Tag: Fubara

…governor presents certificate, staff of office to two kings

The governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has urged traditional rulers to refrain from victimizing their opponents and instead use their positions to promote peaceful co-existence in the state.

He advised them to avoid animosity, resist the urge to harm others, and instead, inclusively lead with a forgiving heart.

 Fubara challenged the monarchs to partner with the state government to ensure peace and accelerate development in the state and their communities.

The governor, spoke while presenting certificates of recognition and staff of office to two first-class traditional rulers in Ikwerre and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of the State in Government House, Port Harcourt.

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The first-class traditional rulers are His Majesty, King Marcus Oduma Woyike, Nye Nwe-Ali Elele, Okinali/Elele-Alimini in Emohua Local Government Area, and His Majesty, King Ndamzi Nsirim, Nye Nwe-Eli Rumueme Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

He said the government was only officially recognizing what their communities had done through the traditional process of selection and installation.

Fubara said:  “What we are doing here is just a fulfilment of what is already existing. The stool of Nye Nwe-Ali Elele has already been gazetted and existing. And the process for selection is already done. What we just did here is official government recognition”.

He advised the Nye Nwe-Ali Elele, Okinali/Elele-Alimini, His Majesty, King Marcus Oduma Woyike, to work with all stakeholders in the kingdom to ensure peace and security in the communities.

He said: “On that of His Majesty, King Ndamzi Nsirim, fortunately, the stool that you are occupying was also recognized and gazetted by the previous administration.

“What we are also doing here is that after the process of selection of the new head (king), it is the duty of government to officially give you a letter of recognition and staff of office.

“So, what we are doing is not a new thing or creating a new stool, but recognizing what already exists. (We are only) bringing you into the Council of Traditional Rulers recognized by the government”.

The governor appealed to the monarchs to be fair and just to all and to relate with their subjects to appreciate their needs better and work with the government to address them.    

He insisted that their positions should be used to do well and serve the people selflessly.

He said: “It is an opportunity that God has created for you. It is not for you to use it to undo your people.

“In the process of this selection, you might have had one issue or the other. People might have been against you, but in the end, what is important is that you are there now. Carry everybody along. Have a heart of forgiveness. As a traditional ruler, everybody belongs to you. So, work with them.

“Let me wish you a successful reign. Let your reign be remembered for good. Let your reign be a testimony that at this particular time that you ascended this throne, it is for a purpose. Rule well, and God will be with you.”

The governor further reminded the monarchs that their recognition had brought them into the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, and advised them to bring their wealth of experience to the service of the state and to mobilise their people to contribute meaningfully to peace and sustainable development of the State. 

Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has inaugurated the maiden governing board of the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency (RSIPA) with a charge to create wealth and employment in the state.

The governor told members of the board to create a climate conducive to the growth of agriculture, manufacturing, small and medium enterprises and key services that would put Rivers’ economy on a competitive pedestal.

The governor, who inaugurated the six-man board on Monday at the Government House in Port Harcourt asked them to attract real investors across critical sectors to make Rivers self-sustaining.

Members of the board are Lawrence Fubara Anga, SAN, Chairman; Dr. Chamberlain Peterside as Director-General; and Mrs Tamunoibuemi Life-George, Secretary.

Others are Mr Goodliffe Nmekini, Barrister Havey Ideozu, and Baritor Lenusikpugi Kpagih, who were inaugurated to serve as members.

Fubara explained that Rivers State used to rank first in the comity of states in terms of productive economic activities, which attracted various business interests and made the state an investment haven.

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Fubara said: “We might be celebrating, that yes, we have a very fat allocation. We have been able to improve our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), but we still have a lot to do; and, that has to do with this agency.

“The purpose of this agency is to give our people – to assure them, that Rivers State can still come back to that enviable position that it once occupied. Those people that were doing business in Rivers State that left, for one reason or the other – that they can still come back.

“We want to see people who intend to come back and invest because Rivers State is blessed – it has oil, the most important item for development today, which is gas, in abundance.

