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Tag: Fubara

  • I was offered N5bn to impeach Fubara —CoS, Ehie

    I was offered N5bn to impeach Fubara —CoS, Ehie

    In a startling twist to the political intrigues in Rivers State, Chief of Staff to suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Mr. Edison Ehie, has alleged that he was offered N5 billion to coordinate the impeachment of his principal.

    This is coming as Fubara, yesterday, vowed to continue to defend the interests of Rivers People, just as the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, in the state revealed their plan to sue President Bola Tinubu’s appointed Sole Administrator of Rivers State for the alleged misuse of fund.

    I was offered N5bn to impeach Fubara —Ehie

    Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Ehie claimed he has evidence of the bribe offer stored on his phone.

    He said: “I can also open my phone to show you, in the beginning of October 2023, when they approached me with a bribe of N5 billion. It is here in my phone,

    “It was for impeachment. It’s here. I have it and I have printed it and distributed it, in case, in their evil imagination, they decide to attack me. I already have a son and a brother.”

    Ehie said the offer was made while he was serving as the majority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

    He also denied claims that he orchestrated the October 30, 2023, bombing of the Rivers Assembly complex on Fubara’s orders.

    The allegation was made by a former Head of Service in the state, George Nwaeke, who alleged that he witnessed a bag of money being handed over to Ehie at the Government House to execute the operation.

    Dismissing the claims as false and politically motivated, Ehie said: “It is very important to clarify that I had no hand and was not part of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Like everyone else, I woke up in the early hours of October 30, 2023 to hear of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”

    Ehie stated that he had instructed his lawyers to file a lawsuit against Nwaeke for criminal libel.
    “I will not join issues completely with Mr. George Nwaeke because I have already instructed my lawyers to file an issue of criminal libel against him, and I hope he is very prepared to substantiate his claims and his allegations,” he said.

    He further alleged that Nwaeke had sought financial assistance from him on the same day he resigned as head of service.

    Fubara vows to defend Rivers’ interests

    Meanwhile, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara has vowed to defend the interest of people of the state despite the ongoing crisis that degenerated into a state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu penultimate week.

    He said: “Their goal is to create problems and deny people their means of livelihood. We will not allow that. We will continue to operate peacefully and respect constituted authority to ensure that our state remains a model for others in Nigeria,”

    Fubara assured residents that the ongoing political crisis in the state will ultimately strengthen the people rather than weaken them.

    He stated this when he received Muslim leaders from 20 Islamic-based groups, including the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, at his private residence in Port Harcourt during an Eid-el-Fitri visit.

    Addressing the delegation, Fubara urged them and his supporters to trust in God’s process, saying: “This season is one of love, sharing and sacrifice. You have come to share in our pain and have made a great sacrifice through your prayers. As Christians, we believe that everything happens for a purpose, and I strongly believe that this situation is leading us toward a greater purpose.”

    He acknowledged that the current political tension might leave many feeling depressed but emphasized that supernatural forces may be at play beyond human understanding.

    “No matter what we see, we must remain steadfast. In all things, we give glory to Almighty God. I believe that, in the end, we will emerge stronger,” he added.

    TMG, CSOs to challenge Rivers Sole Administrator in court

    The Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, and several Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, have declared their intent to challenge the actions of Rivers State’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), in court. They accused him of unlawfully spending state funds without an approved budget.

    At a press briefing in Port Harcourt, TMG Coordinator, Nathaniel Akporuvweku condemned the state of emergency and Ibas’ governance as unconstitutional. “No provision in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, allows for the appointment of a sole administrator to govern any state in Nigeria,” Akporuvweku argued.

    He listed grievances against Ibas, including: Suspension of all political appointees in the state, unauthorized spending of state funds without due process, appointment of government officials without legislative approval and secret investigations of Governor Fubara.

    “The ongoing political instability is distressing to Rivers people. The Sole Administrator must adopt a neutral approach to avoid worsening tensions. If he continues this unconstitutional spending, we will have no choice but to seek legal redress,” Akporuvweku warned.

