News
Rivers APC demands Fubara’s probe over ex-HoS allegations
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, has called for the probe of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his loyalists over the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex and alleged misappropriation of funds.
Okocha based his call on the statement by former Head of Service in the state, George Nwaeke, who alleged at the weekend that Fubara sponsored the bombing of the Assembly complex to avert his impeachment by lawmakers.
But Fubara’s Special Adviser on Electronic Media, Jerry Omotsegunwa, dismissed the probe call, saying, “It is laughable for any right-thinking individual to believe the video confessions of the erstwhile HoS.”
Omotsegunwa described the HoS allegation as childish, incoherent and ill-prepared.
The ex-HoS had at the weekend claimed to have witnessed Fubari handing over a bag of money to his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, to destroy the Assembly complex.
Both Fubara and Ehie vehemently denied the allegation, insisting that Nwaeke was under the influence and not in his right frame of mind when he made the allegations. Additionally, Ehie said he had instructed his lawyer to start a defamation suit against Nwaeke.
But on Wednesday, Okocha, an ally of Fubara’s estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike, said Nwaeke’s allegation could not be dismissed because he was the number three man in the state as the HoS.
Okocha argued that Nwaeke’s revelation had vindicated the APC’s earlier position on the matter, specifically implicating suspended Fubara and Ehie, as being responsible for the Assembly complex attack.
He said, “Nwaeke’s account further corroborates the position of Rivers APC that Fubara is the architect of the entire political crisis in the state, leading to the swift declaration of a state of emergency of President Bola Tinubu to restore order and forestall a total breakdown of peace.
“The truth is like broad daylight, which shines through the darkness and repels darkness to bring forth daylight. It is important to state here, for the purpose of emphasis and clarity, that Nwaeke, as the Head of Service at the time, was the number three man in the state. As such, his account cannot be hearsay.
“Taxpayers money in Rivers State was wasted in a way and manner that cannot be forgotten in a hurry amidst scarce resources and global economic crunch. The Supreme Court put it rightly in her unanimous judgment delivered on 28th February 2025 by describing Fubara as a dictator. Yes, he was a dictator!”
Okocha called on security agencies to investigate the claim and bring all those involved, whether directly or indirectly, to book.
The APC chairman also berated those criticising Nwaeke for airing his mind.
“The APC in Rivers State is strong in her belief that the relevant security agencies will be professional enough to get at the root cause of this whole matter and make such public.
“The verbal attacks staged against the resigned HoS, will not deter the statesman from unveiling the rots of Sim Fubara’s which we harped on as opposition political party. On this matter, APC shall function as watchdogs,” he stated.
Reacting, however, Fubara’s aide, Omotsegunwa, said the HoS allegation was unreliable and fraught with inconstistencies.
He said, “That was like something that was cooked up and ill-prepared. I don’t think anybody should take that confession seriously. Three confessions, three videos contradicting each other. Which security agent or agency will take that type of thing seriously?
“First, he (Nwaeke) said he was in a meeting between the Governor and the now Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) and the former Chairman of Ohio/Akpor local government area, Chijioke Ihunwo.
“That he saw when they were discussing how to bomb the House of Assembly. And the next video he made was that he was not there; he was told. Meanwhile, he saw them carrying bags, not knowing what they contained. Later he said they carried bags of money. Is that what we should be thinking of?
“So, what money is Tony Okocha saying they should probe the governor for? The phantom N16bn that does not exist anywhere?”
Omotsegunwa said the state’s Sole Administrator had looked at Fubara’s projects and commended him as a prudent person.
“So, I don’t know what else Tony Okocha is talking about. How can anyone believe the crass, illogical videos? It doesn’t make any sense to me, “ he added.
…hails emergence of Bawa as state chairman
The Senator representing Taraba Central Senatorial District Senator Manu Haruna on Sunday donated five operational vehicles to Taraba Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to enhance its operations.
Manu also seized the opportunity to congratulate the state Chairman, Hon Abubakar Bawa when he visited the secretariat in Jalingo last Sunday.