“Look at what is happening in Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout: We can make Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout come back to what it used to be. We can develop the resources that we have in Onne Town. We have Ogba-Egbema gas hub. These are part of the promises we made during our campaigns, and we must fulfil those promises”.

Fubara emphasised that the agency was established to rigorously harness economic and human potential to make Rivers the economic gateway and one-stop- shop for productive economic activities.

The governor said: “We have waited for this moment for a long time. It is a moment we all have been praying for because we want to leave a State that will be remembered: Rivers State that can compete, and Rivers State that can stand the test of time as a proud State.

“People that are coming here would begin to know that Rivers State is now serious. Rivers State is not about coming here and saying I want to take the side of maybe, I am interested in 10 percent or 20 percent of what you are coming with, that is not the purpose now.

“The purpose is to build our state. The purpose is to grow this State economically in such a way and manner that even if we don’t get federal allocation anymore, for example, we can still sustain ourselves (as a State) with our IGR.”

Fubara acknowledged that the board would encounter challenges and stiff opposition from those, who abhorred change but urged the members to brace up and be forthright in their quest to achieve their mandate.

The governor clarified that the board should not be preoccupied with people only interested in real estate, which he observed seemed to be the current drive.

Fubara said: “Not just issues of people coming to build houses and other things. I want your concentration to be more on agriculture, (manufacturing).

“Look to find people who are coming in to invest. People that are coming to build factories because it is only when we start production that employment issues will be resolved, (and we will witness an economic boom).

“So, please, those things that will solve the problem of unemployment, and promote the creation of wealth for the State should be your focus.

“The responsibility of this agency is going to be very challenging because I know they will want to fight back. But, I know that these crop of men and women have what it takes, and I am very convinced that they are going to lead Rivers State to where we want the State to be.

“The chairman of this agency is a private legal practitioner and a businessman who has made his name. Let me say it here: let it be on record that I had to beg him to accept the offer. I even had to send emissaries to him to plead with him.

“He said he doesn’t want to get involved with any political thing. I said this is not about politics. You live in Lagos, you have made your name in Lagos. Please, come and help us. We need help, Rivers State needs to be salvaged.”

In his acceptance speech, Chairman of the Board, Lawrence Fubara Anga, SAN, said they considered their appointment as an opportunity to serve the state.

He said: “This is the time, whether we like it or not, to many people, it is a time to want to despair. It is a time of problems, and it is also a time of challenges. And everybody has an option: your cup can either be half-full, or half-empty.

“But Your Excellency has decided that the cup of Rivers State shall be full. For every challenge, there is an opportunity. And what His Excellency has done is to tell us: go and look for those opportunities.

“The charge is to restore it (State) to be the ‘Treasure Base of the Nation. The charge is to make Rivers State’s economy probably the 10th or 12th largest economy in Africa, standing on its own. The charge is to turn Rivers State into the Dubai of Africa. That is what you have told us to do.”

…donates 100 vehicles to boost security response 

Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has advised partisan police officers to stop taking sides in the crisis rocking the state.

The governor said police officers, who abandoned their core professional responsibilities to pursue vested political interests, were creating enmity that would eventually hurt them.

Fubara maintained that police officers were trained as professionals to protect lives and property while contributing to the desired peace in the state.

The governor insisted that it was an aberration for any of them to think that protecting any particular individual or being one-sided in the political affairs to the detriment of the state amounted to professionalism.

Fubara spoke at the inauguration and formal handover of 100 operational vehicles acquired by his administration to the Rivers State Police Command at the Sharks Football Stadium in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

The governor said: “I need to say this, so that you will understand. When you (Disu) came into Rivers State, and I had my encounter with you, I requested for only one thing: That I will never ask you to do what is wrong, so do what is right. Protect the lives and property of Rivers people. Don’t be partisan.

“We have seen those people that were partisan; how they ended. And, I am saying it here, to every one of you that is an officer that is being partisan: you will see how you will end. 