    He reiterated calls for President Tinubu to lift the state of emergency and restore democratic governance in Rivers State, emphasizing that the rule of law must prevail.

    Don’t kill democracy in Nigeria, Dele Momodu tells Tinubu

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dele Momodu, yesterday, faulted President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Fubara, his deputy and the Rivers State House of Assembly, labelling the move as “anti-democratic.”

    Momodu, who spoke on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief, said that the decision contradicts the democratic ideals Tinubu once advocated.

    His words: “I think it is very unfortunate. I know President Tinubu very, very, very well. Though I’ve not been in the same party with him and all that, we were together in exile, and he fought gallantly for this democracy. So a lot of us, co-comrades at that time, are actually very embarrassed that we have a pro-democracy leader in government, and yet what we are witnessing is worse than dictatorship.

    “And I have said it openly so many times, in many open letters, you can fail in economy, no problem; people will forgive you and say you’re not a professor of economics. You can fail in other areas, but don’t fail in democracy.

    “I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, ‘Please don’t kill democracy in Nigeria.’

    “Everybody who loves him will tell him this. I don’t; I’ve not asked him for anything, but we love him for his contributions to the motivation in the back, which is what is going down the drain.”

  • Fubara tele-guided militants to blow up pipelines – AGF

    Fubara tele-guided militants to blow up pipelines – AGF

    ABUJA – THE Attorney General of the Federation, AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on Wednesday, alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State tele-guided militants to blow up pipelines in the state.

    The AGF made the accusation while rationalizing President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency following the protracted political crisis in the state.

    He said if the governor was not culpable, he did not also do anything to dissuade the militants from taking action against the critical national infrastructure.

    He said: “We are in a democracy. So now then, there was what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I said so was when he began, he said oh, he will let them know when it was time to act to the militant.

    “Let us say it was wrong. Did he come out to disown them? The answer is no. And a week after, they swung into action, you see or witness vandalization of oil pipelines.”

    Noting that the nation almost totally relies on oil, he said for anyone to touch the pipeline, he is not only an enemy of Rivers but Nigeria.

    He said that the judgment of the Supreme Court was the base upon which Tinubu imposed the state of emergency in Rivers State to protect the critical infrastructure in the state.

    The AGF observed that the governor and the members of the state house of assembly had to be suspended because they had failed to ensure a conducive atmosphere for governance in the state.

    He pushed back on criticisms that the president’s action was hasty noting that people were living in fear while others were dying.

    He said both the Governor and his deputy were suspended because it is an extraordinary situation.

    He faulted the argument in some quarters that the Supreme Court in previous judgement on the declaration of State of emergency in states, stressing that situations and events were different.

    The AGF said the ball is now in the court of the National Assembly who he said could reverse the suspensions by denying it the two-thirds majority to ratify the action.

    He also said that the declaration of State of emergency in Rivers State was a warning signal to other states, giving the impression that the government would invoke stricter sanctions.

  • Reject ‘presidential coup’ against Fubara, NNPP urges National Assembly

    Reject ‘presidential coup’ against Fubara, NNPP urges National Assembly

    ABUJA- THE National Working Committee, NWC of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has described as an absurd political decision and a very dangerous precedent, the six-month suspension that was slammed on Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

    The NNPP, while condemning the action of President Tinubu in very strong terms, said that having reviewed the political situation in Rivers State, it came to a conclusion that it had clearly not degenerated to the level of warranting a State of Emergency, adding that except for the inherent political interest in the State, a more reasonable solution could have been applied rather than emergency rule.

    The NNPP called on President Tinubu to immediately reverse its decision and also called on members of the National Assembly to reject what it described as tantamount to a “presidential coup against a constitutionally elected government of the people in Rivers State.”

    A statement on Wednesday by the National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson read, “NNPP declared that the action of the president was not only unconstitutional but also “an absurd political decision and a very dangerous precedent.”

    “The statement reviewed the political situation in Rivers State, noting that it had clearly not degenerated to the level warranting a State of Emergency, adding that except for the inherent political interest in the State, a more reasonable solution could have been applied rather than emergency rule.

