The crisis in Rivers State snowballed into violence on Monday leading to the killing of a brother to Edison Ehie, Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s Chief of Staff, the father of a newly elected councillor, and about three others.

Also, three local government secretariats were torched by suspected thugs shortly after the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, withdrew the policemen guarding the council premises.

 Suspected political thugs torched Ikwere Local Government while an explosion rocked the Eleme council secretariat.

Rival groups also attempted to take over Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni councils.

The development disrupted the planned resumption of the 23 newly elected local government chairmen and the swearing-in of 314 councillors.

Emohua Local Government Area was reportedly taken over by members of the Peoples Democratic Party opposed to the council poll which was held on Saturday.

The PDP and the All Progressives Congress had on Sunday rejected the conduct and outcome of the local government election, stating that no election was held in Rivers State on Saturday.

The Rivers State PDP loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, described the poll as an exercise in futility, vowing to challenge it in court.

Despite the opposition to the poll, Fubara swore in the newly elected council chairmen at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House in Port Harcourt, on Sunday.

The council election was won by Fubara’s allies in the Action Peoples Party which secured 22 out of 23 chairmanship positions, while the Action Alliance candidate won one seat.

The APP also won 314 out of the 319 councillorship seats in the 23 LGAs in the state.

The new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, who withdrew the policemen guarding the secretariats on Monday, explained that it was in compliance with the IG’s directives.

The police had sealed the 23 LGA headquarters in July following the crisis that greeted the attempted tenure elongation of the former LGA chairmen in the state.

The command said the decision was in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.

 The police in a statement said, “In view of the recent political developments in Rivers State, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Bala Mustapha hereby convey the directives of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, for the immediate withdrawal of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and safeguard the Local Government Secretariats in the state.

 “This decision is in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.

 “Consequently, the IGP has ordered the unsealing of the Local Government Secretariats, which were earlier secured by police personnel.

“The police will only be redeployed to these locations in the event of any crisis or breakdown of law and order, in which case emergency measures will be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.’’

But a few hours after the elected LG chairmen attempted to enter the secretariats to swear in their councillors, gunshots and violence broke out in some areas.

In Ahoada East Local Government Area, as the chairman and his councillors tried to access the secretariat, loud gunshots rent the air.

As a violent protest erupted in front of the council, a detachment of policemen was deployed to quell the situation which later got out of hand.

The policemen were forced to fire several gunshots into the air to disperse the crowd, and soldiers arrived at the scene and allegedly took over the secretariat.

During the melee, a relative of the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Edison Ehie, was reportedly shot dead.

The state Secretary of the Inter-State Party Advisory Council, Benjamin Ogbobula, confirmed the incident.

He condemned the torching of several council secretariats in the state.

Ogbobula, who spoke on a news programme aired Nigeria Info, Port Harcourt, monitored by our correspondent on Monday, called on security agencies in the state and the National Security Adviser to take urgent action to contain the political situation before it gets out of hand.

He stated, “What I know about Ahoada East, is they shot the junior brother to the Chief of Staff, Government House. I condemn the dastardly act in its entirety.

‘’They don’t have the right to take life and the burning of the local government is not a welcome development. They are taking us back. We must forge ahead.

Ogbobula, who is also the Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party in the state, said Fubara was right to have sworn in the elected LG chairmen.

At the Obio/Akpor council secretariat, scores of youths were spotted wielding machetes, bottles and sticks.

The youths later clashed with another group at the council secretariat while gunshots rang out shortly after the Chairman of the local government, Chijioke Ihunwo, inaugurated the newly elected councillors.

It was also gathered that friends and well-wishers who came to grace the inauguration ran for their lives.

Some scaled the fence of the secretariat for safety, while others ran for their lives through the back gate.

In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, a similar protest took place as some youths blocked the entrance of the council headquarters in an attempt to stop the new local government chairman from entering the premises.

One of the protesters cited the amendment of the Local Government Law by the Martin Amaewhule-led state House of Assembly which extended the tenure of the former LG chairman by six months due to the alleged failure of Fubara to conduct the council elections then.

The unidentified man said, “When the governor was unable to constitute or empower RSIEC to conduct local government election, the House of Assembly considered it that a vacuum cannot exist and thereby extended the tenure of the local government chairmen by six months. The six months is still running, and the governor woke up from his slumber to do a Kangaroo election.”

Online videos showed some youths destroying plastic chairs outside the secretariat even as they afterwards forced their way into the premises after unlocking the gate.

In Eleme LGA, a section of the council secretariat was set ablaze with substances suspected to be dynamites.

This occurred before the local government chairman, Brian Gokpa, arrived at the secretariat with his councillors and supporters.

It was gathered that some properties were looted before the hoodlums torched the building but the fire was extinguished by the chairman’s supporters before the officials of the fire service arrived.

However, offices, windows, doors, and stationery were destroyed by the fire.

Gokpa assured that the incident would not affect the discharge of his constitutional duties to the people of the area.

He stated, “On reaching here this morning we found the secretariat being torched by hoodlums who don’t mean well for Eleme people. This act was carried out around 8am-8:30am.

“It was looted first before it was set ablaze. If you go around now you won’t find anything. The furniture, fridge, air conditioners, everything in the offices were looted.

‘’We are going to start from scratch. It is a very difficult situation. However, since we are ready for leadership we will ensure that we start on a new note.”

