Author: Emmanuel Obe

Tensions within the Rivers State judiciary and political establishment intensified on Monday following the voluntary retirement of a senior magistrate and a demand by the state government for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to refund N300 million previously allocated for its now-relocated 2025 Annual General Conference. In a strongly worded resignation letter, Magistrate Ejike King George announced his retirement from the state judiciary after 16 years of service, citing unease with the “quasi-military administration” currently governing Rivers State under a federally appointed Sole Administrator. “This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of…

The House of Representatives has inaugurated an ad hoc committee tasked with carrying out legislative functions for Rivers State following the declaration of a state of emergency in the state. This development comes after President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, a move which was subsequently reviewed and amended by the National Assembly to reinforce democratic safeguards and ensure constitutional checks and balances. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the House spokesman, Hon. Akin Rotimi, the newly formed ad hoc committee will assume the legislative responsibilities of the Rivers State…

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has set May 12, 2025, for the substantive hearing of a lawsuit filed by former National and State Assembly Member, Dr. Farah Dagogo, seeking the nullification of the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly. Dagogo, who was a Governorship Aspirant in the 2023 elections, filed the suit on April 9, 2025, challenging the declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The suit also names the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate of the Federal Republic, the Speaker of the…

Rev. Godwin Lale Ollor, Resident Priest of Holy Ghost Anglican Church in Alesa, Eleme Archdeaconary of the Niger Delta North Diocese has blamed some of the national crises on a lack of faith and calling for the reign of Christ over the land. Rev. Lale Ollor, who spoke to National Point during the Palm Sunday procession of Holy Ghost Anglican Church, Alesa in Eleme Local Government Area, said a people run into crisis when they forsake the counsel of God. “Today we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and we are taking a triumphant march around our community,…

Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas, on Friday inaugurated 23 newly appointed Local Government Area (LGA) administrators on April 11, 2025, at Government House in Port Harcourt. Addressing the administrators, Ibas emphasized the need for accountability, transparency, and a strong sense of service to build trust and foster sustainable development in their respective areas. He urged them to prioritize key areas including sanitation and environment management, primary healthcare, welfare and discipline of local government civil servants, primary education, and youth engagement. These areas, he stated, would form the basis for assessing their performance in the coming…

In a powerful display of unity and defiance, women from across Rivers State embarked on a “Liberation Walk” on Friday, demanding an immediate end to the state of emergency imposed on the state and the restoration of democratic governance. Led by Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, the women condemned the declaration of emergency as a politically motivated maneuver aimed at subjugating the people and undermining constitutional democracy. They argued that the federal government’s decision to impose emergency rule on Rivers State, while ignoring the severe security challenges in other states, is a clear indication of a hidden political agenda. “We are…

The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olugbenga Adepoju, has visited the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Port Harcourt to express his regret over the recent assault on journalists by police personnel in the state. The commissioner, who was out of state during the incident, said he was shocked to hear about the assault and immediately ordered an investigation. He stated that no evidence was presented to justify the actions of the police officers involved, leading to the immediate removal of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area. “Journalists are a vital part of…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has announced the relocation of its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Enugu, citing the unconstitutional declaration of a state of emergency and the subsequent appointment of a Sole Administrator in Rivers State. In a statement released on April 10th, the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN, stated that the association “could not, in good conscience, proceed with the AGC in a state governed unconstitutionally by a Sole Administrator.” The NBA strongly condemned the actions of the Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, who they claimed operated with impunity and disregarded constitutional…

Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to suspended Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State, has filed a N2 billion defamation suit against former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, for accusing him of orchestrating the fire that engulfed the state’s House of Assembly in October 2023. Ehie also named a television station that aired the interview in his suit. In a statement released by his legal team, Ehie claims that Nwaeke’s accusation, made in a televised interview on March 29th, is false and has severely damaged his reputation. Ehie seeks an order for immediate retraction of the statement, a public…

The National President of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Dr. Godknows Igali, has expressed serious concerns over the dismantling of democratic institutions in Rivers State by the Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd). In an open letter addressed to Admiral Ibas, Dr. Igali said the actions taken by the administrator have gone beyond his gazetted mandate and were detrimental to the consolidation of democracy in the state. Dr. Igali, who refrained from congratulating Admiral Ibas upon his appointment due to the “embarrassing aberration” of imposing a state of emergency in Rivers State, stated that the actions of the administrator are…