News
Court Rejects Demand to Compel Governor Fubara to Re-Present 2024 Budget to Dissatisfied Lawmakers
By Favour Bibaikefie
A High Court in Rivers State, sitting in Port Harcourt, has dismissed a case filed to compel Governor Siminalayi Fubara to re-submit the N800 billion 2024 budget to 27 discontented lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martins Amaewhule.
The suit, filed by the Registered Trustees of Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, named the Rivers State Government, Governor, and Attorney General as defendants. The group sought an order from Justice Sika Aprioku for the re-presentation of the budget to the lawmakers in question.
The case, referenced as Suit No. PHC/3552/CS/2024, was initiated on October 27, 2024, through an originating summons. The claimants challenged the state government’s decision not to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Assembly faction led by Amaewhule for legislative approval.
During proceedings on November 12, 2024, defense counsel Lawrence Oko-Jaja (SAN) presented documents recalling that between December 2015 and February 2017, only six members of the Rivers State House of Assembly conducted legislative business under Speaker Adams Dabotorudima. This arrangement included the passage of the 2017 Appropriation Bill and the confirmation of appointments during Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration, despite not meeting the required quorum of 24 members.
Oko-Jaja noted that on December 23, 2015, six Assembly members confirmed the appointment of Hon. Daisy Wotube Okocha as the state’s Chief Judge, with Speaker Dabotorudima notifying Governor Wike of the decision. Okocha was subsequently sworn in on January 4, 2016.
He further stated, “On March 3, 2016, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, under a letter, REF: RVSG/GH/RVHA/VOL/1/030, requested the House of six members to confirm the appointment of Hon. Justice Adama Iyayi-Laminkara as Substantive Chief Judge. The confirmation was given on March 7, 2016, and communicated to Governor Wike via a letter, RVHA/ADM/36/VOL.1/32, on the same date.”
Delivering judgment on December 20, 2024, Justice Aprioku ruled that Governor Fubara could only engage with Assembly members who had not vacated their seats.
“The governor cannot transact business with lawmakers who defected and, by doing so, lost their seats. As Governor Nyesom Wike conducted legislative business with only six members in the past, Governor Siminalayi Fubara is constitutionally allowed to engage the current House led by Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo. This arrangement will remain until the 27 defected lawmakers either seek legal redress or new elections are held to fill their vacant seats,” Justice Aprioku stated.
He continued, “Until the Supreme Court resolves the jurisdictional issues affecting the status of these 27 lawmakers, the governor can only present budgets, appoint Chief Judges, and carry out other legislative duties with the remaining members. Any attempt to engage the defected lawmakers would be unconstitutional.”
Justice Aprioku concluded by dismissing the claimant’s request for declaratory and injunctive reliefs, describing it as lacking merit. He also awarded a cost of N500,000 against the claimant in favor of the defendants.
“This suit is hereby dismissed with N500,000 awarded in costs to the defendants,” the judge ruled.
By Favour Bibaikefie
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially debunked claims spreading across social media platforms that its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been dismissed by President Bola Tinubu. A widely circulated message on WhatsApp falsely alleged that Prof. Yakubu had been replaced by Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan.
Reacting to the rumors in a statement to Vanguard, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, firmly denied the claims. “Please, disregard. It is not true,” he stated.
Prof. Yakubu, currently serving the final months of his second term, is expected to step down later this year. The procedure for selecting a new chairman involves several stages: the President nominates a candidate, who is then profiled by the Department of State Services (DSS). The nominee must then be reviewed by the National Council of State before the name is submitted to the Senate for confirmation.
At this time, no official declaration has been made regarding any successor to Prof. Yakubu.
News
She Defied all Roadblocks: Prof. Jimoh Slams Security Clampdown on Senator Natasha’s Homecoming
By Favour Bibaikefie
Lagos, Nigeria – A senior academic has strongly criticized the heavy-handed security measures that paralyzed an entire senatorial district in Kogi Central during Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent homecoming.
Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Prof. Jide Jimoh, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at Lagos State University (LASU), condemned the security clampdown, which saw major roads across the area barricaded by operatives in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s visit.