In Khana Local Government Area, a man said to be the father of one of the newly elected councilors, was hit by a bullet fired by some hoodlums who shot sporadically near the Rectors’ Lodge where the swearing-in of the councillors was about to take place in Bori, the council headquarters.

Meanwhile, the River governor’s camp has warned against the declaration of emergency rule in the state.

The Special Assistant on Electronic Media to the Rivers State Governor, Jerry Omatsogunwa, condemned the violence that erupted in the state, even as he described as wicked those calling for the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.

Omatsogunwa stated, “Is that not witchcraft? That is pure witchcraft.  I think four states held an election on Saturday, the same time as the Rivers State election and those people have been sworn in, nobody has called for a state of emergency in those states.

‘’So far, out of the 26 states that were running caretaker before the Supreme Court came and gave that window of three months, nobody has called for a declaration of state of emergency in those states. That is so wicked, that is so barbaric and it’s not fit for modern-day society. The wickedness of the highest order.’’

Speaking further, the media aide asked President Bola Tinubu to ignore those suggesting an emergency rule in the state.

He noted, “We have problems in some Northern states where other things are happening, yet nobody has called for a state of emergency. They gave a window for election, the state high court has said go ahead with the election, what the Federal high court did is okay, police aren’t involved in the election.’’

He further said, “You (journalists) went round to cover the election, did you see any police anywhere? And this is the most peaceful election. I can tell you the police were interlopers; they were looting and carting away materials to cause a crisis.

‘’So, as far as I’m concerned, the election went well and the people have been sworn in, there is no need to call for such wicked order to be carried out in Rivers State. Is it up to what has happened in Borno state; Is it up to what has happened in Plateau state where villages were burnt down?’’

Omatsogunwa castigated the police for allegedly failing to discharge their responsibility of protecting the people.

 “And by the way, what is the duty of the police? Is their duty not to protect lives and property? The people that came to Obio/Akpor today, for instance, to shoot for over 30 minutes, did the police come out to chase them away?

‘’Is the order they gave them that they shouldn’t work in Rivers State again? If we know they’re not working, we should just devise a way to protect ourselves at the end of the day.

 “If the police know that they are not working because they asked them to leave the secretariat that they unlawfully occupied, then everybody should be able to protect themselves. But I pray that the government doesn’t push people that they now decide to defend themselves.”

An activist and Convener, Ogoni Development Drive, Solomon Lenu, confirmed the incident to our reporter on the telephone, saying he escaped the scene by the whiskers.

Lenu said, “It happened right before my eyes. In fact,  God in heaven said it was not my time. I escaped the shooting this morning.

“Today they wanted to swear in the councillors. I was going there with one of the councillors. As we were about to get to the Rector’s Lodge, the police told us to just wait.

“Within one minute, there was sporadic shooting all over the corner, everywhere. They came from the bushes and started shooting everywhere. Unfortunately, the father of one of the councillors, who also came got shot and died on the spot and other people were injured.”

Commenting on the development in the state, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, noted that his Rivers State counterpart had proven himself a true democrat.

 Mohammed said Fubara against all odds pushed through with his decisions and actions to deepen democracy.

 The Bauchi State governor reportedly said this after he witnessed the swearing-in of the 23 council chairmen, according to a statement on Monday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Nelson Chukwudi.

The PDP Governors’ Forum chairman affirmed Rivers as a PDP state, even though the newly sworn-in local government chairmen and councillors were elected under different political parties.

 The Bauchi governor bemoaned the situation, describing it as the problem that they have found themselves both as a party and governors.

 However, Mohammed said Fubara, who is the Vice Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, is still a member of the PDP although other parties constituted the body of elected officers at the local government level.

 He said, “Of course, he is still with us. He’s still a PDP man, and I have to come, on behalf of the governors to show solidarity with him for his very proactive democratic instincts that he developed, which is a new manifestation in the political arena in Nigeria which he had to intensify, and he has to develop strategy to be able to deliver governance, irrespective of party allegiance or party consideration.’’

Continuing, he added,  “He didn’t have a structure of the party in the state for certain reasons, and he had to go out to make sure he allowed other parties to participate within the political space so that there wouldn’t be any vacuum.

 “And, I think this is very auspicious, that is very creative and I am very proud of him. And I said, yes, we have lost as a party, and that is why we want to be running away from this.

 “Again, he has established himself as a governor and the pride of all the governors in Nigeria.”

 Mohammed pointed out why it is inadvisable to ignore a governor at the sub-national level because of the role he plays and the following he commands.

 He described as unacceptable the plot to undermine the office and person of the Rivers state governor.

He added, “A governor is the chief executive, he can do anything. He can spring surprises because the Nigerian state is run by governors at the sub-national level.

 “Even the Federal Government is a tenant. Nigerians live in the states and local governments, and that is why what he did today is very proactive and creative, irrespective of the fact that he knew his party would lose.’’

 “And certainly, because of his deep democratic instincts, he had to allow the other parties to win, and I will just wish that those who have won will see it in their own modesty and willing to give him support because he is not doing it with any strings or asking them to do anything. Let the APP and him have that relationship so that he can govern,” he explained.

Reminiscing about a similar experience, he stated, “I had a similar situation in 2019. I governed a state where only nine PDP persons were members of the state assembly and he (Fubara) is still doing that.

