News
Court Restrains Secondus As National Chairman, PDP Member
The High Court of Rivers State has issued an interim injunction restraining, Prince Uche Secondus from parading himself as the national chairman and member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
Hon. Justice. O. Gbasam of the Degema Judicial Division vacation court sitting in Port Harcourt, granted the order, last Monday, following a suit No: PHC/2183/CS/2021 filed by Ibeawuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis NnaAmadi, Emmanuel Stephen and Umezirike Onucha against Uche Secondus (1st defendant) and the PDP (2nd defendant).
The judge, after reading the affidavit in support of the motion of ex parte as well as the written address, and after hearing the submission of H. A. Bello, counsel to applicants, granted the interim injunction restraining Secondus from parading himself as the national chairman of the PDP.
Excerpt from the order read, “that an order restraining the 1st defendant from parading himself as a member of the 2nd defendant or the national chairman of the defendant or performing the functions of national chairman of the 2nd defendant or calling , attending or presiding over any meeting of the 2nd defendant or any committee of the 2nd defendant at the Ward, Local Government or State level or calling for any Ward, Local Government or State Congress of the 2nd defendant or setting up committees for such Congresses or participating in any activity of the 2nd defendant whatsoever whilst on suspension as a member of the 2nd defendant pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”
The judge also granted leave to serve by substituted means the originating summons, motion on notice, all orders made by the court and all subsequent processes on the respondent by pasting same on his gate at No. 1, William Jumbo Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.
The judge further granted leave to serve by substituted means orders made by the court on the respondents by publishing same in the Nation Newspaper.
Reacting, the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, said the ruling won’t solve PDP’s leadership crisis.
In a tweet, the PDP chieftain said the crisis looks like a meltdown.
He wrote, “Secondus restrained from being National Chairman of @OfficialPDPNig by court order?
“Even if the order is lifted in a few days the leadership crisis in the party just does not seem to want to go away.
“For how much longer can the centre hold?
“Looks like a meltdown to me!”
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Youth Frontier, Comrade Austin Okai, counselled Secondus to cease from parading himself as the national chairman of PDP and stay away from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
He spoke following an order from the Port Harcourt Division of a State High Court that restrained Secondus from exercising the functions of the national chairman of the PDP.
In a statement he signed, the PDP youth leader said the party would not disobey court orders.
According to Okai, “It is in the interest of Prince Uche Secondus to understand that the judgement of the court is binding on everyone except a superior court upturns it.
“Therefore, he must, in his own interest, stay away from the party’s national secretariat and desist from parading himself as the national chairman in line with the court order.
“As a party of law and order that believes strongly in the rule of law, PDP will not encourage disobedience to the order of the State High Court and Secondus must understand this.”
The people of Ikwerre ethnic nationality also known as Iwhuruohna, have again warned the Igbo expansionists to desist from their ploy to incorporate Ikwerre as subgroup of the Ndigbo.
This is contained in a 14-paragraph statement by The Supreme Council of Ikwerre Government Recognized Traditional Rulers signed by its Chairman, Eze Oha Evo III of Evo Kingdom, Eze Gbakagbaka, King Leslie N.Eke and
the Secretary, Nye Nwe Ala Omerelu, Elumoha VIII, Eze Ben O. Ugo, which was made available to the newsmen in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The statement said the Iwhuruohna remained a homogeneous ethnic group with a common ancestry and paternity and had no link with the Igbos.
“Iwhuruohna people are from Rivers State and the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The people have their unique culture and traditions. Iwhuruohna share the same ancestry with the Ekpeye and the Ogba people of Rivers State. Iwhuruohna people migrated from the Ancient Benin Kingdom during the reigns of Oba Ewuare ( Ogwaro)”, it said.
According to the statement, the paternity of the Ikwerres can be traceable to a great grand ancestor – Akalaka who left the Ancient Benin Kingdom in company of his sons which included IHRUOHA ( IWHURUOHNA) .