“How can you shut down literally a whole local government senatorial district just because somebody is trying to visit?” Prof. Jimoh questioned, expressing concern about the implications of the action for democratic engagement in the region.
Despite the heightened security and road closures, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan outmaneuvered the obstruction by arriving via helicopter — a move that took both her supporters and opponents by surprise.
Prof. Jimoh commended the senator’s tactical ingenuity. “In terms of strategic planning, she was ahead of her adversaries,” he said. “I never expected that she would come in on a helicopter, having seen that the whole roads leading to where she was supposed to go had been barricaded by security agencies. In terms of strategy, she was quite ahead of her adversaries.”
The LASU dean emphasized that the incident raises significant concerns about political freedom and the state of democracy in Kogi State. He described Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s bold decision as a powerful statement against forces attempting to suppress her political outreach and reaffirmed the need for fairness in political processes.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s helicopter arrival not only circumvented the blockade but also reignited public discourse on the misuse of state security resources and the importance of safeguarding democratic rights.
News
Peretengboro Blasts Lokpobiri Over Rivers Crisis Remarks, Accuses Him of Siding with His Stomach and Insulting Ijaw Nation Further
By Divine Perezide
Warri, Nigeria — April 5, 2025: Prominent Ijaw Youth Leader and CEO of IduwiniVoice, Prince (Dr.) Peretengboro KlintinBibaikefie, has condemned the recent comments made by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) National President, Jonathan Lokpobiri, over the political crisis in Rivers State, describing his remarks as “reckless, disappointing, and a betrayal of Ijaw interests.”
In a statement released to press men in Warri, Dr. Peretengboro accused Lokpobiri of unfairly and shamefully blaming the Ijaw people for the state of emergency declared in Rivers State, while carefully avoiding any criticism of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is clearly the center of the crisis.
“Jonathan Lokpobiri is towing the same shameful path with the very weak President Bola Tinubu who either has zero knowledge of the mind games Wike’s camp has played throughout the said crisis or is the real orchestra of the entire imbroglio — exonerating Wike in the face of glaring complicity, just to protect his brother, the Minister of State for Petroleum,” Peretengboro said. “If his role as an Ijaw leader conflicts with his stomach, then he should do the honourable thing and resign. Better still, keep quiet, and allow the spokesman to speak for Ijaw people. But no, he needed to show to Wike on who’s side he stands”
The video of Lokpobiri’s controversial remarks, which has gone viral across social media platforms, shows him lambasting the Ijaw people over the situation in Rivers State. However, the IYC President made no mention of Wike’s role in the political instability and carefully crafted plot by Wike and Tinubu to remove Gov. Fubara, using the emergency declaration — a silence that has drawn sharp criticism from several Ijaw stakeholders.
Peretengboro insisted that Lokpobiri should have allowed the IYC National Spokesman to address such sensitive matters on behalf of the Council rather than acting in a way that undermines the unity and dignity of the Ijaw nation, even in the glirring face of suppression by someone from a lesser minority.
“The speech was infamous and unrepresentative of the true position of Ijaw youths. All well-meaning Ijaws must rise up and condemn this disgraceful display by Lokpobiri,” he said.
He further called on the Ijaw National Congress (INC) to urgently summon Lokpobiri and call him to order, stating that his actions threaten to erode the credibility of the IYC and diminish its capacity to defend Ijaw interests.
“We all understand the dicy fix, Mr. Jonathan finds himself in this whole situation. He has been very passive since the beginning of the crisis in Rivers State because of that, but the IYC is not a personal platform. It is a collective voice of all Ijaw people with a history of struggle. Lokpobiri has failed in his leadership by letting his stomach control his brain instead of letting the IYC do its job, and the INC must act swiftly,” he concluded.
The IduwiniVoice, which also monitored the viral video, reports that discontent is growing among Ijaw communities, with many demanding a retraction of Lokpobiri’s statement and a formal apology to the Ijaw nation, and others demanding outright impeachment of the IYC President.