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Ex-Commissioner Appeals to APC: Protect Fubara from Humiliation

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Ex-Commissioner Appeals to APC: Protect Fubara from Humiliation

Austin Tam-George, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, has pleaded with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to save Governor Siminalayi Fubara from being humiliated.
The statement was issued by Tam-George on Thursday in response to the Rivers Assembly’s impeachment procedure of the governor.

He maintained that Fubara’s chances of winning a second term were intended to be destroyed by the impeachment.

However, Tam-George claimed that it would be challenging to remove Fubara from office due to the governor’s performance record and the absence of specific accusations.

He claims that Governor Fubara has persisted in putting the needs of the populace at the center of his administration, as evidenced by his obvious initiatives in housing, education, healthcare, and rural development.

According to him, this has made it challenging for opponents to defend actions taken to remove the governor from office.

“Well, I think he needs to do exactly what he’s been doing from the beginning, which is to put the people at the center of gravity of his administration and prioritize their needs so that the people can see the direct impact of government action in their lives,” he stated.

And that’s precisely what he’s doing with regard to rural development, the restructuring of the housing sector, and the education and health sectors, as I previously indicated.

“There is no way they will be able to justify this kind of shenanigans if he keeps putting the needs of the people at the center of his administration.”

“Because there is no detail regarding any infraction by the governor or his deputy if you closely examine the so-called articles of impeachment.

In order to prevent the governor from reaching the stage where he will be running for a second term, they are attempting to torpedo the administration.

“Let me be clear, only two days ago, Nyesom Wike was at one of the local governments. He had a revelation and said, ‘Look, if Governor Fubara were to get a second term in office, it would be his own political cemetery.

“So, all of these things that we are witnessing, including the alleged impeachment proceedings they have started, are really an attempt to thwart the governor’s chances of winning a second term, and I don’t see how they will be successful.”

As I mentioned before, the so-called articles of impeachment are vague about the type of offense they claim the governor has committed. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and they’ll see how things work out.

“In my opinion, and if I were to give the governor advice, he should simply keep the people at the center of his administration, attend to their needs, and operate in a transparent manner as he has always done. Once the truth is revealed, he will be able to defend the administration.

“I believe the ruling APC should also intervene because they cannot permit the governor of the office, who has likely one of the best performance records in the nation, to be humiliated by some of these assembly members.”

Senate Moves to Limit Trump’s Military Action in Venezuela

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Senate Moves to Limit Trump’s Military Action in Venezuela

In a rare bipartisan rebuke following concern over the covert capture of leader Nicolas Maduro, the US Senate made significant progress on Thursday in enacting a resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s military activities in Venezuela.

With the backing of five Republicans, the Democratic-led bill passed a crucial procedural vote that prohibits additional US actions against Venezuela without express congressional authorization.

The final passage vote, which is scheduled for next week, is now viewed as little more than a formality and would be one of Congress’s strongest declarations of its power to declare war in decades.

However, the resolution has a difficult climb in the US House and virtually no chance of surviving a potential Trump veto, so the attempt is mostly considered as symbolic.

On his Truth Social platform, the president denounced the five Republican rebels for their “stupidity” and declared that they “should never be elected to office again.”

He went on, “Republicans should be ashamed of the senators that just voted with Democrats in an attempt to take away our powers to fight and defend the United States of America.”

The vote came after a sharp increase in US intervention, which senators from both parties claimed went beyond a limited law-enforcement operation and clearly passed into war. This action included air and naval operations as well as the nighttime capture of Maduro in Caracas.

“Less than courageous members of Congress fall all over themselves to avoid taking responsibility, to avoid the momentous vote of declaring war,” stated Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky who co-sponsored the bill in defiance of the majority of his party.

However, it is unquestionably an act of war to bomb the capital of another country and overthrow its leader. There is no constitutional provision that gives the president such authority.

In an interview that was published on Thursday, Trump told The New York Times that the United States could control Venezuela and access its oil reserves for years. He also stated that “only time will tell” how long Washington would seek direct control over the South American country.

After what they called months of deceptive briefings, including promises from the administration as recently as November that it had no preparations for strikes on Venezuelan soil, Democrats are presenting the resolution as a constitutional line in the sand.