The former State Deputy Governor expressed his congratulations to Chairman Bawa and the state working committee for their election, emphasizing the importance of unity and progress within the party. He commended their commitment to strengthening the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State.
In a generous move to enhance the operational capacity of the party at the grassroots level, Senator Manu donated five vehicles — one for each Local Government Area (LGA) party chapter in Taraba Central.
This donation is intended to facilitate better coordination and outreach efforts within the party.
Senator Manu praised Hon. Abubakar Bawa for his dedicated efforts to elevate the PDP in the state, asserting that Taraba will always remain a stronghold for the party.
In response, State Party Chairman Alhaji Bawa expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Senator Manu for his thoughtful visit and generous donation. He acknowledged the impact of such contributions on the party’s progress and reemphasized the commitment of the PDP to serve the interests of the people in Taraba State.
By Francesca Hangeior
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has canvassed for greater efforts and commitments to the Federal Government’s aspirations to produce a workable legal framework for the country.
He charged the Committee put in place by the federal government to review, revise and consolidate the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, LFN, to double the efforts and commitments to deliver on the mandate at the appointed time.
Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, spoke on Monday in Abuja at the second retreat of the Committee put in place in October last year for the laws of the federation revision and reform.
The AGF while challenging the committee to be up and doing asked the members to remain united in purpose and steadfast in the resolve to produce a legal framework that is worthy of the nation’s aspirations.
He said the second retreat organized by the federal government was a strategic consolidation of the national law reform efforts and to provide an invaluable opportunity to come up with a better workable legal framework for the nation.
“Let me start by expressing gratitude to the Chairman, Co-Chairperson and members of the Committee for their selfless service and sacrifice, to ensure that this project is executed efficiently and effectively.
“The call to be part of this assignment is indeed a sacred that inevitably and positively affects the lives of individuals, government, businesses as well as citizens of this nation.
“The general purpose of law is to regulate human behavior by protecting lives and properties in society. The inauguration of the Committee on the 24th October, 2024 marked a historic milestone in our collective efforts to modernize, consolidate, and harmonize Nigeria’s body of federal statutes.
“The retreat successfully provides a clear framework for the structure and methodology of the revision exercise, oriented the 14 Working Groups tasked with reviewing specific legal subject areas, and fostered collaboration among key institutions and stakeholders on the project.
“Following the initial retreat, I wish to note that the Committee has recorded steady progress in its work.
“The Ministry has taken several measures to ensure that the assignment is delivered efficiently, including:training sessions for secretaries of the working groups to enhance documentation and coordination; technical meetings of the main committee and its various sub-committees; working sessions and deliberations among editors and reviewers; and ongoing technical collation of revised laws by the Secretariat.
“This second retreat is a strategic consolidation of our national law reform efforts and provides an invaluable opportunity to: review progress made since the first phase;
address any technical or structural challenges encountered during the collation process;
– Harmonize the output across working groups; and set the tone for the final stages of this important project.
“The next stage of the law review and consolidation process would include editing and proofreading the reviewed legislation, ahead of the final collation, production and printing of the laws of the federation.
“It is my conviction that these phases will be executed with even greater commitment by the Committee, with the support of stakeholders and development partners.
“I wish to commend the leadership of the LFN Committee, the Secretariat for its diligent coordination and day-to-day management as well as the Working Groups, Editors, and Reviewers, for their intellectual rigour and professionalism.
“Special gratitude to our development partners, particularly RoLAC, for standing firmly behind this national project.
“Let me urge all participants to use this retreat as a platform for robust engagement, peer learning, and practical collaboration.
“We must remain united in purpose and steadfast in our resolve to produce a legal framework that is worthy of our nation’s aspirations.
” I wish to express gratitude for your commitment to duty and I charge you to work in synergy and cooperation, in the overall interest of the nation”, the AGF said.
The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has replied to the Nigerian Bar Association regarding the reason for relocating its Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu State.
Ibas faulted the reason cited by the NBA, describing it as misleading and uncharitable.
The Sole Administrator stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday by his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubo, and sent to newsmen.
He said while the NBA reserves the right to choose a venue for its conference, the association had yet to address the issue of the refund of the hosting rights paid by the state government for the conference.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
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