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Rivers LG poll – Atiku demands annulment as Wike reasserts control

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The political power dynamics in Rivers  State once again changed with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, regaining his grip and control of the state’s political grassroots, which his successor and estranged political godson, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, temporarily dispossessed him of in the last two years.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission on Sunday declared the results of the August 30 local government elections, with the All Progressives Congress, the main opposition party in the state, winning 20 of the 23 LGs while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party won the remaining three LGs.

The local government areas won by the APC are Obio/Akpor, which is that of the FCT minister, Port Harcourt City LGA and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara lost his LGA, Opobo-Nkoro, to the main opposition party in the state.

Both the APC and PDP winners are Wike’s loyalists.

According to the results released by RSIEC on Sunday, APC’s Ofori Owolabi won the Abua/Odual LGA chairmanship seat. In  Ahoada East, APC’s  Solomon Achoma won.

Other APC winners are Eugene Cheta (Ahoada West); Bob Fubarab (Akuku Toru); Otua  Promise (Andoni); George Onengiyeofori (Asari Toru); Pepple  Blessing (Bonny LGA); Michael Williams (Degema); and Obarilomate Ollor (Eleme LGA); Lloyd  Julius (Emohua).

Other APC winners are Njoku Chima (Etche); Confidence Deko (Gokana); Wobodo Charles (Ikwerre); Thomas Bariere (Khana); Dr. Gift  Wodo (Obio/Akpor); Akuro  Tobin (Okrika); Obasi Uchechukwu (Omuma); James A. James (Opobo/Nkoro); Okechukwu  Nwogu (Oyigbo); and Okwe Mbakpone (Tai LGA – APC).

The three PDP winners are Chukwu Ogbodo (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni); Vincent Nimieboka (Ogu/Bolo LGA); and Sir Allwell Ihunda (Port Harcourt).

Atiku faults poll

However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the Rivers State LG poll and its outcome as “an awful absurdity and a travesty to the very notion of elective democracy.”

In a post on X on Sunday, Atiku criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the manner the elections were conducted.

“By the shameful and shambolic manner in which the occupation government went ahead to conduct local government elections in Rivers State, it is clear that the ruling APC party is not leaving anyone in doubt that it is prepared to throw caution to the wind to achieve an inordinate political advantage,” he said.

He called on Nigerians, the international community, and partners of the country to pay attention to what he described as a “dangerous curve that the President Bola Tinubu regime is taking our dear country.”

Atiku also appealed to opposition parties in Rivers State to reject the elections.

“I will also call on all opposition parties in Rivers State to reject the local government election on the premise that the occupation government that conducted the exercise is extraneous to our laws, with absolutely no legitimacy to undertake such a crucial and sensitive assignment,” he stated.

Atiku concluded by expressing solidarity with the people of Rivers State, who he said are “currently victims of political brigandry to a power cabal which is bent on overturning their democratic rights at all costs.”

Wike, Fubara clash

The disagreement between Wike and Fubara dates back to September/October 2024, when the FCT minister got wind of a move allegedly by Fubara to remove Martin Amaewhule as Speaker of the state House of Assembly and replace him with his loyalist in a bid to assume control of the state legislature.

Hitherto, Wike had imposed most of his loyalists as commissioners in the new administration, a move that Fubara found offensive, but he stomached it until he gradually began stamping his authority with his own appointments, which irked his godfather.

The disagreement assumed a fever pitch, leading to the bombing of the House of Assembly complex by yet-to-be-identified persons.

Later, the majority of the lawmakers attempted to impeach Fubara, but he survived and later ordered the demolition of the House.

The Assembly became factionalised with the emergence of two Speakers, Amaewhule loyal to Wike, while Edison Ehie, a former House Leader, also claimed speakership as he was loyal to Fubara, leading to suspension and counter-suspension by the splinter groups.

Later, another loyalist of the governor, Victor Oko-Jumbo, emerged as Speaker of the House, leading a three-man squad of lawmakers, while Governor Fubara had appointed Ehie as his Chief of Staff after he resigned his membership of the House.

As the feud between Wike and his estranged political son festered, President Bola Tinubu intervened and invited the parties to Abuja, leading to an agreement that the President ordered, though neither of the parties fully adhered to the terms in the end.

The governor later continued to appoint more of his men to his cabinet and reassigning commissioners loyal to Wike, which caused many of them to tender their resignation notices.

Another attempt by Wike’s loyalists in the Assembly led to another round of crisis with a myriad of protests rocking the state, and more so, groups, the governor’s kinsmen and thereafter militants threatened to cause mayhem if Fubara was removed from office.

A State of Emergency was eventually declared in Rivers State by President Tinubu, who also suspended the governor, his Deputy, Prof. Ngobi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly following an attack on an oil facility linking the Trans Niger Pipeline, which conveys crude oil to the Bonny Terminal in Rivers State for export.

