Politics
I didn’t betray PDP, Atiku, Wike, says no regrets making Fubara governor
Wike, who said he and some leaders of the state picked and worked for Fubara’s emergence as the governor noted that the decision was taken to ensure the unity of the state.
The minister stated this while speaking at a New Year luncheon he organised in his country home, Rumueprikom, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the Rivers State on Sunday.
Wike explained that he had to ask those who showed interest, including an ally like the former Rivers PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah, to drop their ambition in order to pave the way for a governor from the riverine area.
He disclosed that he invited Obuah, who was a major contender for the governorship election then to his house and asked him to drop his ambition and become the Director-General for the campaign.
He revealed how his predecessor as Governor in the state seized Obuah’s property, yet Obuah stood with him.
“Felix Obuah was in my team as chairman of the party. My predecessor seized Obua’s property, everything he owned, land, schools and hotels. The wife cried to him but he told his wife, ‘don’t worry if it is the will of God there is nothing you can do. He stood firm. They took everything he had.
“He was one of the frontrunners in the 2023 governorship election. I told him in my house to step down so that he wouldn’t run. He looked at me but I said you won’t run. He said if that was what I am saying he won’t run. But I say you will be DG, go and campaign for that election.
“I say you must be DG and he said if that is what you want I will go and do it. And he did it. I see all kinds of things going on. They are talking evil about him. But he is here and he will still be here,” Wike stated.
Continuing, he said, “Those, who open their mouths to talk don’t know anything. I was the one who paid for the forms for anybody who wanted to run for elections as governor, House of Assembly and National Assembly. Let one person raise his hand and say he bought forms.
“We say we are all family members with no need for acrimony. Don’t spend your money, we will agree on who will run. The day we made the final decision, the Chairman of the elders’ council nearly collapsed.
“He is here. OCJ Okocha was there, Awuse was there. Omehia was there. He nearly collapsed. Why? He wanted a governor from the riverine area.
“When I looked at him, I said, ‘Why will I allow this old man to just die.’ I say let’s not create the impression that there are people who want to monopolise power.
“Let’s allow everybody to be part of it because we belong to one Rivers State. If I had wanted, nobody would have stopped me. Nobody had what it takes to even be near me.
“And to God be the glory, I don’t regret what I did and I will never regret what I did because I want the unity of this state for us to forge ahead. If I wanted an Ikwerre man, nobody would have stopped me”.
He added that his concern is to play politics of unity of Rivers, saying when he visited the National Vice Chairman of the APC, South-South, Chief Victor Giadom, he went there with PDP leaders.
He said, “Today he (Giadom) is here with all APC leaders. Membership of the party is not on Radio or Television. So, all of us must make Rivers State to move forward.
“Let’s move forward for the interest of the state. That is important. I took the decision and you listened to me. I want you to also listen to me now. Let’s accept what Mr. President has said. It is for the interest of Rivers and for Nigeria in general.
“It may not be the best but there is no option. Mr. President took a lot of risk to give me the position of Minister of FCT. People protested but he stood firm. If he could do that, you too should accept his decision.
“When we came back from Abuja, within the next 48 hours, the speaker and his people took the decision to obey Mr. President without attaching any condition. I thank Mr. Speaker and other members for respecting Mr. President.
Wike said he learnt from President Tinubu, who once taught him that betrayal and politics are mother and father, just as he recalled how the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, allegedly betrayed all the agreements they had to pave the way for his second term.
He added, “It is not everything you invest that you will reap. Even established companies crumble. You cannot say I did this but I am not benefitting. God knows why it happens the way it happens.
“What is important in life is to give God the glory that you are alive to see what is happening. When a man is dead, he doesn’t know what is happening.
“You will be able to advise your children and your friends. When the heat was on in Edo, this young man was a frontrunner in the Edo Governorship election.
“PDP leaders came to me in Port Harcourt from 6 pm to 6 am the next day. I told the young man with Dan Orbih to withdraw and not to run for the governorship. He was crying and we agreed on what would be given to their group.”
Wike stated further, “He was to be refunded the money he spent and to get four commissioners but not one was kept. We said okay you would run for Senate in the next election. But not one was kept.
“But the next thing was blackmail that Wike wants to control this. But you didn’t know what Wike wanted to control when you came and held a meeting with me from 6 pm to 6 am. It was all about blackmail. That is what you see in politics.
