Controversial Nollywood actress and social media influencer, Tonto Dikeh, is now a politician and Sentry can authoritatively tell you that she is not starting small at all. As a matter of fact, she is the deputy governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the forthcoming 2023 general election in Rivers State.

Tonte Ibraye, ADC governorship candidate in the state, reportedly called on Dikeh to come and join his ticket as his running mate after considering a lot of other options available to the party across the state. He announced Dikeh’s candidacy yesterday in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page.

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The statement reads: “After series of consultations with leaders of our party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State and the national level, I’m glad to announce Ambassador Tonto Dikeh as my running mate for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Rivers State.

“We are pleased to welcome her to the #RiversRescueMission2023 as we strive to improve the standard of living for everyone in our dear Rivers State.” So, when next you come across the controversial thespian anywhere, it may not be out of place for you to address her as ‘Her Excellency in waiting.’

For those wondering if this is some comedy outing, it isn’t. This is for real, not just some Nollywood actress pretending to be a politician.

There is growing concern over the unusual ‘silence’ of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, since losing the vice presidential slot of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Wike has remained ominously quiet about the activities of the PDP since he was defeated at the party’s presidential primary.

Sentry gathered that some party leaders and other concerned stakeholders within and outside the party are already warning that the Rivers governor’s silence is ‘dangerously loud’ and as such should not be ignored.

Wike is yet to comment on his loss of the running mate slot to Okowa while he continued to play host to various opposition politicians – fuelling talk about his being displeased with PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Last Wednesday, Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, visited the governor in Port Harcourt and announced that he had mended fences with the Rivers State helmsman. On Friday, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, also visited Wike.

Though mum has been the word since Okowa’s emergence, sources close to Wike claim he is seething with anger that he wasn’t considered worthy by Atiku to be his running mate. Twelve out of the 15 screening committee members the party set up to take another look at chieftains listed as possible running mates voted for Wike, but Atiku surprisingly chose Okowa.

The wait continues as Wike appears not to be in a hurry to either speak or show his hand just yet.

For Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), it was an abrupt end to his dream of contesting and winning the next presidential election.

Moghalu was declared loser of the contest after he was beaten to the party’s ticket by Dumebi Kachiku during the week. Sentry gathered from close allies of the disappointed politician that he had high hopes of clinching the ADC ticket.

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But suddenly, the music stopped as he was floored by Kachiku at the shadow poll. Before the commencement of voting, Moghalu had said he would defeat Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the 2023 election.

“I am here to offer myself to you not because I am better than anybody here but because I care about the future of our country. I offer myself because God has given me the main recognition to stand side-by-side with Atiku, Tinubu and to send them into retirement,” he had said. But Kachiku put paid to such high hopes.

Moghalu, however, said as a person of faith, he believes that God knows his plans for him, and will lead him to a perfect end that he may not know as a mere mortal. Friends and foes alike are now eagerly waiting to see what that end would be.

The news of how youths from different parts of Port Harcourt truncated the planned arrest of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Siminialayi Fubara, by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last Tuesday, is still trending.

The drama took place at the International Airport as the plane that brought Fubara and other PDP chieftains who had accompanied him to Abuja to receive his certificate of return touched down.

Eye witness accounts claimed that as the operatives moved to accost him, youths described as political thugs by some commentators, fiercely resisted the officials.

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Fubara, former Accountant General of the state and three other top government officials had been declared wanted by the EFCC over alleged N117 billion fraud.

After the airport show, the candidate, still heavily guarded by the band of youths, proceeded to the state party secretariat where he addressed supporters and stakeholders.

Sentry gathered that since that day, the man does not go anywhere without this army of youths following him in buses and pick-ups, to provide security.

These youths have emerged as Fubara’s new private army as Sentry observed that no other team of security operatives are now seen in his entourage as he moves across the state campaigning ahead of the 2023 general elections.

If feelers reaching Sentry from the Ijebu Central Federal Constituency in Ogun State are anything to go by, then some politicians who participated in the just concluded primary election of one of the two leading political parties in the state should not sleep with two eyes closed henceforth. This is because some House of Representatives aspirants who lost at the keenly contested election for the ticket of the concerned party are said to have met and resolved to go after delegates who took their money and refused to deliver at the primary election.