“So, work in such a way that when your name is mentioned in this state, or your children come to this state, you won’t be scared. This is important.”

Fubara urged them to forget the ongoing political anxiety in the state, because, according to him, nothing would last forever.

He charged them to conduct their operations as real professionals that had been trained so that they could be effective in the responsibility of protecting lives and property of people in the state.

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Fubara said: “It is not to protect any individual. It is not to be one-sided in the political affairs of the state. Politics will come and it will go.

“The enmity you are creating, for those of you that are partisan, will live with you forever. So, I want to advise you, I have said it before, and I am saying it again: I will never ask any of you to do what is wrong. My appeal is: stand on the ethics of your profession, protect lives and property of Rivers people. Be fair to all.”

Commenting on the donated vehicles, Fubara said it was as an achievement of the Commissioner of Police, whose idea it was to make such operational vehicles available for his command.

Fubara explained that what he had originally planned was to provide very high-profile vehicles to all the security agencies in the state to enhance their operational capabilities.

He said: “But, the CP advised that he did it sometime in Lagos State; that we should adopt that model by acquiring these vehicles you are seeing here: the Toyota Sienna, Camry and Collora, and I bought into the idea.

“And why are we doing this? We discovered that the response time to crime scenes; launching attacks against acts of criminality, were slow because you (police) lack mobility. 

“And what we just did was a first phase of support to the Nigerian Police. We also intend to come again to give you other sophisticated vehicles to support what you are doing”.

Fubara assured that as a state government, his administration would continue to support the police.

He said: “So, we need to accommodate you. We need to tolerate you. We need to work with you so that at the end, people can live freely, move freely, and do their businesses freely in Rivers State.

“My Honourable CP, like I said before privately, I am saying it again: I want to appreciate you. We will give you all the support to succeed. I will give you all the support that will help to build your name into better reckoning when you leave here. I am very sure God will elevate you positively,” he added.

In his opening remarks, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, described the event as a significant milestone in the ongoing commitment towards achieving safety and security of the state.

Disu expressed gratitude to  Fubara for his unwavering support to the state command of the Nigerian Police Force, which had translated in their dedication to serving the welfare of the various communities.

He said: “I stand before you filled with gratitude as we gather to commission these 100 vehicles, a generous donation from our esteemed Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

“This act of generosity, not only enhances our operational capacity, but also reflects your deep concern for the citizens of the State.

“These vehicles will empower our officers, enabling them to respond more swiftly and effectively to emergencies, and enhance our community policing efforts. With your support Sir, we are reinforcing our resolve to combat crime and uphold the rule of law.”

Disu,.on behalf of the entire Rivers State Police Command, thanked Fubara for his unparalleled leadership and commitment to good governance in the state.

He assured that the police would continue to work tirelessly, and perform its professional duties in keeping Rivers State safe and secured for everybody.

• ‘Governor sacked me as traditional rulers’ council chair when I was in ICU’

• Monarch played crucial role in Fubara’s election, says Wike

A leading traditional ruler in Rivers State, Eze Ohna Sergeant Chidi Awuse, has faulted Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s action when he removed him as chairman of the Traditional Rulers’ Council.

Eze Awuse decried the aspersions cast on him by the governor, who described him as “unsteady” at a time he was battling for his life, lying in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital.

He said he spent six months in critical condition.

Eze Awuse, who is from Emohua Local Government Area, spoke at the weekend during the visit of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Wike led a delegation of his political family to his palace to rejoice with him for surviving a debilitating ailment.

Fubara removed Awuse on June 21 from his position as Chairman of the Rivers Traditional Rulers Council. The monarch was appointed by Wike.

Accusing Awuse of inactivity and absence of effective leadership of the council under his watch, the governor replaced him with the Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo.

Fubara had said: “I want the council to live up to its responsibility. From my observation, the council is moribund. So, I can feel that the council, for a while now, has been very inactive. Inactive because, maybe, the chairman has decided not to be responsible as a chairman. I think that is the best way to describe it.

