Politics
Amaechi Presents Scorecard …Says We’ve Been Prudent With Rivers Resources
Rivers State Gover
nor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has attributed the successful implementation of projects in the state to well-defined and purposeful use of finance.
Speaking during the 2015 New Year State Banquet Amaechi said: “We’ve been very prudent, we’ve managed our resources in such a way that we can stand our ground and tell people like Tonye Princewill that we can’t steal money. I will publish the transaction of our power assets and I tell Tonye Princewill and he knows that I don’t like money. Tonye Princewill had a problem with Tonye Cole. It is peer jealousy. Why I said peer jealousy, Tonye Princewill suspected that I was going to make Tonye Cole deputy governor in 2011 and I never had that at the back of my mind and he approached me and said, ‘why was I going to do that’ and I said it wasn’t part of my agenda.”
“If that is the reason for which he is attacking Sahara Oil and attacking me, I wish him luck. Let him tell the state why he’s trying to malign my character and I am open for a debate with him. But like I said he’s my young friend whose ambition is to be governor, I wish him luck. I thank God I had been governor even if he becomes governor, he will be a junior governor to me because I had already become governor before him”, he added.
He urged people of the state to appreciate and support the need for power shift in the state’s forthcoming governorship poll.
He said “I think that the battle for Rivers soul starts now. You are all here seated, go home and get your brothers and sisters to learn that power has to shift hands. It would be wrong to look at myself, an Ikwerre man and support a greedy and ambitious young boy from the same Ikwerre when you have Kalabari, you have Ogoni and other parts of Rivers State that have not served in the office of the governor’.
It is the responsibility of Rivers people to vote for the party that has put forward change on their agenda. If the reason for which they are puting Ikwerre candidate forward is because of the population of Ikwerre then the rest of Rivers State should forget governorship because it is after one Ikwerre man to another Ikwerre man until they are tired,” he added.
According to the governor, “it will not be fair that the mainland will take governorship for 16 years and the riverine won’t take for even four years. I think as a people that we should support that shift so that it will go one day from the riverine to the mainland, back to the riverine, back to the mainland until we begin to talk about merit alone”.
He thanked Rivers people for the opportunity to serve the state and especially thanked elders and leaders of the state including his wife for their supportive roles. He said his wife has been a source of great strength and encouragement.
Amaechi said, “today will be the last New Year Banquet that we hold in office and today I wish to thank my lovely wife for marrying me. From the day she stepped into my house, she has not known peace because she met me a politician and I have been playing politics until today and she has been able to manage me from that day till today and I want to publicly thank you for that”.
He recalled efforts made by his administration during inception to combat insecurity in the state, saying, “I don’t want to bore you with what we met in office but you knew that in our first year by this time, this banquet would have been over because everybody would be running back to his or her house. There was a dinner we had in Government House, by the time the Israelis left here to the hotel, they were kidnapped on the way. The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria was in Port Harcourt for almost one week looking for them until they were released”.
Amaechi appreciated members of the State House of Assembly and the Judiciary and National Assembly members for effectively supporting his administration and ensuring survival of democracy in the state.
“I want to thank members of the State House of Assembly who stood their ground despite the challenges that we faced. In fact, people went as far as collecting money, assuring the President that I would be removed from office and I told them the contract I have with God is not over. To remove me, you need to first go to God but beyond God, it was the fact that members of the State House of Assembly stood by us, so I thank the Speaker and all the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“I also thank members of the judiciary. You will agree that they are supposed to be non-partisan but some became partisan in the course of our work. Leave them to God. Don’t leave them to human beings. Let God be their Judge. But majority of them were non-partisan and I thank them for being non-partisan and for standing their ground to support Rivers State.
“I thank members of the National Assembly. Out of 13 in the House of Representatives, eight are with us. Out of three in the Senate, two are with us. Only one went his way”, he said.
He also thanked state chapters of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for their understanding over salient issues and co-operation with his government.
He attributed the drastic fall in allocations to the state from the Federation Account to corruption in the government at the centre and falling world oil price, and noted that the President Jonathan-led federal administration took oil wells from the state and gave to neighbouring states.
Amaechi expressed disappointment over lack of federal presence in the state, argued that Nigerians need a new lease of life.
He said he would ensure full payment for any loan taken by the state government and will not leave backlog of debts for the incoming administration.
According to him, the APC governorship candidate in the state when elected in the forthcoming governorship election, would sustain his achievements and solicited support for the party’s governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside.
Governor Amaechi
Politics
Alleged Coup: Protests Rock N’Assembly As Detained Officers’ Children, Wives Demand Justice
Scores of children and wives of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot yesterday staged a peaceful protest at the National Assembly, demanding a speedy trial and the release of the accused officials.
The protesters who gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly complex, moved in a slow procession while clutching placards with inscriptions such as “Don’t Kill Our Daddies,” “Detention Without Trial is Injustice,” and “Six Months of Torture: Enough Is Enough.”
Amid tears and trembling voices, the children appealed for justice and access to their detained fathers, many of whom they said they had not seen for months.
The appeal was made during a press briefing in Abuja attended by no fewer than 20 wives and several children of the detained officers, including a two-month-old baby.
The families were accompanied by human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju and activist Omoyele Sowore.
At the briefing, the families lamented that the officers had been held for over 160 days without trial or contact with their relatives, describing the situation as a violation of their fundamental rights.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Memuna Bashiru said the prolonged detention had thrown their households into uncertainty and emotional distress, noting that while allegations had been widely publicised, families remained in the dark about the fate of their loved ones.
The arrest of the indicted officers was first announced on October 4, 2025, by the then Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, who disclosed that 16 officers were taken into custody for alleged breaches of military regulations and acts of indiscipline.
However, an interim investigation later suggested the existence of a clandestine network of officers, allegedly coordinated by a senior Army officer, which had begun preliminary planning for a coup.
According to the report, the alleged plot involved surveillance of key national assets, including the Presidential Villa, Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja, and major international airports, with October 25, 2025, cited as the planned date for the operation.
Those reportedly in custody include Brig Gen M. A. Sadiq, Col M. A. Maaji, Lt Col S. Bappah, Lt Col A. A. Hayatu, Lt Col P. Dangnap, Lt Col M. Almakura, Maj A. J. Ibrahim, Maj M. M. Jiddah, Maj M. A. Usman, Maj D. Yusuf, Capt I. Bello, Capt A. A. Yusuf, Lt S. S. Felix, Lt Cdr D. B. Abdullahi, Sqn Ldr S. B. Adamu and Maj I. Dauda.
The alleged plot, according to findings, targeted senior government officials, including President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In a statement issued yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, said the exercise would take place in all wards and designated centres nationwide.
He called on existing members to update their records, while encouraging new entrants to join the party through the digital platform.
“As the electronic membership registration exercise resumes in all wards and designated locations nationwide, we urge existing members to validate their membership while new members are encouraged to register and join the progressive family,” Mr Morka said.
According to him, eligibility for registration is limited to individuals aged 18 and above who possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN).
The party said the initiative is part of efforts to modernise its operations by transitioning to a digital database that would enhance record accuracy and accessibility.
Mr Morka noted that the e-registration would “digitise the party’s membership register, ensure the integrity of records, and enhance efficient access to membership data for planning and management decisions.”
He added that the move is also aimed at promoting internal democracy within the party and strengthening its commitment to democratic innovation.
The APC had previously introduced electronic registration as part of broader reforms to streamline its membership system and improve organisational efficiency.
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