The statement further noted that the name, ‘Ikwerre’ was an ‘Igbonised’ version of ‘Akwerulem’ which was translated to mean ‘we have agreed or consented’, a response of a Rebisi monarch to an Igbo translator and a Briton during the negotiations for acquisition of acres of land for Port Harcourt wharf.
It maintained that theory of origins linking Iwhuruohna ethnicity to Igbo ancestry was ill-conceived as a result of the balkanisation and ‘Igbonisation’ of Iwhuruohna by Igbo merchants from Aro, Nkwere and Awka who oppressed and suppressed the aborigines in their place.
The statement also explained that the earliest incursion into Ikwerre hinterland by the Igbo emboldened the proponents of Igbo expansionist theory to erroneously think or link Iwhuruohna to an Igbo ancestry.
“Till date , there are still pockets of Igbo ( Aro) settlements in such Iwhuruohna Communities at Elele, Igwuruta, Isiokpo. They are evidently Aro compounds like Aro-Omuodu, Aro-Omuodukwu, Aro-Omuma, Aro-Ogbogbu in Igwuruta and Nmgbu Oyo at Isiokpo”, it said.
“The declaration of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organization during the Chukwudifu Oputa Human Rights Panel 2001 that: Ikwerre ethnic nationality is not and has never been a subgroup of any other tribe in Nigeria, including Ndi-Igbo…’ would suffice here,” it said.
The statement further pointed out that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(2010) as amended which recognised Iwhuruohna (Ikwerre) ethnic nationality among others as a distinct and unique ethnic group in Nigeria, and wondered why the Igbos were bent on rewriting both the history and the Constitution.
The people of Ikwerre frowned at any attempt by some Igbo expansionists to incorporate Iwhuruohna as a subset or subgroup of any other in Nigeria or elsewhere.
The statement which did not jettison some shared similarities between Iwhuruohna and her neighbours, including the Igbos in terms of aspects of culture and traditions, said such did not, in anyway, validate the bogus and unverified claims that Iwhuruohna is Igbo as being peddled by Igbo expansionists.
The people of Ikwerre therefore called on the Police, Rivers State Government as well as the general public to be wary of the tricks and pranks of the Igbo expansionists in the nomenclature of ‘Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo’ and their activities in Rivers State.
King Onunwor
The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has been commended for his developmental initiatives aimed at transforming the development needs of the state.
To this end, a group of academics, known as League of Niger Delta Researchers for sustainable development has unveiled a book christened “Fubaraism” to appreciate his boldness to deliver the dividends of democracy in the state despite the godfatherism intrigue that disrupted governance in the state .
The group however stressed that godfatherism can jeopardize development of the state and across country at in general.
“This is a groundbreaking research book titled ‘Fubaraism: The New Philosophy of Power Dynamics in Rivers State.’ This ongoing research project, undertaken by distinguished academics from various universities within the Niger Delta region and beyond, aims to fortify the fight against Godfatherism.”
This book authored by four academic professors and two Senior Advocates of Nigerian(SANs) which include Prof. Protus Nathan Uzorma; Prof. Francis C. Dike, SAN; Prof. Christopher Okereke; Prof. Preye Inikoba; Prof. John Ben; Barr. Ngozi Olieh, SAN; and Dr. Sunday Adiele.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book recently, Prof. Protus Nathan Uzorma, of the University of Uyo and the Director General of the group said they had conducted an extensive survey of public opinions and found that Governor Fubara’s approach, as encapsulated in the concept of Fubaraism, was yielding positive results.
“We believe that this innovative philosophy of power dynamics has significant implications for political philosophy in Nigeria.
“We commend Governor Fubara for his unwavering commitment to delivering democracy dividends to the people of Rivers State, despite various challenges. The book explores the risks involved in doing the right things and achieving better outcomes in the State.”
He said that their research group, formerly known as the League of Niger Delta Researchers for Sustainable Development, had evolved into the Federation of Researchers for Sustainable Development in Nigeria.
According to him, “this change in name has not altered our core function – serving as watchdogs for the society.”
He stressed that they were confident that Fubaraism would revolutionize the way things were done in Nigeria, promoting a more equitable and just society for all.
