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Rivers war! The storm is over, I’ll be back soon, Fubara enthuses
Siminalayi Fubara, suspended Governor of Rivers State, may be returning to office sooner than expected given the indication coming from Port Harcourt, the state capital on Thursday, where he spoke of the political storm which engulfed the state since October 2023 coming to an end soon.
At his last outing on the matter, the embattled governor, whose bitter feud with Nyesom Wike, his predecessor is believed to be at the centre of the crises, which led to his being served an impeachment notice by 27 members of the House of Assembly in the state, had given indication that he had lost appetite for the office.
But sounding differently, on Thursday, he told members of Simplified Movement, one of his major supporters during one of the meeting to mark his two years in office to thank President Bola Tinubu, first for his swift intervention to avert anarchy in the state, which was looming due to the festering political crisis and for brokering the truce that could see to his early return.
Stating how close the road to peace and reconciliation process, has narrowed, he assured that democracy and good governance would soon return in the state, with both arms working together for the good of the people.
Hise words: “I want to assure you that the issues will soon be resolved, and you will come back to your offices, not just at the Executive arm, but also legislative arm. And I also believe that the strong relationships we had before will return, and we will begin to work together again, for the good and progress of the State. What is important is for us to have a forgiving spirit.”
Reiterating his call for the people to show unreserved appreciation to the President for his bold action to halt the degenerating political crisis in the state, he tasked them to totally subject themselves to the peace process to enable the state move forward.
He added: “We are already in the peace process. I want you to thank Mr President for his timely intervention to salvage the situation, and stabilise the polity and the State. If not for Mr President, the story today would have been different.
“I don’t know how he gets his information, but the truth is that he acted with wisdom at the right time. He is the one you should thank. And let me also thank him personally for his intervention, and the personalities across the country, who moved in and appealed to him to intervene.
“We have to come down from our high horses and subject ourselves to the peace process. And that is what we are doing. What is important is for the State to move forward. It is not about you; the interest of the State is paramount.”
Regretting that the crisis had made it impossible for him to showcase some of the key milestones recorded by his administration in various sectors across the state, he assured that the government would bounce back stronger, more united and engineered to deliver quality dividends of democracy to the people.
He urged those still expressing deserved anger and grievances to push such sentiments aside, he said time had come for all to embrace peace, pursue reconciliation and forgiveness for the development and progress of the state, while pleading for forgiveness from anyone who might have felt disappointed in his handling of the crisis, as his actions were guided by a desire to protect the peace and progress of the state.
Informing that his full reconciliation with Wike was fast approaching, he said: “I must appreciate President Tinubu for the steps he has taken as a father to restore peace. Since the President’s intervention, several reconciliatory meetings had been held, including some at the FCT minister’s residence. There is no reason why there will not be peace between me and my Oga. There will be peace. We are meeting. We will reconcile.”
Fubara, who stressed his indebtedness to the people for their sacrifices and opportunity to serve, promising to continue to show respect for them, added: “One important thing in this life is respect. I want to earn the respect of the people, not force it on them…I’m with you completely.”
Anyone can pay the N25,000 wrong packing penalty slammed on Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress by Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, last week.
This was the angle introduced by the Minister, on Friday, when he acceded to the request of one Nnaemeka Ikerionwu, who volunteered to pick up the tab against the former Governor of Anambra State and candidate of the Labour (LP), in the 2023 presidential election.
Keyamo, who directed to the volunteer to liaise with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), on the payment process, had last Friday, Keyamo, in a statement posted on his X handle, demanded that Obi tendered a public apology to airport officials and pay a N25,000 fine.
Though the minister’s latest response suggests that government is willing to accept payment of the fine through a third party, he was however silent on whether his earlier demand that Obi tender a public apology to airport officials had been waived.
The new twist came as a consequence of what the Minister said was his investigation after the former governor cried out about alleged harassment by the Federal Government, citing the clamping of his car by airport staff during one of his use of the facility as an example.
The Minister had released as part of the investigation, a Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footage, to prove that Obi’s vehicle was parked unattended in a restricted area, prompting airport security personnel to clamp its tyres.