“I am not talking about other things that have been happening. But I feel there are responsibilities of the chairman, and so far, I have not felt it and you can also attest to that, that you are not seeing that leadership that you expect

“I would like to draw your attention to a special insult that was meted to this government. The council produced a calendar for the year of our Lord 2024, and the governor’s picture and the deputy governor’s photographs are not in the calendar.

“I want to ask you: does it show any sign that, that leadership is working with this government? I hope you have a copy of it? Does it show that your chairman is working with this government?

“So, I have decided today, we have to move forward. By the special grace of God, the administrative life-span of the chairman is one year, which is renewable. So, at this particular time, I have to say that with the power vested on me, I announce that the tenure of Chief Sergeant Awuse has been terminated.”

But Awuse, who just returned from a medical trip, rued the governor’s comments about his personality and leadership, describing the governor as “ungrateful”.

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Recalling his sacrifices as a first class traditional ruler during the making of Fubara as a governor, the monarch said he backed his candidacy and followed the campaigns to the 23 local government areas of the state.

According to him, he formally informed the governor on three occasions about his trips in writing and that all his letters were acknowledged by the government.

Awuse said: “I never went out of this state without telling my governor; not just once; all written; all acknowledged. So, when somebody said he didn’t know where I went to, I was surprised unless there was another chairman other than me.

“He was my candidate. I took him as my candidate. All the people running around him today, none of them showed face. I am the only traditional ruler, first class, that followed that campaign from local government to local government and I went to every local government.

“In most of the local government areas I mounted the rostrums to speak for him because I trusted him. I was the main one. But today in the house of politics, you see the good the bad and the ugly. Anyone that falls into your hand you take.

“I was sacked from my seat the day I was in ICU. I was in coma for 10 hours. I told only him (Wike) because everybody rejected me.

“The government I was serving rejected me. People have the mind to say I will support the governor to the fullest. Why won’t you support him to the fullest when you did not contribute to his being there.

“I am learning how to stand up because I was in ICU six weeks with gadgets all over my body fed through my nose. And you (Fubara) told people when I was in ICU that I was a man of questionable character.

“You said Sergeant Awuse, I am not steady. That is one quality I don’t deserve. Call me any other name but I am a steady human being.”

On the controversy trailing his recent warning that those opposing Wike should not to come to his house, the monarch said if not for God and Wike’s interventions, he would have died.

“Why shouldn’t I say so. I have the right to say so. All of them gallivanting in government house we never saw them. I suffered. I went to 23 local government campaigns, all the flag off and commissioning I went to nobody complained. Thank God I am alive.”

Turning to Wike, he said: “We give God all the glory. Your coming has added another life to me.  You don’t know what you are doing for all us here. Anybody who is with you you touch the person’s life but now you have saved a life.

“Nothing will make me say anything other than that. I know what you did for me. I wrote three letters to my governor to allow me go and look after myself. If I had remained one week here I would have died here.

“But you (Wike) told me that ‘nothing will make you to die. Continue to pray you will not die’. That was what you told me.”

Referring to Wike as “our leader, he added: “Our leader to say thank you will be understatement. Apart from God Almighty who gave directives to the relevant agencies of medicine to put me where I am today, I am sorry for anybody who may be angry, you are the next person that I will thank.

“You are a leader worthy to be followed. Our former Governor and now minister I am repeating it to all of you who may have double mind, leave one and follow one and that one is Wike. As a friend, he is number one to me today.

“Every other things don’t matter. That I said if you are not supporting Wike don’t come to my House. The other day Emohua stakeholders came here. Two of them are coordinators of Sim (Fubara). I am not a politician of that kind of character. I am a liberal politician but standing on my course when I move”.

Speaking on behalf his political family, Wike said he was surprised to hear the governor cast aspersions on Sergeant Awuse, whom he said was revered as an astute politician.

He said Awuse was one of the few leaders, who ensured that Fubara got the governorship ticket of the PDP.

