News

Okorocha Blames Oyegun for His Travails, Says He’s on ‘Vendetta Mission’

Published

8 years ago

May 19, 2018

Eric

The Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has accused the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Oyegun, of collaborating with the National Organising Secretary of the party, Sen. Osita Izunaso, to cause problem in the state chapter of the party .

Okorocha, who accused Oyegun of being on “a vendetta mission against him” following his position on the protracted tenure elongation for the national leadership of the party, said he (Okorocha) remained the face of the APC in the South-East .

Okorocha spoke in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo.

He challenged the members of the party fighting him to allow party congresses to hold in the 305 wards in the state than to “run to Abuja to manipulate the process .”

The statement read in part, “The so-called Imo stakeholders can only ‘cage’ Governor Rochas Okorocha like they have claimed in the media in the offices of the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun and the National Organising Secretary of the Party, Chief Osita Izunaso, who are on vendetta mission against the governor over his innocent and patriotic stand on the issue of tenure elongation.

“And in any case, only ingrates can claim caging the man God used to uplift them politically. All those in the insolvent group called coalition are all beneficiaries of Okorocha’s political successes in Imo.”

The Imo State governor said he thought that the outcome of the Anambra State governorship election would have made some of the NWC members of the party to be in a position to “detach noise making from reality.”

Okorocha further stressed that the recently held APC ward congress in the state was marred by confusion and controversies.

In another statement, the governor stated that the state’s Independent National Electoral Commission had released the report of the congress, which he said had confirmed that sensitive materials, including result sheets, were not provided during the election.

It claimed that the state’s INEC Administrative Secretary, Mr. T.O.N. Ongele, confirmed that the exercise was characterised, “in its entirety”, with confusion and controversies.

The statement read in part, “It is pertinent to state that the ward congress in its entirety was characterised by confusion and controversies as reported by the officers who monitored the congress at the various wards and local government areas.

“At a point, we were told that the Congress Committee Panel that was posted to Imo State was swapped with that of Anambra State, but no letter to that effect was received by the Resident Electoral Commissioner.

“In some of the local government areas, the INEC observers reported that result sheets were not provided and in some areas, electoral personnel were not seen. In some other instances, the INEC monitors were told on arrival that the congress had been concluded. In some other places, there was no evidence that the congress took place.”

The statement quoted the Electoral Officer for Mbaitoli Local Government Council, Mary Odilinye, as saying that INEC staff were redeployed to various party officers to monitor the exercise but that on reaching there, the different party offices were locked up.

The Punch

News

Two Rivers Lawmakers Step Down from Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara, Sue for Peace

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Eric

Two members of the Rivers House of Assembly, who are loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike, have withdrawn from the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers.

The Minority Leader of the assembly, Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo, and Peter Abbey, who represents Degema State Constituency, urged their colleagues to exercise restraint and allow for dialogue to maintain stability in the state

In a video widely circulated on Facebook and an excerpt published by Rivers State Television, the lawmakers urged their colleagues to prioritise the overall interest and stability of Rivers above partisan disagreements.

Call for ‘cooling-off period’

The legislators stressed that the prevailing political climate demands calm, dialogue and a “cooling-off period” within the assembly to allow, in their words, “wisdom and truth to prevail” in the legislative chambers.

Although they did not expressly mention the impeachment process during the briefing, their intervention is being interpreted by political observers as a withdrawal from the impeachment push against Mr Fubara, which has heightened tensions in the state.

Background to impeachment moves

The Rivers assembly parted ways with Mr Fubara because of the feud between the governor and Mr Wike, who is the FCT minister.

The current impeachment notice on Mr Fubara is the third attempt in less than three years to remove the governor. The previous efforts had split the legislature into two factions, causing President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspend the governor, the deputy governor, and the lawmakers.

The lawmakers accused the governor of constitutional breaches and administrative misconduct, allegations his supporters have dismissed as politically motivated.

Source: Premium Times

News

I Won’t Surrender Rivers N700bn IGR to Anyone, Fubara Vows

Published

5 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has resisted alleged pressure to hand over N700 billion, representing 35% of the State’s internally generated revenue (IGR), to anyone, sparking a heated power struggle with former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister.

The dispute has raised concerns about the welfare of Rivers State residents, with 4.4 million people living in multidimensional poverty.

The feud between Fubara and Wike, who unilaterally chose Fubara as his successor, has escalated into violent confrontations, defections, and legal battles.

Wike has threatened to make Rivers State “ungovernable” if Fubara fails comply, while his supporters have vowed to “deal with” Fubara.

In response, Fubara has warned that he cannot be intimidated, saying: “Rivers State is not a playground” and that he’s prepared to defend the state’s interest.

His supporters have also threatened to mobilise protests against Wike and his allies.

The crisis had paralysed governance, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month emergency rule in the State last year.

The situation remains tense, with both sides maintaining their respective stance.

The outcome will have significant implications for Rivers State and Nigerian politics.

The dispute highlights concerns about godfatherism in Nigerian politics and its impact on governance.

Wike has accused Fubara of ingratitude, while Fubara sees the former’s demands as an attempt to undermine his authority.

News

Rivers Assembly Begins Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara

Published

5 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

The Rivers State House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The legislature kicked off the process at plenary on Thursday.

The lawmakers are accusing Fubara and his deputy of gross misconduct.

Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, is presiding over the session.

The day’s proceedings bear the imprimatur of renewed hostilities between Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On December 5, 2025, a horde of the Rivers assembly lawmakers led by the speaker, announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Days later, Fubara formalised his own switch from the PDP to the APC.

However, the sabre-rattling and thinly veiled remarks between Wike and Fubara, which culminated in the declaration of emergency rule in the state in March 2025, have persisted.

Most of the Rivers lawmakers have stayed loyal to Wike.

TheCable