Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State Governor has taken a step further in ending the rift between him and his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The governor took another step at reconciling with the FCT minister on Friday, by dedicating His New Telegraph Man of the Year Award to him, saying he became governor by the magnanimity of Wike.
The governor made the remark in Lagos, while receiving the award, saying he was discovered by the FCT Minister.
The remark comes on the heels of the recent moves by the two warring parties to mend fences, to end the protracted political crisis that has rocked the oil bearing state for months.
The duo, the magazine reports, has agreed to sheathe their swords following the reconciliation meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu two weeks ago.
Not a few insist that progress is being made in the reconciliation moves by Wike and Governor Fubara, particularly considering the recent efforts by the governor to implement the agreement reached with Wike and members of the State House of Assembly.
Describing the role played by Wike in his emergence as Governor, Fubara said he owed his current position to him, thanking Wike for “everything.”
“I do not care how you interpret it or misinterpret it. I also dedicate this award to somebody who also discovered me not minding the situation, the Honourable Minister of the FCT, my oga, Nyesom Wike,” he said.
“Without him, I wouldn’t be standing here as governor. He discovered me and it’s a discovery that gave me this loudness. Thank you for everything.”
The magazine had earlier reported that Governor Fubara, during the week dissolved his cabinet, by sacking his commissioners, Chief of Staff, a move analysts said was part of the demand of the Wike-backed House of Assembly for peace to reign in the restive state.
Chairman of the United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, has declared the the problem of scarcity of foreign currencies in the country has become a a thing of the past.
The banking guru made the remark after he met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Aso Rock, Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Friday.
Speaking with State House Correspondence after the meeting with the president, the banker said the number of calls he used to receive from Nigerians to assist them get foreign currencies have reduced tremendously, saying this is as a result of the monetary policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The foreign exchange market in Nigeria has been “totally sorted,” with businesses no longer plagued by the difficulties that once characterized access to dollars,
Elumelu, who spoke to State House correspondents after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday, said the Central Bank of Nigeria under Governor Olayemi Cardoso had brought predictability and stability to the economy.
He stressed that things have indeed changed, regarding the forex problems in the country which he said has now been “sorted” because of the deliberate efforts of the federal government and CBN.
“There was a time before if I got 10 calls on banking issues, seven of those calls was about how to access foreign exchange,” he said.
“Today, if you get 10 calls on banking issues, not even one is on FX. That market is totally sorted.
“If you see what the Central Bank Governor and his team are doing, it’s quite encouraging; we’ve had some predictability and stability.”
He said with the stability in the exchange rates, the country can now plan, saying the president has allowed the CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso free hands to direct the country’s monetary policies.
“What’s important is to be able to predict, in an economy, the direction of things, so you can plan very well.
“Mr President also should be commended for creating that space for the governor to do what he and his team are doing.”
Meanwhile, the naira again depreciated slightly against the US dollar, closing at N1,358 per dollar at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM, on Friday.
According to the data released on the official site of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Nigerian currency traded at the NFEM rate of N1,355.4181 per dollar and closed the market at a rate of N1,358 per dollar.
This therefore shows an N3 loss to the US Dollar compared to Thursday, 12th February 2026, when the naira traded at an average of N1,353.6556/$ and closed at N1,355/$.
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno state in the National Assembly has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, not to underrate the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC ahead the 2027 election. The senator, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, said the ruling party will be doing this at its own risk.
Ndume spoke on Channels Television programme, Politics Today on Friday, saying the president has a cause to worry with the manner the ADC has made inroads into the nation’s political space, and the popularity of some politicians in the party , such as Peter Obi, who he said recorded a strong showing during the 2023 presidential election.
Apart from Obi, a former governor of Anambra state, other chieftain of the ADC include, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, Rotimi Amaeachi, a former Minister of Transportation, Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun state and immediate past Minister of the Interior, David Mark, a former Nigerian Senate President, and Nasir El Rufai , a former governor of Kaduna state, who said on Thursday that Tinubu must be unseated form the Presidency next year, at all cost.
The former Kaduna helmsman spoke when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid him a courtesy visits in his home in Abuja, the nation’s capital shortly after the former FCT Minister had a brush with some operatives of the Department of State Services, on his return from Cairo.
The magazine reported that some supporters of the former governor resisted his arrest.
Describing Tinubu as a tyrant, the former governor called on all opposition figures in the country to ensure that the incumbent does not return to office next year.
El Rufai: “Your Excellency, I assure you that what happened today has further reinforced my belief that we must work hard, we must not sleep between now and March 2027 until we remove this tyrant from office.