“The publication of Fubaraism” is a significant milestone in the academic discourse on power dynamics in
Nigeria. The book’s innovative approach to analyzing power relationships and its introduction of the concept of ‘Fubaraism’ is likely to generate considerable interest and debate among scholars and policymakers.
“As a major contribution to the field of Political Science and Philosophy, ‘Fubaraism’ is poised to become a seminal work that will shape the discussion on power dynamics in Rivers State and beyond”.
Amadi Akujobi
My-ACE China, known as the Mayor of Housing, has won the 2024 Man of the Year. The award was announced by board of trustees of the DMOMA Awards Academy in Port Harcourt at the week.
The organisers also declared his company, the Construction and Housing Mayor Limited as the brand promoter of the year, the third in a row.
The award ceremony which was held at the Arena Event centre in the GRA area of Port Harcourt was attended by several dignitaries in the society.
The organisers led by Dr. Ezebunwo Nyeche (chairman) and Stephen Chidiebere Okoye (Awards organizer) said in a statement that China was picked for his support and impact to small and medium enterprises in Rivers State, his media footsteps and his consistent propagation and promotion of Rivers State.
They noted that China won over 10 prestigious awards in 2024 alone on his track to promote Port Harcourt as a brand destination and Rivers as a peaceful state.
Handing the award to China, the organisers said the Mayor of Housing always comes to the rescue of events that aim to promote Rivers State, saying the DMOMA Awards would be held in two more cities in 2025.
Responding, Mr China said there is need for more sponsorship of talents in Port Harcourt and the Niger Delta, saying what they lacked was support.
“There is more talent in Port Harcourt but there is more support in Lagos to artistes than in Port Harcourt. So, the top talents in Port Harcourt work 10 times harder than those in Lagos to attract sponsorship.”
He also said Nigeria has a treasure base which is Port Harcourt but that the treasure is not oil and gas but talents. He said he was highly elated to win the of Man of the Year Award with his firm winning brand of the year.
In an interview, My-ACE China said he was particularly impressed with the diligence demonstrated by the organisers and the processes they used to pick winners every year.
He also said the victory showed attention paid by the organisers to unveil the personality behind the corporate masquerade, not just focusing on the company. “It actually reaffirms one of my quotes that a brand can only grow as big as the character of the visioner behind it.”
On his plans to help Port Harcourt compete with Lagos, China said 2025 will meet him doing things with the youths of Rivers State to push the Port Harcourt brand in the social media and rally the traditional press to create a positive narrative of Rivers State beyond violence and political negativity.
“The Garden City has not been enjoying the best of media perception for some years now but this is the first time we have a governor committed to non-political bias in doing his work. He does not consider whether you are a member of his party or not before doing what is right. For the first time, we have a true father of the state to all, and he has been diligently following the blueprint that stakeholders developed at the last Rivers Economic and Investment Summit, making sure he is doing it without political cronyism.”
He said his company would be building the biggest estate and the best, the ‘Alesa Sustainable Smart City, to move from brand perception to brand experience so as to move Rivers State to the next level.
He appealed to entrepreneurs not to be carried away by the old perception but to join the new way. “Position yourself because there is going to be a boom. People are rushing into Port Harcourt and new entrants may take the ground. Think expansion not contraction, think investment not divestment. Else, you miss it.”
To fellow estate investors, he admonished them to gear up for regulation. “It is no longer going to be business as usual especially for land peddling and land grabbing. Try to grow up because tangible development is going to take over.
“It is no longer going to be who sells the most land but who develops the most houses. The housing deficit in the land requires effective land development strategies. Any serious land seller should grow into a housing developer because developments are going to be coming into Rivers State and a lot of people are coming into the state.”
He said those that have grown to be developers will be many times richer than those that are just starting or are mere land sellers and peddlers. People should also position themselves because all the foreign investments and local ones will take advantage of this influx.
“The value of influx is coming, so prepare and take advantage. Be one of those that are big enough to take advantage. Remaining small will not be good but grow big in your products, in your services, because the market is going to grow big.”