“So, his political sagacity has come to a level where he has become a specimen for democratic studies in Nigeria.”

Speaking on how soon the PDP will resolve its internal crisis and achieve unity, the Bauchi governor said it may seem prolonged but quickly added that true reconciliation was in view.

‘’And that is the more reason I am here. Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the Vice Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. All the governors are with him, and certainly, we are taking steps to ensure reconciliation.

“Reconciliation with somebody who they had started with; the former governor of this state and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory is a must because, certainly, they have come a long way. We didn’t want to throw the baby away with the bad water.

“And certainly, the governors are with the governor (Fubara) because this is our own tradition and fraternity; at the same time, out of our political history as a party that has a history of governance.

“We are still stretching our arms of reconciliation to his mentor, to his friend and brother, and also our colleague,” he added.

Worried by the political tension in Rivers State, a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, has advised the FCT minister to ceasefire and allow his predecessor, Fubara, to work for the people of the state.

George, who appealed in a statement in Lagos on Monday, also called on President Bola Tinubu to advise Wike to work towards ending the political tension in the state.

The PDP Board of Trustees member said this had become imperative now that the people of Rivers had boldly asserted their civic and constitutional rights by voting in Saturday’s council election.

“This is the time for the former governor of the state and now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to allow Gov. Siminalayi Fubara to work and deliver dividends of democracy to the people.

“This is also the time for President Bola Tinubu to advise Wike, who is one of his ministers, to allow the governor to work.

“I say this with all sense of responsibility because if this democracy is truncated, God forbid,  Tinubu, as the Commander-in-Chief, will be the biggest loser,” George said.

According to him, all lovers of democracy are worried that the political happenings in Rivers could lead to the re-enactment of the crisis in the defunct Western Region which raged between 1962 and 1966.

He said the crisis eventually led to the first military coup of Jan. 15, 1966.

The PDP chieftain recalled how some national figures were killed and how the crisis led to a second coup on July 29, 1966, which also claimed the lives of many military officers.

“Since history is no longer taught in our schools, I want to remind the gladiators in this Rivers crisis that the January and July 1966 killings eventually led to the civil war between July 6, 1967 and Jan.15, 1970.

“Close to two million Nigerians died in the war. I am raising this alarm because what is happening in Rivers now is a cause for serious concern for everyone.

“My understanding of this man-made crisis is that there is a despotic, divisive, wicked and anti-people design to create a conflagration which may eventually consume our country.

“We all know the economic importance of Rivers to the survival of this nation. It is the gateway to the Niger Delta.

“Any threat to peace in this state will eventually lead to huge security implications, not only for Nigeria but West Africa and Africa,” he said.

According to him, it is good to have political ambition, but this ambition must not be at variance with the expectations of the people.

He said that some analysts had linked the happenings in Rivers to the 2027 elections’ calculations.

George added, “I believe it is too early to start strategising for a partisan event which is still close to 28 months away. One thing is clear: Nyesom Wike was governor of the state for eight years. He left the Government House in May last year and today, he is the FCT Minister.

“Sir Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi were governors before him. Now that Governor Fubara is the Chief Executive of the state, he should be allowed to work. Nobody stays in office forever.

“By 2027, the people of Rivers will decide, through their votes, if they want him to return to office or not. This is how political issues and ambitions are handled in civilised climes.”

He said that the way the partisan crisis was going, if not checked, might collapse Nigeria’s democracy.

“Now that council chairmen and councillors have been elected, I appeal to Nyesom Wike to please give peace a chance. Tinubu must also call Wike and tell him to allow the governor to work.

“I am appealing to Wike to please let this crisis be a thing of the past. The democracy we enjoy today, many people suffered to bring it to fruition. Some even died.

“We should not be seen to be dancing on their graves because of partisan interests. Only God knows what will happen in 2027 because He is greater, wiser and more powerful than all of us.”

He advised the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to call some judicial officers to order over conflicting court orders.

“Once again, I am appealing to Wike to look at the larger interests in this crisis. He should not allow himself to be used and dumped by the APC.

“The political storm in Rivers must disappear immediately, in the interest of all Nigerians,” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, President Tinubu urged Fubara, political leaders and their supporters in Rivers State to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law.

He urged political actors and their supporters to settle their differences in court, saying, “Self-help has no place in a democratic system.”

The President’s admonition follows reports of arson and vandalism of public facilities in Rivers State after last Saturday’s Local Government Council elections.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President ordered the police to guard public facilities to “Restore and maintain peace, law and order immediately.”

The statement is titled, ‘President Tinubu decries violence in Rivers, directs police to provide security to local government offices.’

In response to the tension in the state, the President expressed deep concern over reports of arson and explosions in the state.

The statement read, “He urged all political actors to de-escalate the situation and discourage their supporters from engaging in violence or destructive actions.  President Tinubu directed the police to restore and maintain peace, law, and order immediately.

“While instructing law enforcement agencies to bring the situation under control, he emphasised the need to ensure the security of public institutions. President Tinubu said government facilities built with public funds must be safeguarded from vandalism.

“He stressed that self-help has no place in a democratic system, especially after 25 years of continuous democracy. According to President Tinubu, the judiciary can settle all political disputes, and the outcome of this election should be no exception.”