Ikoawaji Blasts APC as ‘Kindergarten,’ Warns of 2027 Election Loss Amid Rivers Crisis

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Ikoawaji Blasts APC as ‘Kindergarten,’ Warns of 2027 Election Loss Amid Rivers Crisis

Chief Asukewe Ikoawaji, a former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the now-defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANP), has called the current administration “kindergarten” and cautioned that if the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not fulfill its promises to Nigerians, it may lose the 2027 general elections.
Ikoawaji also criticized the ruling party’s national leadership for what he called a “studied silence” regarding legislators’ attempts to remove Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State.

According to the elder statesman and member of the Rivers State Elders Council, the APC was making the same mistakes that caused the Peoples Democratic Party to lose the general elections in 2015.

According to Ikoawaji, the surge of notable politicians and governors defecting to the APC was an indication that Nigerians were losing faith in the ruling party.

He claimed that just before it lost power, the PDP used a similar tactic.

In the same way that the PDP failed prior to the 2015 elections, the APC has failed Nigerians. At that point, the PDP began courting governors from other parties since the public no longer trusted it. Ikoawaji told The PUNCH on Friday that this is precisely what is taking place right now.

In response to the most recent threat of impeachment against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, Ikoawaji stated that the political crisis in Rivers State was a manifestation of a larger national leadership failure.

He criticized the APC leadership for keeping quiet as its members purportedly took action against their own governor.

“The governor is in the APC,” he stated. Most chairman of local governments are members of the APC. APC members make up the majority of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The APC is in charge of the Federal Government at the federal level.

What is the national secretariat of the APC doing? How can a ruling party keep mute while allowing its members to start the impeachment process against their own governor? This is hardly a cause for amusement.

Ikoawaji blamed Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for his part in the political crisis in Rivers, but he also attacked Governor Fubara for what he called shows of weakness.

In the upcoming election, he asserted that the people of Rivers would not support a “kindergarten governor.”

“All these things are part of the FCT minister’s game,” he stated. However, the reality is straightforward: you should act like a governor if you are one. The people who elected you are the ones you must answer to.

“Divided House Cannot Stand”
Ikoawaji bemoaned the fact that many of the APC’s top officials were ignorant of the party’s constitution, recalling his tenure as Deputy National Chairman of the ANPP, which he characterized as the main opposition party during the PDP era.

“It is regrettable that many individuals at the top of the party do not even comprehend the party constitution,” he remarked. A house divided against itself cannot endure, according to the Bible.

Politicians in Kindergarten
Wike’s visits to Rivers State local government areas with APC officials were also criticized by the former party chief, who called them premature campaigning conducted without the party’s official insignia.

“That indicates that these are kindergarten politicians,” he remarked. The minister from the FCT is not an APC member. His party, the PDP, expelled him. However, APC leaders accompany him as he conducts grassroots campaigning.

There is no APC flag, despite the presence of the state chairman, the deputy national chairman of the APC, South-South, senators, and other APC leaders. Rather, you see blue-white-blue, which is not an APC representation. The party’s leadership is also observing.

“Nigerians APC Failing”
Ikoawaji cautioned that the ruling party was gradually losing its hold on power, claiming to be a founder member of the APC and a pivotal member of the ANPP faction that created the party.

He continued by saying that Nigerians’ immediate suffering had not been addressed by the Federal Government’s focus on long-term economic advantages.

“How do you expect the ordinary man to enjoy public electricity if the top citizen is not using it?” he asked. These mistakes are the cause of the issues we are currently dealing with.

In closing, the senior statesman warned that the Rivers people will oppose what he called bad leadership decisions in the upcoming general elections.

“Mark my words: Rivers State will not support a kindergarten governor in 2027,” Ikoawaji said in closing.

Baba-Ahmed: Why Emerging Nigerian Leaders Feel Discouraged — Atiku

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Baba-Ahmed: Why Emerging Nigerian Leaders Feel Discouraged — Atiku

Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) vice presidential candidate, has claimed that some elderly politicians are deterring younger politicians with better ideas with their costly political style and a deceitful system consisting of godfathers and false promises.
According to reports, Baba-Ahmed encouraged Atiku to abandon his 2027 presidential aspirations during an interview on Channels Television on Friday.

He claims that while Datti was a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Atiku Abubakar had already begun running for president of Nigeria.

He urged the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate to let the younger generation take over politics and look for solutions to the nation’s issues.

