News
Akawor Seeks Media Support For Fubara …Receives More APC Decampees …Reveals Process For PDP Guber Candidate’s Selection
The Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb. Desmond Akawor, has, again enlisted the support of the media to ensure the success of the governorship candidate of the party, Sir Siminialayi Fubara in the 2023 elections.
Akawor made the call, last Thursday, in Port Harcourt, when he received two groups of decampees of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who joined the PDP, recently, at the PDP Secretariat.
The decampees were at the secretariat to renounce their membership of the APC.
The first group was led by a former commissioner in the state and former governorship aspirant on the platform of the PDP, Chief David Briggs.
Briggs led the group of decampees from the APC to the PDP Secretariat where they interacted with Akawor.
The decampees comprised mostly of prominent APC members from Kalabariland.
Also, another group of decampees comprising members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm and newspaper publishers in the state who were members of the APC were at the PDP secretariat to denounce membership of the party.
The decampees, who are under the auspices of the Port Harcourt Press, were led to the party secretariat by a chieftain of the PDP and publisher of the Port Harcourt Telegraph Newspapers, Hon Ogbonna Nwuke.
Also in the team that visited the PDP chairman with the decampees were Publisher of the National Network Newspaper, Pastor Jerry Needam; and Publisher of the TopNews, Chief Ngor Martins-Yellow, both PDP chieftains.
Receiving the decampees, Chairman of the PDP in Rivers State, Amb. Desmond Akawor, expressed gratitude to them for taking the bold step, saying that they had come at the right time.
Akawor, who told them that the PDP was a household name in the state, said the party was in the DNA of every Rivers person.
He disclosed that the present administration under Chief Nyesom Wike, has achieved so much for Rivers people in terms of development, even when no one gave him any chance in the state.
Akawor said the emergence of Siminialayi Fubara as the party’s Governorship candidate was the best thing that happened to Rivers people as the PDP candidate does not have boys or belong to any group in the state.
He narrated the circumstances that led to the choice of Siminialayi Fubara as the Governorship Candidate of the PDP, noting that his choice was for purposes of fairness to the three senatorial zones of the state, especially the riverine part which has not produced the governor since the advent of the present democratic dispensation in 1999.
“In the Rivers West, Dr. Peter Odili has taken it; and so, Rivers West should be eliminated for fairness. For the Rivers East, Sir Celestine Omehia, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Nyesom Wike have emerged from that district; so, Rivers East was also ruled out.
“The focus now was on Rivers South East Senatorial District which comprises of Ogoni (Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme), Oyigbo, Opobo/Nkoro, and Andoni. Since all the people that have emerged from Rivers West and East were from the upland part, and remember the APC has taken their governorship candidate from the riverine, we decided that our candidate must also come from the riverine part of Rivers South East Senatorial District”.
He disclosed that the issue of governorship came up on the eve of Governor Nyesom Wike’s birthday, when the elders of the state came to pay him a surprise birthday visit, explaining that the issue came up after the elders called on the governor to vie for the position of president of the country.
“The Rivers Elders’ Forum met in the house of Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, and agreed to go and wish our governor happy birthday by 12midnight. We also agreed that night that the governor has done all he needed to do in the state, and that we think he is a product we can sell to the nation. So, we drafted a letter to wish him happy birthday, and included two clauses there, urging him to run for the presidency.
“When we got to his (governor) house, it was already past 12midnight. We woke him up and handed the letter over to him. He read it and saw the clause where we said he should run for president. He said ‘you people say I should run for the presidency, let us settle home first. You people should decide who should be the governor’.”
He disclosed that out of those who wanted to be governor, seven of them were at the meeting, and they were told to go and choose one person from among themselves who will run for the position of governor, but they couldn’t do so.
“So, what we did was that we called one of our lawyers, former NBA Chairman, Chief OCJ Okocha, to draft a form of an agreement that if at the end of the day, you are not the person selected, you will be willing to work with whoever will be selected, and everybody signed. As we were getting to the primary, the governor invited the elders’ forum, and said: now we have reached the peak of the problem, what do we do?