Reacting to Tinubu’s statement on the crisis, Fubara expressed worry over President Tinubu’s mention of his name in his statement on the destruction of local government secretariats in Rivers.

Fubara said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, “I do not have any issue with it (the President’s intervention) but I am a bit concerned when my name was only mentioned.

“The issue is very simple. It’s as simple as ABC, everyone in Nigeria, everyone in Rivers State knows where this issue is coming from. It’s not rocket science. We know what the issue is and the issue is not Fubara, it is not.

“I believe strongly that with the recent intervention of the Inspector General of Police, maybe we will have a breathing space.

“Maybe as a result of him pulling his men out of those secretariats might be one of the reasons they (hoodlums) took advantage of the situation but I will appeal that while the men are there, the elected officers should have the opportunity to do their work, at least, let them provide security for them, which was even what I was thinking of.

“I was never of the opinion that the police should pull out completely. No. When they said they were moving out, it was what allowed these miscreants to take advantage of the secretariats to destroy them.”

Governor Fubara also urged his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, to let go of any grip he desires to have over Rivers State and allow peace reign in the oil-rich state.

Asked what his message to Wike would be if they met, Fubara said, “I’ll tell him (Wike) that it has gotten to a point where he needs to let go. We need peace in this state.

“You don’t necessarily need to win all the fights; at times, you just let go for the sake of the good people of Rivers State and the love that you have always professed for the state. We need to secure the state.

“Fubara will leave tomorrow. Who knows who is going to come? It might be through him or another person but we need to secure the state.”

In a related development, the Ijaw National Congress Worldwide urged President Tinubu to pay close attention to political developments in Rivers to avert the breakdown of law and order.

INC president, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

“Rivers is of special interest to the INC as lots of ljaw people are indigenes of the state. The INC believes that the issues we are dealing with in Rivers are far beyond political godfatherism, but that of desperation for state capture by all means and at all costs.

“The extent to which some of the dramatis personae are going with their self-seeking adventurous activities is quite worrisome as it appears that they do not care if democracy is truncated in Nigeria.

“Local government elections are not new in Nigeria. Indeed, it is a constitutional requirement that falls within the legislative purview of the states,’’ he said.

He observed that three other states- Akwa-Ibom, Benue and Jigawa conducted council polls at the same time as Rivers with less rancour.

“It bears questioning why the elections in Rivers attracted such desperation and attention to the extent that the courts and the Nigeria Police became over-interested participants in the drama,” the INC President wondered.

Okaba further said INC could not comprehend how a Federal High Court would restrain the police from performing their constitutional responsibilities.

The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara has charged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to let go of any grip he desires to have over the state.

Fubara stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.

According to Fubara, he does not regret conducting local government election in the state last Saturday.

The governor said he has kept all understanding he had with his predecessor to ensure peace in the state but the issue has continued to escalate.

“There is nothing I have not done on this earth for peace to reign. I can tell you the number of times I have knelt to beg that let’s allow this issue to go. I have done everything,” Fubara said.

Asked what his message to Wike would be if they meet, Fubara said, “I’ll tell him (Wike) that it has gotten to a point where he needs to let go. We need peace in this state.

“You don’t necessarily need to win all the fights; at times, you just let go for the sake of the good people of Rivers State and the love that you have always profess for the state. We need to secure the state.

“Fubara will leave tomorrow. Who knows who is going come. It might be through him or through another person but we need to secure the state.”

Fubara said all Nigerians know that he has no hand in the destruction of local government secretariats in Rivers State.

The governor noted that he sounded the alarm on Sunday evening when he swore in 23 newly elected LG chairpersons in the state that some aggrieved political actors had mobilised to destabilise the peace of the state on Monday.

There is a fire and ballot revolution in Rivers state and the main victim that I can see for now in the burning fire is Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers State, incumbent Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who is on record has having boasted garrulously that if anybody, a politician from any other part of the country thinks that he or she can support Governor Sim Fubara,  his successor, to take the political structure away from him, he, Wike would put fire in that person’s state.  Wike is also on record as having said that there is no politician in the country today that is bigger than him. Wike was so strong a week ago that when he was hosted by a group of Ijaws, supposedly Fubara’s kinsmen, he even repeated his claim that he was effectively in charge of Rivers State. At that occasion, Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State begged Wike not to bring fire to his own state. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum publicly confessed that Wike is indeed the Godfather of Niger Delta politics. Wike may never have heard of Percy Shelley’s Ozymandias. But what has happened in our reckoning on October 5, with the conduct of the local Government elections in Rivers State is better described as Wike’s Ozymandias moment.  It was a moment when Sim Fubara who was brought to power, by Wike as Wike and his allies claim, and who has suffered for so long in their hands decided that enough was enough and that Wike’s dictatorial hold over Rivers State must end. On Saturday, October 5, Fubara the godson, decided that it was time he became the father of the father, and produced his own sons. It was the moment he decided that his own Godfather must be beheaded, so that the son could become the man. He proved the point that Godfathers do not live forever, particularly in Nigerian politics, and that the answer to Godfatherism is political patricide, given the circumstances. 