“You must have shock absorbers. President Tinubu told me when we were meeting that politics and betrayal are the same mother and father. If you don’t want to be betrayed, don’t enter politics.
“So prepare yourself that it will happen. I am fully prepared because I know it is one of the things President Tinubu taught me. I am laying this foundation so that some of you who are worried should not be. That is life for you. You must prepare yourself to know that these things happen. I have preached and continue to preach for unity and for peace in this state”.
The minister declared that he is committed to implementing the peace agreement brokered by Tinubu in the political crisis in the state.
Wike, also called on parties to endeavour to implement the same without conditions.
While commending the State House of Assembly for implementing its side of the resolutions, the former governor vowed that he would never disobey President Tinubu.
Wike stated, “I want to make one confession to you. I work with Mr. President and there is no way I can disobey Mr. President. It is not possible. The mere fact that Mr. President calls you and said look allow peace here, there is no way I can disobey Mr. President.
“I may not be happy with all resolutions but if Mr. President calls for peace, who are you to say you don’t want peace? I will not attach any condition to what Mr. The President wants from me. I will not do it.
“So, I must obey Mr. President. I must do everything humanly possible to see that the peace arrangement is achieved in Rivers. That is what is required and I am going to do that.”
Speaking on the Rivers crisis he said, “Ask people why this matter came to this level. When people went and plotted the removal of the Speaker you think we would fold our hands to remove the Speaker?
“We will start with you first. Do you want to humiliate us by removing the Speaker? They said I should go and talk to the assembly men and I said why? They said you brought them. But I said so these ones will listen to me but you won’t listen.
“They said chairmen of councils don’t respect anybody. But I said why won’t they respect anybody? People are plotting evil and nobody wants to talk.
“We must make an impact on people’s lives. Whatever position that you find yourself in, make an impact. Forget about these people who cannot face me to fight me. I consumed them before and I will continue to consume them. Show them the way. Follow a man that knows the way.”
PUNCH
The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.
Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.
The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.
According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.
“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.
Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.
His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.
Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch
Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.
“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.
She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.
According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government
“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.
She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.
“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”
Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has responded to recent remarks by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, , agreeing that President Bola Tinubu has done his best to address Nigeria’s security challenges but arguing that his best is no longer enough.
Obi made the remarks during an interview with Chude Jideonwo, uploaded on YouTube on Thursday, while explaining why Nigerians should support his presidential ambition over other opposition candidates.
Asked why he should be elected president, Obi urged Nigerians to evaluate his past record alongside his current vision for the country.
“It’s for you to look at my past and look at what I’m saying now,” he said.
Responding to Adeboye’s recent comments on Tinubu’s handling of insecurity, Obi described the respected cleric as a sincere and credible religious leader whose assessment was fair.
“Somebody asked me yesterday, they said that Pastor Adeboye said Tinubu has tried his best and he’s not happy. And I said, no, Pastor Adeboye remains a very revered, respected religious father, whom I believe in his genuineness and goodness.
“And what he said was correct. He said he has tried his best. He’s trying his best. That’s it. It’s the correct answer.
“The question to ask is: Is his best good enough? Where we find ourselves today, that leads to the issue of capacity.”
Obi maintained that effective leadership is defined by competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character, arguing that Nigeria’s persistent security challenges demonstrate the need for a leadership change.
“When I talk about leadership, I say competence, capacity, compassion, commitment, character. These are the issues. President Tinubu is tired. He needs to go home and rest,” Obi said.
Adeboye had earlier defended President Tinubu against criticisms over worsening insecurity during the US-Nigeria Faith Heroes Award Gala organised by the Save Nigeria Group in Washington, D.C., on June 23.
The cleric argued that the President had fulfilled his responsibility by issuing directives to the military, stressing that a commander-in-chief was not expected to personally participate in combat operations.
“I don’t support those who are accusing the President of not doing enough. When the commander-in-chief has given instructions to his subordinates, he has done his bit. You don’t expect him to go and put on khaki and fight,” Adeboye said.
Despite defending the President’s role, Adeboye expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation, noting that terrorism and kidnapping had spread beyond northern Nigeria into the southern parts of the country.
He also revealed that he advised the President to issue a 90-day ultimatum to military commanders to either end the insecurity or resign, while urging the government to identify and prosecute those sponsoring terrorist activities.
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