Tag: Tony Okocha

•Beke faction vows to sue electoral body

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) has recognised only the candidates sent to the commission by the Chief Tony Okocha-led All Progressives Congress (APC) for the August 30th local government elections.

RSIEC Commissioner for Administration and Legal Matters, Prof. Chidi Holiday, confirmed the development during an interaction with members of some civil society organisations (CSOs) in Port Harcourt.

Halliday acknowledged that the commission received two lists from the party, saying the first came from the Okocha-led APC while the last came from the Beke-led APC.

But he declared that the latter submitted theirs against the duration specified by the state electoral umpire.

Halliday said the commission only collected the list from the Chief Beke APC for record purposes.

“We know that we have the lists of candidates of APC that we monitored their primaries”, he said adding that the Chief Beke APC never indicated any interest in joining the elections.

He said that RSIEC was not privy to any court case involving any factions of the party, adding that it was its duties to attempt to resolve any internal wrangling therefrom.

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He said: “INEC is the body that registered political parties and has the record of the executive of any political party. Not even the Court will impose an executive on any political party. So all those we are dealing with are from the records that we got from INEC.

“To us you don’t after the primaries are over to start submitting your list. So all those we are dealing with are from the records that we got from INEC.”

But the Spokesperson for the Emeka Beke led APC, Darlington Nwauju, insisted that they submitted their list to RSIEC on time.

Nwauju said they expected the commission to engage only with the party led by Chief Beke, which he said, was legally recognised.

He said: “As we speak we have the list of our candidates with RSIEC. Any attempt to publish any name or names without the endorsement of our Chairman, Chief Emeka Beke and the State Secretary, Sam Sam Etetegwungas being candidates of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State will attract the long arm of the law.”

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has reaffirmed Chief Tony Okocha as the Chairman of the party in Rivers State.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in Abuja on Saturday, denounced the claim by Mr. Emeka Beke to the office, insisting that Okocha remains the Chairman of the Rivers state chapter of the party.

Morka was reacting to a claim by Beke to the Chairmanship seat of the party in the state at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.

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The party urged members and the public to disregard Beke’s claim, which Morka described as false and misleading.

Deouncing Beke, the party wrote: “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to media reports of a claim by Mr Emeka Beke to the Chairmanship of the Rivers state chapter of our Party.

“We wish to clarify, for the record, that Chief Tony Okocha is, and remains, the Chairman of the Rivers state chapter of our Party.

“We urge our teeming members in the state, and the general public, to disregard the said reports or reference to Mr Beke as State Chairman of Rivers APC as false and misleading.”

The political structure of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike is intact in Rivers State, chairman of All Progressives Congress Tony Okocha said yesterday.

He said Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who is locked in a protracted rift with the former governor, cannot destroy the structure.

Okocha, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, accused Fubara of engineering the protracted crisis in the state.

However, the governor denied the claim, saying that he is preoccupied with protecting the interests of Rivers and the course of justice.

Speaking at the opening of the 2024/2025 Legal Year and Re-Dedication Service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s, Anglican Communion, Diobu, Port-Harcourt, Fubara said he would not permit the weakening of state institutions.

He said God will judge partisan judicial officers dancing to the tune of paymasters.

Okocha, who  said the APC would take over the state in 2027, faulted the setting up of a committee to probe the violence that trailed the inauguration of 23 council chairmen, saying that its terms of reference does not capture the burning of the APC secretariat.

He described Wike as Fubara’s mentor, saying that he would not have been governor without the strong backing of the former governor.

Okocha said: “No politician will allow his structure to be dismantled. When you do that, it means that you have no home to fall back to. Wike made it possible for Fubara to emerge as governor. Fubara was never a politician.

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“Fubara is creating problems for himself. It is our business to demarket him and his party for us to win in 2027. I can say to you that for the next 10 years, I do not see any politician destroying the political structure Wike has in Rivers State. I’m not God, but I’m talking about what is possible within human possibility. Wike’s structure cannot be destroyed. It is not possible, not so soon. Let’s leave it there.”

He added: “The structure is embedded in the 23 local government areas of the state and the men and women are not the kind of the people who follow those who do not have capacity.

“Ten of Governor Fubara and his antics cannot destroy Wike’s structure. Many people are saying that as APC Chairman in Rivers, why am I working with Wike, and I say is Wike not working with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu? So, he is not my enemy and so he is my friend and we are working to ensure the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ is felt by Nigerians.

“Wike has his tentacles spread all over. We are doing enough to let Rivers people know that we need a change of party. APC will soon take over Rivers State with time. The Ijaws hosting Wike is strategic. It is just to tell the minister that they are grateful for giving their son an opportunity to be governor after abandoning other aspirants”.

Fubara: I will continue to defend justice

Fubara , who vowed to defend the course of justice in the state with his last breath, said when institutions are deliberately weakened, society would suffer.

He said: “What we are praying for in this country is institutional strength and not individual strength. Institutional strength is the only thing that will bring development in this country.

“If I am a businessman, and I am coming into Nigeria to invest, why will I invest when what I am seeing today is that institutions are weak and individuals are stronger than institutions?

“This state belongs to all of us. It is not about Fubara today. If this institution is destroyed, when another person comes in tomorrow, it is the same thing that will happen.

“We need to stand and defend it, and you are the right people to do it. I am here today to assure you that even if I have my last breath, I will defend the cause of justice in this state.”

Fubara described the Judiciary as a sacred temple of justice that should always hold up  assurances for  every Nigerian.

The governor took a swipe at some legal luminaries, saying that they smeared their consciences to please their pay masters.

He said: “Some of you, you say you are legal luminaries. You know the truth, but you will go on air just to pacify your pay masters to turn the law upside down.”