“Your Excellency what happened at the airport today as you correctly observed is quite unfortunate, total unnecessary and probably criminal as well.”
To those protesting against the move to arrest former Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai by security agents last Thursday at Abuja Airport, former presidential aide and ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has revealed what he described as the many sins, allegedly, committed while he was serving as governor.
He has, therefore, renewed his call for the prosecution of Nasir El-Rufai over allegations linked to his time as governor of Kaduna State.
Omokri made the demand in a social media post on Friday, focusing on what he described as a troubling legacy from El-Rufai’s eight years in office.
His comments come amid rising public attention on the former governor’s recent confrontation with security authorities.
In his post, Omokri recalled incidents of alleged human rights violations and suppression of dissent.
He shared an image of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, describing his condition as a result of state action during El-Rufai’s administration.
“In addition to reducing Sheikh Zakzaky to such a barbaric and pathetic state, 347 Shia Muslim men, women, children, and infants were massacred under Nasir el-Rufai,” Omokri wrote.
He further alleged that the number of casualties could be higher than officially reported. According to him, unofficial figures placed the death toll close to 1,000.
Omokri also referenced the case of Abubakar Idris, a known critic of the former governor, who he claimed was abducted and later presumed dead.
He added that several journalists and activists were arrested or forced to flee Nigeria during that period.
He named some media practitioners who allegedly faced intimidation for reporting critically on the government.
“Nasir el-Rufai arrested multiple journalists and activists for covering him negatively, including: Jacob Onjewu Dickson, Segun Onibiyo, Midat Joseph and Audu Maikori,” Omokri stated.
He said Audu Maikori eventually escaped to the United States after suffering what he described as severe persecution.
“Audu Maikori had to escape Nigeria for the United States, where I met him, interviewed him, and shuddered in terror at what Nasir El-Rufai did to him,” he wrote.
Omokri also accused the former governor of demolishing properties linked to political opponents. He mentioned assets belonging to Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi and Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir as examples.
Beyond human rights concerns, Omokri raised fresh allegations of large-scale financial misconduct, which El-Rufai should answer questions over the alleged diversion of ₦423 billion during his tenure.
“Nasir el-Rufai is fingered in the alleged theft of ₦423 billion during his tenure by no less a body than the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
He is not above the law or above arrest. He should not resist legal arrest or try to blame others for his alleged crimes,” Omokri wrote.
He dismissed claims that El-Rufai was being politically targeted, stressing that the issue at hand is accountability and respect for the rule of law.
Omokri concluded that the former governor’s past actions should not be ignored simply because he now claims persecution, insisting that justice must take its course.
Recall that tension erupted on Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, involving El-Rufai and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Supporters of the former governor alleged that security agents attempted to arrest him upon his arrival from Cairo. They claimed he resisted because there was no formal warrant or written invitation.
During the incident, DSS operatives reportedly seized his international passport. This action drew protests from bystanders who demanded adherence to due process.
El-Rufai’s legal team later described the move as unlawful and unconstitutional. They demanded the immediate return of his passport and a public apology from the security agency.
Yoruba nation agitator and activist Sunday Adeyemo, popular as Sunday Igboho, has lauded the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for his cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home order in the South East region of Nigeria.
This is as he urged Kanu, who is presently serving a life sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, to explore dialogue and other political options in the resolution of his terrorism charges with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In a release issued on Friday, February 13, 2026, by Pelumi.Olajengbesi his counsel, Igboho, who recently returned from exile after his name was expunged from the Federal Government’s list of wanted persons, highlighted the need for the IPOB leader to prioritize diplomatic engagements and related options in ending his present situation.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
Igboho, while describing the cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home order as a remarkable step towards restoring normalcy in the South East region, however acknowledged the negative impact which the order had had on the socio-economic life of the people in the last five years.
“Chief Sunday Adeyemo wishes to commend the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for his recent cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home across the South East Zone of Nigeria.
“Chief Igboho believes that the move by Mazi Kanu to end the five-year Monday economic siege on the South East Zone is thoughtful.
“Chief Igboho urges the IPOB leader to vigorously explore dialogue, and mediation with the Federal Government to break the deadlock in his ordeal.
“While it is the fundamental right of Mazi Kanu to pursue self-determination, Chief Igboho believes that the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is predisposed to negotiations and mutual understanding for the peace, shared prosperity, security and the deserved respect that the South East Command’s”, the statement noted.
Igboho also emphasized the need for all concerned, particularly those who have been benefitting from the Monday sit-at-home order and its attendant toll on the people, to reconsider their stand, and give peace a chance.
