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Wike aims at denying Atiku 25 per cent votes, intensifies onslaught in Rivers
In Rivers State, these are not the best of times for Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 election, following the onslaught continuously mounted on his ambition by the camp of his familiar foe – Nyesom Wike.
The Rivers State Governor, has increased the tempo of his campaign to ensure the failure of the ex-VP is denied of victory in the state, which boasts one of the largest voting populations in Nigeria, next only to Lagos and Kano.
The Nation, in its report on the mood in the state, quotes sources as saying that Atiku, who is aware of the situation, is distraught by the fact that party leaders who pitched tent with him against Governor Nyesom Wike, are not pulling their weight as expected.
The likes of former governor Celestine Omehia, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austine Opara, Senator Lee Maeba, and Farah Dagogo, all backing Atiku, seem not be a match for the Wike machinery, which has since been unleshed in the state, the report said.
Apart from beating Wike to the second position in the May 28 presidential primaries, Atiku had bypssed the governor, who was the choice of the PDP selection committee to select Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State, a development, which seemed to have drawn sympathy for him and increased the division in the party.
Though Wike, who is leading the Group of Five – G-5 governors of the PDP, known as Integrity Group, insists that both incidents were now a thing of the past, he and his group are hinging on the fact that the party is still maintaining a structure where the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, comes from the same North as Atiku.
For that reason, they insist that Ayu, who has also been accused of sundry infractions including corruption and playing a partisan role during the presidential primaries, must be ousted from office as the irreducible minimum condition for the group to join in the Atiku campaign.
On his part, Atiku insists that he was not averse to the demand of the governors including Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, but that the move must go through the PDP constitutional process, a position seen by others as being clever by the half.
The report by the Lagos-based newspaper, says that Wike had grown stronger by developing unique strategies to tighten his grip on the party and take all state structures beyond the reach of Atiku and his men, adding that his continuous campaign for inclusiveness in the national leadership structure of the party and his portrayal of Atiku; the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu; Atiku’s running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa and other Atiku’s men as betrayers, liars, haters of Rivers and divisive leaders, had been received by many Rivers residents across the political divide.
As a result, Atiku is said to have become an anathema in many parts of the state as any attempt to mention his name is viewed as an abomination, while his pictures had disappeared from all campaign materials of the PDP in the state.
In fact, youths across the state including the rural areas are said to be combing communities daily to identify and remove campaign materials belonging to the PDP presidential team and that it is unlikely to see any their billboards, posters or other campaign materials unlike in 2019 when Wike supported him for the same position.
Besided, the recent appointments of 200,000 advisers on polling units and over 300 local government liaison officers by the governor were said to have made any plan by Atiku and his men to penetrate Rivers a herculean task, the report, said, adding that all local government chairpersons, ward and unit heads of the PDP had remained loyal to the governor and were backing his political decisions ahead of 2023.
In addition, it went on, the perception of the governor as a performer and his use of project inauguration to extract a commitment from folks had made many Rivers communities a no-go area for Atiku’s men, adding that while campaigns for the governorship candidate of the PDP, Sim Fubara, National and House of Assembly candidates of the party were ongoing with their campaign materials dotting all corners of the state, nothing was being said about Atiku.
All pro-Atiku leaders in Rivers had fled the state and were said to be hiding in Abuja and following Atiku without any plan to return home to campaign for their presidential candidate.
Wike had continued to tell the people to vote for his candidates for other positions but to wait for his decision on the presidential poll.
The governor on Saturday night excluded Atiku, Okowa, Ayu and all Atiku’s men from the list of 162 distinguished Nigerians he conferred with state awards for their inspirational achievements, impactful life and contributions to the progress of the Rivers in particular.
Among those honoured were eight governors, nine former governors of other states, lawyers and others, whom he said demonstrated a high level of loyalty to the nation, excellence in public service, commitment to equity, equality and justice in the country and love for the government and the people of Rivers.
Wike presented the awards during the State Honours and Awards ceremony 2022 which was held at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Port Harcourt.
The awards were in four categories of the Grand Service State of Rivers State (GSSRS), the Distinguished Service State of Rivers State (DSSRS), the Governor’s Medal of Service (GMS) and the Rivers State Merit Award (RSMA).
Wike explained that the state honours and awards were solely the initiatives of Dr. Odili.
He said everyone bestowed with an award on Saturday night had distinguished themselves by their good character, personal achievements and positive contributions to society.
Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said Wike had demonstrated that he is a true patriot and nationalist by honouring Nigerians from the six geopolitical zones, irrespective of their religious and political persuasion.
He said: “Today, in Nigeria as we match towards 2023, we are not looking at political parties, we are not looking at ethnicity, but we are looking at how we can salvage our country Nigeria, and make it greater than where we are today.
“I thank you (Wike) for charting this course and I believe that moving forward from here, all of us who are here tonight will be a catalyst to how we can make Nigeria greater, economically, politically, socially, security-wise, we will make it greater.”
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who spoke on behalf of the awardees, said governor Wike had taken governance to the next level.
He said: “You have indeed demonstrated what it takes to be accommodating, what it takes to be a bridge builder, a builder of bridges across the Niger.
“You have established a bridge. We are happy crossing over to come around to identify with you in the expression of excellence attributed to the service of the nation.”
President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, clapped back at Nigerians lashing out at him for failing to go into to the Angwan Rukuba village in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State to meet the community grieving over last Sunday’s massacre of about 30 people by gunmen.
Instead of going into town to commiserate with the community, the President, stopped at the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Jos, the Plateau State capital, where he met with a few of the family members, government officials and some traditional rulers, a development, which elicited a lot of lacerating condemnation from the public.
But Tinubu, who conveyed his position through Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, explained that he was completely pressed for town by exigencies, including a scheduled meeting with President of Chad.
Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, while stressing apart from Tinubu’s scheduled engagements for Thursday with the Chadian President in Abuja, he also had a travel plan to Iperu in Ogun State, all scheduled before he agreed to be in Plateau after a meeting with Caleb Mutfwang, Governor of the state at the State House, the previous day.
Explaining that his boss was unable to postpone the meeting with the Chadian President, which was about “strengthening security collaboration between the two countries,” Onanuga added: “The President’s bilateral meeting with Chadian president ran longer than expected, which affected the scheduled departure for Jos.
“Upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered some logistical challenges. While the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids.
“The constraints made it unfeasible to drive into town, meet victims for on-the-spot assessment and return to the airport before dusk. Consequently, state and federal officials decided to bring representatives of the affected community to a hall adjoining the airport so the President could meet with them promptly while adhering to flight restrictions.
“Among the people in the hall were the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police, who had visited Rukuba, the epicentre of the conflict. President Tinubu deployed the high-level team to Rukuba, including the Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, to undertake critical groundwork on security and community engagement, with a view to stabilising the area before his arrival.
“Beyond expressing his condolences to the victims, President Tinubu’s objective was to engage with critical stakeholders in Plateau State on ending the recurring, decades-old conflict that has resulted in needless loss of lives and property.”
The statement, maintained that even without Tinubu meeting physically with the people, the visit still achieved its purpose “despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it.”
From Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, came a major admonition for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), regarding its vow to continue with its congresses and national convention despite the latest development affecting its leadership.
INEC had on Wednesday night, released what seemed a political bombshell, when it declared that it no longer recognised the leadership of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as National Chairman and Secretary of Nigeria’s main opposition party based on the commission’s interpretation of the March 12 decision of the Court of Appeal, ordering parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum in the case challenging the leadership.
Against the backdrop of the rejection of the Mark group who accused him of bias in interpreting what the appellate court meant in the suit brought by Nafiu Bala Gwombe, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Amupitan, maintained that all he did was in line with the orders of court.
Regarding the claim of Mark, who told reporters in Abuja, on Thursday that the ADC would continue with its schedule in line with the timeline and the implications of halting would have on the party, doing otherwise, the INEC boss, warned of the implication, saying it could lead to fatalities in future.
Hear him: “Well, as far as we are concerned, INEC is a party in the case, and INEC was sued as a defendant by a member of the leadership. And secondly, you see, the court is very clear. Parties, including David Mark himself, should refrain from doing anything that would face the situation of faith accompanied in court.
“So, if they are going ahead with their congress, with their convention, it’s left for them to look at it, whether it’s in contravention or not, because INEC did not just take a decision. We didn’t just wake up one day and took this decision. There was something that led to it. There was another part – don’t do anything, don’t take any step that would render any proceeding before the court nugatory. And also, that would face on the trial court a situation of helplessness, of faith accompanied.
“So, if already they’re asking that, don’t do any congress, don’t do any convention, it’s a relief that is being claimed. And especially the final motion for that purpose, that motion has not been detailed.
