Headline

Rivers: Fubara and the Price for Peace

Published

1 year ago

June 30, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

In yet another twist to the lingering crises in the political leadership of Rivers State, the feuding parties comprising the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his godfather, the immediate past governor, who is also the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reached a truce.

The contesting politicians have agreed to let bygone be bygone, and allow peace that has eluded the state in over two years, to be restored.

As a proof of the reconciliation, Fubara attended the funeral of Wike’s uncle, Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, in Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. Both men were seen in jolly good mood, exchanging banters.

But the questions on the lips of many Nigerians, especially Rivers State indigenes include, at what cost? Who bears the brunt of the peace agreement? Who is favoured as the victor? What future lies ahead of the incumbent and what privileges of his did he forgo to allow peace reign?

Recall that things fell apart between Wike and Fubara shortly after the later became governor. It got worse in October when members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara.

The governor responded by demolishing the Assembly complex following a suspicious fire, relocating legislative sessions to temporary quarters. Ever since, both men have at daggers drawn, Tinubu intervention notwithstanding, with the administration of the state suffering a setback.

Speaking after a peace meeting brokered by President Bola Tinubu for the umpteenth time, in his Aso Rock residence, a relatively calm Wike, devoid of his usual braggadacio, confirmed that the political rift between him and Fubara has been resolved. The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was attended by the suspended governor and members of the state house of assembly.

Wike said both camps had reached a final agreement to end hostilities and work in unity.

“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family,” Wike said.

He acknowledged that the crisis had lingered for months, but described the agreement reached as conclusive.

“Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have a time to settle your disagreement.

“And that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr. President, that is what we have agreed. So for me, everything is over,” he said.

“And I enjoin everybody who believes to work with us, to also work together with everybody, that there’s no more acrimony. There’s nothing to say,” he added as he called for calm among political followers.

Fubara, on his part, confirmed the truce, describing the development as a moment of divine intervention and a crucial turning point for Rivers’ State.

“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be,” Fubara said.

He emphasised the need for peace to the Rivers state’s development, noting that, “What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr. President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned in Rivers State.”

Fubara also pledged full commitment to preserving the fragile unity achieved during the presidential peace meeting, adding, “We’ll do everything within our power to make sure that we sustain it this time around.”

The Punch, in its report on Saturday quoted sources in the Presidency privy to the deal, as saying that Fubara got the shorter end of the stick as he agreed to complete his ongoing term with a promise not to re-contest in 2027.

“It was one of the issues raised. In fact, it was the main issue. He agreed to conclude his tenure in peace and leave the stage after that,” the paper quoted one source.

“Yes, they reached an agreement yesternight (Thursday). The goal is for peace to return to Rivers State. But I think Fubara got the shorter end of the stick,” yet another source revealed.

The sources added that Fubara also agreed to allow Wike to nominate all the local government chairpersons across the 23 LGAs of the state.

But many has described what happened at Aso Rock as a follow up of the previous peace meeting also brokered by Tinubu in December, 2023, where Fubara was stripped of his powers and privileges as a governor, and handed over to Wike. Others have seen it as surrender, and not a reconciliation

According to a former Rivers State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, what transpired in Abuja was a surrender and not a reconciliation.

“What I see is not reconciliation. What I see is a surrender. In a reconciliation, parties come with their supporters and discussions are made, concessions are made. Where Governor Fubara walked alone to the Presidency without a single of his own supporters, not his deputy, not his Secretary to the State Government, not his Chief of Staff, not his factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, and others.

“On the other hand, Wike went with his entire House of Assembly loyalists and elders and you say they went for reconciliation. No, I think Governor Sim was called to surrender and he did.

“And the composition of that visit to Mr President is a story itself and it tells you to what extent these very divisive and vicious Abuja politicians have gone to cow the governor into surrender.

“What it behoves for Rivers people is clear, that the political structures, economic structures and realm of leadership of Rivers State have returned to the old order,” Nwibubasa lamented.

An activist, Deji Adeyanju, also condemned the outcome of the reconciliation meeting, saying that it’s only a trap, and fragile as Wike cannot be trusted.

“From his vow at the PDP convention to abide by the outcome, which he swiftly disregarded, to his betrayal of Dr Peter Odili, a man he once called his political father, and his calculated political attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Wike’s pattern is clear; he honours only his own ambition.

“Governor Fubara must prepare his mind that this reconciliation is a trap, and not a truce. Wike will not only undermine him now but will breach the agreement on purpose,” Adeyanju said.