It will be recalled that Minister Nyesom Wike has never hidden the fact that he made Sim Fubara Governor of Rivers State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Fubara was indeed Wike’s Chief Accountant (2020 – 2022). Wike decided that Fubara would be his preferred successor. So, he bought the form for his nomination. He told the people of Rivers State that Fubara would be their next Governor. He bankrolled the campaign so he claims. He has told us that he did everything possible to make Fubara the Governor. And that came to pass. And that was where the problem began. It was not enough that Wike had been rewarded with a Ministerial appointment by President Bola Tinubu of the rival, now ruling party, the All -Progressives Congress (APC) in compensation for Wike’s treachery against his own party, the PDP, we were faced with a curious situation whereby Wike decided that he would remain in control of governance in Rivers State. He was shameless in defending the amphibian nature of his politics, a man who betrayed his party at the national level insisting that he would also hold on to how politics is played in his home state. His critics alleged that he chose all the political appointees in Fubara’s administration with the exception of maybe one or two. Members of the House of Assembly were majorly Wike’s men. Key commissioners in the administration treated the Governor shabbily because they reported directly to the Godfather in Abuja. Fubara’s wife was not even allowed to attend any event without Wike’s approval. Fubara himself was under close watch. He was a captive in the position that he occupied, a prisoner of the Godfather’s goodwill. But there is a limit to which some people can be pushed to the wall. In May 2024, a frustrated, humiliated Governor Fubara felt compelled to speak up. He said “The Jungle Has Matured.” 

What he meant then was that he was tired of the former Governor, wearing the toga of the Godfather riding roughshod over him, breathing down his neck. He threatened to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the past administration. He sacked or frustrated out of his government Wike’s acolytes who spied on him and treated him as if he did not matter. He faced the House of Assembly members head-long and began to stare them down. His larynx suddenly opened up and he began to talk. He transformed from the timid Godson who begged for peace to the Godson who had developed fangs.  He had the support of the elders and youths of the community who felt Wike should allow Fubara to have his turn as Governor. He wanted to suspend local government chairmen. He was told he could not do it. The people of Rivers had now become divided, pro-Wike, pro-Fubara, both parties threatening fire and brimstone. The majority stood by Fubara. In December 2023, Fubara sacked local government chairmen who served under Wike. He also removed the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers, another Wike ally. He threatened to demolish both the Rivers State House of Assembly and the state legislative quarters. 

On October 5, 2024 the jungle had finally matured. It was the day when local council elections were held in 23 local councils of Rivers State. Before the election, Wike’s loyalists in the PDP and the APC staged a protest on the streets.  The PDP in Rivers State, the sitting Governor’s own party even went ahead to boycott the elections. Boycott has never been a potent political weapon. It may raise questions of legitimacy after the fact but the election would have been won and lost. There were court cases, with the Rivers State High Court and the Federal High Court giving conflicting judgments. In the end, Governor Fubara insisted that the elections would proceed as scheduled on the strength of a July 11, 2024 Supreme Court ruling that only democratically elected persons could be Chairpersons of Local Councils in Nigeria, the Rivers High Court ruling, Section 197 of the 1999 Constitution which creates State Independent Electoral Commissions and Section 59 of the Rivers State Electoral Commission Law No. 2 of 2018. Pro-Wike objectors to the election relied on a Federal High Court ruling which ordered that even the Police must not provide security during the elections. There were skirmishes about the police carting away election materials and the Governor having to visit the headquarters of the RSIEC, as the state electoral body is known, to challenge the police. Nonetheless, the Governor insisted that the elections will take place. 

And so it was, that on Saturday October 5, in 23 local governments, 6, 866 polling units in 319 wards in Rivers State, local government elections were conducted, superintended by Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd), and his staff at RSIEC, with 18 political parties out of 19, participating.  The people of Rivers State turned out in large numbers. They defied the rain. And they voted in a process witnessed by journalists, observers, members of the Nigerian Bar Association and party agents. In the end, Justice Enebeli (rtd) declared the Action Peoples Party (APP), Fubara’s proxy party, since his own PDP boycotted the elections having been hijacked by Wike, as winner in 22 LGAs and 314 councillorship positions. Etche Local Government where results had been suspended was finally declared for the Action Alliance. The remaining councillorship seats were won by the APC (in Ward 3), the Social Democratic Party, the Boot Party and the Young People's Party (YPP). Without much ado, the newly elected Chairmen were quickly sworn in and given their certificates of return on Sunday, October 6 at a Government House ceremony where Governor Fubara proclaimed that desperate situations require desperate measures. 

Truly, the situation in Rivers last Saturday was a desperate one. For me, the following are the quick takeaways. One, Fubara, the godson had become the father. This is in line with an aspect of the wisdom of Silenus which says that ultimately the son becomes the father in the process of Being-ness.  Charles Kettering once said that “Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example, not his advice.” Whatever advice Wike may have given Fubara, what we witnessed on Saturday in Rivers state was a case of Fubara following Wike’s example. In 2016, one of the first things Wike did upon the assumption of office as Governor was to sack some of the Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairmen appointed by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, his predecessor. Wike would soon elect his own Local council Chairmen. And he seized control of the political structure in Rivers State. He beheaded his own Godfather. The same destiny has now caught up with him. Nemesis. Hubris. What a man sows he reaps.  Karma. What goes around comes around. Fubara is now the new Godfather in Rivers politics and he sounded so as he admonished the new local council Chairmen on Sunday to serve the people and not their stomachs. 

