By Mike Obi, Abuja

Ahead 2027 general election, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike has given reasons on why it would be a stress free victory for President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State in the forthcoming 2027 general elecAnthonytions.

Wike stated this during a town hall meeting with the people of Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state on Thursday.

While giving the reasons, Wike claimed that Rivers State had received no fewer than 47 federal appointments under Tinubu’s administration, a figure he described as unprecedented when compared with the previous administrations of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

He also cited the completion of the Bodo-Bonny Road as one of the major benefits of the Tinubu administration to Rivers State among other things he mentioned,noting that residents who previously depended on water transportation could now travel by road.

He urged the people to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, as well as the APC governorship candidate, Kinsley Chinda, and other candidates.

The minister also canvassed support for APC candidates seeking election into the Senate, House of Representatives and Rivers State House of Assembly.

Wike said the APC had become the strongest political platform for the forthcoming elections, insisting that voting for candidates outside the party in the area would amount to wasting votes.

He specifically cautioned the people against supporting a son of the area contesting the governorship election on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), arguing that the party lacked the political strength to win the presidency or governorship.

“I know one of your sons is running for governorship under NDC. We want our son to be governor, but we must be realistic. As it is today, he cannot be under that party. It is not possible,” he said.

Wike argued that the people should distinguish between emotional attachment to a candidate and the political realities of winning an election.

He said the area already had a governorship candidate and deputy governor from its political fold under the APC, adding that supporting another candidate on a platform he described as electorally weak would not advance the interests of the people.

The former Rivers governor also dismissed the prospects of opposition parties challenging Tinubu in 2027, citing the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the difficulty of building a formidable opposition coalition.

“Talking about the crisis in the PDP, I have said it will be difficult for us to present a credible presidential candidate that can challenge this election. Therefore, there is no need to bother ourselves. Let us continue to support Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

Wike defended Tinubu’s economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, describing the decision as a demonstration of political courage and leadership.

He acknowledged that the policies had brought hardship to Nigerians but maintained that the sacrifices were temporary and necessary to reposition the country.

According to him, Tinubu took decisions that previous administrations avoided because of their potential political consequences.

“Leadership is key. This country requires leadership with courage. Our problem has been leadership,” he said.

Wike cited the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, as having questioned whether a conventional politician would take such politically risky decisions while seeking a second term.

He said the President’s policies would yield positive results when fully implemented and stabilised.

The minister also credited the Tinubu administration with improving federal revenue allocations to states and local governments, noting that local government chairmen now had greater financial resources to execute projects.

Wike had earlier paid a traditional homage to the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, HRM King Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel (II).

The monarch expressed profound gratitude for past infrastructural interventions in the community and remarkable peace, development and cooperative spirit within the region.

The King said: “The only thing we wish you is that now that you’re all together, we have the confidence that every election season, we used to panic that there would be crisis. But I thank Almighty God that this time around, there will be no crisis”.

The chairman of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Aboiya Bob-Fubara vowed to continue to mobilize his people from the re-election of President Tinubu and other candidates.

By David Owei

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said that his administration’s determination to break the jinx of inaccessibility into one of the oil-rich local government areas in the state motivated him to embark on construction of roads and bridges in the area.

The Bayelsa governor also stated that road infrastructure boosts not only connectivity but also promotes economic opportunities.

Senator Diri spoke on Thursday at his Sampou country home when he played host to a delegation of Southern Ijaw women and his students from the Class of 1986 at the Government Secondary School, Amassoma.

In the delegation were the acting paramount ruler of Amassoma, Chief Godswill Akedesuo, and the Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development, Joanah Gigi, who were his former students.

Diri recalled that during his first term campaigns in 2019, the major concern raised by people of the area was a road linking Oporoma, the local government headquarters, which had remained inaccessible by land for years.

He further narrated how his kinsman, late Chief F.K Agara, a prominent Ijaw leader and politician, died from injuries sustained in a boat mishap during a political campaign at Oporoma before Bayelsa’s creation in 1996.

