Barrister Abubakar acted in good faith and without any financial interest, motivated solely by a desire to assist Mrs Ohiri.
At no point did the lawyer discuss or negotiate any payment with the minister, although some well-meaning associates independently offered support”, the statement added.
Senator Umahi reiterated the conditions for resolving the matter: either the claims must be tested in court, or Mrs Ohiri must provide credible evidence, including all relevant communications, to substantiate her allegations.
The minister emphasised that Barr Abubakar conducted himself with integrity throughout the process.
“Following the failure to meet these conditions, particularly the inability to provide verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes to ensure the truth is fully established,” the statement said.
Senator Umahi said despite years of public provocations and attacks, he chose to remain silent, focusing on national and state services.
He thanked Nigerians who had taken time to assess the facts and noted that “not everyone who presents themselves as a victim truly is one, and in some cases, narratives are deliberately inverted.”
The Minister affirmed that he will not be distracted by Mrs Ohiri’s allegations and remained committed to his mandate at the Ministry of Works.
“The focus remains on results, service, and ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from projects that improve connectivity, economic growth, and national development. This administration will continue to pursue its transformation agenda with dedication, transparency, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” he concluded.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned proceedings in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions.
Justice Stephen Jumbo made the pronouncement during a recent sitting in Port Harcourt.
The suit, which borders on the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure in the state, was instituted against the factional State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, alongside the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and other respondents.
Also joined in the matter are the PDP as a corporate entity, the Rivers State Government, as well as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, including their respective Vice Chairmen and Councillors.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, approached the court via an originating summons seeking judicial interpretation on the validity of actions taken by the Chief Chukwuemeka-led state executive committee of the party.
Central to the dispute is whether the said executive committee, whose emergence the claimants contend has been nullified by a subsisting court judgment, retains the legal authority to act on behalf of the party in critical electoral matters.
The plaintiffs specifically urged the court to determine whether the factional leadership could validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the purpose of participating in local government elections.
They further questioned the legitimacy of the PDP’s participation in the August 30, 2025 local government elections, contending that any list purportedly submitted by the factional leadership was invalid and of no legal consequence.
In addition to the declaratory reliefs sought, the claimants also prayed the court to grant consequential orders addressing the outcome and conduct of the said elections across the affected local government areas.
At the resumed hearing, counsel representing the PDP and the affected local government councils informed the court that they had only recently been served with the originating processes and accompanying documents.
The defence team, comprising several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), disclosed that service of the court processes was effected on March 13, 2026, leaving them with limited time to adequately prepare their responses.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable them study the processes and address the legal issues raised, particularly as they relate to jurisdictional questions and points of law.
Counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, did not oppose the application, following which the presiding judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions, with a possible ruling expected ahead of the substantive suit.
By: King Onunwor
A former state lawmaker in the old the Rivers State, Professor Alex Eseimokumo, has described Nigerian opposition political parties as mere preposition political parties.
He also advised the country’s electorate against selling their votes during next year’s general elections.
The former legislator, who is also the president of the Institute for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Entrepreneurial Research, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide on the sidelines of an event organized by the institute in Port Harcourt.
He said opposition political parties in Nigeria have been reduced to preposition political parties as most of them are not only dinning with the government but advising government on what to do to win election.
“The problem in Nigeria is we are not practicing politics the way it is supposed to be.The opposition are more in preposition.
“You see, opposition is supposed to find out things that are wrong in government but in our present day politics, you see opposition even dinning with the other group. So, there is basically nothing like opposition in Nigeria “, he said.
He lamented a situation where some individuals within the opposition are allegedly working hard to prevent their parties from fielding presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, adding that such individuals were only there to protect their personal interest.
Prof. Eseimokumo said as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he could not wish his party to fail in the election, even though nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
He noted that though the government in power has been trying it’s best, there was more to be done.
In his words, “I’m an APC member, so I don’t have the right to criticize my party but a word of advice: we still need to do more, more people oriented leadership where everybody will feel carried along.
“For now, I’m campaigning for APC to be re elected and if I stand here to say APC is not doing well, I’m not being fair to myself. But I think, with God all things are possible, there can be changes”.
On his assessment of the performances of governors of the Niger Delta states, Prof Eseimokumo said the governors were doing well within the limit of their resources.
” I don’t know what is given to them as allocation, but if what we are seeing in terms of window dressing is not window shopping, then they are doing well”, he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Eseimokumo has advised Nigerian electorates against selling their votes during the forthcoming elections.
He said credible election could only be achieved when the electorates refuse financial inducement during the elections.
According to him, though Nigerian voters had been difficult to persuade, the time had come for them to stop selling their votes.
Prof. Eseimokumo said the forthcoming elections will serve as a litmus test for the Nigerian electorate to demonstrate their desire for changes in the country, stressing that free and fair elections will continue to be a mirage in the country until the was a change in the attitude of the electorate.
“If you want your vote to count, don’t take money from anybody; if you want your votes to count, don’t collect money for your vote. The moment you collect money for your vote, you have sold your conscience”, he warned.
He said his institute will continue to work for peace, not just in the Niger Delta region but across Nigeria.
By: John Bibor