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“The aspirants met at a hotel in the constituency of Wednesday following realisation that they might all have been conned by a set of party leaders. These leaders took millions of naira from all of these aspirants with promises to deliver the votes of a particular group of delegates to them on Election Day, but failed to do so. It has even been discovered that rather than share the money they collected to the delegates, these party leaders pocketed the money and watched the aspirants lose at the primary election,” a source explained.

Upon realizing they had all been swindled by these party leaders who themselves were delegates at the election, the aspirants resolved to get their monies back from the politicians by hook or crook.

Consequently, they have reported the concerned party chieftains to security agencies. “The police have promised to wade into the matter soon and ensure justice is done,” the source said.

A fresh leadership crisis is rocking the Labour Party (LP) and threatening the presidential dream of Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State. Observers say the former PDP chief’s aspiration is shaky as his faction of the LP risks being declared illegal by the court. This is because a Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that they and some of its executives be served with a fresh suit challenging the party’s leadership.

Obi was surely not smiling the moment Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, gave the order while ruling on an ex parte motion filed by Calistus Okafor, a former deputy national chairman of the party. The court ordered that the service must be effected “within seven days of this order”. The matter was then adjourned till June 30 “for further mention”.

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In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1636/2021, Okafor, who is a factional leader of the party, is challenging the legality of the leadership of Julius Abure and Akingbade Oyelakin, whom he said “represents persons wrongfully and unlawfully parading themselves as members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of Labour Party”. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is joined as the fourth defendant in the suit.

The anxiety in Obi’s camp as we speak is occasioned by the fear of the unknown. What happens if his faction loses the case? Your guess is as good as mine.

Many observers present at the venue of a stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, could not hold back loud laughter when some party delegates openly expressed their displeasure and frustration over the failure of a visiting presidential hopeful to share wads of naira notes after reeling out his plans for the country and party members if he is elected in 2023.

The aspirant, an incumbent political office holder, had visited the state to solicit for the support of delegates and party leaders in his quest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

After he was received by party leaders and chieftains, it was time to address delegates of his party. Sentry learnt that the well-educated politician spoke very well to the admiration of his listeners.

“He even got applauded for speaking some big, big grammar that looks like the ones lawyers used to impress judges in the courtrooms. Noticing that the people were enjoying his speech, he kept talking and ended up spending quite a long time on the podium. But the people kept faith and waited, without much grumbling,” a source told Sentry.

But the hitherto patient party members soon turned to a grumbling and angry lot when, at the end of the very long speech, Mr. Aspirant made to leave without the ‘usual’ thank you envelopes. Upon realizing that the presidential hopeful didn’t drop money for them with the organizers of the meeting, some party members approached him and demanded to know what was happening.

“Oga wa, so ti tan naa nun? Onitibi nko? Abi o yo nkankna ni? So ti tan nuun,” meaning “Our leader, is that all? What about the usual? Or there is nothing for us? Is that all? they asked their guest who at the time was making his way to his car on his way out of the venue.

Of course, the aspirant, who was obviously not prepared to meet the yearning needs of his accusers at the moment, kept up his pace amidst jeers by the now visibly angry party members.

It is no longer news that the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed an appeal by ex-Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, seeking to stop his probe over an alleged N96 billion fraud.

Justice Adamu Jauro who led the seven member panel of justices while delivering judgment, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit. The apex court affirmed the judgment of the High Court of Rivers and that of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier dismissed same suit for want of substance and merit.

With the development, the former Rivers State governor can be brought to face a probe panel planned for him by his successor and arch rival, Governor Nyesom Wike.

And that is what friends and allies of Amaechi, who is currently seeking the presidential ticket of the ruling APC, fear as we speak. “God forbid Amechi should be at the mercy of Wike. He will go for the kill,” a former Commissioner in the state said on Friday.

The ex-minister had approached the Supreme Court praying for an order of the court to prohibit Wike from investigating his eight-year tenure as governor of Rivers.

He had argued that the probe was aimed at witch-hunting, embarrassing, humiliating; and disgracing him in view of his political differences with his successor. But Wike persisted in his determination to bring his predecessor to answer questions about his time in office. Now, he has what he wanted.

Now that he has Amaechi where he wanted him all along, what will he do with him? Only Wike and time will tell.