Also, the Rivers Emancipation Movement, in a statement signedby its National president, Zoe Tamunotonye, said the reconciliation was not in the interest of the people of the state, saying that any resolution that massaged the ego of “a few selfish individuals and undermined the collective interest of Rivers people will not stand.”

The statement partly read, “This development marks the second Abuja-brokered reconciliation attempt. The first failed to yield any meaningful resolution or address the real causes of the political tension that has paralysed governance and destabilised peace in Rivers State.

“REM unequivocally frowns at this so-called reconciliation in its entirety. It is nothing more than a hollow, self-serving political arrangement that prioritises the narrow interests of a few political actors while completely ignoring the collective pain, sacrifices, and aspirations of the Rivers people. This is not reconciliation—it is a calculated collusion that will fail again.”

But a cross section of others has applauded the move including the Special Adviser to Fubara on Electronic Media, Jerry Omatsogunwa, who stated that the reconciliation would usher in development in the state though he expressed fear that the governor has himself in a position, where he would ‘donate his head’.

“What we are after is anything that will bring about peace and development to Rivers State, it’s not a big task. There has been arrested development, everywhere was dirty, businesses are shutting down, no business, contractors are even moving out of sites,” he said.

Acknowledging that he is holding the shorter part of the stick in the reconciliation, Fubara told his supporters to sheath their swords, and give peace, stressing that the price he is paying for the return is heavy while pledging to follow it through.

He went ahead to disband all supporters group, and promised that he would not abandon them even as he encouraged them to work with Wike.

He said, “I called for this meeting to address you formally, for you to have the first-hand information. It’s not the one you are reading in the paper, it’s not the one you are seeing on social media or wherever, you are now hearing from me.

“We have fought. I think, in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do. At this point, if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace; I meant it, and I’m still ready to follow it to the end.

“Nobody can take away the role the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, played — that’s the truth. Yes, we might have our differences, but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role he played. Nobody can wish away the risk he took. Yes, at a point we had our differences and if today there’s need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely believes in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do.

“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one where both of you are sitting down together to say, ‘Yes, this is what we want.’

“At this point, I’ve met him and we have spoken. You can’t take away the fact that he’s hurt, he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too.

“If we believe that we are in one family and our interest is to support the President, then what is the issue? If you say you are with us and you believe in me, this is the time for us to show it.

“Because it’s not even about me as a person — it’s about the overall interest of the state. In the midst of this crisis between me and the FCT Minister, look at the projects we’ve initiated. Many have been abandoned.

“We know the progress we would have recorded and the areas that would have been developed. So, there’s need for this peace — that’s the truth.

“I can’t abandon you people — that’s one thing I need to say here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes, I will not abandon anybody.

“But the sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy, and I want everybody to prepare for it.

“Without a total reconciliation — which, by the grace of God, the both of us have gotten to — there’s no way we can make progress in this state. There’s no way the President can come in to save the situation. So, I want to appeal to everyone — I have accepted that we must accept this peace, no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel, we must accept it.

“In my place, there’s a fish they call Atabala — you call it Tilapia. The native Tilapia doesn’t grow big. The mother Tilapia used to tell the kids that if you want to grow up to my own size, hide your head inside the mud. Every one of us should understand that at this time, we’ve done our best, and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know it’s difficult and heavy, but that’s the true situation.”

Fubara, who had talked tough in the first 18 months of the crises in the infamous war of supremacy aimed at controlling the state’s political structure and resources, suddenly became a shadow of himself following the February 28, 2025 Supreme Court judgment, which condemned his actions, and paved the way for Wike and his 26 controlled house of assembly members led by Hon Martins Amaewhule.

The Wike camp secured an upper hand with the verdict, which practically gave Wike and his team judgment, leaving Governor Fubara in the cold of uncertainty, waving in limbo, eating a humble pie and offering the olive branch in the war of attrition. Of course, Wike and his gang conscientiously rejected all his overtures.

Matters took a dramatic turn on March 18, 2025, when President Tinubu waved the big stick, and declared a state of emergency in state, suspending the governor, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and the entire members of the House of Assembly. Fubara was replaced by a sole administrator, a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.).

With the said peace deal, the full content of which is still unknown to the public, concluded, Nigerians look forward to the time a reversal of the state of emergency will be announced.

Headline

Parties’ Deregistration: ADC, Not NDC, is the Target

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, intrigues, manipulations and maneuvers have continued to be the order of the day as political parties engage in one gimmick or another to outdo and undo one another.

