News
No Other Party’ll Occupy Govt House In 2023, Akawor Boasts … As PDP Receives More APC Returnees
As the gale of defection continues to hit the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb Desmond Akawor, last Tuesday, received two set of decampees from the APC to the PDP.
While one group from Okrika Local Government led by the Chairman of the party in the area, Hon Fred Obah had returnees from Wards 2 and 5, including former Chairman of Okrika LGA, Hon Godwin Tamuno, and former Head of Primary Health Care in the state, Dr Claribel Abam; the other group led by the member representing PHALGA Constituency 2, Tonye Adoki, consisted of Wards and LGA executives from the constituency.
Receiving the groups at the state party secretariat in Port Harcourt, Akawor commended them for taking a wise decision to return to their original base, saying that coming at a transition time when they would contribute to the installation of a new government was not only apt but timely.
The PDP chairman, who told the returnees that there was no new member in the party, assured that henceforth they would be regarded as bona-fide members of the PDP.
“The decision you have taken is the right one because come 2023 nobody who is not PDP will enter Brick House, and I believe you have come back to join us to make the new government come into Brick House so that you will not be called a new person”, Akawor added.
He opined that the reason for joining politics which is to change their environment was not achieved in the APC, hence their decision to return to where the needs of the messes were being met.
The PDP chairman said a formal reception would be organised for them, and urged the leadership of the party in Okrika to fix a date for the ceremony.
Earlier, the member representing Port Harcourt Constituency 2 in the state House of Assembly, Hon Smart Adoki, had said the returnees who were in their hundreds, had the capacity to work for the success of the party in the area.
In his response, former Chairman of OkrikaLocal Government, Hon Godwin Tamuno, said he and other returnees had come to work for the victory of the PDP Governorship candidate, Sir SimFubara, bragging that by their defection to the PDP, there was no more APC in Okrika.
On her part, ClaribelAbam, who expressed joy over leaving the APC, said she would bring her wealth of experience to work in ensuring the success of the party in Okrika in every ramification.
Highpoint of the visit was the symbolic issuance of PDP membership cards to Godwin Tamuno and ClaribelAbam to signal their full readmission into the PDP family.
Other party executive officers present at the meeting were the Deputy Chairman, Hon Chukwuemeka Aaron; Secretary of the party, Dr Benibo George; Treasurer, Barrister Blessing Amadi; Publicity Secretary, Hon TambariGbara; and the Assistant Secretary 2, SuleAmakiri.
In a similar development, another set of decampees from PHALGA also returned to the PDP from APC, in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
The historic and colourful event, which took place at the Information Centre, Number 5Field in Port Harcourt City, was graced by some members of the state PDP Executive, including the state Chairman, Amb Desmond Akawor; the Deputy Chairman, Hon Chukwuemeka Aaron; the state Secretary, Dr Benibo George; and the state Treasurer and House of Reps candidate for Port Harcourt Constituency 1, Barrister Blessing Amadi.
Also on hand to receive the APC deserters were the party’s candidate for Rivers East Senatorial District, Chief AllwellOnyesoh; the House of Reps candidate for Port Harcourt Constituency 2, Hon ChimaBoms; the House of Assembly member and candidate for Port Harcourt Constituency 2, Hon Smart Adoki; the Chairman of PHALGA, Hon AllwellIhunda; the chairman of PDP in Port Harcourt City, among others.
Speaking while receiving the decampees, PDP Chairman, Amb Desmond Akawor, reiterated that there was no discrimination between old and new members in the PDP, contending that new members have equal status with their old counterparts.
The PDP chairman also assured them that nobody who has returned to the party had been left out in the scheme of things, stressing that everyone had been carried along.
Buttressing an instance of non-discrimination in the PDP, Akawor said one of their former party members, Chief AllwellOnyesoh, who left the APC sometime back, was today a senatorial candidate of the PDP.