The minister said: “I was watching television and I heard when the governor said, ‘that one that can never be steady’. And the next thing I heard is that they had removed you.

“He was one of the few people who made sure on the day we were deciding who will run as a governor that the ticket was given to the governor. The governor never bothered to ask about Awuse even if it is to ask his children.

“But he was on television casting aspersions on somebody who all of us revered in politics. When politics was politics, we don’t know where the governor was whether he was in primary school. That is all part of life.”

• Agency uncovers 1600 cases of impersonation

The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI) has through the Rivers State Microfinance Agency (RIMA) disbursed N800million to 1,387 businesses in the state.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, the state capital, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of RIMA, Pastor Jonathan Tobin, said the programme tagged Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s Microfinance Credit Scheme, was in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI).

Tobin explained that RIMA in conjunction with the Bank of Industries was to provide a N4bn loan facility with N800million to be released in four tranches.

He said the agency selected beneficiaries from a database of over 4,000 profiled businesses on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tobin noted that female borrowers accounted for 58.9 per cent of the total beneficiaries with 818 recipients, while male borrowers made up 41 per cent adding that the agency also included persons living with disabilities with 13 beneficiaries.

He said repayment efforts were ongoing, with N75.658million received so far, and N3.647million in interest payments.

Tobin said: “In the N4bn from the Bank of Industry, we have done four tranches of N200million for each of the groups. We have a little above 4000 applicants on our database who are applying for the loan.

“We first had 481 applicants for the first N200million. What we do is, when we get people we send their names to BOI Lagos. BOI does their due diligence on the applications. When they are done they will send the N200 million per tranche.

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“Then we send N50million out for disbursement. When they disburse 75% of the N200million which will be N150 million we forward another batch to BOI for due diligence. In the first batch, 381 individuals benefited. 312 benefitted in the second tranche while 321 individuals got the funds in the third tranche.

“We are now on the fourth tranche and 340 will benefit from the fourth round. In total 1387 businesses will be benefiting from the loan valued at N800million In the total number, we have 818 females while 58.7% of the total number of the beneficiaries and their application is valued at N469,495,760.00.

“So it is clear that more women borrowed. In this Male, 41% of the are men valued at N330,544,000.00, whereas 13 people living with disabilities accessed N5,005,000.”

Tobin said that for customers seeking to access more than N10million and above, BOI disbursed to eight applicants and that another tranche of 17 applicants would soon get the funding.

He said: “BOI has disbursed to 8 customers valued at N119,888,000. Another 17 customers are due for disbursement. By next week the 17 customers valued at N217,444,858,000 would have been disbursed.”

– Security agencies in Rivers have failed us, say boat owners, operators

The Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has called on security agencies to crack down on pirates and sea robbers terrorising travellers along the state’s waterways, especially the Bonny axis.

There have been incessant attacks on passenger boats along the state’s waterways by armed sea robbers, who kidnapped many of their victims for ransom.

Expressing displeasure over the unchecked criminal activities against their operations, members of the Rivers Commercial District of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) trooped to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the development.

The chairman of MWUN in Rivers commercial district, Israel Waribo Pepple, said there had been incessant piracy attacks on members of the union on the waterways.

He said the nefarious activities of sea robbers had given them sleepless nights and held their operations hostage.

 Pepple said that sea pirate attacks on the union’s members often led to most of them and their passengers being taken hostage or killed while carting away personal belongings, including member’s boats.

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He noted: “On Thursday, August 22, 2024, a boat sailing from Bonny to Port Harcourt was attacked by unknown gunmen, who took five passengers to an unknown destination.

“Bille Boat was attacked, the attackers went away with the boat and engine, with other valuables belonging to the passengers.

“On August 24, a workers’ boat coming from Bonny to Port Harcourt was attacked by unknown gunmen, and two passengers were taken away, and to date, they are still under captivity.

“Recently, at Tourist Beach Unit, Port Harcourt, we also recorded the captivity of a driver, deckhand, and occupants in the boat with two police officers on escort.