While some are playing politics of numbers and conviction, others are engaging tendencies that tend to question the status quo and established principles under which genuine democracy is formed. As a matter of fact, fingers have been pointed at the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal government as the brain behind all machinations that have attempted to derail multi-party democracy, and institute a one-party state, which is alien to the Nigerian democratic roots. This is as a result of the constant imbroglio that has consistently engulf almost all the major political parties in the country.

Fresh facts have however, emerged to prove that every act of frustration thrown at the opposition has been indirectly aimed at the main opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

According to reliable sources, the recent deregistration of parties, especially the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), was actually targeted at the ADC.

Recall that the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, on June, 26, set aside its earlier judgement directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party. A ruling that put a question mark on the eligibility of the party presenting candidates in the forthcoming 2027 elections

The presiding judge, Isah Dashen, held that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.

The court upheld the application filed by a certain organization, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party was a necessary party to the suit.

According to the judge, the earlier judgement was constitutionally defective as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties.

He declared that such an omission rendered the entire process null and void.

Mr Dashen further ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 10, 2025 judgement, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings, which justified the decision to set aside the judgment.

Consequently, the court ordered that the substantive suit should begin afresh, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PMP and the NDC as parties to the case.

According to NAN’s reports, the applicant’s lawyer, Chikezie Ekeocha, told journalists that the PMP approached the court after discovering that NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to Mr Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the earlier judgement.

“The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of 10 December 2025, and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.

“The recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgement must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Mr Ekeocha stated.

He, however, clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been decided.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.”

Mr Ekeocha also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically directed a restoration of the position that existed before the 10 December 2025 judgement.

The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the NDC to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before a new determination is made.

It would also be recalled that a few weeks earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, had ordered the deregistration of five political parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The others are Action People’s Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Accord Party.

However, on June 16, the Court of Appeal in Abuja halted the enforcement of the judgement, ruling that it violated its earlier ruling staying proceedings before the Federal High Court.

While INEC awaits the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to deregister the NDC, the NDC has reacted, rejecting the judgment as travesty of justice.

Lending credence to the notion that the President Tinubu-led administration is basically targeting the establishment of the ADC as a party, and the candidature of its presidential flagbearer, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is also the presidential candidate of the ADC, has stated categorically that there are plots to prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general election.

Atiku’s position is stated in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu on Monday, notifying the public that he had received credible information suggesting that political and legal manoeuvres were being deployed against the ADC, stressing that the persecution that has been thrown towards the NDC was a clear distraction as the main target is the ADC.

Atiku alleged that anti-democratic elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were working to ensure that the ADC is excluded from the ballot.

“We are fully aware of their plots. While they seek to sow confusion within the opposition, we know their real target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative,” he said.

Atiku called on Nigerians to reject any attempt to determine which opposition parties participate in the election.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians — not just ADC members and supporters — to rise in defense of democracy and reject any attempt by the ruling party to cherry-pick which opposition parties are permitted to participate in the next general election,” he said.

“Our message to the APC and the hooded men plotting in dark chambers is simple: you may conspire, but you will not succeed.

“If the APC is truly confident in its popularity, why is it so terrified of the ADC?”

He said he hoped the information available to him would not materialise but argued that recent political developments made such concerns difficult to dismiss.

“The pattern has become all too familiar. First, institutions that ought to be neutral are drawn into partisan contests,” he said.

“Then, frivolous litigations suddenly gain unusual momentum. Administrative powers are selectively deployed.

“Political pressure is mounted behind closed doors. Before long, democracy itself becomes the casualty.”

Atiku alleged that the ruling party has focused more on weakening the opposition than addressing the country’s economic and security challenges.

“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat,” he said.

“At a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and collapsing purchasing power, those entrusted with public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national survival.”

Nigerians recall that ever since the official rejuvenation of the ADC in June/July of 2025, where the duo of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola emerged as the party’s chairman and secretary respectively, the party has not known moments of peaceful coexistence as litigations from corners unknown have sprang up in a bid to destabilize the party and deprive it of the opportunity of featuring on the ballot paper come 2027.

ADC, as a child of circumstance emerged from the rumbles of the litigation-ridden former main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where two factions have consistently remelained at loggerheads over leadership. While the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is working assiduously to ensure the reelection of Bola Tinubu, leads one faction, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who became a defacto head, leads the other faction. In all, PDP appeared to have no direction, forcing many of its members to jump ship, thereby birthing the ADC, and to a large extent, the NDC, which is presenting Peter Obi as the presidential candidate, with former Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

Sources also informed The Boss that the hasty reading and passage of the Electoral Act 2026 by the Godswill Akpabio-led National Assembly, with many great areas left unattended to, were also part of the grand design to deprive the ADC the constitutional rights of presenting candidates for the 2027 elections.