Two, Wike had promised to put fire in other people’s states should they interfere in the politics of Rivers State. The fire that he talked about has been lit in his own very backyard. Should he be allowed to put fire in Rivers State? The biggest fear in Rivers today is the fear of violence and the breakdown of law and order. On election day, there was violence in Ogunabali area of Port Harcourt where voters were attacked and election materials were destroyed. In Ward 19, Elekahia, policemen were said to have invaded the polling unit and obstructed the voting process. On Monday, that is yesterday, after the police announced that they had unsealed the local council secretariats, hoodlums attacked the local councils in Ikwerre, Emohua, Ahoada East and Eleme and set them on fire. Elsewhere, anti-Fubara groups tried to prevent the local government chairmen from taking office.  Each one of those locations must be treated as crime scenes. The police may have unsealed the secretariats but their role in the Rivers crisis is deplorable. The Nigeria Police Force has a constitutional role under Sections 214 – 216 of the 1999 Constitution, and Section 4 of the Police Act to protect lives and property. It is one of those strange things in Nigeria’s democratic process that a court of law would give an order that the Police must not provide security in any part of Nigeria and the police hierarchy would claim it is bound by that order, rather than challenge it immediately. The elections in Rivers took place without the police providing security. It is unfortunate that the Nigeria Police unwittingly exposed its own creeping irrelevance in election matters. The people of Rivers did not need 35, 000 policemen deployed in the Edo Gubernatorial elections last month. When the people are determined, they will safeguard the peace and make their own choices. President Tinubu after the fact, and fire that has erupted in Rivers State has now ordered the police to provide security in that state. Must the President wait for the blow-out before intervening? 

Three, the President must go a step further. He must call the main gladiators in Rivers state to order.  He must put a stop to the money business whereby Wike and his allies come to see him in the morning, and Fubara sneaks in later in the day, both parties carrying tales about who is right and who is wrong.  Before the burning of local council headquarters began in Rivers, President Goodluck Jonathan had warned that the desperate situation in Rivers should be handled with caution. He was right. It was precisely an election and the craziness of the political actors that set the Western Region on fire in 1965.  Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa thought it was a problem of the Yoruba people, so Awolowo should worry about it. The Western Region soon became the “Wild Wild West”, and the fires that time consumed not just the Western region but the entire country and Nigeria’s democracy at its infancy. Tinubu says he is on a working vacation abroad, even when such an oxymoron as a working vacation is most strange. We need him to call Fubara and make it clear that he needs to put Rivers in order, otherwise he risks the possibility of a state of emergency being declared in that state. As for Wike, he must be told eyeball to eyeball that if there is no peace in Rivers, he will lose his Ministerial position in the proposed cabinet reshuffle. Fubara and his allies have made it clear that Wike is not so much of a political asset to Tinubu after all. He is not bound to be the man that will deliver Rivers state to Tinubu in 2027. The people of Rivers State have shown that they are done with him. It remains for Wike to learn from Sir Peter Odili, and Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers Governors who have chosen peace by staying in a position of respect and dignity. 

Four, the judiciary showed up wrongly in the Rivers election. Can you imagine a court of law forbidding the security agencies from carrying out their constitutional duties to provide security? This is against the spirit and letter of the Constitution.  Can you imagine courts of equal and co-ordinate jurisdiction issuing conflicting orders, allowing political actors to shop for forum from Port Harcourt to Abuja? There is a new sheriff in the judiciary who has promised to put an end to such conduct. We urge Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, CJN, to begin with the example of Rivers State. The various gladiators have announced that the courts will be their next battle ground. His Lordship must call the judex to order and put a stop to the continued denigration of the role of the judiciary in Nigeria’s electoral processes. 

Five, something has to be done about the local council election process, which in virtually every state simply ends up producing the ruling party in the state or the proxy party of the Governor as the victor. The Governors have seized control of the local government process. In the last week of September in Anambra State, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was declared winner by the ANSIEC in the state’s 21 local government councils and 326 wards. In Rivers, the Governor’s proxy party, the APP took 22 out of 23 local councils and 314 wards out of 319. They “donated” just one local council to another party – the Action Alliance. We witnessed the same scenario in Akwa Ibom state over the weekend where the ruling PDP took 30 councils out of 31. One council, Essien Udim was “donated” to the APC. Senator Godswill Akpabio comes from that local government! The Governor had to spare Essien Udim in recognition of Akpabio’s political relevance. Local council elections were also held in Benue on Saturday, October 5.  The Governor of Benue state is a Catholic priest in politics, Fr. Hyacinth Alia. His party followed the familiar pattern winning all 23 Chairmanship positions and all 276 councillorship seats. We need to rethink, review and reconsider our local council/state election system that serves only the interest of the incumbent Governor. 

Some residents of Bauchi have resorted to trekking as part of survival strategies to cope with the rising cost of living triggered by petrol price hikes.

Workers, traders, and students resorted to trekking for their daily errands as they could not afford the exorbitant transport fares.

The situation was further compounded by the scarcity of commercial vehicles plying the roads in the metropolis.

Servicing stations dispensed petrol between N1,060 and N1,200 per litre, while the product sold at N1,400 per litre at the black market outlets.

Mohammed Saleh, a resident, said the hike in pump prices forced cabs, tricycles and motorcycle riders to increase transport fares by about 300 per cent.

