News
2023: More Tolofari Loyalists Dump APC, Join PDP In Rivers
Over 300 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across Rivers State under the auspices of Grassroots Movement of Rivers State, last Thursday, defected from their former party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The decampees led by the Coordinator of the group, Norisha Pepple, who made the renunciation at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, said their decision was informed by the quality leadership Governor Nyesom Wike was giving to Rivers people.
Pepple said their action was also in solidarity with their Patron, George Tolofari, who had earlier moved to the PDP, assuring that they would do all they can to ensure victory for PDP candidates in the 2023 elections in the state.
Speaking earlier, the Patron of the group, George Tolofari reiterated that members of the various political parties in the state, especially the APC, were coming to the PDP in their numbers due to the exceptional leadership qualities of Governor Nyesom Wike.
According to Tolofari, he left the APC because the PDP, which he described as a credible party, has found an Ibani son worthy to fly its Gubernatorial flag, saying that the gesture was more than edifying to him.
Receiving the decampees, the State Chairman of the PDP, Amb Desmond Akawor, hailed them for the bold and courageous step taken to dump their former party, saying that they could not have done otherwise following the failed promises by the leader of the APC in the state.
“You were once PDP members before somebody gave you sweet talks and told you that it will be one Naira to a Dollar; that there will be a deep sea port in Bonny; that there will be railway lines from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri; and you waited and you didn’t see those things; and you said no, the only thing you need to do is to come back home because the man that made a promise that there will be Oil and Gas Polytechnic in Bonny, made it happen. The man that told you that Bonny National Grammar School will be rebuilt made it happen. And for that reason, you need to follow the man thatis experienced and the man who has spoken before and it happened”, Akawor stated.
Quoting the statements of AkwaIbom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, recently, “All politics is local, leave Abuja and go to your state to deliver your party”, Akawor maintained that that was exactly what the PDP in the state was doing.
He argued that there was basically something that the PDP has that the other political parties donot have, which accounted for the mass movement from them to the Peoples Democratic Party.
He also used the forum to explain that the Governorship candidate of the party, Siminialayi Fubara, emerged on the basis of fairness, justice and equity to the three senatorial districts of the state.
“Ordinarily, go and check the voting strength, you will see that it would have been difficult for an Ibani man to be governor but because there has to be fairness, everybody has to be fair to the other, and there has to be equity and justice. The same cry our leader is crying at the national level that we should all be fair to one another. Not because you think you have the number, others should be muzzled, others should be squeezed out. If not for such decision, it should have been difficult for an Ibani son to emerge as governor because the number is not there”, he said.
Akawor enjoined the people at the grassroots to support what the leadership of the state was doing, saying that the party would continue to receive those who were returning to it because the other party had totally collapsed.
While commending Governor Nyesom Wike for making Rivers people proud through his exemplary leadership qualities and exceptional performance, the state PDP chairman called on the people to support the governor to achieve a successful transition.
The decampees were, thereafter, received formally by the chairman and the entire leadership of the party after being presented with the Umbrella, the symbol of the PDP.
The Secretary of the party, Dr Benibo George, expressed gratitude to the returnees for their conviction that the PDP was the only credible alternative, following the failure of the APC in the state.
He observed that the returnees have also demonstrated good followership by aligning with the decision of their leader to join the PDP.
Representatives of the three senatorial districts and the women delivered solidarity speeches at the event, corroborating their readiness to add value and not only numbers to the PDP.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
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