Diri said the incident provided an insight on the need for roads and bridges linking rural communities to the state capital and that when he became governor, he decided to break the jinx.

His words: “One of my kinsmen died in a boat mishap at Oporoma when him and others were on a campaign. He fell off the boat and the propeller injured him. By the time he was taken back to Port Harcourt, he gave up. And l decided that l was going to break that jinx.”

Diri, who noted that any leader could have been put off by the sheer cost of road and bridge construction in the area and across the state, assured that his administration would not be deterred from actualising its vision.

He expressed gratitude to the women for recognising his administration’s achievements, stating that he shared in their joy over the construction of the bridges at Aguobiri and Angiama and the road to Oporoma, which would open up the state.

“On behalf of government, l thank you for your show of love and support for my administration. When the cost of constructing the bridges at Aguobiri and Angiama and the road to Oporoma was given, it was fearful and anybody could have chickened out.

“One of the features that brings about civilization is road infrastructure. Many communities like mine, Sampou, suffered the same fate because then they were not connected by road.

“I am as elated as you are that we completed the bridges and have taken the road to the Southern Ijaw local government headquarters. We can now drive to that place and to several other communities.

“On boat from there to Olugbobiri now takes about 15 minutes and from Oporoma to Ekowe is only about five minutes. Significant progress is also being made on the road to Eniwari. Your gesture is heartwarming, and it will spur us to do more.”

Diri hailed his former students at GSS Amassoma for their brilliant academic performance, saying that he was proud of what they had become.

While endorsing the candidature of Hon. Rodney Ambaiowei, the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer for Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, he urged the Southern Ijaw people to vote President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming election and all other APC candidates at all levels, stressing that the president had been supportive of the state’s development efforts.

According to him, President Tinubu’s government approved construction of the second phase of the Nembe-Brass road, granted waiver for the delivery of the state’s gas turbines as well as awarded the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development, Joanah Gigi, expressed appreciation to the governor for the opportunity to serve in his cabinet.

Gigi appealed to the governor to give more appointments to her classmates.

Also, the Vice Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government, Dr. Josephine Ekeuwei, praised Governor Diri for constructing the Yenagoa-Oporoma road, which she said has added value to their lives.

She particularly thanked the governor for appointing one of their own, Gigi, as commissioner, stating that Southern Ijaw people were impressed with his achievements.

Leader of the Class of 1986 delegation, Rev. Innocent Opuene, said Diri taught them Government in school and appreciated him for his administration’s support to his former students.

Present at the event were Hon. Ambaiowei, state lawmaker representing Ekeremor Constituency 1, Hon. Tare Porri, his Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency 1 counterpart, Hon. Pamoh Werinipre, Dr. Isaac Kumokou, and top government functionaries.

By Tony Nwafor

Contrary to insinuation in some quarter that Abia state Assembly was yet to pass State Police Bill,Abia State Government has clarified that the State House of Assembly has passed the State Police Bill into law, dismissing reports suggesting that the legislation is yet to receive the Assembly’s approval.

The government made the clarification in a press release issued on Thursday, by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha in Umuahia.

According to the statement, reports circulating on some media platforms claiming that Abia State had not passed the State Police Bill were inaccurate and did not reflect the true position of events in the state.

The government stated that the Abia State House of Assembly had already passed the bill as part of the constitutional reform process aimed at strengthening community-based policing and improving the security of lives and property.

It added that the passage of the legislation demonstrated the state’s preparedness to embrace state policing, an initiative championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The government urged members of the public, media practitioners and other stakeholders to disregard the reports and obtain information from verified official government channels.

Reaffirming its commitment to transparency and accurate public communication, the Abia State Government said it would continue to collaborate with the Federal Government and other states to ensure the successful implementation of state police in Nigeria.

The government also appealed to media organisations to verify information before publication to prevent the spread of misleading reports.