By Our Correspondent
Stakeholders under the auspices of the Rivers Professionals (RIVPRO) have hailed the emergence of Ogundu Kingsley Chinda as the governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.

They called on other stakeholders and residents to massively support him saying if elected Chinda possessed the capacity and competence to ensure inclusive governance in the state.

RIVPRO’s Director of Publicity, Nimi Solomon in a statement insisted that Chinda’s emergence was a positive step towards competent leadership in Ruvers.

Solomon said RIVPRO was pleased with Chinda because he embodied the qualities Rivers people had long desired in governance such as professional excellence, administrative depth, and a broad‑minded, detribalized approach to leadership.

He said: “Chinda’s reputation as an astute and detribalized professional has earned him respect across ethnic, professional, and political lines.

“Rivers State needs a leader, whose vision transcends divisions and whose commitment to service is anchored on merit, fairness, and development.

“Hon. O. K. Chinda is an astute, detribalized professional with the leadership experience required to move Rivers State forward. His emergence signals a refreshing shift toward competence, integrity, and inclusive governance”.

Solomon expressed confidence that, if elected, Chinda would bring accountability, innovation, and people‑centered governance to the state.

He reaffirmed RIVPRO’s support for credible leadership and urged Rivers people to embrace the opportunity for progress.

By George Mgbeleke

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent comments attacking the opposition, describing them as self-serving and deeply insensitive.

While delivering his acceptance speech as the presidential candidate of the ruling APC in next year’s election, President Tinubu declared that opposition leaders would only take the country backwards because they lacked alternative vision.

However, in a swift statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said it was a grand irony that such a statement was coming from a president whose tenure would be remembered as one of the worst periods in Nigeria’s democratic history.

With millions of Nigerians suffering under the President’s catastrophic economic policies, debts spiralling out of control, corruption enjoying unprecedented prosperity, and the nation flowing with the blood of innocent victims, it is indeed astonishing that the President could still attempt to position his government as a positive benchmark.

“If the opposition is going to take the country backwards, it would be to reset it from the edge of the dangerous precipice that the current administration has placed it on, because to continue on the same trajectory is to plunge the country into the abyss,” the party said.

The ADC also raised concerns over the APC presidential primary results, which allegedly gave Tinubu 10.99 million votes, describing the figure as an “unbelievable concoction” and warning that it could provide the basis for rigging the 2027 general elections.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is genuinely shocked and saddened that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose administration has presided over one of the most painful periods in Nigeria’s democratic history, would speak so dismissively about the opposition and the Nigerian people while awarding himself a medal for one of the most catastrophic economic policies in recent history.

It is both ironic and tragic that a government under whose watch nearly 35 million Nigerians are now projected to face acute food insecurity in 2026 would accuse the opposition of lacking ideas or vision. This is a government under which inflation has devastated household incomes, food prices have become unbearable, insecurity has continued to spread across the country, and millions of Nigerians now live with a level of economic anxiety and hopelessness never before experienced in recent national history.

Under President Tinubu’s administration, millions of families have been forced to reduce meals, businesses are shutting down daily under unbearable economic pressure, and farmers across many parts of the country can no longer safely access their farmlands because of banditry, kidnappings, and violent attacks. International organisations have repeatedly warned that Nigeria is facing one of the worst food insecurity crises in the world, with recent assessments projecting that about 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food and nutrition insecurity during the 2026 lean season. At the same time, over 2.3 million Nigerians remain displaced by violence and insecurity, while communities across the North West and North Central continue to suffer repeated attacks with little assurance of safety from the government.

Yet, instead of humility, accountability, or empathy, President Tinubu has chosen to attack an opposition that has consistently demonstrated more seriousness about governance than many members of his own administration. The ADC finds it deeply unfortunate that a President under whose watch the naira has collapsed in value, purchasing power has evaporated, and poverty has deepened at an alarming rate would attempt to caricature the opposition as lacking vision. Nigerians know where they were before this government came into office, and they know where they are today.

The truth is that the opposition did not create the hunger in the land. The opposition did not destroy the value of the naira. The opposition did not create the insecurity that has turned farming communities into killing fields. The opposition did not push businesses into collapse or force millions of young Nigerians into despair and economic uncertainty. Nigerians understand clearly who is responsible for the hardship they are currently enduring, and no amount of political subterfuge can erase the reality of daily suffering across the country.

President Tinubu must understand that Nigerians are no longer interested in speeches or political grandstanding. Nigerians are asking simple questions: Why is food unaffordable? Why are businesses collapsing? Why are citizens increasingly unsafe? Why are more Nigerians falling into poverty despite endless promises of reform and recovery?

The ADC therefore says this clearly and unequivocally to President Tinubu: the opposition will move Nigeria forward. Nigeria cannot continue on this disastrous path of economic pain without measurable progress, worsening insecurity, institutional decline, and growing hopelessness. Nigerians deserve competent leadership, compassionate governance, and a government that understands that power exists to improve lives, not merely to retain control.

The ADC also finds it bizarre that President Tinubu was announced to have secured 10.99 million votes in the APC presidential primary. In a process designed for President Tinubu to contest against himself, one may be tempted to dismiss the figure as laughable, if it were not recognisable for what it truly represents: a subtle attempt to set the stage and condition Nigerians for the kind of fantastic rigging being planned by the ruling party ahead of 2027.

By David Owei,,Bayelsa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa State, has slammed Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri over his claims that incumbency factor would play a part in during the 2027 elections.

The State publicity secretary of the party, Hon Ikaebimo Mark in statement while noting that it has taken note of Diri’s statement that opposition parties in the state will soon “learn the game of incumbency” ahead of the 2027 general elections, said it is Bayelsans thst will decide the fate of PDP and not governnent people.

Mark maintained that Diri and his associates should remember that no power is greater than the collective will of the people.
According to him, political history across Nigeria has repeatedly shown that incumbency without genuine grassroots support cannot withstand the determination of a people united for change, justice, and purposeful leadership.
He stated that PDP derives its support and power from the peole and not on temporary government power.
Mark stated that the PDP under the leadership of Alabh George Turnah remains focused to build an inclusive political movement for the people.

The statement reads in part, “PDP remains deeply rooted in the hearts of Bayelsans. Bayelsa is PDP and PDP is Bayelsa. The bond between the party and the people was built over years of shared struggles, development, sacrifices, and unwavering commitment to the progress of the Ijaw nation and the entire state.

“Unlike those who rely solely on the temporary advantage of political office, the PDP derives its strength from the people at the grassroots, the youths, women, elders, workers, communities, and ordinary citizens who continue to believe in the ideals and leadership direction of the party.

“The PDP in Bayelsa State under the leadership of Hon Alabh George Turnah, remains focused, united, and committed to building a broad-based political movement anchored on inclusiveness, fairness, effective representation, and service to the people.

“We therefore urge Bayelsans not to be intimidated by statements designed to create an impression of political invincibility. Democracy belongs to the people, not to incumbents. Elections are ultimately determined by the votes, voices, and convictions of the people.

“The PDP remains confident that the people of Bayelsa State will continue to stand with the party that has consistently identified with their aspirations, protected their interests, and provided a credible platform for political participation and development.”