He said the surge in transport fares had forced many residents to embrace trekking or adopt other survival strategies.

“A trip that previously cost N100 now goes for N400. We have no choice but to trek to our places of work and businesses.

“The hike in fuel prices has made transportation costly. Sadly, our salaries can’t keep up,” Mr Saleh said.

A commercial motorcycle operator, Audu Bakoji, said he was not making good sales now due to low patronage of their services.

“People are not patronising us; we’re operating at a loss,” said Mr Audu. “Petrol now costs between N1,060 and N1,200 per litre. Most passengers can’t afford trips, leaving us without customer.”

Corroborating Mr Bakoji, a bus driver, Musa Yakubu, called for urgent measures to address the problem and improve the well-being of the people.

“We urge the government to find a lasting solution to the fuel price crisis. We can’t continue like this. Our livelihood depends on it,” he said.

Aisha Mohammed, a petty trader, said the petrol price hike has not only crippled transportation but also taken a toll on residents’ health due to the long trek.

“Trekking long distances has become the norm; we’re exhausted. And my sales dropped significantly,” she said.

Commenting, Rabiu Baba, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketing Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), attributed the disparity in petrol pricing to the high cost of transportation.

“The price of petroleum commodities is determined by the transportation cost to your destination,” he said.

(NAN)

The Federal Government is set to deliver up to 400,000 barrels of Nigerian crude oil daily to the Dangote refinery under its naira-for-crude agreement, a report by Bloomberg stated on Monday.

It said this significant development is expected to take place over the next two months, amounting to 24 million barrels of Nigerian supply between October and November 2024.

This increase in processing capacity could have substantial implications for both the refinery’s operations and the local oil industry, transforming the region’s import and export markets.

This new development follows the announcement by the Federal Government that the naira-for-crude deal has commenced.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Monday that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is set to begin the supply of crude oil in naira to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery this week with three more refineries set to start the production of Premium Motor Spirit.

According to cargo allocations reviewed by Bloomberg News, Dangote’s increasing reliance on local feedstock will disrupt the Atlantic oil market by substantially decreasing Nigeria’s crude exports.

The 650,000-barrel-a-day plant — larger than any other in Africa or Europe — will claim 13 to 14 shipments from Nigeria’s typical monthly program of about 50 cargoes.

The West African crude market is set to be “substantially tighter” in the fourth quarter because of the supply to Dangote, said Ronan Hodgson, a London-based analyst at FGE.

The volumes could even send Nigerian exports below 1 million barrels a day, he said.

Some shipments over the next two months may not be delivered as planned, and October’s list includes two cargoes already delayed from September.

Still, the scheduled volume is significantly larger than the average 255,000 barrels a day of Nigerian oil taken in by Dangote over the first half of the year as it gradually ramped up processing, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Dangote is already running at 60-70 per cent capacity and will reach its full rate within months, project management firm Engineers India Ltd. Chairman Vartika Shukla said last month.

The latest allocations also suggest that Dangote has continued to curtail its buying of US crude, according to traders.

Earlier this year, the refinery imported millions of barrels of WTI Midland, before re-selling some of the oil and scrapping plans to buy more.

Nigerian National Petroleum Co. reached an agreement with Dangote last month under which the country’s state-owned energy firm will supply crude in return for being the sole distributor of the refinery’s crucial gasoline production.

If Dangote’s ramp-up continues to advance in the coming months, Nigeria could start to realize its long-held goal of curbing costly oil product imports.

“If the refinery runs at higher rates, the West African market for gasoline and diesel imports will shrink extremely quickly,” FGE’s Hodgson said.

The police command in Lagos state says it has detained a commercial sex worker, Joy Kelvin, for allegedly stabbing a client, simply identified as Okafor, 48, to death.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to journalists on Monday in Lagos.

He said that the incident happened on Monday at 5:32 a.m. at Jakande Housing Estate, in the Lekki area of the state.

Mr Hundeyin said that the murder case was reported at the Ilasan Division by a friend of the deceased.

“A complainant reported that he got a call from one of his friends that Okafor was stabbed in his house by one Joy Kelvin, a prostitute he brought to his house overnight.

“He stated further that the victim was rushed to the General Hospital, Marina where he was pronounced dead by the doctor on duty,” he said.

The image maker said that the police stormed the scene and arrested the suspect.

“On the receipt of the report, the scene was promptly visited by detectives of the division and the suspect was apprehended.

“The corpse has been evacuated and deposited at General Hospital Mortuary, Yaba for preservation and autopsy,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Hundeyin said that efforts were on to locate the family member of the deceased.

According to him, investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

 (NAN)

The federal government has approved the construction of an airstrip in Canaanland, the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide popularly known as Winners Chapel, in Ota, Ogun state.

Naija News reports that the General Overseer of the church, David Oyedepo announced this to members of his congregation at his church’s Tehillah Night Special Edition in Canaanland, Otta, Ogun State.

Oyedepo explained that the airstrip is meant to improve transportation for worshippers and visitors, particularly during large events such as Shiloh as they can now move to anywhere from his church premises without having to get to the airport first.

The members would now be able to land and park their aircraft at Canaanland.

The founder of the church also revealed that the project will be privately funded by the church, highlighting its commitment to self-reliance and infrastructure development.