Tinubu, in his declaration of the emergency rule in the state, appointed ex-Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), as the Administrator of the state with the mandate to preside over affairs there for ‘An initial period of six months’, which comes to an end on September 18, 2025.

The emergency rule, however, favoured Wike as most of the appointments made by Ibas to date came from the Wike camp, though the FCT minister had said he would have preferred outright impeachment of the governor, saying Tinubu saved Fubara.

Ibas, on assumption of office, removed the Heads of Local Government Areas administration appointed by Fubara to oversee the affairs of the 23 LGAs of the state following the Supreme Court nullification of the LG elections conducted by RSIEC, then led by Retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli, whom Fubara appointed.

Among the agencies affected in Ibas’ shake-up was the RSIEC, wherein he appointed his kinsman, Dr Michael Odey, as the new Chairman, who conducted the just-concluded Chairmanship and Councillorship poll held on Saturday in the state.

Although all those who emerged winners in both the APC and PDP in the August 30 poll are believed to be major allies of the FCT minister and former governor of the state, Wike reportedly secured his own local council firmly for the PDP, while leaving the APC to sweep almost a clean sweep.

The RSIEC chairman, Dr Michael Odey, announced the results of the LG election at the commission’s headquarters on Aba Road in Port Harcourt on Sunday afternoon.

Odey stated, “Today marks an important milestone in the democratic process in Rivers State. Yesterday (Saturday), the people of Rivers State trooped out in their numbers to exercise their civic duty.

“It is now our responsibility as a commission and in line with the law to transparently and credibly present the outcome of their collective will.”

He commended all the stakeholders in the process—the candidates, the security agencies, the observers, the civil society organisations, and the media for their roles in having a peaceful and successful election in the state. According to him, “Indeed, the electorate themselves should be commended for their cooperation and commitment to a peaceful election process yesterday (Saturday).”

Odey proceeded to announce the results, disclosing only the names of the chairman-elect for each LGA and the number of votes garnered.

It is instructive to note that all the chairmen-elect in the 23 LGAs are males, while their vice-chairmen-elect are all females, as the parties adopted the political arrangement which Wike initiated for gender balancing when he held sway as governor of the oil-rich state.

Reacting to the election results, a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, said what happened in terms of the apathy that greeted the poll contradicted the results declared by RSIEC.

Nwuke, a former Commissioner for Information and Communications, who was later elected to represent Etche-Omuma Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, said, “What is critical is, frankly, how the voting took place. On the surface, it will be nice to say congratulations to the minister, who in so many ways talks about structure.

“If Rivers people actually turned it to vote in such numbers, then it means that Wike’s structure is solidly on the ground. But if the voting pattern indicates otherwise, it will mean that the minister himself must look again at Rivers people, why they voted the way they did, because that will be very instructive.”

On his part, an elder statesman and Convener of the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought, High Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said Wike’s hold on power “will be short-lived.”

According to him, “There was a Supreme Court judgement that stated that the same Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission did not abide by the stipulated electoral rule of engagement of 90 days’ notice. So, now it means that the law says that you cannot build something on nothing.

“There is a subsisting Supreme Court judgement that is less than one year old. What they have done is an aberration. It is contemptuous of the Supreme Court’s judgment. So it will not stand. It is as temporary as it will not last. So the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought is not in support of the charade that happened yesterday (Saturday).

“We disassociate ourselves from all that happened yesterday on behalf of Rivers people,” he stated.

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Politics

Otti denies defecting to APC, affirms loyalty to LP

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Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has refuted claims circulating on social media that he has left the Labour Party for the All Progressives Congress.

The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, on Monday.

Kanu dismissed the report as false, adding that it is the handiwork of political opponents unsettled by Otti’s growing popularity and record of performance.

He stressed that the governor remains a steadfast member of the Labour Party, describing the report as a “desperate attempt to distract Abians and create unnecessary confusion.”

He stated, “Governor Alex Otti remains a committed and proud member of the Labour Party, the platform under which the good people of Abia overwhelmingly elected him to serve. His focus remains unshaken, to rebuild Abia, restore accountability, and deliver the dividends of democracy to every citizen of the state.”

The commissioner recalled that during the October edition of ‘Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians’, the governor had reiterated his disinterest in political realignments or defections, stressing that his priority was governance, not politics.

“It is important to remind the public that only last week, during the October edition of ‘Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians,’ the Governor made it unequivocally clear that his interest is not in political permutations or defections, but in service to humanity and the transformation of Abia State. He reaffirmed that leadership, to him, is about impact, not political convenience,” he added.

Kanu highlighted that the Otti administration has maintained a clear policy direction built on transparency, fiscal responsibility, infrastructural development, economic expansion, youth empowerment, and renewed trust in government.

“These are values synonymous with the Labour Party’s ideals, values that the Governor will never compromise for any political expediency,” the statement added.

The commissioner urged residents to disregard the fake report, describing it as another round of cheap propaganda aimed at diverting attention from the progress being made across the state.