“The unknown gunmen are demanding N10 million as a ransom for their release. These and many more are taking place in other units like Okrika, Kula, Bakana, Oyorokoto, Abonnema, etc,” he emphasised.

Pepple expressed displeasure over what he described as the inability of security agencies to do the needful to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens operating on the sea routes.

He said security agencies only focused their attention on Multinational Oil Companies (IOCs), their equipment and workers due to the economic advantage they derive from them.

Pepple said: “To this end, we call on the governments to save the souls of our teeming members, whose means of sustenance have consistently been threatened, and have lost so much to sea pirates and men of the underworld.”

“We urge the government to ensure the release of kidnapped passengers onboard our boats recently. We also seek the provision of gun/houseboats at strategic locations for random patrol on the waterways in the State.

“Provision of financial support to the affected passengers and boat operators have suffered great loss due to the unforeseen tragedy”.

Fubara, who received them at the Government House in Port Harcourt frowned on the attacks on boat operators and sea travellers and warned that his administration would no longer tolerate such criminality.

The governor reassured the commitment of his administration to the security of lives and property of all residents, indigenes, and non-indigenes, and promised to ensure that they would go about their activities without fear of molestation.

The governor, who was represented by the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, commended them for performing their civic obligation by reporting criminality in their places of business to the authority.

He insisted that his administration was deeply interested in ensuring proper policing of every part of the state, saying the state had placed priority on peace, security of lives and property of residents.

He said: “The security of human beings and their property is one singular agenda of the government that this Governor has never joked with, and he is willing to do anything, even for the umpteenth time, to ensure that it is provided.

“The governor is interested in proper policing of our State. But, you know the community policing that you hear about; people think that it is for us to form police in communities. No.

“Every person here is a community police. Whatever you see, you report, and whatever you think that is not very right, you give information to the right places. So, what you have done now is a civic responsibility, and I want to tell you that it will not be taken lightly.

“So, to me, what you have done, you call it a protest, but it is not a protest. It is a civic responsibility, to show that having observed something, you are reporting it to the appropriate quarters.

“I want to assure you that this government will not leave any stone unturned to bring security to every person that is in this State.”

Fubara said, no right-thinking Rivers person would be happy about the wickedness of pirates on the sea routes.

He said the criminal elements were well-known and lived in communities among the people but nobody had been brave enough to provide information on how to apprehend them.

Fubara said: “Maybe, you are not sure that when you report, you will be safe. But you have to help the security agencies too with appropriate information.

“Bring information to the government, tell us about those people. This government does not condone bad habits. We do not harbour criminals in our midst.

“I don’t know the problems that may be on the waterways, but you know the flashpoints because that is the route you follow. Provide information about those flashpoints, we will do our best.

“Every Simplified Rivers person knows that one of the things that we don’t want to hear is violence. We aim to totally destroy violence in Rivers State.”

 Fubara said his administration was not resting on its oars to provide good governance, and infrastructure that would promote quality service delivery to every resident in the state.

He said: “I want to thank God that something is being done, you may not hear all of them in the news, but just give some time, and you will find out that Rivers State will still become one of the best destinations for people to come, even for tourism”.

Supporters of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara may contest the proposed local government elections on the platform of another political party, it was learnt yesterday.

The governor’s camp is disturbed by the decision of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to decline participation in the grassroots polls.

The party is controlled by loyalists of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike,  who is involved in a protracted feud with Fubara, who succeeded him as governor last year

Although 19 opposition parties have indicated interest in the electoral process, Rivers PDP has insisted on a boycott.

Sources said the chapter has been conducting its congresses without the involvement of the governor and members of his camp.

A member of the PDP caretaker committee, who spoke in confidence, said the party has not begun any process for local government polls

He said: “We are concerned about our congresses and we have successfully concluded the ward and local government congresses. This coming Saturday, our party will hold its state congress. We have no business with the local government elections for now.”

He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had secured an order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing voters’ register for the conduct of the election.