    “Of course, the presidential fiat invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution is arbitrary in the circumstances, to say the least, particularly on the conditions precedent and implications for democracy and development of the country,” the statement said.

    “It is clearly a dangerous precedent which can only be interpreted as an absurd political manipulation on the part of the Federal Government.

    “Why the rush to proclaim a State of Emergency without the conditions precedent as required by law? Doesn’t the president’s action vitiate the rule of law he talked about in his speech? Hasn’t he, by this rash action shown us that he does not fully understand the long-term implications and have the requisite skills required to rule a complex country like Nigeria? Or is it about his Party’s much-touted political interest in Rivers State ahead 2027?

    “These are questions germane to this unfortunate decision which of course sends frightening signals both locally and internationally regarding the rule of law and overall state of things in our union”.

    The statement was unequivocal that President Bola Tinubu was ill-advised, saying that he should have acted as a father for the parties involved in the Rivers State quagmire instead of being seen as one-sided and vindictive.

    “Yes, this rational deduction could be gleaned even from the sequence of his speech which gives away Emergency Rule proclamation as a political orchestration towards a political end.

    “This sort of action was what the NNPP had warned Nigerians and the people of Kano against, which it saw being orchestrated by some evil forces during the Emirate crisis. But for the maturity of the Governor and the good people of Kano State who avoided being ‘tricked’ into taking their resistance onto the streets, the same scenario might have played out with an unjustifiable declaration of a State of Emergency in Kano State.

    “The NNPP, however, reckoned with the implication of the declaration of the State of Emergency for the economy, warning that it was a decision capable of triggering restlessness in the Niger Delta with disastrous effects on the national economy.

    “Now the challenge is how to deal with a possible implosion in the Niger Delta over this matter. Are we seeing signs of this as per the incidents in the State in the last few days and how this could affect oil production as the nation’s economic mainstay?

    “Calling on the Presidency to immediately reverse its decision, the Party also called on members of the National Assembly to reject what is tantamount to a “presidential coup against a constitutionally elected government of the people in Rivers State.

    “In conclusion, the Party called on Nigerians to be vigilant to any measures or actions by the government and the individuals within it that could jeopardize the nation’s democracy which, it said, was hard-earned and must be protected against impunity and ill-advised decisions and policies.”

  • State of the nation: Leaders, followers responsible for Nigeria’s woes — Fubara, Daniel, Adams, others

    State of the nation: Leaders, followers responsible for Nigeria’s woes — Fubara, Daniel, Adams, others

    LAGOS—Notable personalities including Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, former Ogun State governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel; the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and others, yesterday, blamed leaders and citizens for the problems confronting Nigeria.

    They spoke at the Freedom On-line’s 6th annual lecture, titled: ‘Nigeria’s Socio-Political Challenges: Whose Fault, Leaders or the Led?’, held at Sheraton Hotel, in Ikeja, Lagos.

    Governor Fubara, who was represented by a former deputy governor of Rivers State, Mr Tele Ikuru, pointed out that Nigeria faces several socio-political challenges that have persisted over the years.

    He, however, insisted that for Nigeria to move forward, the present crop of leaders must be accountable and work for the people.

    He said: “The question before us today demands deep reflection: ‘Are Nigeria’s socio-political challenges the fault of the leaders or the led?’ This question is not new. It has shaped discussions in policy circles, academic debates, and everyday conversations among Nigerians.

    “To understand this, we must look at governance, accountability and citizen participation. This lecture will examine the role of both leaders and the people in shaping our socio-political landscape and propose ways forward for better governance and civic engagement.

    “A leader is an individual or group entrusted with the responsibility of making decisions, setting policies and guiding a society or organisation towards development. Leaders in Nigeria include elected officials such as the President, Governors, Legislators and other political appointees, who have the mandate to serve the public and implement policies for national progress. Importantly, leaders are selected from among the led and thus are a microcosm of the society. This means that the values, attitudes, and behaviors of the general populace are often reflected in the leadership they produce.