“We all know the law when it comes to issues that have to do with the administration of governance in the state; it is within the jurisdiction of the state High Court.

“It doesn’t matter whether you joined INEC, or Police. It is a state’s matter. I am not a lawyer, but I know that one. And you stand and say you are doing the right thing? God will judge you.”

Fubara said judges as God’s representatives, must not be afraid to promote equity and dispense justice without fear or favour.

The governor warned that, because court judgments had far-reaching implications, great care should be taken in making judicial pronouncements.

He said: “Let me say it here so that you will understand: Judges, you are the God that we are seeing. Your position is to stand and defend us. Your position is to look at whoever and tell the person the truth.

“Because if you don’t do it here, you will have a big question to answer. The preacher said it, every evil done in the course of administering justice, you will pay for it dearly.”

Fubara applauded the Rivers State Judiciary, particularly, the High Court Divisions, for their sundry support that had been keeping his administration going, despite antagonism.

He noted that some judicial officers in the state had been either threatened, physically assaulted or slammed with frivolous petitions raised against them to coerce them to submission

Fubara urged them to remain resolute in their commitment to stand on the side of truth, and never compromise justice.

He said: “I want to thank the Rivers State Judiciary, more especially, the High Court of Rivers State, for your support, for keeping this administration afloat up untill this hour.

“We know quite alright that a good number of you have been threatened by way of phone calls and even physical assaults. We are also aware that some of you have been threatened professionally through petitions that are fake and frivolous.

“But one thing that you need to understand is that you must be persecuted when you are doing the right thing. And those of you who are doing the right thing that are being fought from all sides, be courageous. Very soon, this whole thing will be over. Nothing lasts forever.”

Fubara assured that the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, would record more successes under his administration.

He said if he calls any judicial officer for any favour, the chief judge should not hesitate to disgrace him publicly.

The Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta North, Rt. Rev. Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, said the country was collapsing under conflicting judgments emanating from courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

He warned that those who engage in the merchandise would be punished by God

Rivers state All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus,  the former minister of transportation, Abiye Sekibo and other leaders of PDP in the state that they could not join the APC through the back door.

The caretaker committee chairman of the party in Rivers state, Tony Okocha handed down the warning in Abuja on Friday, March 29, while reacting to Thursday’s media briefing by some PDP chieftains who declared support for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Simlaye Fubara

Present at the PDP briefing included Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Uche Secondus; former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Austin Opara; Celestine Omehia, former deputy governor of the state, Tele Ikuru; Senator Lee Maeba; and former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Gabriel Pidomson, among others.

Okocha, who described the Sekibo-led PDP group as crisis merchants, said if the group felt concerned, it would have been honourable for them to seek solutions to the problems rather than constituting themselves as snitches and fifth columnists in the state.

Okocha said that the APC is open to accepting new members from the other parties into its fold, based on the mandate to his committee by the APC National Working Committee (NWC), but warned that such a move must be done legally.

Faulting the pledged support for the President during the Press Conference in Port Harcourt, Okocha said: “If the mid-night pseudo lovers of Mr President as shown in the text under critique, now are convinced that  President is abundantly fit and proper to preside over Nigeria and that his ten months in office has provided Renewed Hope for an eldorado for Nigerians and choose to recant their hitherto unsavoury and unprintable toxics against  President, they should follow the proper channels allowed for porting or decamping to a new party.

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“This approach of brow-beating and blackmailing they intend to use is not fashionable at all.

“No sane host tolerates a Guest who attempts to enter his/her house, through the window when the door is open.

“When have they repented and withdrawn their suits in court, challenging the Powers of the resident to mediate in the political crisis in Rivers State?

“Have they repented from emboldening Governor Fubara to disrespect Mr. President by refusing to implement all the indices on the 8-point Presidential Proclamation, as panacea to the political crisis in Rivers State, which by their actions, they have continued to fuel?”

The APC leader said the fortune of the party had continued to rise in the state and challenged the Rivers state governor Fubara to test his popularity by conducting a Local Government election in the state to know his political strength.

“He (Fubura) should go and conduct local government elections if he knows he is popular with the people. He should go and test the waters to see if the crowd they have been carrying are not related. We know he doesn’t have the people.”

Okocha lamented that, “under Governor Fubara “Rivers state is more than drifting to a pariah state, to atrophying into abysmal oblivion, to say the least.”

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has read the Riot Act to contractors handling its various projects in the region insisting that only quality jobs will attract payments.

Rivers State Representative on the NDDC Board, Tony Okocha, spoke during an interactive session with stakeholders and contractors at the commission’s state Office in Port Harcourt.

A statement signed by the NDDC Director of Corporate Affairs, Pius Ughakpoteni, insisted that contractors who failed to meet the required specifications would not be paid for the projects.

Okocha acknowledged the concerns of the contractors over delays in the payment for completed jobs and observed that the commission might consider an upfront mobilisation fee to contractors to enable them to speed up their jobs.

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He disclosed that he would soon commence inspection visits to project sites with the commission’s engineers for on-the-spot assessment.

He said: “I am not an armchair administrator who will sit in the office to listen to reports. I am coming to your sites with my team of competent engineers to assess the work you are doing and if find the work to be sub-standard, you will have yourself to blame as the current NDDC Board will not compromise on standards.”

Okocha stressed that the commission would execute projects and programmes in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.

He said that the NDDC’s Project Monitoring and Supervision Directorate would deploy automated machines for proper documentation and filing to take advantage of its numerous benefits.

Okocha added that as the Rivers State Representative on the NDDC board, his commitment to serve the people was unwavering, noting that there would be no preferential treatment in terms of payment.

He noted: “We will create a table of contractors that actually worked and are deserving of payment for their efforts.”