“Chief Igboho also urged all those who make profit from the desecration and despoliation of the South East through violence to desist from such acts in the interest of peace, and economic prosperity of the region and the nation”, he further stated.
The Source reports that the intervention of Igboho is coming on the heels of Kanu’s formal appeal against his conviction and sentencing by an Abuja Federal High Court on November 20, 2025 over alleged terrorism activities.
The body of the 21-year old Marine has not yet been recovered from the Sea
The United States Marine Corp, has confirmed the tragic death of one of its own in a heart-breaking circumstance.
Nigerian-US born Marine, Lance Corporal Chukemeka Oforah, 21, a Florida native, apparently died of drowning when he inexplicably fell off a ship.
According to reports, the Marine died after falling overboard a ship in the Caribbean Sea where he and his team were on a mission.
The sad incident occurred on February 7, 2026, when he fell off USS Iwo Jima.
The military officially ended an intensive three-day search (operation) which involved five ships and 10 aircraft on February 10 when he was neither rescued, nor his body recovered. He was, therefore, pronounced dead on February 10.
Even though his death was announced on Wednesday, February 11, details of the circumstances surrounding this rare incident, has not been made public as the Military is still investigating.
In a statement, Col. Tom Trimble, Commanding Officer of the Marine Expeditionary Unit, (SOC) said: “The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corp Team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten”, the BBC waa quoted as reporting.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, a Christian Religious Body, has called for the immediate replacement of Nigeria’s current Constitution, labeling it as biased and unrepresentative of the country’s religious and demographic realities.
The PFN Leaders made this statements after the first joint meeting of the Fellowship’s National Advisory Council and National Executive Council held at the PFN headquarters in Lagos.
The Religious Body said the ongoing constitutional review process should go beyond amendments and instead produce a completely new constitution that reflects the will of the people.
According to the fellowship, the existing constitution is a “contraption” that does not begin with “We the people of Nigeria” and fails to adequately represent Christians, The group argued that while Sharia is mentioned several times in the constitution, Christianity and the church are not referenced, creating what they described as an imbalance.
PFN maintained that Nigeria is a secular nation and should either adopt a constitution that is neutral on religion or one that gives equal recognition to all faiths.
The body revealed that it had previously submitted a memoranda during the past constitutional review exercises, but insisted that amendments are insufficient.
As regards the forthcoming 2027 elections, the Fellowship also expressed concern about what it described as premature political campaigning ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It, however, warned that governance at the federal, state, and local levels appears to have taken a back seat to politicking, however urging political actors to focus on delivering basic services to Nigerians and wait for the electoral umpire to officially signal the start of campaigns.
The group emphasized the need for a level playing field for all political parties and cautioned against suppressing opposition voices.
It further declared support for the electronic transmission of election results, stating that real-time result transmission would strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
The body also defended the right of public officials, including the electoral commission chairman, to express views on national issues without facing calls for removal.
Addressing the worsening security situation, PFN commended the federal government for efforts made so far, including restructuring the security architecture and strengthening international partnerships.
However, it urged authorities to intensify action against kidnappings, banditry, and killings in various parts of the country.
The fellowship noted recent attacks in several states and called for decisive measures to restore peace.
It disclosed that it has provided relief materials, food supplies, and support to internally displaced persons (IDPs), including orphans affected by insurgency.
While acknowledging foreign collaboration in tackling insecurity, PFN leaders stressed that Nigeria’s armed forces are capable and called for stronger political will to address the crisis.
The body categorically stated that it would not endorse any Political Party or any Candidate during the electioneering process, but would support leaders committed to national development and the welfare of Nigerians.
It further pledged to continue praying for the President, governors, the National Assembly, and the judiciary, while urging all stakeholders to work towards a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Nigeria.
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, is the mastermind of the attempt by security agents to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday.
El-Rufai, a former Governor of Kaduna State, on return to Nigeria from Cairo, Egypt, where he went for his medicals, had a brush with security operatives which he said attempted to arrest him. He resisted the arrest, insisting on an invitation letter, and with the strong support of a milling crowd, stopped the security operatives from arresting and whisking him away. His International passport was, however, impounded by operatives of the Department of State Services.
Initial reports were that a combination of operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFFC, and those of the DSS was responsible for the botched arrest. But El-Rufai has clarified that.
Speaking when he received former Nigeria’s Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, also a chieftain of the ADC who visited to pay him a solidarity visit on Thursday, El-Rufai deposited his ordeal at the feet of NSA Ribadu.
He told Atiku that it was the NSA who sent the ICPC after him. Following the NSA’s alleged order, he said, the ICPC procured the DSS to help arrest him. He said the EFCC, which had, earlier, invited him while he was out of the country, had nothing to do with his experience at the Abuja Airport.