“Baba Atiku was an aspirant when I was doing my NYSC, and we contested primaries together in 2018,” he stated. When his vice president left him in 2023, we ran for office once more, with me serving as vice president. For heaven’s sake, once more in 2027?

“A new generation of Nigerian leaders is needed, and they do exist.” A whole new generation is waiting for a new leader to guide them to a new party, as I mentioned earlier. There are decent Nigerians.

“There are people who can solve Nigerian problems, but they are deterred by the costly, challenging, and dishonest system that is full of godfathers and false promises to make. However, there are decent Nigerians searching for a leader who can solve Nigeria’s issues.

“Benue Crisis: How Agatu Land Was Quietly Handed Over to ‘Indigenous’ Fulani Herdsmen — Documents”

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“Benue Crisis: How Agatu Land Was Quietly Handed Over to ‘Indigenous’ Fulani Herdsmen — Documents”

The decades-long conflicts between Fulani herders and the residents of Agatu Local Government Area (LGA) in Benue State may be explained by new evidence.

A portion of Agatu land was covertly given to Fulani herders in 2017, according to documents obtained exclusively. Some claim that this action has contributed to the ongoing conflict and violence in the area.

Herdsmen and villages in Agatu have been at conflict over grazing on farmlands for years.

According to reports, the war has devastated crops, displaced hundreds, and killed scores.

The violence has had a negative impact on a number of communities, including Aila, Okokolo, Obagaji, Adagbo, Akwu, Odugbehon, and Odejo.

Residents of the impacted areas have repeatedly opposed herder activities, claiming that their livelihoods and crops are constantly under danger.

The 2017 relinquishing of land in Adapati Island, which has been mentioned as a cause of contention by both sides, is a deeper layer that has been exposed by the recently discovered documents.

According to reports, Capt. I.A. Yusuf, the Agatu LGA’s sole administrator at the time, oversaw the deal, which was signed on January 6, 2017.

Among its provisions was the following: “Adapati Island would be open only for grazing, not residence.” The island was only open to grazing for “indigenous Fulani” with valid identification.

Despite these requirements, the pact has drawn harsh criticism for being exclusive and private, with no participation from the local people or traditional leaders.

The arrangement has been rejected by Chief Echechofu Ogwola, the head of the Ayele/Igagishu Clan, whose jurisdiction includes Adapati land.

The clan, represented by the legal firm E-O Samson & Partners, confirmed that the land ceding was done without permission, rendering it unlawful under customary law.

It stated: “Before the alleged ceding or opening of Adapati communal land to Fulani herdsmen for grazing purposes, our Client, the Adapati community, or any lawful traditional authority were never consulted, invited, or involved.”

The land in question is customary community land that the Clan Head holds in trust for the benefit of the populace. Any alleged agreement that affects such land without the proprietors’ knowledge, approval, or involvement is void and has no legal force.

According to the firm, there have been several violations of the agreement, such as the demolition of indigenous homes and farmlands, grazing outside of Adapati Island into neighboring community properties, and the use of machetes and firearms that have resulted in violent altercations.

The Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017, which went into effect on May 22, 2017, has further compounded the situation.

Important clauses include: Section 5: Grazing requires a gubernatorial permit, which Adapati does not have.

Nomadic herding is prohibited outside of specified ranches under Section 19.

The legal representatives of the clan have formally requested:

The January 6, 2017 agreement is immediately void.

“All grazing operations must immediately stop, and herders, cattle, and unauthorized constructions must be removed from Adapati territory. 30 days for a written confirmation of compliance.

“Farmers and residents of Adapati and surrounding communities have suffered significant losses, financial hardship, environmental degradation, and insecurity as a result of the illegal grazing activities.” The ongoing infringement on our client’s and his people’s property, possessory, and customary rights is intolerable.

The company cautioned that “legal action and petitions to state authorities will trigger failure to comply.”

Melvin Ejeh, the chairman of Agatu, earlier ordered all armed herders to leave Agatu towns immediately and annulled the 2017 grazing agreement that allowed herders access to Adapati Island.

He said that the deal, which was signed by a prior sole administrator, was not carried out honestly and had detrimental effects on the Agatu people.

Accord Party Says Adeleke Faces No Opposition in Osun

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Accord Party Says Adeleke Faces No Opposition in Osun

Governor Ademola Adeleke is still the Accord Party’s unchallenged candidate for the August 8 governorship election, according to the Osun State branch of the party.
Speaking to reporters in Osogbo on Thursday, Victor Akande, the chairman of the Accord Party in Osun State, described Clement Bamigbola’s alleged candidacy as a “waste of time and resources,” maintaining that Adeleke’s status as the party flagbearer is assured.

