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APC’ll Boycott 2019 Polls In Rivers –Ex-APC Chieftain

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8 years ago

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A former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and now stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Uchenna Okokoba has expressed delight over the gale of defections that has recently hit his erstwhile political party, contending that going by the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike has made the state politically impregnable for the opposition through the good works of his administration, the APC would have no other choice than to boycott the 2019 general elections in the state.
Okokoba, who made the remarks in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt said the APC would boycott the elections in the state as it did during the local government elections this year and the presidential election in 2015.
He revealed that the APC tactically avoided defeat by boycotting the June 16 local government elections in the state because it knew there was no way it would have defeated the ruling PDP at the polls.
According to him, instead of facing this reality squarely, the leaders of the party were rather feeding President Muhammadu Buhari and Abuja with a lie that the party was on ground.
Okokoba recalled how in the same manner APC lost out during the 2015 presidential election in the state, as the leader of the party in the state and former Governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi, allegedly directed the party members to beat a retreat after reading the political handwriting on the wall, with the hope that the party was going to regain what it had lost through the cancellation of the election results in the state.
The PDP stalwart, who was then a member of the APC campaign team and one of the directors of the mobilisation committee said he knew how the APC lost the election in the state.
“I know how we planned for the election and lost the presidential and other federal elections in the state. I was among the 24-man campaign managers of the APC in the 23 local government areas of the state and I represented the non-indigenes.
During any election period, when the APC senses that the PDP has mobilised to win clean and square, it will boycott as it did during the recent local govt elections”, he said.
Okokoba dismissed claims that Governor Wike allegedly bribed with N3.2billion the federal lawmakers who recently defected from the APC to the PDP, saying that the current gale of defections was like a situation where a man borrowed a suit for his wedding and after the occasion, returned it to its rightful owner. According to him, the APC members originaly belonged to the PDP and had by their defection, returned home to join hands with leaders like Wike to revive democracy in the country.
Okokoba described Governor Wike as the messiah Nigerians are anxiously waiting for going by the fact that he has cultivated friendship across political, ethnic and religious boundaries in the country and also acquitted himself creditably in the provision of democracy dividends to the people.
He said he dumped the APC for the PDP several months ago after sensing that the PDP was going to win the 2019 elections both in the state and at the national level. “I had this strong conviction based on Governor Wike good works.
I did not come to the PDP to be recognised but to make an impact. What I saw several months ago, has manifested today going by the gale of defections of APC leaders across the country”, he said.
The President General of Igbo Title Holders in Rivers State, therefore, advised the Igbos to align with the PDP instead of the APC in order to actualize their presidential aspirations, saying the APC structure has already been hijacked by politicians like Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and his defunct action.
Congress of Nigeria (CAN) loyalists who occupy several juicy positions in the APC-led federal government.

 

Donatus Ebi

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850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

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5 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.
He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.
The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.
He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.
According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.
“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as  between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.
“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.
He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.
According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.
Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.
He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.
The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.
“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.
“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said
In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.
He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.
The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.
He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.
According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.
The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.
The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.
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Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

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5 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.
The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.
She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.
“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.
“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.
She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.
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A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers 

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5 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.
The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.
AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.
“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.
“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.
According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.
Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.
“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.
He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.
“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.
Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.
CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.
The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.
Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.
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