“So, we now asked who were the candidates that collected the forms from the riverine of South East. They were Amaopusenibo Siminialayi Fubara and former Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, while the upland people were Senator Olaka Nwogu, Senator Lee Maeba, Dr Gabriel Pidomson, and Commissioner for Finance, Hon Isaac Kamalu. These were upland. So, automatically, they were eliminated. And of course, Sim Fubara, and Tele Ikuru, who is the cousin to Prince Uche Secondus. Ikuru was also eliminated, and it remained only two of them: Kamalu and Fubara. The elders then asked the two of them to go inside and decide who should go, and Sim Fubara became the choice”.
Speaking separately, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke and Chief David Briggs, said they had come to introduce their brothers and colleagues who have indicated interest to leave the APC, and rejoin the PDP.
Nwuke said as information managers, the decampees would join forces with those of them who were already in the party to provide robust platform for the PDP to disseminate campaign information, and demanded that they be provided with timely information from the party leadership.
On his part, Briggs said he was bringing to the PDP, great politicians who had made the APC in the area stronger, promising that they would deploy their experience as political juggernauts towards strengthening the PDP.
A Coalition of civil society organisations has urged the Federal Government to take proactive steps towards addressing the persistent gas eruptions in Bille, Rivers.
The coalition, made up of the People’s Assembly and Bille Working Group, made the call in an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, and read to journalists in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Reading the letter, the coalition’s convener, Dr Isaac Osuoka, said that the persistent gas eruption in Bille had led to serious environmental and public health challenges.
Osuoka, also the Executive Director, Social Action, urged Tinubu to establish a presidential task force to investigate and contain the gas leak in Bille.
He also called for the immediate relocation of residents to safe shelters, provision of clean water, food and healthcare services.
Dr Emem Okon, the Executive Director, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, stated that gas had been bubbling from the ground, creeks, boreholes and hand-dug wells in the community since October 2025.
Okon said that the gas had triggered several fires and explosions, and that residents of the community had reported respiratory problems, vomiting and other illnesses associated with exposure to the emissions.
According to her, preliminary investigations by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have yet to identify the source of the gas.
Mr Kentebe Ebiaridor, the Coordinator, Oilwatch International, called for the publication of results from preliminary soil and water tests conducted in Bille for the residents to know the nature and extent of the contamination.
Ebiaridor urged the Federal Government to deploy medical teams to screen and treat affected residents, and immediately commence an independent study on the health impacts of the leak.
He further called for the suspension of oil and gas operations around OML 18 and 24 until the source of the gas leak was identified and the affected areas declared safe.
Ebiaridor urged the government to hold current and former operators of the oil leases accountable for environmental damage on the community.
Another speaker, Dr Bieye Briggs, urged the National Assembly to fast-track the NOSDRA Amendment Bill, 2025 to provide the agency with statutory funding and stronger enforcement powers.
Briggs urged the Federal Government to activate the regional Spill Command Centre, and make the Upstream Remediation Fund accessible for the Bille crisis and other affected communities in the Niger Delta.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has banned drone operations and fireworks in Uyo and announced temporary traffic restrictions ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the State today.
The state Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, announced the measures yesterday while briefing journalists at the Police Headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo.
He said the restrictions were part of security arrangements to maintain public order, protect strategic locations and ensure the smooth movement of the President’s convoy during his engagements.
“There will be total restriction on the operation and flying of drones within Uyo metropolis throughout the period of the visit. Members of the public, drone operators and service providers are advised to strictly comply with the directive,” he said.
The police commissioner also announced a ban on fireworks, knockouts and other explosive sound-producing devices within the state capital during the visit.
He said the measure would prevent panic and allow security personnel to respond effectively to genuine security threats.
The command also announced temporary restrictions on public access to designated routes and locations in Uyo to facilitate the movement of the presidential convoy.
The affected areas are Airport Road, Shelter Afrique Junction, Oron Road, Nung Oku Junction, Mbierebe Junction and Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
“Motorists are urged to plan their journeys, exercise patience and cooperate with traffic and security personnel deployed along the corridors.
“Members of the public are advised to avoid the routes during the restriction and use alternative routes,” Azare said.
