FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has compared politicians attempting to win elections by “unorthodox” means such as vote-buying to armed robbers and grifters. “For us who are politicians, our conduct matters a lot,” Jonathan said while addressing journalists moments after casting his vote in home state of Bayelsa for the presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday. “And I always tell politicians that ‘Yes, you can win elections through unorthodox means, just like using violence to win elections or buying votes and so on. But when you do that, you are behaving like an armed robber or a con man.…
Author: Millie Egbule Port Harcourt
Read More
VOTING was inconclusive at Ward 9, Unit 7, polling unit of Governor Nyesom Wike in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday. Wike finally cast his vote after the initial failure of the BVAS machine at Ward 9 Unit 7 in Rumuiprikon, Onio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State at about.
RIVERS State Governor, Nysome Wike has expressed disappointment with the functionality of the Biomodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission to his polling unit. News Point Nigeria reports that, Wike arrived at his polling unit 7 in Ward 9 in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area with his wife, Justice Suzzette Eberechi Wike at about 10:30 am. However, the BVAS could not accredit the Governor ad his wife who were the first voters at the pilling unit. After over 20 minutes of unsuccessful tries, a female electoral official appealed to the first family members to check…
THE Rivers State Police Command has arrested a federal lawmaker, Dr. Chinyere Igwe, with $498,100 on suspicion of attempted vote buying and money laundering. News Point Nigeria reports that the lawmaker who represents Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 2 in the House of Representatives was arrested along Aba Road in the state capital. It was gathered that the suspect was picked up by men of the Command on stop and search duty at about 2:45 pm on Thursday. Also found in his possession was a list for the distribution of the money. Police Public Relations Officer of Rivers State Police Command,…
EIGHT students of Madonna University, Elele, Rivers State have reportedly died in an auto crash on their way to Taraba State from Port Harcourt. According to reports, the students were travelling home from school on account of the forthcoming general election. An eyewitness, Matthew Mbam, said the incident happened on Saturday, February 18, at the TTC/Special Science School junction, Abakaliki in Ebonyi State. Seven other students reportedly survived the incident with varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to the Alex Ekwueme Teaching Hospital Hospital in Ebonyi State. Mbam, who narrated the incident on his Facebook page, said, “While returning…
FORMER Bayelsa State governor and Minister of State Petroleum for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has joined the race to run for governorship seat of the Niger Delta state According to reports, friends of the minister have purchased the N50 million All Progressives Congress nomination and expression of interest form for the former governor. The said friends were reportedly at the national secretariat of the APC on Monday to pick up the nomination form Sylvia was Governor of Bayelsa State between 2008–2012 and was later appointed Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in 2019. The governorship election in the state is…
THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, met with Rivers State stakeholders in Abuja on Sunday evening, ahead of Saturday’s keenly contested election. News Point Nigeria reports that, among those present at the meeting were a former National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus; Senator Ben Bruce; a former governor of Rivers state, Celestine Omehia, among other prominent party members in the state. Atiku’s campaign Director, Public Communications, Senator Dino Melaye, stated that the meeting was a compensation for the Rivers State rally, which was shelved by the party, owing to the impasse with Governor…
SOME residents of Rivers State on Friday took to the streets of Port Harcourt, the state capital to protest the Federal Government’s monetary policy and the scarcity of the naira notes. News Point Nigeria reports that, the epicentre was the popular and busy Mile three market along Ikwerre road in Port Harcourt City Loca Government Area. The protest, however, turned violent a few minutes later, as hoodlums who are always available in the market area seized the opportunity to forcefully dispossess people of their property. Shops were also burgled and the windshields of cars along the streets were smashed. Passersby…
WITH a few days to the February 25 presidential election, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has ruled out any last-minute deal or truce between the G5 and the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar. The governor also said he is not ready to sit with any member of Atiku’s camp to broker peace between the G5 or the Integrity Group and the national leadership of the party led by Iyorchia Ayu. Wike, in a media chat on Thursday morning with a select TV stations monitored by News Point Nigeria, also said he owes nobody an…
GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Thursday faulted the ban of old N500 and N1,000 notes by President Muhammadu Buhari despite an order of the Supreme Court saying three old banknotes should remain legal tender till a determination on the case. Wike, in a media chat after the President’s national broadcast on Thursday morning, described as a “corporate interference”, the pronouncement of the President that old N200 notes remain valid for 60 days while old N500 and N1,000 notes cease to be legal tender. “The Supreme Court having given an interim order, we should have waited for it. As…
