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Atiku Support Group Accuses Wike of Arresting Members in Rivers

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3 years ago

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The Atiku Support Organisation has alleged that about 30 of its members were arrested by armed policemen during a meeting in GRA, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Sunday afternoon.

The National Publicity Secretary of ASO, Victor Moses, disclosed this in a statement he personally signed and issued on Sunday.

In the statement titled ‘Release our members wow, Atiku Support Organisation tells Gov Wike’, Moses said the meeting was part of preparations for the the Peoples Democratic Party presidential rally slated to hold on February 11.

He said some of those arrested were state and local government leaders of the organisation, alleging that the officers may have acted on the instructions of the state governor, Nyesom Wike.

The statement partly read, “Earlier today, Sunday, at about 2 pm, armed police officers in about six Toyota Hilux marked Intelligence Unit and acting on the instruction of the Rivers State Governor surrounded plot No 3 popularly called White House in Omerelu Street, by Salvation Ministries Headquarters, G.R.A., Port Harcourt, where state and local government leaders of the Atiku Support Organisation were holding meetings as part of the preparations for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential rally slated to be held on 11th February 2023.

“Realising the armed men were sent to stop the meeting, some members escaped through the fence, sustaining wounds caused by barbed wires.

“Over 30 of our members, state and LGA leaders, most of whom are women, were arrested and taken away in two white Hilux of the intelligence unit, while about four Hilux heavily armed with police have sealed up the meeting venue. The said No 3 Omerelu Street, GRA, is directly behind the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt.”

The statement added that none of the phone numbers of those allegedly arrested was connecting.

The group called on Governor Wike to release its members with immediate effect, adding that Wike must end “his do-or-die politics of bitterness and stop instigating violence in Rivers State against Atiku Abubakar’s supporters.”

The group also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to order the release of its members and put a end to what it called “political rascality” in Rivers State, and “to avert Governor Wike’s instigated bloodbath in the state during the election,” adding that “Rivers people should and must be allowed to make their political choices freely.”

When contacted, the spokesman for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she had not received such report.

Efforts to reach the state Commissioner of Police, Okon Effiong, proved abortive as he did not pick several calls
put across to his mobile telephone.

He had yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.

The Punch

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UK PM Burnham Unveils 10-Year Plan, Begins Cabinet Overhaul

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1 day ago

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July 21, 2026

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The new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, on Monday, unveiled a 10-year plan to tackle the country’s economic and social challenges as he began reshaping his government, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves among senior ministers leaving the Cabinet.

In his first speech outside 10 Downing Street, Burnham said his government would introduce measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis, end rough sleeping, build more council homes and devolve more powers away from Westminster.

“This moment will be a circuit breaker for Britain,” Burnham said, adding that details of the government’s cost-of-living package and how it would be funded would be announced from Tuesday.

According to the BBC, Reeves announced on X that she was stepping down as Chancellor of the Exchequer, describing it as “the privilege of my life” to have served in the role. The broadcaster reported that Burnham had offered her another senior cabinet position, but she declined.

The cabinet reshuffle also saw Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, Housing Secretary, Steve Reed and Business Secretary, Peter Kyle leave government as Burnham assembled his own team.

Speaking to reporters after his Downing Street address, Burnham said he would examine the tax-free personal allowance ahead of his first Budget in the autumn but acknowledged that raising the threshold would have significant fiscal implications.

He also pledged to reform England’s social care system, saying he did not want to leave office without fixing a problem that had persisted for decades, while reaffirming his commitment to existing fiscal rules.

The BBC also reported that Burnham held his first conversation with a foreign leader after taking office, speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The resignation of the outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying he was leaving office “with good grace” and “a smile.”

Burnham is expected to continue announcing appointments to his new Cabinet as his administration takes shape, according to the BBC.

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Finance Minister Oyedele Defends Nigeria’s Rising Debt

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July 21, 2026

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Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has clarified the sharp increase in Nigeria’s public debt.

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Finance on the state of the nation’s economy on Monday, Oyedele attributed the increase to naira depreciation and accounting adjustments rather than fresh borrowing by the Bola Tinubu administration.

Oyedele was responding to questions from the senator representing Kebbi Central, Adamu Aliero, over claims that the current administration had borrowed about N80 trillion in addition to the N75 trillion public debt it inherited.

According to the minister, comparing the country’s debt stock at the start of the administration with the current figure without accounting for exchange rate movements created a misleading impression.

“When this administration came into office, public debt was around N75 trillion. Many people simply compare that figure with today’s debt stock and conclude that this government has borrowed massively.

“However, it is important to note that, following the reforms and the depreciation of the naira, the foreign currency component of our public debt had to be revalued because Nigeria reports its debt in Naira. That accounting adjustment alone added more than N40 trillion to the public debt figure,” he said.

He added that the securitisation of the Ways and Means advances inherited from the previous administration also contributed significantly to the increase in the debt stock.

The minister further said that much of the government’s domestic borrowing was used to refinance existing debt rather than accumulate new obligations.

According to him, the Tinubu administration had adopted a prudent borrowing strategy focused on infrastructure and long-term economic growth.

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ADC Tells Tinubu to Resign As World Bank Reveals 139million Nigerians Live in Poverty

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2 days ago

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July 20, 2026

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign rather than seek re-election, asserting that the World Bank’s recent report showing that 139 million Nigerians live below the poverty line is his scorecard.

The ADC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the World Bank’s report, which also estimated that 17 million Nigerians are at risk of starvation, was “disturbing.”

“The evidence of 139 million people living in poverty and 17 million at risk of starvation is President Tinubu’s scorecard,” the party said. “On account of this catastrophic failure alone, President Tinubu should be contemplating resigning from office rather than seeking re-election.”

It decried that the “catastrophic” situation was occasioned by the Tinubu administration’s policies, which it said, “have favoured money over people and statistics over survival.”

The opposition party maintained that the economic growth Mr Tinubu’s government has repeatedly boasted of as a result of its economic reforms is “meaningless” if the livelihoods of people at the grassroots have yet to improve since 2023, when he assumed office.

“Instead of changing course, the government has stubbornly stuck with its ruinous economic policies and even continues to market recklessness as courage and wickedness as ‘necessary pains.’

“However, three years down the line, it is now clear that the chicken has come home to roost,” the ADC said.

According to the party, Nigeria desperately needs a leader who truly cares about citizens’ well-being and understands that economic reforms should improve citizens’ lives, not worsen their misery.

“A president whose government is not openly feasting while asking the people to continue fasting. A government that does not wallow in profligacy while handing the people palliatives,” it added.

The party condemned the ruling APC’s social intervention programmes aimed at cushioning the effects of its economic policies, adding, “Poverty cannot be defeated through palliatives.”

The ADC pledged that if elected in 2027, it would tackle the root causes of hunger by reducing energy costs, enhancing food production, and ensuring that farmers returned to their farmlands.

It also vowed to rehabilitate the 264 abandoned dams, improve access to fertilisers and quality seeds, and invest in storage facilities.

According to the party, transportation, waste, and food prices would be reduced while creating productive jobs.

“Hunger cannot be separated from poverty, education, or healthcare. That is why an ADC government will prioritise nutrition, primary healthcare, quality basic education, and skills development because no nation can build a prosperous economy while millions of its children are hungry, out of school, or cannot read simple texts,” the party said.

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