Although the exact timeline for construction has not been specified, the church leadership has assured that it will be carried out swiftly and in accordance with all necessary aviation standards.

Japa: ‘Ask God Before You Pack Your Bags’ – Oyedepo

Meanwhile, Oyedepo, has advised youths to follow God’s plans.

David Oyedepo urged youths not to make decisions without God. He said only God can lead anyone to stardom in one’s career and not otherwise.

“Don’t pack your bag and ask God if you should go. Don’t tempt God. Asked God for his plan because his plan is already blessed,” Oyedepo said.

He explained that knowing the plan of God requires one to “separate yourselves to a quiet place to hear God“

“You need an ornament of a quiet and meek spirit to hear God speak. One must be in the spirit to hear the voice of the spirit, and one must be spiritual to embrace the voice of the spirit,” he emphasized.

The Living Faith General Overseer said at the church’s Annual Youths Alive Convention, AYAC2024, on Saturday.

“Access to the voice of God is what takes you to stardom. We are where we are today as a church by following the voice of the spirit.

“Staying where God says you should stay and doing what God says you should do is what guarantees your stardom.

“The voice of the Lord is in the Bible, and following what God says makes you a frontline in your chosen career. But you need an open ear to hear what God is saying. The voice of God guarantees supernatural victory and supernatural favour.

“It allays all fears. If you hear from God, you become fearless and unstoppable. God’s voice instills supernatural confidence.

“The reason you shake is because you didn’t hear from God. You can’t hear from God and lack confidence,” Oyedepo told the church youths.

The Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, has approved the immediate implementation of a minimum wage of ₦72,500 for civil servants in the state.

The Governor also announced a one-year suspension of the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax, adding that no form of deductions would be made within the next year from the salaries of civil servants in the state. 

Governor Ododo made this known on Monday during the unveiling of the new minimum wage package for civil servants in the state.

Signing the agreement after receiving a report from the Kogi state minimum wage implementation committee, the Governor said the new minimum wage is to enable workers cope with the current economic situation in the country.

In his words: “I can not forget where I came from, I am a man from a humble background who became who I am by the grace of God and will therefore not use my position to oppress anyone but to better the lots of the people.

“You people generously elected me as your governor, and the resources of the state belong to you all, I am just your chief servant and I will ensure that the resources are allocated to all sectors fairly and equitably.

“All you have seen today is the painstaking efforts of the labour leaders and government who conducted staff audit screenings in the previous administration all in a bid to ensure that the right people take what belongs to them as workers and not ghost workers.”

Ododo, while assuring prompt payment, appealed to workers in the state to continue to cooperate with his administration and give him all the necessary support to succeed.

The Chairman of the State Minimum Wage Committee, who is also the Head of Service,Elijah Evenemi, said the agreement on the minimum wage is not a victory for any political party but for the good of the masses.

He appreciated the governor for giving the committee a free hand to operate and achieve a common goal.

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has urged President Bola Tinubu to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to order over the lingering political crisis in Rivers State.

Recall that Wike, the immediate past governor of the oil-rich state, has been locked in a political battle with his successor, Sim Fubara, over control of the state.

Also, there has been tension in Rivers State after Saturday’s Local Government Areas election, where Action People’s Party (APP) swept the polls in 22 of the 23 local governments.

Naija News reports that Bode George, in a statement on Monday, raised concerns over recent political developments in Rivers State, warning that if not addressed, they could lead to a crisis with far-reaching security implications for Nigeria, West Africa, and Africa at large.

The PDP chieftain asked Tinubu to prevail on Wike to allow Governor Fubara to work and deliver dividends of democracy to the residents of the state.

Bode George added that President Tinubu would be the biggest loser if democracy in Rivers State gets truncated.

He said, “Now that people of Rivers State have boldly asserted their civic and constitutional rights by coming out to vote in the Local Government election on Saturday, this is the time for former governor of the state and now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to allow Governor Siminalayi Fubara work and deliver dividend of democracy to the people.

“This is also the time for President Bola Tinubu to advise Wike, who is one of his ministers, to allow the governor to work.

“I say this with all sense of responsibility because if this democracy is truncated, God forbid, Tinubu, as the Commander-in-Chief, will be the biggest loser.

“All lovers of democracy will agree with me that political happenings in this oil-bearing state in the last few months, if allowed to continue, can lead to a re-enactment of the crisis in the defunct Western Region between 1962 and 1966 which eventually led to the first military coup of January 15, 1966. Many of our national figures were killed and events of that day led to a second coup on July 29, 1966 when scores of military officers were killed.

“Since history is no longer taught in our schools, I want to remind the gladiators in this Rivers crisis that the January and July 1966 killings eventually led to the civil war between July 6, 1967 and January 15, 1970. Close to two million Nigerians died in the war.

“I am raising this alarm because what is happening in Rivers now is a cause for serious concern for everyone.

“My understanding of this man-made crisis is that there is a despotic, divisive, wicked and anti-people design to create a conflagration which may eventually consume our country.

“We all know the economic importance of Rivers to the survival of this nation. It is the gateway to the Niger Delta.

“Any threat to peace in this state will eventually lead to huge security implications, not only for Nigeria but West Africa and Africa. It is good to have political ambition, to be the alpha and omega in a partisan setting but this ambition must not be at variance with the expectations of the people.”