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Rivers HoS: Go after Fubara now, APC tells security operatives
Nothing short of the head of Siminalayi Fubara on a platter, will satisfy the All Progressives Congress (APC), as they are now asking for the full weight of the law on him, following the “confession” by one George Nwaeke, former Head of Service (HoS) that the Governor of Rivers State ordered the bombing of the House of Assembly complex in October 2023.
Nwaeke, in a video he made on Friday, and later corroborated hours after, had claimed witnessing the governor, who was suspended by President Bola Tinubu, a fortnight ago, after announcing a State of Emergency in the state, ordering Edison Ehie, his Chief of Staff to burn down the edifice.
Two days after the structure went up in flames on Sunday, October 30, 2023, the governor himself moved in with bulldozers to pull it down, saying it was no longer fit for purpose and constituted a death trap for users.
Those two events are now being cited by the APC, the main opposition party in the state and the ruling party at the centre, who are now asking for further measures against the governor, who was suspended on March 28 by Tinubu, ending a scene in the protracted political drama that has engulfed the state about five months after Fubara was sworn in.
Tony, Rivers State APC Chairman, who is championing the campaign for to get the governor pay for the action, on Wednesday, called for the full intervention of security operatives into the matter, though he did not state what they expected as the endgame.
In Nigeria governors and their deputies enjoy immunity from all actions while in office and therefore insulated from criminal prosecutions even though they could be investigated for such offences by security agencies.
Okocha, who maintained in a statement that Nwaeke’s revelation must not be swept under the carpet, argued that with his prime position as Number three man in the state, his account could not be dismissed as hearsay.
He said: “The APC in Rivers State is strong in her belief that the relevant Security Agencies will be professional enough to get at the root cause of this whole matter, and make such public. The verbal attacks staged against the resigned HoS, will not deter the Statesman from unveiling the rots of Sim Fubara’s which we harped on as opposition political party. On this matter, APC shall function as watchdogs.
“No matter the level of the thickness of darkness, it cannot withstand daylight. Rivers taxpayers money has been wasted in a way and manner that cannot be forgotten in a hurry amidst scarce resources, and global economic crunch.
“As if that wasn’t enough, the suspended governor went a step further in less than 48 hours after the bombing to personally supervise the pulling down of the assembly complex, while his supporters cheered him on. The Supreme Court put it rightly in her unanimous judgement delivered on 28th February, 2025, by describing the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara as a ‘Dictator’.
“Yes, he was a Dictator! The explosive revelation or allegations if you like, made by Dr. George Nwaeke, the former Head of Service in Rivers State further corroborates the position of the Rivers APC as submitted by Sir (Chief) Tony C Okocha, the State Party Chairman, that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the architect of the entire political crisis in Rivers State, leading to the swift intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, with the declaration of a state of emergency to restore law and order, and forestall a total breakdown of peace in Rivers State.
“In a press release by Dr. George Nwaeke, the former Head of Service in Rivers State, he stated categorically that the political crisis was “orchestrated by Fubara himself. What is most interesting to the APC in Rivers State as a responsible political party is that Dr George Nwaeke’s revelations and testimonies of how suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his squad bombed the Rivers State House of Assembly is an eye witness account.
“Again , it has clearly vindicated the APC in Rivers State as the only visible and viable opposition political party in the State, and has cemented the love for the party in the heart of well meaning Rivers people as the voice of the voiceless, and the hope for a better Rivers State.”
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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