THE presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu; and his running mate, Kashim Shettima Wednesday visited Governor Nyesom Wike at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. News Point Nigeria learnt that, the APC flag bearer and his running mate were accompanied by the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu; Governors Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), Babjide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi). Others at the meeting include former governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) as well as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; among others. However, a former Minister of Transportation…
THE Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, says the people of Rivers State will vote overwhelmingly for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in next week’s election. Tambuwal stated this on Wednesday when he and other PDP members paid a condolence visit to Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State at his hometown in Sampou over the death of his father. Diri, who recently lost his father, had suspended the activities to celebrate the third anniversary of his administration. The Sokoto governor and his Bauchi State counterpart were…
THE Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says the G5 or Integrity Group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not running out of steam, adding that the group will act out its plan in the February 25, 2023 presidential election. News Point Nigeria reports that, Wike spoke on Tuesday during the party’s governorship campaign in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state. “They said G5 is dead. What is their problem? Why are they concerned?” Wike queried as he addressed PDP supporters decked up in party paraphernalia. The G5 is made up of five aggrieved governors of…
GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says he is not surprised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council put off its rally in the state. News Point Nigeria reports that, Wike said the decision by the PDP presidential campaign council in Rivers was expected because none of the members has the political clout to mobilise an encouraging number of supporters for the rally. The governor spoke on Monday at the State PDP rally in the Akuku-Toru Local Government Area where he addressed some other political and development issues. He described those in charge of the campaign of his…
PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has cancelled his campaign rally for Rivers state, citing insecurity. Atiku in a state Monday through Rivers PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) said the rally billed for this week after earlier previous repeated postponements would no longer hold. The statement by Sen Lee Maeba, PDP PCC Chairman in Rivers, noted that, “The expected victory of Atiku Abubakar does not worth the blood of any Rivers man or woman.”
THE governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the error by Iyorchia Ayu, the chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that the “PDP has brought us shame.” Wike said it shows Ayu is working against the party. While speaking on Thursday at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Kano state, Ayu had said: “PDP has brought us shame.” but after a few seconds, he corrected himself and said “APC”. Reacting to the development on Friday at the flag-off rally of the Rivers PDP campaign council in Eleme LGA, Wike said the national leadership under Ayu is bringing…
THE Rivers State Government has disputed claims that Governor Nyesom Wike was responsible for an attack on the state Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council (PDP-PCC), Abiye Sekibo. The State Commissioner for Information, Chris Finebone, in a conversation with News Point Nigeria via telephone on Friday that, the governor had no reason to be involved in the said attack. Finebone stated that it is the place of the police whom the director general claimed shot at him to clarify the issue. He also urged the state DG of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council to help the police…
THE Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, escaped assassination by the whiskers on Thursday midnight. News Point Nigeria learnt that gunmen dressed in security uniform opened fire on Sekibo’s vehicle, a Land Cruiser bulletproof jeep at the Rainbow Town in Port Harcourt, where he went to inspect the venue of a proposed presidential rally of the party. Confirming the incident at a news briefing Friday, Sekibo said his car was riddled with bullets and the venue of the proposed rally set on fire, while security watched the inferno. “As we approached…
GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has commended the Supreme Court for saving the Nigerian masses and democracy by restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from implementing the February 10 deadline on the phasing out of N200, N500 and N1000 old notes. Wike spoke during the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign in the Abua/Odual Local Government Area, where he urged the people to preserve their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to vote for the candidates of the PDP at the state level. He also commended the government of the three states that filed the suit. He said the…
RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike says the state government has re-issued the approval for the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to use the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in the state to host its presidential campaign rally. The Rivers State Government had on January 31 withdrawn the initial approval of January 11 on the grounds that credible intelligence and recent development show that the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation is working in collaboration with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers. The government said it understood that the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation was intending to share the approved facility…