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.

“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

Senator Orji Kalu says President Bola Tinubu is aware of the country’s fluttering economy and is taking steps to address the challenges facing Nigeria.

“The president himself knows that Nigerians are suffering and hungry. He is a street person; he knows the street very well,” Senator Kalu said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“The president some nights uses his car to go around and know what is happening in Abuja here. The president goes around with one or two cars and sees what is happening. He is not a president that is locked up in the room.”

The country’s inflation figures hit 32.7 per cent in September 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Since the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira by the Tinubu government, the cost of basic items has moved beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians.

But Senator Kalu argued that the moves were “very courageous” of Tinubu and that the economic hardship is not peculiar to Nigeria. He said the country is also battling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which grossly affected the global economy.

“The pressure of COVID-19 has not gone,” he said.

“Let me be honest with you. I know things are not the way they are supposed to be,” the Abia North lawmaker added.

“The economy has not been so friendly; the atmosphere has not been so friendly. But this economic problem is going on almost everywhere in the world.”

Senator Kalu said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which he belongs to is doing well in repositioning the economy.

“They are trying to reform the economy. They are trying to bring back the economy where it is supposed to be.”

‘These Things Are Not True’

Nigerians have repeatedly accused members of the National Assembly and the ruling class of being insensitive to the plight of the people, claiming they live in affluence despite the state of the economy.

The Abia North lawmaker, however, says the lawmakers have no official vehicles.

“I am in the Senate and a lot of things are said about the Senators and I sit there quietly and watch, and most of these things are not true. All I know is that committees get vehicles, no lawmaker is given any vehicle,” the Senator said.

Following the recent development in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), senators elected on the platform of the party, on Thursday took a bold step towards quenching the fire burning their party.

Addressing the press after a closed door session, the Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Moro PhD said the PDP caucus acknowledged the crisis in the party and had resolved to work with all the critical stakeholders with a view to ending the crisis and restoring peace.

The caucus appealed to all aggrieved persons to sheathe their swords for the sake of the party, promising to make every effort that’s necessary to bring everybody together and make PDP a formidable party that it’s known for.

The caucus called for withdrawal of all litigations in court to make room for more robust discussions that aim to bring lasting peace in the party.

It charged party members to put the interest of the party ahead of all personal interests and work towards strengthening the party and making it a better alternative to the ruling APC that has brought so much pains and hardship on the country, stating that PDP remains the only hope for the suffering Nigerians.