    “The led, on the other hand, refers to the general populace—the citizens who entrust their leaders with authority through elections. They include voters, taxpayers, and all Nigerians who play a role in shaping governance through their participation in democratic processes. The led have the power to influence leadership by making informed choices and holding leaders accountable for their actions.

    “Nigeria,” the governor warned, “faces several socio-political challenges that have persisted over the years,” adding that despite being rich in natural resources, Nigeria struggles with economic diversification.”

    Speaking on the failure of institutions, the governor faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for failing to uphold the law concerning political defections.

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    He said: “Institutions are supposed to act as checks and balances, but Nigeria’s weak institutions have further exacerbated governance challenges. The judiciary, legislature, security agencies, and electoral bodies often operate under political influence, undermining their effectiveness. For instance, INEC has failed to uphold the law concerning political defections.”

    On the roles of the citizens, he said: “While leaders play a key role, the people also have responsibilities. The saying, ‘a people deserve the leaders they get, implies that citizens have a hand in determining the quality of leadership.

    “The future of Nigeria depends on us. The question is: ‘Are we ready to take responsibility?”

    Bode George defends IBB on June 12 annulment

    In his remarks, Chairman of the event, former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Olabode George, commended former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd), saying the problem of Nigeria did not start during his regime.

    He said: “General Babangida gave us his memoir. The memories that have been in a very dark bubble for a very long time, and decided to ease out his mind by writing that story, which has germinated in every nook and cranny of this country.

    “I have listened separately to so many commentators. Some positive, some negative, some even very abusive. But he decided to put pen to paper, to ease his mind, and was the epicentre of the operation at that time. Rather than say he has said his story, let examine the details as stated by him. Have we learned any lesson? Are things different since that time? Or things have been growing worse by the hour?

    “So, what is our problem? Why are we still not growing? Where is that giant of Africa? Since the Babangida/Abiola saga, we have had so many lectures.

    “I don’t know how many people had grown up during 1962 crisis in the West. That’s when it started. What has happened? It just didn’t start with IBB. It started since 1962.”

    Leaders have displayed nonchalant attitude to governance—Gani Adams

    In his remarks, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams accused leaders for displaying non challa t attitude to governance.

    He said: “Leaders have displayed a nonchalant attitude to the governance of the country where the led throwaway their franchise because of inducement. The Edo and Ondo states experience should give a serious minded Nigerian concern about our democracy. The democracy that we fought for is gradually going to the grave. We need to do something drastically to reform our electoral process. If we want a good election in this country, Nigeria has to call for the removal of the incumbent Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.”

    We have leadership problem —Sen Daniel

    On his part, former Ogun State governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel attributed Nigeria’s problem to leadership.

    Daniel also declared that Nigeria will not be developed by foreigners.

    He said: “At the centre of the issue between the leaders and led is education. I want to subscribe to the fact that the majority of the problem lies with leadership. Nobody can develop this country for us, we have to do it ourselves. The solution to our problem is that whether we like it or not, we have to patronise ourselves. While the leadership tries to look inwards, followers should also try to modify their expectations. The problem we have as a country is that we are still spreading our resources on things that we can do here.”

  • Gunshots as Fubara, Wike supporters clash at PDP Secretariat

    Gunshots as Fubara, Wike supporters clash at PDP Secretariat

    PORT HARCOURT: Supporters of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, believed to be loyalists of the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, yesterday clashed at the Secretariat of the party in Port Harcourt.

    The development resulted in shootings around the PDP Secretariat on Port Harcourt -Aba Expressway, Friday. While some people believed that the gunshots were fired by security operatives, who have been keeping watch over the facility after the sacking of the Aaron Chukwuemeka’s executives of the party by the court, others said political thugs were behind the shooting.

    It was gathered that supporters of the governor of the state who have been chased out of the office by security men after the court victory attempted to re-take the office, Friday morning, when another group said be loyalists of the former governor stormed the area. It was gathered that there was serious clash at the Secretariat, resulting in the several gunshots.