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Leave Fubara alone – Jonathan *Urges Rivers gov to fight on as a General
“Whatever challenges you are meeting now is baking you to be a general in politics. And with your total commitment and with the support I have seen from the people of Rivers State, God will surely see you through.”
These were the exact words of former President Goodluck Jonathan, with which he threw his weight behind Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, who has been fighting to save his office from forces controlled by Nyesom Wike, his predecessor in office for the past one year now.
Things had gotten to a head, when 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, moved to impeach the governor barely six months in office, for yet to be known reasons outside things falling apart between him and Wike, over the political structure in the state.
Against the backdrop the sustained onslaught against the governor, which has also led to the suspension of Federal Accounts (FAC), allocation by the Federal Government, following the orders of the Court of Appeal recently, Jonathan, who spoke on Sunday, while receiving a traditional title, encouraged the governor not to despair, but to fight on.
The former President, a guest at the at the first Etche Festival of Food, Art and Culture Exhibition held in the Nihi Community, Etche Local Government Area of the state, on Sunday, during the 10th Anniversary of the coronation of the Onye Ishi Agwuru III of Ulakwo-Umuselem in Etche, Eze Nwala, spoke after bagging the traditional title of Eze Udo 1 of Etche.
Pleading with Rivers people to ensure they continue to support the governor, he said: “I know you (Fubara) are passing through challenges, and on occasions like these, I try to keep quiet.
“I don’t like to say certain things. But this is the first time you are holding a top political office. You will pass through a lot, and just know that nobody becomes a general without fighting wars.
Emphasising that a major disruption in the activities of the state would have dire consequences on the rest of Nigeria, as a state in the Niger Delta, he added: “We want a peaceful Rivers State because Rivers State is the centre of the Niger Delta. And I always make it very clear – if we create serious perturbation in Rivers State, we are creating a crisis in the Niger Delta, which is not good for our economy as a nation.
“We want a peaceful Rivers State. We want the governor of Rivers State to be allowed to remain calm and do his work. After he finishes serving, another person will take over. In political office, we have tenures. And so, we don’t need to kill ourselves over any political office. Allow those who are there to do their work, and after that, anything can happen.”
The former president commended the monarch for the success he has achieved during his 10-year reign and the commitment of the Etche people to farming activities that have reckoned the place as the food basket of the state.
Fubara, who also bagged the title of the Dike Oha 1 (The People’s General) of Etche land, bestowed on him by the Supreme Council of Etche Traditional Rulers, noted that by the recognition, it had now become public clear from the heart of Etche and Ikwerre nations that he enjoyed strong support of the people.
Expressing delight over the bestowment of the title, he said his administration would continue to provide projects and social services that would improve the standard of living of the people, noting how contracts for the reconstruction of roads in the Egwi, Afara and Mba communities in Etche, had already been awarded.
His words: “Today, I want to assure you, that your support is well appreciated, and in return, we will continue to do our best to lift your faces before the people who believe that you made a mistake in supporting us.
“Let me thank our father (Dr Jonathan) for coming to grace this occasion. It is not just for the celebrant being close to him. This goes to show that he is a very simple man, who believes that humanity is the most priceless thing you can give to anybody. Coming here to celebrate with the Etche people is a sign of humility.
“So, I want to thank you for coming. He has stood with me in this most difficult period of our administration. So, the little I can do is to come to wait for him, to receive him and to share in this honour.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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