The chieftain said the order has not been vacated, insisting that litigations were also hindering the local government electoral process.

The source said the PDP had maintained its position on the extension of tenure for sacked chairmen and councilors in the 23 local councils.

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He said: “There was a tenure elongation of all the local government chairmen and councilors. Their tenures were legitimately extended by the House of Assembly.

“The extension is in line with the provision of the constitution that whenever,maybe by war or any other circumstances, the local government fails to hold, the House of Assembly can extend the tenures of the elected council officials by nothing more than six months.

“That was exactly what the House of Assembly did. It was not their fault that the governor failed to conduct the local government elections before the expiration of the tenures of the council officials.

“They only acted based on the provisions of the law and the recent judgement of the Supreme Court outlawing the use of caretaker committees to run the local government councils, which has legitimized the position of the Rivers House of Assembly.

“If the governor had allowed the extension, they would have been three months gone and the governor would have had enough time to conduct the elections”.

The source said the PDP would not participate in the election in order not to invalidate the legal actions taken by the House of Assembly on the tenure extension.

He added: “All these matters are in court and as a law-abiding party, the Rivers PDP must go about its other political activities until the court makes its final pronouncement.”

There were, however, indications that the governor’s foot soldiers and most caretaker committee chairmen were looking for alternative parties to contest the elections.

A source said Fubara’s supporters have opened talks with the Action Peoples Party (APP), which surprisingly has risen to prominence recently.

The secretariat of the partywas recently attacked with explosives suspected to be dynamites.

RISIEC is yet to publish the names of parties and candidates for the election, although it would screen the candidates this week. 

The electoral agency included PDP among parties it invited to present candidates for screening.

The APP Chairman, Sunny Wokekoro, said on Tuesday that his party was ready to make a statement with the local government elections.

He, however, said APP’s list of candidates for the election was not ready because the party was still conducting its primaries.

Wokekoro said: “Once the list is ready, I will let you know.”

Fubara has insisted that the local government elections will hold as planned, adding that nothing would stop the exercise.

The governor said preparations were at the advance stage to hold the elections, urging party members to work at the unit and ward levels.

He urged residents to ignore those kicking against the elections, saying that they had already capitulated to defeat.

Fubara said the time was ripe for everybody to join him in the PDP, adding that new members would have equal opportunities in the state.

He called on his supporters to shun politics of verbal abuse, which he described as a sign of frustration and poor upbringing.

Fubara said: “It is very simple. We stand for good governance and that is our focus. I can assure you that there is no division in our family. Come and join us.

“Support them from your wards and units. It doesn’t matter if you are joining us today. You will still have equal rights with those that have been with us. This is the best time to join us. We will give you all the opportunities.”

Rivers PDP inaugurates exco

Yesterday, Rivers PDP inaugurated its newly elected local government executive committees.

The inauguration of executives for Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, which held at the PDP Secretariat, was presided over by the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee (CTC), Chukwuemeka Aaron, following directives from the National Working Committee (NWC).

The new chairman, Paddy Wali, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the party and the people of Obio/Akpor.

He pledged to work diligently to strengthen the party’s grassroots presence and ensure the PDP continues to lead the state towards development and prosperity.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara yesterday described the 27 House of Assembly members and former local government chairmen as mere distractions.

He said the Almighty God who brought him into the office will sustain him as chief executive of the state.

The governor spoke as a Special Guest during the 100 years centenary celebration of the First African Church Mission, Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-Harcourt,  the state capital.

Fubara, who reflected on the protracted crisis in the state, said although the former council chairmen and lawmakers wanted to distract him, he would stay focused.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, said his detractors have started the 2027 battle.

He said: We are aware of these attempts to make us lose focus so that when 2027 comes, they would say, what has he achieved?

“But I am focused on God and focused to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers. I am focused to ensure the cardinal goals of this administration within the next four years are achieved in education, healthcare, agriculture, housing and infrastructural development.”

