COVER
Rivers Crises: Lawmakers Deny Fubara Entry into Assembly Quarters
By Joel Oladele and Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The political crises in Rivers State took a new turn yesterday as Governor Siminalayi Fubara was barred from entering the state House of Assembly quarters, where lawmakers loyal to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike have been convening.
Arriving with a delegation of senior officials, including the Secretary to the State Government, Dr.
Tammy Danagogo and his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, Fubara faced a fortified gate, leaving him unable to communicate with assembly members.The escalating tensions were further complicated by Wike’s comments suggesting an impeachment of Fubara would not lead to chaos.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said this yesterday, at a media parley in Abuja.
Also speaking on the recent visit of Pan Niger Delta Development Forum (PANDEF) to President Bola Tinubu at the villa, Wike tackled the organization, describing it as the worst anybody can rely on.
However, Fubara while addressing journalists over the development at the assembly’s gate accused Speaker Martin Amaewhule of deliberately avoiding him, stating that several calls placed to the lawmaker went unanswered.
He stated, “Before my arrival here, I made several attempts to speak to the Speaker. I also sent a letter which was transmitted for this particular invitation.
“Unfortunately, at the gate, you can see that the place is completely sealed, and there is no sign that anything is going to happen today.”
The governor insisted that his actions were in the interest of the people, stressing that he remained committed to fulfilling his constitutional duties.
“The reason why we are doing this, I have always said, is in the interest of our people, which is the most important thing. I don’t think there is anything to worry about. I expect to hear from them after today,” he added.
After addressing the press, the governor and his entourage left the premises.
Nothing ‘ll Happen if Fubara is Sacked Says Wike
Former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike said heaven would not fall if the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly impeached his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara
Wike said this at a media parley in Abuja yesterday.
He maintained that there would be nothing wrong if the state lawmakers decided to impeach Fubara for alleged impeachable offences, which, according to him, include withholding their salaries for months.
He said, “Politics is not a play, if you have committed an offence to be impeached, what’s wrong? Is it a criminal offence? It’s provided in the constitution. Am I a member of the Assembly?
“If you have committed an infraction of the constitution and the Assembly deems it fit to say, you should be impeached.
“Let us wait till 2027 to vote him out? Don’t you know what to do? What is all this hullabaloo that they will impeach? And let me tell you, and I have heard people say, Oh, if they impeach him, there will be a breakdown of law and order! Rubbish.
“The right thing must be done. We challenge this illegality and today we are happy that the Supreme Court has made a pronouncement. Who is wrong? Who is right? Commend those who challenge illegality. Don’t commend those who said we will do anything that is wrong.”
The ex-governor argued that the Amaewhule-led House could have gone on a six-month recess after the Supreme Court judgment if the Assembly had not been disposed to peace.
Wike also rubbished Fubara’s letter to the lawmakers, saying he should have done better.
“Speaker and assembly members are not your children. You must have a relationship with them. I sit with them. We eat together, we drink together, and we play together. They are not your boys. They are not your girls. They were elected as you were also elected; it was through the same election that made you win the election that brought them in. Legislature is a different arm of government. So you must be careful.
“When I was Governor, “I travel with my legislators, As I am traveling I ask Mr Speaker if I can have three, four, five legislators to accompany me on this trip. The president travels on a trip and he says to call me so and so senator, House of Representatives member I want them to join me in my trip.
“You create a relationship; it is not a master servant thing,” Wike said.
It would be recalled that on Friday, February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed Fubara’s cross-appeal challenging the validity of the House of Assembly presided over by Amaewhule as the Speaker.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, the apex court ordered Amaewhule to resume sitting immediately with other elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The court also barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other agencies from releasing funds to the Government of Rivers State until its House of Assembly set up aligns with the dictates of the Nigerian Constitution.
The Supreme Court further ruled that the local government election conducted in the state in October 2024 was invalid.
PANDEF, Worst Organization to Rely on – Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has tackled Pan Niger Delta Development Forum (PANDEF), describing it as the worst organization anybody can rely on.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja yesterday, the former governor of Rivers state said the recent visit of PANDEF to President Bola Tinubu at the Villa, over the ongoing crisis rocking the state is belated as it has initially turned down the initial intervention of the President to broker peace.
Wike said, “Yesterday, I heard that some people went to see Mr President, PANDEF, it is the worst organization anybody can rely on.
“I used to tell my father, Dad, I am disappointed in this. If you continue I am not going to support you, I will not be a party to it”.
He lambasted the organisation further, “If you have a father who is always interested in money he can sell his child or his children, these leaders, look at the comments they have made.
“Mr. President intervened in this matter. I’m not talking about the Vice President. Mr President. The Vice President, National Security Adviser (NSA), was there. NSA signed for implementation of peace. This same PANDEF came out and said, Mr President has no right.
“People like Chief Seriake , one of the worst persons you can ever think of, one of the political merchants. I know them. Diette Spiff, whom I respected, went to the government house. Look at the statement he made. I’m an Ijaw man, you’re an Ijaw man, call us We’ll be with you. An elder statesman would go and make such a statement.
“Now you are the same person, coming again to go and meet Mr President, to intervene. To intervene in what? Mr president that had no right, Mr President that you took to court, that he had no power to intervene. They took Mr President to court, the high court in Rivers state, down to the court of appeal they lost and now down to the Supreme Court. Now, the Supreme Court has given judgment. Now you’re going to tell the President to do what? What does the President do? That supreme judgment should not be obeyed?”
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
As part of efforts to reposition the newspaper for optimum corporate performance, the management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the appointment of David Torough as the Editor of the Abuja-based national daily.
A statement by the management said the appointments were part of the company’s new strategy to further penetrate the various states in the country and raise its readership and patronage.
