Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers, Chief Tony Okocha, says unless Gov. Siminalayi Fubara abides by the law, the political crisis in the state will persist.

Okocha said this at a news conference on Friday in Abuja while reacting to the recent court ruling on the state with regards to the disbursement of local government allocations.

An Abuja Federal High Court had, on Wednesday, retrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from further releasing local government allocations from the Federation Account to the state.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling, held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to constitutional provisions.

She described Fubara’s receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January 2024 as nothing short of a constitutional aberration that must not be allowed.

The judge further held that Fubara’s action in implementing an unlawful budget stood as a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution he swore to protect.

Okocha, in his reaction, said blackmailing President Bola Tinubu and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), over the court ruling would not solve the political crisis in the state.

He described Fubara as Wike’s political investment who was a mere civil servant before he was lifted from a state of relative political obscurity to political crescendo by the FCT minister.

Okocha further stated that the governor was brought to politics and limelight by Wike.

“Wike is not, in any way, suffocating Fubara as is being alleged.

“Blackmailing President Tinubu and Wike psychologically over the recent court ruling will not help the case in Rivers because the law has to be followed.

“We stand with and by the court, and not with any strong man’s morality. It is not right for anyone to start proclaiming self-righteousness.

“Wike is innocent in the political crisis in Rivers and should, therefore, not be dragged into it,” Okocha said.

He said the only way to bring peace to the state was for Fubara to follow the law and abide by the court ruling, adding that “the law does not recognise sentiments but facts as presented.

“Wike brought Fubara to where he is today. He lifted him from obscurity to political crescendo. Nobody is suffocating anybody. The fight in Rivers state is between Fubara and Fubara,” he said.

The APC chairman added that the political crisis would have long ended if Fubara had obeyed Tinubu’s intervention in the first place.

According to him, Fubara has been running the state without an approved budget, which is against the law.

He said it was unfortunate that those playing up unnecessary sentiments and backing the governor failed to see the illegality going on under his administration.

The way out of the political crisis, according to him, is for the governor to obey the law of the land, including the law regarding the state budget.

“We use this opportunity to speak against attempts to disparage innocent persons, namely: Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister. In all the cases in court, they are about 32, he is not a party to any of them.

“If the governor had obeyed Justice Omotoso’s judgment; if he had listened to the counsel of President Tinubu; if he had listened to the Court of Appeal recently, all of these would have disappeared,” Okocha stated.

On the recent attempt by some stakeholders and elders in the Niger Delta zone to reconcile the gladiators in Rivers crisis, Okocha said such a move was too late.

He added that there was no point crying over spilt milk, wondering where those elders were when the political crisis started.

“If you ask me, the only other hurdle to escape is the Supreme Court. What are the elders coming to do at this late hour, if they actually would want to come?

“They are the same people who told the governor that he is a know-all and do-all; they encouraged him to believe that his head was bigger than his pillow.

“They told him his powers are elastic and the governor agreed to that,” he said.

Okocha added that most of the elders had disappeared into thin air after lining their pockets while the governor was now on the hot seat.(NAN)

From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Kogi State House of Assembly has appealed to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to consider the renovation of Abejukolo General Hospital, Basic Healthcare and Educational facilities affected by the recent crisis in Omala Local Government Area of the State.The lawmakers made the appeal during the House plenary sitting on Thursday in a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Omala State Constituency, Hon Umar Yahaya.

Umar Yahaya also demanded for the commendation of Governor Ododo for deploying Joint Security Personnel’s to the crisis areas of Omala urging the government to put in place measures for rebuilding of facilities in the devastated communities. According to him, this would ensure that those returning residents who were affected by the crisis have access to medical care and educational opportunities, particularly as people have started going back to resettle in their ancestral homes due to improved security.He appealed to the Kogi State Government to prioritize the rebuilding of the communities affected by these repeated attacks, specifically Bagana, Agojeju-Odoh, Agbenema, Iyade and other villages within Omala Local Government.Yahaya seized the opportunity to request the leadership of the house to mandate its Peace and Security Committee or any other Committee of the house to provide oversight to ensure the continuation and completion of these restoration projects, recognizing the immediate needs and the right of the affected communities to resume normalcy, dignity, and safety in their daily lives.Seconding the motion, Hon. Usman Ochidi, member representing Dekina/Biraidu State Constituency noted that the cardinal responsibility of any government is to provide adequate security for his people. “We are all aware of what happened in Omala before his Excellency’s visit. After then, peace has finally returned to the crisis area. This is a welcome development and we must appreciate Governor Ododo. The Governor should help us to provide all the social amenities, especially the hospital for the affected victims in the crisis area to return to their homes”.On his part, Olawunmi Jacob from Mopa-Muro State Constituency while aligning himself with the prayers outlined by the mover of the motion said peace remains a factor for development in any society.Major Enefola, lawmaker representing Igalamela Odolu Constituency also commended the joint security task force for their proactive measures and efforts in maintaining peace in the areaHe wanted the Kogi State Government to replicate the deployment of Joint Security Personnel’s in other crisis prone areas in Kogi State.Explaining further, the lawmaker said “It is very disheartening to wake up and witness the needless deaths of our citizens. This must stop”.Adding his voice, the member representing Adavi State Constituency Hon. Asema Baba Haruna while commending the mover of the motion prayed that such ugly incident will not happen again in the State.The member representing Ajaokuta State Constituency Hon. Abu Onoru-Oiza Jibrin said the construction of the health sector is pivotal in reawakening any community. “The renovation of Abejukolo hospital is very key for the people while we are also aware that other things are important,” he added.In his contributions, the member representing Lokoja I State Constituency Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijani also joined his colleagues in commending the State Government for the swift response in restoring peace in the affected crisis areas.Ruling on the motion, the Deputy Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Comfort Ojoma Nwuchiola Egwaba who presided over the plenary thanked Governor Ododo for fulfilling his commitments in restoring peace in Agojeju-Odoh and its environs.

The leadership of Labour Party (LP) says Ms Oluchi Oparah, its former National Treasurer, is not the National Woman Leader of the party.

This is contained in a statement by issued the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, on Thursday in Abuja.

Ifoh said that Oparah was suspended indefinitely in November 2023 as a member of Labour Party for alleged anti-party activities, adding that her suspension is still subsisting.

He said that Oparah was never the national woman leader of the party and that she had never contested to be one at any point in time.

“A person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others is an impostor.

“Therefore, her recent actions, using the office of the National Woman Leader of the Labour Party to seek pecuniary patronage amount to impersonation.

“This development has immensely embarrassed the Labour Party, hence this disclaimer,” he said.

According to him, the national woman leader of the party is Mrs Dudu Manuga.

“She alone is constitutionally mandated to oversee the activities of millions of Labour Party women in Nigeria and across the globe.

“We are, by this disclaimer, alerting organisations including the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), The Kukah Foundation, Non-Governmental Organisations, political associations, National Assembly, and security agencies to be aware of her dubious activities,” he said.

Ifoh warned any individual or organisation being approached by Oparah to contact the police immediately. (NAN)