Politics

Rivers APC Faction Clashes With Tony Okocha Over Call For Fubara’s Resignation

Published

9 months ago

March 10, 2025

The faction of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has hit back at Tony Okocha, another factional chairman of the party, for asking Governor Siminalayi Fubara to resign or be impeached.

Okocha had on Monday called for the governor’s immediate resignation or face impeachment, saying no investigation panel was needed because, according to him, the Supreme Court had already stated the facts.

Okocha, who FCT Minister Nyesom Wike heavily backs in the battle against Fubara, told journalists that he is the voice of the voiceless and the voice of opposition in Rivers State.

Meanwhile, the rival faction of the party loyal to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, headed by Chief Emeka Bekee, has pulled the rug off Okocha’s feet, saying the APC executive committee he is standing on has since been nullified for conducting the election that threw him up as chairman against court order.

Okocha said Fubara conducted LGA elections contrary to Federal High Court order, but Darlington Nwauju, publicity secretary of the Emeka Beke-led APC elected exco, reminded Okocha that he too is standing outside the law.

He said Okocha’s caretaker committee (CTC) was nullified by the court but that he held on without a valid court counterorder.

He also said the High Court in Port Harcourt ordered the APC not to hold the congress that brought Okocha in but that he (Okocha) relied on the support of a strong man to go ahead and hold the congress and emerged as state chairman in rivalry to a court-recognised state executive council.

He said the High Court also reviewed the actions and nullified the state executive he formed based on disobedience to court order, but that he (Okocha) has continued to serve and reign outside the law.

Reacting to Okocha’s call for Fubara to resign immediately or be impeached, Nwauju said in a WhatsApp message to newsmen: “Our response: Recall that part of the grounds which the Supreme Court latched on to sustain the FHC judgment that nullified the local government elections in Rivers State was that election went ahead despite the court’s judgment stopping the process.

“Now, our question is — if we are not a people suffering from collective amnesia in Rivers State, why must a Tony Okocha, who is still parading himself as chairman of the APC in Rivers against the judgment of the court, now be the person pontificating over abuse of or disobedience to court process?

“What kind of physician goes about healing others while needing a health emergency? The likes of Tony Okocha are conflict entrepreneurs as far as the political saga in Rivers State is concerned and posterity will not forget the ignoble roles he is playing in dismantling democracy and the rule of law in Rivers State!”

In a previous statement regarding Fubara’s attack, Nwauju accused Okocha of being unable to account for his time at the NDDC since his ‘unfortunate’ appointment. “He steadily deploys reverse psychology to pull the wool over the eyes of Rivers people to hide his visionless stray into the NDDC.

“But this “pot that has made it a duty always to call the kettle black” must know that we understand his antics, and we sound it as a warning to him that Rivers people deserve accountability for his lackluster tenure at the NDDC and we shall henceforth begin an expose on several fraudulently awarded projects begging explanations linked to him.

“Having maintained a steady voyage reeking in inconsistency, how do we even bother responding to a man who once said “the 27 members of the State Assembly are now in APC only a month later, the same person on national TV claimed they never defected but that he only tried to woo them? How can someone who does not know the color of our party register now tell the world who has left or joined the party? What can a cockroach possibly be saying in the gathering of fowls?”

The publicity secretary urged Nigerians not to continue to consult Okocha on matters relating to the APC in Rivers State.

Related Topics:#Rivers APC Fubara Rivers

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Politics

Ambassadorial Nominees: Ndume Asks Tinubu To Withdraw List

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

Ahead of the Senate’s screening and confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees sent to the Red Chamber by the Presidency, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list from parliament.

The federal lawmaker declared that the composition of nominees was in clear breach of the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.

Checks revealed that while certain states have three and four nominees, states like Gombe have no representation, while the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, died last July.

The entire North East state has 7 nominees in the list.

Further checks revealed that the South West geopolitical zone has 15 nominees, while the North West and South East have 13 and 9, respectively.

North Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees, while South South region has 12 nominees.

The Senate President at plenary on Thursday formally read the list of nominees and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.

The Senator representing Borno South in a statement issued on Saturday maintained that the list of nominees was in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution which mandates that the composition and conduct of the federal government must reflect the “federal character of Nigeria” to ensure national unity and loyalty.

The section reads: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

The former Chief Whip of the Senate admonished President Tinubu to avoid taking decision that will fuel ethnic tension and promote distrust in the country, amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration.

He said: “My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.

“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country.

“He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on Federal Character Principle that government’s structure and operations must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria.”

Politics

PDP Issues Certificate Of Expulsion To Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, Others

Published

5 days ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it has issued certificate of expulsion from the party to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and other 10 members earlier expelled from the party.

The party National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen after the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

The other members, according to him, include the embattled National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, the Legal Adviser, Kamarudeen Ajibade, former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

They also included Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah Nnanna, George Turna and Chief Dan Orbih, expelled during the party National convention in Lagos.

Turaki said that the original copies of the certificate had been dispatched to the owners through a courier service to serve as proof that they were expelled from the PDP.

“We have taken note of the fact that Nigerian law frowns on dual membership of political parties, and so we have sought to make it easy for them.

“Now that they are no longer members of our party, and now that the National Convention, which is the highest decision-making organ of our party, has expelled them, we have decided to issue them certificates of expulsion.

“So, when they go to register with other political parties in Nigeria, they will show these certificates as proof that they are no longer members of the PDP.

“By that, those parties will not accuse them of trying to belong to more than one political party,” he said.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services, and other government agencies, to take note.

“Very soon, members of the society will be informed via proper disclaimers that any person henceforth who decides to do business with them, any or all of them, does so at his or her own risk.

“They are no longer members of the PDP. They have been expelled,” he added.

He added that the NWC also reviewed some of the cases filed against the party and lawsuits instituted by the party, particularly the one that related to the “unlawful and illegal” closure of the party’s national Secretariat, the Legacy House, and the Wadata Plaza.

“The brief we received from our lawyers is that we are on sound ground, and that very soon, the law will take its course,” he said.

Turaki said the NWC was prepared to be saddled with the responsibility of performing its functions as the leading opposition party in Nigeria.

“We are going to provide a credible alternative to Nigerians. We are going to provide credible leadership to Nigerians by the special grace of God from 2027,” he said.

Politics

Adebayo Adedamola Wins Osun PDP Governorship Primary

Published

6 days ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, popularly known as FRYO, has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the August 8, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

The primary election took place in Osogbo on Tuesday amid heavy security presence.

Announcing the result, chairman of the primary election committee, Humphrey Abba, stated that Adebayo secured 919 votes out of 957 accredited ballots, giving him a clear victory in the contest.

Explaining that there were 20 void votes following the withdrawal of one of the candidates, believed to be Governor Ademola Adeleke, Abba added, “The candidate that got the remaining votes is Adebayo Adedamola with 919 votes and he stands elected and returned.”

DAILY POST reports that despite announcing his resignation from the party, Adeleke’s name appeared on the ballot paper for the PDP governorship primary.

Party officials said the exercise was conducted in accordance with established guidelines, with accredited delegates participating in the voting process.

Adeleke announced his resignation in a letter dated November 4, 2025, and addressed to the PDP leadership at his ward.

On Monday, Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, had announced that the governorship primary slated for Tuesday, December 2, 2025, has been postponed due to leadership crisis at the national level.

But a faction of the party went ahead with the exercise in Osogbo on Tuesday.