“We wish to assure Abians that Governor Alex Otti remains resolute in his mission to continue to build a new Abia where truth, justice, and equity prevail under the banner of the Labour Party,” he stated.

Recall that Otti had in May emphasised that he does not need to join the APC to be close to President Bola Tinubu.

He noted that not everyone needs to join the ruling party.

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Kaduna ADC expels deputy chairman, eight others over misconduct

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The Kaduna State chapter of the African Democratic Congress has plunged into crisis following the expulsion of its Deputy Chairman, Ahmed Mustapha, and eight other top officials over alleged gross misconduct, insubordination, and attempts to usurp leadership positions within the party.

The sweeping decision, described by insiders as “a necessary purge to restore discipline,” was part of the resolutions reached by the State Executive Committee during an emergency meeting held in Kaduna on Wednesday.

Those affected by the expulsion include the State Publicity Secretary, Idris Musa; State Vice Chairman (Zone 1), Sulaiman Abdullahi; State Treasurer, Gambo Sani; State Financial Secretary, Magaji Maiwada; and State Legal Adviser, Danlami Dabai Musa. Others are the State Coordinator of Persons with Disabilities, Saura Muhammed; State Deputy Youth Leader, Ibrahim Muhammed; and one Mansur Gaga.

The embattled officials were accused of engaging in what the party described as “activities capable of undermining the unity, image, and lawful operation” of the ADC in Kaduna and the North-West zone.

According to the SEC’s resolution, the members allegedly held secret meetings to plot leadership changes, forged official documents, and extorted money from party members in violation of the ADC’s constitution.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, the Kaduna State ADC Chairman, Elder Patrick Ambut, said the party could no longer tolerate actions that threaten its internal cohesion.

He declared that the leadership in Kaduna remained “committed to discipline, transparency, and the rule of law,” adding that the expulsions followed due process as provided in the ADC constitution.

“As law-abiding members of the ADC, we are committed to upholding the party’s constitution and safeguarding its integrity. No individual, no matter his position, is above the law of the party,” Ambut said.

The chairman accused the Deputy Chairman, Mustapha, of abuse of office, impersonation, and acts capable of causing disharmony not only in Kaduna State but also across the North-West zone.

“These actions constitute a gross violation of the ADC constitution and are contrary to established party procedures,” Ambut said.

“The Deputy Chairman acted without due process, as he lacks the constitutional authority to convene any meeting or issue such directives on behalf of the party.”

Meanwhile, the party announced the appointment of the Deputy State Publicity Secretary, Alex Tagwai, as Acting Publicity Secretary pending further adjustments within the state executive.

Ambut said the decision was endorsed unanimously by the SEC, local government chairmen, and other stakeholders during the meeting.

“Mr. Tagwai will immediately assume responsibilities to ensure the smooth functioning of the publicity unit and prevent any communication gaps,” Ambut said.

He also urged members to remain calm and loyal to the constituted leadership, warning that further acts of indiscipline would not be tolerated.

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Politics

My re-election bid, a divine project -Soludo

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The Anambra State Governor,  Chukwuma Soludo, has described his second-term reelection bid as “a divine project and a mass movement” which ignites a sense of collective purpose and commitment to continued development in the state.

Soludo stated this in his address during a campaign rally in Onitsha South Local Government Area of the state, where he and his Deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, were received by a large crowd of supporters on Tuesday.

The governor said the gathering, filled with residents eager to show their backing, portrayed the growing momentum of his campaign.

He said, “My candidacy is a divine project and a mass movement which resonated deeply with the people and ignited a sense of collective purpose and commitment to continued development in the state.

“I express my heartfelt thanks to the community for their unwavering support. This is a campaign like no other in our history. I am humbled and deeply thankful, and I appreciate you.”

The governor outlined the progress his administration has made in all sectors of the state economy, especially in Onitsha South LGA, highlighting the establishment of a specialist general hospital in Fegge, the exceptional improvements made to public schools, among others.

He promised that many more advancements would follow if given the opportunity for a second term.

Several people also took the stage to voice their support, highlighting the achievements made under the Soludo-led administration.

Among them was the President General of Fegge, Onitsha, Okwudili Nwankwo, who praised the governor’s impact, adding, “Under Governor Soludo, we have seen remarkable changes, particularly with initiatives like the ‘One Youth, Two Skills’ programme. This has empowered many of our youth and provided them with valuable skills for a brighter future.”

Another resident, Chibuike Ugo, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Free education, free antenatal care and delivery services have made a significant difference in our community. These programs are not just policies; they are lifelines for our families.”

Another one, Franklin Onyeke added, “As we pray for Governor Soludo’s victory on November 8, 2025, we remain steadfast in our belief that he will continue to lead Anambra towards greatness.”

A cheque donation of N20 million was also made to support the governor’s campaign.

Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, is contesting the governorship election alongside 16 other candidates from other political parties on November 8, 2025.

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