News

Killings: Sack Security Chiefs Now – Saraki Tells Buhari

Published

8 years ago

July 1, 2018

Eric

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has called for the sack of security chiefs to give way for others who can perform better.

Reacting to recent security challenges in the country, while visiting communities affected by rainstorm in Ilorin on Saturday, Mr Saraki cautioned against politicising the situation.

“This is not something to be politicised,” he said. “If somebody is not capable and cannot do what he has to do, let others have the opportunity to do it.”

Recently, the Amnesty International (AI) said at least 1,813 people have been killed from January 2018 to date. With killings spreading across 17 states, the worrying figure almost double the entire death toll of 2017.

AI also blamed Nigerian authorities for failing to tame the killings, noting that the failure of security agencies made attacks and reprisals frequent.

Mr Saraki, sharing similar thought, accused the security chiefs and agencies of failing to work together.

“We have had situations where security officials have told us there is poor coordination. One, A is not talking to B, Be is not talking to A. They don’t attend meetings jointly and things need to be done.

“Let us forget the issue of party, these are lives of people – and let’s remove politics. It is not about who is the Speaker of the House, who is the President of the Senate. It is about Nigeria.”

Mr Saraki said the National Assembly had anticipated the situation and issued advice but was ignored due to “politicisation of issues.”

He used the opportunity to revisit the Senate’s faceoff with the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

“As you know, the National Assembly under my leadership, many months back, had seen this danger, called for a security summit, we had addressed the issue of security architecture. We had said that there is definitely a failure of the security architecture of the country,” the Senate President said.

“You are all very aware that some service chiefs decided in their own wisdom that there is no need for them to work with the National Assembly to address these issues.

“There is no society that continues to see the kind of killings here and think that it should be business as usual. It requires drastic action, it requires a collaboration of all agencies and all arms of government for us to be serious.”

Premium Times

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

Published

19 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