“DAILY ASSET is widely acceptable across the country and to maintain our leadership position, we need to increase management presence, hence the need to create new Bureau offices in some locations outside Abuja and Lagos,” the statement quoted the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Dr Cletus Akwaya to have said.
In a statement yesterday, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the fast-growing daily, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the appointment was part of the new strategy to properly situate the paper for better productivity.
“DAILY ASSET has a commitment with the Nigerian people. We are determined to weather the storm and give Nigerian readers a Newspaper that satisfies their yearnings and reading pleasure and we can only do that with the right set of professionals,” the statement said.
Akwaya, a former Commissioner of Information from Benue State said the difficult times being faced by Nigerians posed a great challenge to the media as the people deserved credible information with which to make choices.
“We have a bond with the people, to offer credible information at all times in the best tradition of the Nigerian Press and on this scale of objectivity, truth and fairness, we pledge to remain steadfast no matter the challenges,” Akwaya was quoted to have said.
He said the newspaper will maiantin its daily print run and circulation to all states of the federation and urged advertisers to take advantage of the deep penetration of the Daily Asset brand to send their messages.
Torough, the new Editor has had a steady rise in the Newspaper in the last five years.
A graduate of Mass communication of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Torough joined the company in 2022 as Benue State Correspondent. He was spotted for his brilliance and redeployed to Abuja the following year and promoted to Deputy News Editor. He was subswuently named Deputy Editor of the paper, a position he held until the recent appointment.
Torough has attended several journalistic workshops and trainings to properly equip himself for the task ahead.
The statement also said the Management named Eze Okechukwu as Deputy Editor.
Before his elevation as Deputy Editor, Eze has been Deputy Politics Editor and DAILY ASSET Newspaper correspondent covering the Senate, having joined the organization in 2021.
Born on March 10, 1975, Eze holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Eze began his journalism career with Daily Star, Enugu and later worked with Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja as sports reporter.
Aside from his journalistic excellence, he has a great deal of passion for sports.
From Ngutor Dekera, Kaduna and Aliyu Askira, Kano
Northern governors and traditional rulers yesterday called for the suspension of mining activities across the region for six months, blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity in many states.The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
The meeting, chaired by the Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, had in attendance the 19 northern governors and chairmen of the 19 states’ traditional councils. The Forum expressed concern over the escalating violence in parts of the North, including the killings and abductions recently recorded in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.“The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said, noting that the attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens had become “unacceptable tragedies” that required urgent collective action.It commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to recent abductions and insurgency threats, especially the rescue of some abducted pupils.The governors also saluted security agencies for their sacrifices on the frontlines.“We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.A major highlight of the meeting was the North’s renewed push for the establishment of state police, with governors and traditional rulers insisting that decentralised policing had become inevitable.“The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, urging federal and state lawmakers from the region to “expedite action for its actualisation.”On illegal mining, the governors said criminal mining networks were fuelling violence and providing resources for armed groups.As a corrective measure, they asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to impose a six-month suspension of mining activities in order to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences.“The Forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in Northern Nigeria. “We strongly recommend a suspension of mining exploration for six months to allow proper audit and to arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining,” it said.To strengthen the fight against insecurity, the governors also announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund.Under the proposed arrangement, each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1bn monthly, to be deducted at source under an agreed framework.They said the fund would help provide sustainable financing for joint operations, intelligence-driven interventions and coordinated security responses across the region.At the end of the meeting, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to unity and collective responsibility.“Only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us,” it declared.The Forum agreed to reconvene on a date to be announced.Meanwhile, Nigeria’s worsening security crisis took a grim turn on Monday as bandits launched fresh attacks in Kano State, abducting 25 villagers, even as the Federal Government raced to secure the release of more than 300 Catholic school children kidnapped in Niger State.In the early hours of Monday, armed bandits invaded Unguwar Tsamiya—popularly called Dabawa—in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, whisking away nine men and two women after shooting into the air and assaulting residents. The attackers also rustled two cows.A resident lamented the community’s helplessness: “We cannot do otherwise; most of us cannot leave because we have nowhere to go. This is our place, our land and everything is here.”The assault came less than 24 hours after a similar attack on Yan Kamaye in Tsanyawa LGA, a community along the volatile Katsina border.In Niger State, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has assured distraught families of St. Mary’s Co-Education School, Kontagora that the more than 300 students and staff abducted on November 21 will return home “soon.” Ribadu, who led a high-level federal delegation to the school on Monday, said the abductees are safe, though he offered no specifics on their location or the status of rescue operations.According to Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, the NSA reassured officials: “The children are where they are and will come back safely.”The St. Mary’s attack is part of a worrying resurgence of mass kidnappings reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction. Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved into a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” with hundreds of Nigerians abducted in November alone.The Kontagora school abduction occurred the same week 25 girls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—victims who authorities say have since been rescued through “non-kinetic” means. About 50 of the St. Mary’s hostages have also managed to escape.Ribadu’s delegation, which included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the freedom of all abducted citizens.As communities from Kano to Niger continue to bear the brunt of these violent incursions, the escalating spate of kidnappings underscores the urgent national demand for a more decisive and coordinated security response.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will face a team of interrogators at its office daily throughout December.A credible source in the EFCC said on Monday that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of an alleged 490 million dollars Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request.
The source said that Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC on Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja for further interrogation.The source said Malami would have to appear daily at the anti-graft office due to the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.”He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.”He will be reporting every day, starting from Dec. 1st to Dec. 31st.He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December.”He will be reporting to EFCC for investigation for the period because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him,” the source added.According to the source, a fact sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”The commission cited the large volume of documents he must review and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.The source said EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, on Monday in Abuja, however, described the EFCC investigation as a political witch‑hunt.He confirmed he honored an EFCC invitation on Nov. 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.Malami described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.
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