He also urged residents to plan their journeys, exercise patience and cooperate with traffic and security personnel deployed along the affected corridors.
The commissioner said the command, working with other security agencies, had put in place security arrangements to ensure a peaceful and hitch-free visit.
He appealed to residents to understand that the temporary restrictions were necessary security measures and not intended to cause hardship.
Azare urged members of the public to remain law-abiding, avoid restricted areas and report suspicious movements to the nearest police station or through police emergency channels.
Tinubu’s visit to Akwa Ibom is a working visit during which he is expected to inaugurate major infrastructure projects executed by Governor Umo Eno’s administration under its ARISE Agenda. The projects cut across aviation, road infrastructure, tourism, healthcare, land administration and security.
Among the projects scheduled for inauguration are the international terminal building and airport hospital at Victor Attah International Airport, Aviation Village, ARISE Palm Resort, the 14.5-kilometre Nsit Atai–Okobo Road, Ring Road 3, the Command and Control Centre and the AkwaGIS building.
The state government had earlier announced plans for the President to inaugurate projects as part of activities marking Akwa Ibom’s 39th anniversary in September.
The airport projects are particularly significant to the state’s ambition to expand aviation, tourism and investment.
The international terminal is expected to strengthen the airport’s capacity to handle international operations, while the Aviation Village is intended to provide accommodation for aviation workers. The airport hospital is also among the facilities lined up for inauguration.
The road projects are also expected to improve connectivity. The 14.5-kilometre Nsit Atai–Okobo Road links communities in the two local government areas, while Ring Road 3 is designed to improve movement within Uyo and ease pressure on existing roads. The Command and Control Centre, meanwhile, is intended to strengthen security surveillance and coordination in the State.
The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has floated a culture content platform in collaboration with digital television group, Multichoice.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, disclosed this after a meeting with MultiChoice Head of Content Acquisition, Don Dotun Ojon, in Port Harcourt.
He assured that content entrepreneurs and film makers would enjoy the platform by promoting culture and other contents to sell the states tourism potentials.
He said MultiChoice M-net was now open to increase its patronage for content shots on locations in Rivers State, describing the State as one that has numerous potentials for film tourism.
“We were privileged to have Don Ojon with us at the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) at the weekend in Bonny and he saw, first hand, the numerous sites and opportunities that are open to creatives in the State. After that, we felt it was important to deepen the conversation and he obliged. This is a cheering news for the sector in the State,” he said.
Ndigbara stated that “Rivers State has many more untold stories to tell, many more contents to reel out and the assurances from the M-net Acquisition Manager is an indication that the industry in the state will soon enjoy a new lease of life”.
The Permanent Secretary thanked Ojon for the visit and assured that creatives in the State would grap this opportunity and show the world that Rivers State is a major hub for film tourism in Nigeria.
On his part, Ojon said the visit was to discuss on ways of promoting tourism in the State using creatives and film.
Ojon said although the company has recently been acquired by canal+ France and is undergoing restructuring, he would promote the chances of Rivers State to host the MultiChoice talent factory in the State.
With Asaba, capital of Delta State, being saturated, Ojon said the next port is Rivers State, which he said is capable of building fresh crop of creatives, new locations, new story lines and concepts.
He, therefore, called for collaboration from stakeholders in the State.
Kevin Nengia
-
Rivers2 days ago
NUJ Set To Attend UNIPORT’s 217th Inaugural Lecture
-
News2 days agoNJC Suspends Three Judges, Sanctions Eight Others
-
Politics2 days ago
Atiku Kicks-Off 2027 Campaign, Promises To Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges
-
Featured2 days agoAPC Presidential Campaign Storms PH, ‘Morrow
-
News2 days ago
FG Explains Supply Disruption As Power Generation Drops To 3,659MW
-
Metro2 days ago
Port Harcourt Prepares For 10,000 Runners As International Marathon Returns
-
News2 days agoBille Gas Leak: Coalition Tasks FG On Proactive Measures
-
News2 days agoIGP Orders Arrest, Prosecution Of Campaign Billboard Vandals