“So, if they decide, let me tell you what happened in Zamfira. It happened in the past. We don’t want to conduct an election without this early warning. And at the end of the day, after you have won, the court again will come and declare the election invalid. And the implication is that the person with the second highest number of votes will be declared the winner.
“It happened in Plateau State during the last election, where after the question of primaries was an issue, and congresses were not held in some states, in some portion of Plateau State. So, the court said, go and do those primaries. But unfortunately, they did not obey the court order. So, failing to obey the court order has consequences.”
Strongly rejecting allegations of bias, Amupitan, who spoke in an interview aired on The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS Television, on Friday, told his host: “I am not guilty as charged.
“Let me say it very clearly. I am not a party to the plan of anyone to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. By the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria is a multi-party state. Look at the last FCT election. There were many parties that contested. I think about 10 political parties. In that case, you even the APC having five, and PDP winning one. Zenith Labour Party did very well. There are other parties that are existing.
“The Court of Appeal made some preservation orders. The preservation orders were very clear. To the extent that, number one, in view of the fact that INEC had already released its timetable for the election, the intelligence was directed an order to proceed with the case expectations, and this is an originating summons.
“Then number two, which is now causing the controversy, is the order, specific order, that parties should maintain status quo ante bellum. It did not just stop at that. The parties should not do anything that would force defeat or conflict on the tri-accords. And finally, that we should not, parties should not do anything that would render the proceedings before the Court of Appeals, just like the definite orders of the Court of Appeals.”
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), seeking to overturn a Federal High Court judgement that restrained it from imposing fines on radio and television stations across the country.
Delivering the lead judgement, Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi, on behalf of a three-member panel, upheld the earlier ruling and set aside the fines imposed by the NBC on 45 broadcast stations on March 1, 2019, for alleged breaches of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
The panel was presided over by Justice Abba Mohammed, with Justice Donatus Okorowo as the third member.
According to a statement issued by the Communications Officer of Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Idowu Adewale, the unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal stemmed from a suit filed by the non-governmental organisation in November 2021, challenging the NBC’s powers to impose fines on broadcasters.
The Federal High Court, in its judgement delivered on May 10, 2023, by Justice James Omotosho, ruled in favour of MRA after the NBC failed to defend the suit.
The court held that fines are sanctions imposed on persons found guilty of criminal offences and, under Nigerian law, only courts of law have the authority to impose such penalties.
Setting aside the fines of ₦500,000 each imposed on the affected stations, Justice Omotosho stated that the NBC “is neither a court nor a judicial tribunal to make pronouncements on the guilt of broadcast stations, notwithstanding what the NBC Code says.”
He added that the Commission’s actions violated the Constitution.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the NBC filed a motion in July 2023, urging the same court to set aside the judgement on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction and had reached its decision without considering relevant facts.
However, in November 2023, Justice Omotosho dismissed the application, describing it as futile and an afterthought, noting that available evidence showed the Commission had been duly served but failed to appear in court to defend the case.
The NBC subsequently approached the Court of Appeal in July 2024, seeking to overturn the judgement.
At the hearing on February 4, 2026, Victor Ogude (SAN), leading Mr Kehinde Wilkey for the NBC, adopted his brief of argument and made additional submissions. Counsel to MRA, Ezenwa Anumnu, also adopted his brief and responded accordingly.
In its ruling, the appellate court agreed with MRA’s position that the NBC, having failed to contest the suit at the Federal High Court, could not raise fresh challenges at the appellate level.
Justice Oyewumi held that the appeal lacked merit and accordingly dismissed it.
With this decision, MRA has secured victory in the first of two appeals involving the NBC over separate Federal High Court judgements barring the Commission from imposing fines on broadcast stations.
The second appeal, filed by the NBC against a similar judgement delivered on January 17, 2024 by Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, is still pending. The Court of Appeal heard arguments in that matter on March 25, 2026 and has reserved judgement.
In that case, the NBC is challenging a ruling arising from a suit filed by MRA after the Commission imposed fines of ₦5 million each on a television station and three pay-TV platforms in 2022 for allegedly undermining national security through the broadcast of documentaries on banditry in Nigeria.
My Jos visit achieved its purpose – Tinubu *Why I didn’t go to Angwa Rukuba
Congress: You’re on your own, Amupitan warns ADC *Beware of Zamfara experience
You cannot impose fines on broadcast stations, Appeal Court insists
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