An opposition party, the Action Peoples Party (APP), urged Fubara to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of the crisis and team up with its platform.

According to APP Chairman, Sunny Wokekoro, PDP has lost relevance in Rivers State.

My achievements speak for me, says Fubara

The governor said that he would not spend the people’s resources on the celebration of his achievements,  adding that he would allow the people to judge him by their testimony about the quiet revolution taking place in the state.

He said: “Only on Friday, we flagged off the smart Port City in Eleme LGA to resuscitate the Garden City effect in other parts of the state as well as the TAF City under construction at the corridors of the international airport.

“I assure you that in addition to developments in health care, education, agriculture, infrastructure and others, we will develop new cities that benefit all Rivers people.”

“Our request from you is to keep praying for the governor, the government and the state. We know that it is the prayer of the faithful that is sustaining the government and we will not be tired as you keep praying. The mandate given to us will be used judiciously”.

The governor supported the celebration with N30million for the construction of support offices by the church.

APP chairman woos Fubara 

Rivers State APP Chairman Wokekoro, who clarified that Fubara has not defected to the platform, confirmed that the opposition party has started wooing him.

He also recalled that the immediate past leadership of the party, led by Kenneth Atata, paid the governor a solidarity visit at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt.

Wokekoro said APP would demonstrate its strength during the October 5 local government elections in the state.

 He said the PDP was no longer a viable option for any politician that meant well for the state, adding that it has lost its relevance.

Wokekoro said:  “I was a founding member of the PDP. I started by being a G-34 coordinator in Port Harcourt. I was a foundation member of that party. The recent events in the country regarding the party’s administration, that party (PDP) is not supposed to house or to still retain any person who has morals; any person who has integrity should have left that party by now.

“All of us that mean well for this nation. All of us that mean well for this state have moved and the movement has brought us to this party. APP is the new destination.

“There is one impression I have to correct in this gathering; the impression that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a member of this party or he owns this party. This party has been in existence since 2017. It predates any of us who have just joined the party.

“So, no one person can claim to be the owner of this party. And the truth remains that as I speak to you today, Siminalayi Fubara, the executive governor of Rivers State, is not a member of our party.”

He added: “However, a good party administrator goes out there looking for the best materials to fill in for elective positions. We’re going to do that; not just me, but all of us are going to do that.

“Women are going to do that, the students are going to do that, the market women are going to do that, politicians are going to do that. We are going to persuade our governor to, if possible during his re-election, APP should be his platform for that re-election.

Read Also: God who brought me to power is keeping me, says Fubara

 “Not just the governor alone, all the Assembly people that mean well for this state, all National Assembly people that mean well for this state and for this nation. We are going to persuade them with every breath in our body that this is the right party for them to join.”

Wokekoro noted that he accepted the responsibility to lead the party because its manifesto had a clear direction.

He said:  “I believe every one gathered here, whether you’re a man, woman, or student you’ve got a role to play.

“What is the role we have to play, so that we can usher in a new pattern of administration in our state, starting with Rivers State, so that we’ll move on to the other parts of the state and by the special grace of God to the nation?”

The APP National Chairman, Uchenna Nnadi, lauded the immediate leadership of the party in the state, saying thatc it brought the party to limelight.

Nnadi said: “The way you people resigned to give birth to a new leadership for the interest of Rivers people, I want you to know that at the national headquarters we celebrate you. The sacrifice you people made is uncommon.”

Nnadi said issues that would have caused crisis and litigation in other parties were amicably resolved in the party.

Urging the new leadership to carry everyone along, he also advised the members to support the new leadership.

Nnadi said: “I want to commend the new leadership of the Action Peoples Party in Rivers State,  led by the able and amiable chairman, Sunny Wokekoro. Within a short while, you have made us proud. Within a short while, our party is being recognized nationally.

“And within the short period I have stayed in Rivers State, I have seen an influx of people trooping to identify with our party, and I believe by the special grace of God, we will show our strength collectively as we seated here on October 5, 2024 in the forthcoming local government elections.”