But both the ADC and the NDC has vowed that they would follow every process to ensure that the crackdown on opposition parties by the Tinubu administration comes to an abrupt end.

But beyond the intrigues, Nigerians are gearing up to participate fully in the forthcoming election with cross sections of the population either hailing Tinubu for his policies or knocking him for the untold hardship in the land.

Headline

South Africa Nothing Without Africa – MTN Boss, Mcebisi Jonas

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas, has condemned the ongoing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, describing it as a symptom of State failure being cynically exploited by politicians with no interest in genuine solutions.

The speech is seen as one of the most substantive interventions by a senior business figure into xenophobic crisis currently plaguing South Africa.

Delivered during the funeral service of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant, Thokozani Damasane, Jonas’ words have sparked a wave of discussion across South African civil society.

“I was thinking, what is home to Damasane?” he said. “Because I understand, and I understood very early in life, that home is where humanity is. Home is about humanness. It is about the good of humanity and striving for the good of humanity.”

Thokozani Damasane was born and educated in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa during the post-apartheid transition period. Jonas described him as arriving “as an outcast” into a country still finding its post-liberation footing – and choosing, nonetheless, to commit himself entirely to its struggles and its people.

“He immersed himself deeply into the struggles, into the pains of South Africans, and he became one of us,” Jonas said.

“In Damasane’s strength, our strength as South Africa and South Africans is reflected. And in his weaknesses, our own weaknesses are reflected.”

Speaking further, Jonas blamed the state for the failure being witnessed, emphasising that if foreigners leave South Africa today, the country’s problems will still persist.

“Foreigners can leave tomorrow – inequality will be with us,” he told the congregation.

“Foreigners will leave tomorrow – unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected.

“The problem is the failure of the state. The State doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce
law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?”

Jonas argued that this failure created fertile ground for political manipulation. “When people feel the burn, they become vulnerable to politicians whose sole purpose is to be elected and re-elected. Some of them have no credibility whatsoever. But they lead marches and tell our people that the problem is not us – it is foreigners.”

Jonas recounted a conversation he had witnessed between Damasane and a young man who had challenged the right of foreigners to be in South Africa. Damasane’s response, Jonas said, had stayed with him ever since.

“Damasane said to this guy: Just wait fifteen or twenty years. You will also want to leave your country.”

Jonas told mourners those words now carry a weight Damasane may not have anticipated. “As I stand up today, I look at South Africa. The level of oppression and inequality, the level of exclusion of our people, the level of corruption, the betrayal of the dream of liberation – those words of Damasane ring very loud in my ears.”

South Africa is nothing without Africa

Jonas closed with a call for what he described as a return to “national consciousness” – one rooted in continental solidarity and economic interdependence rather than ethnic exclusion.

“We are a nation embedded in Africa,” he said. “And without Africa, our growth as a country – economically – our fortune is intertwined with the growth of Africa. South Africa is nothing without Africa. And Africa is nothing without South Africa.”

He also reframed the question of legacy and identity for Damasane’s children, who were present. “Sometimes this thing called meritocracy is measured in wealth. No. It is values, it is principles, it is integrity. And your father had all of that.”

“We cannot judge people by their origin,” he told mourners. “We cannot determine the legal status of people by their origin.”

Headline

NDC Rejects Court Ruling on Party’s Registration, Heads to Appeal Court

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday, vowed to challenge the judgment nullifying its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it would exercise its constitutional right of appeal.

Reacting to the ruling on Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Osa Director, said the NDC was still awaiting the certified copy of the judgment before making a comprehensive statement on the court’s decision.

He, however, confirmed that the party had resolved to head to the appellate court.

“We are still waiting to obtain a copy of the judgment. After reading the comprehensive judgment, we will make a detailed statement,” he said.

The spokesman added: “For now, what is certain is that we will exercise our right of appeal.”

Insisting that the party would challenge the ruling, he said: “It is our constitutional right to appeal, and we intend to exercise that right.”

When asked specifically whether the NDC would appeal the judgment voiding its registration, the spokesman replied: “Yes, the party will appeal the case.”

The party’s reaction came shortly after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in a judgement that nullified its registration by INEC, a development that could have significant implications for the NDC’s participation in the country’s political process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NDC, however, maintained that it would refrain from making further comments on the substance of the judgment until it had studied the full text of the court’s decision.

The party’s planned appeal is expected to set the stage for a fresh legal battle over its status and continued existence as a registered political party.