Claims of an inside faction were deemed unfounded by the party leadership.

“The Kangaroo Primary, which is allegedly being held by a nonexistent faction, is only a hoax. According to the law, there is no such split inside our party structure,” Akande stated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he said, has handled issues of a similar kind in other states, like as Anambra and Ekiti, and he promised that the situation in Osun would be no different.

“Those who were disseminating information about a factional candidate are merely political jobbers looking for publicity in order to make money. However, I can assure you that Governor Adeleke has no competitors in terms of our party ticket,” he emphasized.

In response to worries about the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bola Oyebamiji, the party’s candidate for governor, Akande expressed assurance that Adeleke’s reelection campaign is not threatened by the ruling party.

“We are aware of the APC’s forerunners and their style of governance during their tenure. The party paid half of the workers’ salaries, turning them into beggars. He declared, “We would never go back to such a time.”

Residents of Osun were reminded by Akande of the APC’s loss in the 2022 elections and promised to raise their voices even more in August.

He continued, “The people rejected the APC in the 2022 elections and would even speak louder in August to make the party realize that Osun does not want it to return to the era of darkness.”

Ex-Commissioner Warns Fubara’s APC Defection May Weaken Wike’s Control in Rivers

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Ex-Commissioner Warns Fubara’s APC Defection May Weaken Wike’s Control in Rivers

According to Austin Tam-George, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) changed the state’s political landscape by reducing the power of the group that supported Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.

The previous three weeks have seen a shift in the state’s political calculations, according to Tam-George, who also noted that Wike and his supporters were uneasy about the development.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time, the former commissioner explained that this was the reason Wike had visited a number of the state’s local government districts in recent weeks.

He claimed that the governor’s defection reduced the Wike camp’s power over the Rivers State Government and compelled them to look for fresh means of regaining control.

But he cautioned that the state and its citizens will eventually suffer from the protracted political unrest and instability brought on by the contest.

“The political calculation in Rivers State has changed due to Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s move to the APC in the last 21 days,” Tam-George stated.

“You know, over the last two weeks or so, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has been moving from one local government area to another, threatening the Rivers State government, and at one point insulting the APC’s leadership structures.”

He went so far as to accuse the Tinubu administration and a few high-ranking officials of traveling to Rivers State specifically to solicit bribes or cash from the state government.

“So, what I believe is happening is that the governor’s defection has clearly put the Wike camp’s initial leverage over the governor in jeopardy, and they are looking for a way to assert what they perceive to be a threat to their leverage.”

“But the regrettable thing is that this kind of instability ultimately affects the state.”

‘Not Appropriate’ – Obono-Obla Criticizes Shettima’s Alleged Warning to Wike

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‘Not Appropriate’ – Obono-Obla Criticizes Shettima’s Alleged Warning to Wike

According to former presidential prosecution aide Okoi Obono-Obla, Vice President Kashim Shettima’s purported warning to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesome Wike about the All Progressives Congress’s leadership in Rivers State is superfluous.
According to reports, Shettima said the governors are the party’s leaders in their states during a speech in Enugu on Wednesday.

Given that the Minister had made it apparent that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is not the head of the APC in Rivers State, some people had taken Shettima’s remarks as a direct warning to Wike.

In an interview with the Daily Post, Obono-Obla stated that there is no disagreement on leadership since the party’s rules automatically designate the governor of a state under its control as the party’s head.

“However, the Vice President is not wholly incorrect to make such an assertion if the Governors assume such a toga by convention within the Party,” he stated. However, since Minister Nyesom Wike is not an APC member in Rivers State, it might not be appropriate to address it to him.

However, Obono-Obla pointed out that although there is no clause in the APC Constitution designating APC-elected governors as the Party’s leaders in their respective states, they do so implicitly and customarily.

He said that this method is contentious since some contend that governors take advantage of the lack of a clearly defined function and its obligations to grant themselves total authority, which they frequently utilize to encourage cronyism and godfatherism.

In order to ensure that leadership duties are appropriately defined and to prevent the misuse of convention, the party stalwart urged for clarification in the APC Constitution.