While advising them to talk to those who were still undecided to take that bold and decisive step, he contended that broom which was the symbol of the APC was used in those days in the Diobu area and old Port Harcourt township by night soil men to pack faeces, noting that it was dishonourable for decent people to carry brooms up and down.
Akawor, who described their action as symbolic, urged them to get their PVCs ready to be able to use it to punish the APC at the polls in 2023.
Earlier, stakeholders of the party in the constituency, including Chief AllwellOnyesoh; Deputy Chairman of PDP, Hon Chukwuemeka Aaron; House of Representatives candidates for PHALGA Constituency 1 and 2, HonChimaBoms;state Treasurer and House of Reps candidate for Port Harcourt Constituency 1, Barrister Blessing Amadi; Mayor of Port Harcourt City, AllwellIhunda; House of Assembly candidate for Port Harcourt Constituency 2, Hon Smart Adoki; PDP chairman in the area, among others, welcomed the decampees, and enjoined them to be ready for the task ahead.
Speaking on behalf of the decampees, former APC State Organising Secretary, Mrs Gloria Nunju; former House of Assembly aspirant for PHALGA Constituency 2,Tonye Napoleon; and Sunday Okiri; affirmed their loyalty, commitment and readiness to work for PDP, pledging to use their PVCs to punish the APC for deceiving them.
They also expressed happiness to be back to the PDP, which they described as “home coming”.
News
Rivers DPOs Receive Awards For Outstanding Performance In Crime Prevention …As Students, Media Group Honour CSP Worgu, CSP Yusuf
Two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Rivers State have been honoured by separate groups for their contributions to security, crime prevention and improved community-police relations in their respective areas of responsibility.
The beneficiaries are the DPO of Afam Police Division, CSP Endurance Worgu and his counterpart at Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf.
CSP Worgu was honoured by a group of students under the aegis of Rivers State Graduate Students Associations for what they described as his commitment and outstanding performance in the discharge of his duties.
The students, led by Chidi John Enyie, Esq. said CSP Worgu was selected based on his track record and status as one of the longest-serving young DPOs of Rivers State origin.
According to the group, CSP Worgu has made significant contributions to the protection of lives and property in the area since assuming office following the #EndSARS period.
The students said they were particularly impressed by the improvement in community-police relations under his leadership, noting that professionalism had remained a key feature of his service.
Enyie represented by Comrade Briggs Soku, said the students community was pleased to identify with a Rivers indigene who had distinguished himself in the police force.
He said the students considered it necessary to encourage and celebrate CSP Worgu because of his achievements as a young Rivers man excelling in a profession that many people from the state were often reluctant to join.
Receiving the award at his office in Afam, CSP Worgu expressed gratitude to God and the students for finding him worthy of the honour.
The DPO said the recognition had boosted his morale and encouraged him to sustain his efforts towards maintaining peace and security in the area.
He said he least expected the honour, particularly because it came from the students, adding that the recognition would further motivate him to serve the people better.
CSP Worgu assured residents of Afam that the police would sustain the existing peace in the area.
He appealed to members of the public to support the police by providing credible and timely information, stressing that useful information from residents would make the job of security personnel easier.
Meanwhile, the Ikwerre/Etche Media Association has also honoured the DPO of Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf, for his efforts in tackling criminal activities in the area.
The media group presented the award following the swift tracking and arrest of five suspected kidnappers who had allegedly terrorised residents of the Kom-Kom axis and other parts of Oyigbo.
The group commended CSP Bello for what it described as his determined efforts to restore confidence and security in the affected communities, particularly Kom-Kom and Obeama.
According to the group, the arrest of the suspects demonstrated the DPO’s commitment to tackling criminality and safeguarding residents.
The media association said residents had received the development with relief, noting that the police action had sent a strong message to criminal elements operating in the area.
Responding, CSP Yusuf appreciated the group for the recognition and reaffirmed that there would be no room for criminality in Oyigbo.
He also commended the media for its role in disseminating credible information to the public, saying the media had remained supportive of the police in the fight against crime.
CSP Yusuf warned criminal elements operating in Oyigbo to leave the area or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.