Keyamo said Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 4, 2026, and left the vehicle after being dropped off by a police driver.
Meanwhile, in a post on his X handle, the Minister responded to Ikerionwu’s offer to settle the fine on Obi’s behalf by asking him to meet with FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development for guidance on the payment process.
He wrote: “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Please, Mr Nnaemeka Ikerionwu should proceed to see the Director of Commercial and Business Development for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and he will be directed on the mode of payment of the fine for the offender.
“Now that we have burst his bubble, next time, Peter Obi should think twice before making outlandish claims of being targeted at our airports or anywhere for that matter in order to get ‘sympathy votes’.”
Abubakar Malami, is going upstairs to get the Court of Appeal quash the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, empowering the Federal Government to seize 40 properties allegedly linked to him.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had ordered the forfeiture of the properties valued at N212.8billion, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), convinced him that they were obtained through illegal means by the former AGF-MoJ.
Before delivering the substantive judgment, the judge dismissed several applications, motions on notice and applications to show cause filed by Malami, his family members, and some companies linked to the properties, describing them as “wanting in merit”.
She held that the issue before the court was not “who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the properties, adding that Malami, had “not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities.”
But the ex-AGF-MoJ, in a statement conveyed through Bello Doka, his spokesman on Friday, stated that he respectfully disagreed with aspects of the judgment, though he remained fully committed to the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
He said he had instructed his legal team to immediately challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal, in line with his fundamental rights, adding that the judgement of the lower court was not the final stamp on the matter.
“The appellate process exists to ensure that every legal issue is thoroughly examined, and Mr. Malami is confident that justice will ultimately prevail,” he said, urging the public and the media to avoid premature conclusions while the judicial process runs its full course. Respect for due process remains the cornerstone of every democratic society.
Expressing his sincere appreciation of the prayers, goodwill, and steadfast support of the people of Kebbi State and Nigerians across the country, over the matter, he assured them that the development would not distract him from his unwavering commitment to serving the people and advancing his vision for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Kebbi State.
“Supporters are encouraged to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding while allowing the courts to perform their constitutional role,” he said.
Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), is to cough out a whopping N15billion, should he be found guilty of defaming Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has approached the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, Gbajabiamila, with a suit to compel the payment after flatly denying the allegation of the embattled DG, having ignored his earlier demand of N10billion and an apology from Adeyemi as the only option to stop the legal action.
Adeyemi, who was on Tuesday, arrested by the police in Osun State, barely hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a warrant for that purpose, had publicly accused Gbajabiamila during a press conference on June 25, 2026, of demanding a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant, after receiving an initial N400 million through a proxy, and demanded an additional N200 million balance.
Gbajabiamila, who handed him a 72-hour ultimatum to retract the allegation and tender a public apology or face legal action, in the suit filed on Thursday is seeking N10 billion as general damages, N5 billion as aggravated damages, N200 million as cost of the action, and an order compelling Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers.
He is also asking the court to direct the defendant to pin the apology on all social media platforms and online channels where the alleged defamatory statements were published for 30 days.
The Chief of Staff, through his legal team from Pinheiro LP led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.
In the statement of claim, Gbajabiamila denied ever meeting or communicating with Adeyemi or authorising anyone to act on his behalf.
Adeyemi, who had alleged at a press conference that a disagreement arose after Gbajabiamila purportedly demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s N27.3 billion take-off grant, had also claimed that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy on behalf of the Chief of Staff, while an additional N200 million was required to secure presidential approvals.
“The claimant has never met the defendant, never held any meeting with him and has never authorised any intermediary, representative, agent or proxy to demand or receive money on his behalf,” the court filing stated.
The suit also referred to Adeyemi’s claims regarding the alleged mysterious death of an intermediary, Mr. Babatunde Tanimola, whom he claimed served as the link between himself and the Chief of Staff.
Adeyemi alleged that Tanimola died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
He further claimed that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in September 2025, and alleged that a “directive from above” instructed the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigeria Police Force to discontinue efforts to recover his stolen mobile phones, which he claimed contained crucial evidence.
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