Rights Group Condemns Detention of Man for Online Criticism

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Rights Group Condemns Detention of Man for Online Criticism

Amnesty International has condemned the Nigerian Police’s illegal imprisonment of a man for his online criticism of a government figure.

The police detained Abubakar Salim in Abuja after conducting surveillance in Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria, according to Amnesty International’s official X account. According to reports, the arrest took place prior to Amnesty’s Wednesday public announcement.

The group demanded that Mr. Salim be released as soon as possible by the Nigerian government. “Abubakar Salim must be freed immediately and without conditions by the Nigerian government. Criticizing a government official should not result in punishment.

The organization denounced the police and called the arrest a “abduction” and “abuse of power,” even if the precise social media post that led to Mr. Salim’s imprisonment is unknown at the time of this report.

“Abubakar Salim’s detention demonstrates blatant misuse of power, and he did not conduct any crimes. He has the right to criticize any government official, regardless of their stature or position.

“It is unacceptable and demonstrates disrespect for the rule of law to detain Abubakar Salim merely for exercising his right to free speech.”

Amnesty International claims that neither the police nor his attorneys were informed of the reasons why security personnel were keeping an eye on him before he was apprehended by heavily armed guards.

The police allegedly denied detaining him at their facility, according to the family. However, according to Amnesty International, Mr. Salim was being held at Abbatoir, “a notorious police detention center where past detainees were tortured.”

This incident demonstrates a history of disagreements over the detainee’s whereabouts and the arresting authority.

Samuel “Sammy West” Daniels, the brother of actress and filmmaker Regina Daniels, was recently arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, however his family stated that the police made the arrest.

Later, the police explained that Mr. Daniels was taken into custody by officers dispatched from Abuja on a formal mission.

Arbitrary arrest trend
Amnesty International, however, denounced Mr. Salim’s arrest on Wednesday as a violation of his right to free speech and highlighted the alarming practice of detaining people for criticizing public authorities on social media.

“Young people’s freedom of expression in Nigeria is under growing threat.” For merely voicing their ideas online, many young Nigerians have faced threats, arrests, unlawful incarceration, and abuse. This is inappropriate and illegal.

An X user echoed Amnesty International’s comments and bemoaned the practice of arbitrary arrests, stressing the need to raise awareness of the problem in order to guarantee justice.

“Freedom of speech is allowed, but freedom after is not guaranteed,” stated liberal Misterko. Unfortunately, this is the current situation. To guarantee that justice is served, we must all take a stand and spread the word.

The situation involving Mr. Salim is a sign of a systemic problem rather than an individual incidence. For example, in July 2025, Abubakar Gossima, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was arrested by Jigawa State police for what close associates said was a social media message that was considered disrespectful to a politician.

Jigawa Govt Takes Action Against Contractors Accused of School Feeding Scam

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Jigawa Govt Takes Action Against Contractors Accused of School Feeding Scam

Contractors participating in the state school food program have been suspended by the Jigawa State Government. This comes after accusations of fraud and subpar service.

This was revealed on Wednesday when Hon. Auwal D. Sankara, the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, inspected a few schools in the Dutse local government.

According to him, the government’s efforts to guarantee accountability and safeguard the welfare of pupils included the inspection.

“The monitoring team found irregularities, including incomplete food deliveries to boarding schools, supply of substandard food items, and inflated student population figures,” he said.

Inspectors discovered a significant disparity between official records and the actual student population at the Girls Model Boarding School in Kudai. A physical head count revealed just 681 pupils, despite school records indicating a population of 1,008.

The contractor, Jibrin Maifata, was immediately suspended after the commissioner observed that the meal was unsafe for students to eat.

A shipment of rice that was sent to the Government Commercial Secondary School in Dutse was turned down because it did not adhere to the necessary criteria. Because of the event, the Commissioner later fired Alhaji Sule Zai, the Chairman of the School Feeding Contractors.

At the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dutse, three contractors—Kamalu Sulaiman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abanderi, and Alhaji Umaru Chamo—were suspended for providing students with inadequate food supplies.

According to Hon. Sankara, the actions were consistent with the administration’s commitment to accountability and openness in public programs as well as Governor Umar A. Namadi’s 12-Point Agenda.

He threatened to prosecute anyone caught misusing funds intended for the welfare and nutrition of students.

He stated that in order to guarantee value for public dollars and adherence to criteria in all social intervention programs, inspections would continue throughout the state.

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