Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, has taken a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party, saying the the party had failed the people of the state.

He stated that the party leadership had not played the role expected of it since the political crisis began.

Fubara stated this while hosting a delegation of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, led by its Chairman, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, to Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

Fubara said the state was currently relying on what it could do based on truth instead of party politics, adding that the state would no longer be held back by party affiliation, but would instead stand firm on its own soil to defend democracy.

Fubara said, “In our state today, we are no longer doing party. We are doing a movement, so you don’t blame me if I don’t go to the side of the party too much.

“The party has failed us here, so what we are doing here is to stand with our two legs on the soil of Rivers State, so that we can defend democracy.”

In April, 60 PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives demanded the resignation of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, for failing to address the political crisis in Rivers between Fubara and his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike.

The 60 lawmakers led by the PDP member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, accused Damagum, of, among others, siding with Wike and working for the All Progressives Congress, a party that gave Wike the FCT ministerial appointment.

Speaking on their behalf, Ugochinyere said, “Have Nigerians wondered why Damagun kept quiet while 27 members of Rivers State House of Assembly elected on the platform of PDP left the party? He kept quiet while they were threatening to impeach a governor in his party. Nigerians will be shocked to hear that Damagun was consulted and is fully aware of the entire details of the plots to impeach the Rivers State Governor, and he gave his approval to the plot, yet he refers to himself as a chairman of a party. The shamelessness in this entire episode is limitless.”

Meanwhile, Senator Kalu, said he would meet with President Bola Tinubu to help resolve the political crisis in Rivers State.

Senator, a former Governor of Abia State, also promised to meet with Wike over the matter.

Kalu said, “I want to plead with you to abide by the rules of the land. I plead with you to abide by what the construction says.

“A few of us here have very good access to President Bola Tinubu and we are also going to please with him seriously to see how he can shorten everything happening here.

“We will also find time to go and speak to former Governor Nyesom Wike as I will speak to President Tinubu. So please, Your Excellency, you look like a very peaceful man.

“ Your face shows a very peaceful man. There is nothing like peace. Let people who are eating with this problem stop eating with it. “

The Coroner’s Court sitting in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State has granted the family permission to conduct an independent autopsy and toxicology test on the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad.

The family had applied for an independent autopsy citing suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased.

The court’s decision comes after the previous autopsy conducted by the Lagos State Government was declared inconclusive.

The Aloba family’s legal team had rejected the results and pushed for an independent postmortem.

According to statement signed by the head of the family’s legal team, Taiwo Odumosu, the court during its sitting on Wednesday, also ordered that all legal expenses for the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family.

According to the statement, “The court has ordered that all legal expenses for the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family. The deceased’s father, mother, and wife are also required to be present during the autopsy.

“The Coroner’s Court chaired by T.A Sonubi, who gave the order however said that all the legal expenses on the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family.

“The application was brought because the late Ilerioluwa Aloba (Mohbad), died in suspicious circumstances on the 12th day of September 2023 and the applicant and his family are desirous of getting an independent autopsy and toxicology test to be done as a second opinion of the prospective autopsy report of the death of late Ilerioluwa Promise Aloba (Mohbad).

“The court further ordered that the father, mother and the wife of the deceased must be present at the autopsy.”

Odumosu added that the family welcomed the court’s decision, stating that they were eager to get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding the late singer’s death.

The legal team, at a press conference addressed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu and Odumosu on June 17, 2024, had rejected the autopsy and toxicology test result on behalf of the Aloba family and urged for an independent toxicology test.

Meanwhile, the application to recall witnesses who had given testimony earlier was not granted but the application to call new witnesses in the matter was granted on the basis that the family would provide further details of the witnesses for witness smmons to be issued by the court.

According to the statement, Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, also applied that she should be allowed to bury the late singer, just as the legal team offered that it depends on how soon the autopsy and the toxicology test could be conducted.

“The court was disposed to the burial but said all parties (which include: Mr. Joseph Aloba (father of the deceased), Mrs. Abosede Olumiyi (mother of the deceased), and Mrs. Wunmi Aloba (wife of the deceased) must agree to the burial and if not the dispute should be referred to the High Court for settlement,” the statement added.

Mohbad, a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, died on September 12, 2013 at the age of 27, with the circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversy on social media.

The Lagos State Police Command however inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the death on September 18, 2023.

His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.

His corpse was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeted in September 2023 that an autopsy had been concluded and the police were “awaiting results.”

In April, it was reported that the toxicology test carried out to determine the cause of the music star’s death had been concluded.

The result was later sent to the pathologist who carried out the autopsy to analyse and interpret it.

However, a report by PUNCH Metro later claimed that the US-based lab refuted the claim by the Lagos State Government that the toxicology test was conducted at its facility.

After about 13 years of trial, the Supreme Court, on Friday morning upheld the conviction of the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc, Mr Francis Atuche.

In the unanimous judgment read by Justice Moore Adumein, the Supreme Court held that the appellant, Francis Atuche, did not attempt to dislodge the finding of the trial court and the Court of Appeal on his credibility.

The court in relying on its previous decisions to the effect that where the decision of a trial court on the demeanor of a party or witness is supported by the documentary evidence tendered, an appellate court has no business in tampering with the decision of the court.

In conclusion, the court held that the appellant had not given it any reason to tamper with the concurrent finding of the two lower courts.

Mr. Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth and one Mr. Ugo Anyanwu had been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2011 before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of the Lagos High Court in a prosecution that was handled by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Kemi Pinheiro on behalf of the EFCC.

The trio were arraigned on a 27 count amended information over a N25.7 billion fraud.

On June 16, 2021, Justice Okunnu in a judgment that lasted about 12 hours, convicted Atuche alongside a former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu.

The court convicted the duo on 21 of the 27-count amended charge of conspiracy to commit felony and stealing brought against them by the EFCC.

Justice Okunnu held that the EFCC successful proved its case against the convicts beyond reasonable doubt.

Atuche and Anyanwu were sentenced 12 years and and 10 years respectively by the High Court.

However, it was reduced by the Court of Appeal, with Atuche getting six years while Anyanwu got eight years.

She freed Atuche’s wife, Elizabeth on the grounds that the EFCC failed to link her to the crime. The court insisted that suspicion no matter how strong cannot take the place of fact.

The judge held that it was not proven that she was aware of the source of the funds she received into her account from her husband and she had no powers to take any decision to influence the transaction.

The convicts were to serve their jail terms at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Facility in Lagos.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the convicts approached the appeal court and on the 23rd of June, 2022, the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction of both men.

The appellate court also clarified that Atuche’s jail term, as handed down by the lower court, is six years concurrently, rather than 12 years.

The Justices, however, reduced Anyanwu’s sentence from 10 years to eight years.

They also upheld the discharge and acquittal of Atuche’s wife, Elizabeth.

On further appeal to the Supreme Court, the apex court earlier this year heard Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Wole Olanipekun leading Chief Anthony Idigbe and Prof. Fidelis Oditah in the appeal which was initiated by Mr. Atuche against his conviction, while Dr. Kemi Pinheiro who held the fiat of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation led the team of lawyers representing the State including Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Sebastine Hon.

The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court this morning brings to finality this criminal charge after over thirteen years.