He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals and work to dismantle their hideouts, regardless of where they might be operating.
News
College Of Bishops Endorses Tinubu, APC Candidates For 2027 Polls
The 5000 Achievers Christian Forum and Colleges of Bishops, Archbishops and Apostles, a Christian interdenominational organisation, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections.
International President of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, disclosed this during the ordination and consecration of three new Bishops, as well as an award ceremony held in Port Harcourt.
Aroh said the performance of the APC-led Federal Government had endeared the party to the organisation, prompting the forum to declare its support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates in Rivers State.
He said the forum would support all APC candidates in the state during the 2027 elections and urged Nigerians to vote for the party.
Aroh, who is also the General Overseer of Caring Peoples Church, Port Harcourt, charged the newly consecrated Bishops to see their new positions as a great responsibility and dedicate themselves to the advancement of the kingdom of God.
He cautioned them against conduct capable of bringing their offices into disrepute, stressing that their activities would be closely watched by members of the public.
“As Bishops, the eyes of the public are on your activities. You must therefore conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of your calling,” he said.
Also speaking, the International Coordinator of the forum, Bishop Saint Robinson, urged the newly consecrated Bishops to work diligently towards winning souls for the kingdom of God.
Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed that the activities of Bishops must at all times be guided by godly principles.
He also called on members of the church to support and cooperate with the newly consecrated Bishops in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The Secretary of the College, Apostle Elizabeth Ayadi Abaye, said the organisation was established to advance the kingdom of God and promote spiritual development.
According to her, the forum has organised several crusades, conferences, prayer meetings, ordinations, consecrations, enthronements, empowerment programmes and other spiritual development activities across the country as part of efforts to win souls for Christ.
Abaye said the organisation has members across the world and disclosed that more programmes had been scheduled to promote the spiritual development and wellbeing of humanity.
The three Bishops consecrated at the ceremony were Prince Alban Chike, Testimony Omenihu Shedrach and Prince Ifemena.
Among those honoured at the event were the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Abali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Manuchimso Prince Lemmy Wopara, and Clifford Oko Jaja, Coordinator of the 5,000 House-to-House for President Tinubu.
By: John Bibor
News
Police Arrest Fake Soldier, Others For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old suspected fake soldier, Andrew Atausi, and several other suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, one-chance robbery and the alleged murder of police officers.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, recently during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, where he said the arrests formed part of the operational achievements recorded by the Command between June and August 2026.
Adepoju said Atausi was arrested on August 10 by police operatives along Ada George, Port Harcourt, while dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours.
The Commissioner said investigation revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces, adding that he was suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him.
He said the recovered vehicles included three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES, noting that the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles had allegedly been tampered with.
Adepoju added that an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from Atausi, as investigation continued into the circumstances surrounding the vehicles and other items recovered from him.
On the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division, the Commissioner said three members of the gang allegedly responsible for the incident had been arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU.
The suspects, identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, alleged gang leader; Doctor Chinedu Owhor, 42, and Kamachi Joe, 28, alleged armourer, reportedly led operatives to their hideout at Omagwa where two AK-47 rifles stolen during the attack were recovered.
Adepoju recalled that two police officers were killed during the Aluu attack, while others were wounded and one officer had his leg amputated, stressing that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fourth suspect.
On kidnapping, the Commissioner said five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate were arrested in Oyigbo Local Government Area, adding that they allegedly confessed to operations in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
He said two other suspects from the same network, Anele Ogbogu, 35, alleged to be the gang’s armourer, and Kenneth Eke, 38, were arrested on July 27, with one AK-47 rifle and one SMG rifle recovered.
The Commissioner further disclosed the arrest of suspects in connection with alleged firearm offences, armed robbery, cultism and one-chance robbery, with firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered during the operations.
Adepoju assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-oriented policing in collaboration with other security agencies, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information that would assist the police in combating crime across Rivers State.
By; King Onunwor
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