He told Atiku: “It turned out that it’s the ICPC that procured DSS to abduct me and hand me over to them. The ICPC has never invited me. We just understood that it’s ICPC, not EFCC, that’s responsible for what happened today (Thursday) and the ICPC Chairman is acting on the direct order of Nuhu Ribadu.”
Responding, Atiku, who sympathized with El-Rufai said a strong viable opposition must be built to fight President Tinubu in 2027.
He said: “We must come together and form a very viable opposition because Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a one party system.”
A couple of days before his tango with security operatives at the airport, El-Rufai, while still in Cairo, predicted he could be arrested on return to Nigeria. He had also described the NSA in very unflattering language, dismissing him as “very wicked”, and said he regretted his earlier close relationship with him, and accused Ribadu of ordering the indiscriminate arrest of Nigerians.
El-Rufai was a founding member of the APC before things went awry and he defected to the APC.
Shunning History: It could never have been otherwise. The Godswill Akpabio-led 10th senate has been remarkable so far only for being cheerleaders and chanting choruses for President Bola Tinubu, than playing their noble roles as mandated by the constitution.
Most Nigerians who know this current chamber are convinced that if the senate has to choose between national survival and their party/personal interests, they would shaft the nation without blinking – not giving a thought as to where they would operate from should they pull down the roof!
Two days ago, the 10th Senate under the watch of Godswill Akpabio shunned history and threatened to throw Nigeria’s democracy under the bus.
It was of course, a moment of history in which men transmute into statesmanship. But not so for this crowd. They don’t see history; they don’t care about history. What’s important to them is the next election.
Godswill Akpabio, Senate President.
Two days ago, the senate of the federal Republic of Nigeria claimed they had passed the long-delayed electoral (Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025).
But it all turned out a ruse; Akpabio’s Senate chose to do a dirty job.
While the Senate President, troubled by guilt and self mutilation, told the press that he had not removed electronic voting, but instead retained it as contained in the 2022 law.
So if all the senate did was to retain the most offending portions of the law, why have Nigerians been campaigning for reform since after the 2023 election?
But the crux of the matter is that Akpabio’s Senate ruled out a mandatory real-time transmission of election results and retained the provision for electronic transfer of results as provided for in the 2022 Electoral Act.
We say shame on the senate president, shame on the 10th assembly and shame on the ruling party.
Of course this singular action would definitely mar the 2027 election just as it damaged the 2023 outing.
But the truth is that no serious Nigerian expected nobility of purpose from this process. Not under President Tinubu, not under Akpabio, not under INEC as presently constituted by the vile ruling party, APC.
All that the APC seeks desperately is to win the next election by hook or crook. Exactly how they stole the mandate in 2023.
Tinubu is not late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Not by any stretch of imagination. When the venerable Yar’Adua came to power in 2007, he declared in his inaugural speech that the the electoral process which brought him to power was flawed. The patriot he was, he immediately empanelled the Justice Muhammed Lawal Uwais panel. It produced a ground-breaking electoral document which was never fully implemented by succeeding presidents after Yar’Adua died mid term.
The quagmire has remained with us since then with dubious and unpatriotic presidents making sure Nigeria could never achieve electoral integrity.
Let it be stated clearly to President Bola Tinubu, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the ruling APC and indeed INEC that where peaceful change is denied a people, violent change is being courted.
All notable opposition have of course, spoken in condemnation of the charade called electoral reform.
Atiku Abubakar of the ADC says that, “real-time electronic transmission of results is not a partisan demand; it is a democratic safeguard. It reduces human interference, limits result manipulation, tampering and postelection disputes.”
Atiku noted further that at a time democracies the world over are strengthening their electoral systems through technology, the Nigerian senate has chosen to cling to opacity.
Labour Party described it as a “betrayal of Nigerians.”
Chief Bode George, chieftain of the PDP calls it an abomination, while Chief Chekwas Okorie said the action of the senate is an affront to the sensibilities of Nigerians.
As time runs out on the 2027 election, how this so-called electoral reform would impact the process is yet hanging in the air.
The only thing certain is that the 10th Senate is not a friend of Nigeria’s democracy.
LASTLINE : ISN’T IT TIME A STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS INVOKED ON KWARA STATE?
Consider this Vanguard front page headline for a moment: “Jihadists execute162 in Kwara massacre” – Red Cross.
This sounds too surreal to be real. Is it possible that in a sovereign nation, a rag-tag group of non-state actors would up and slaughter this number of fellow, innocent citizens in one swoop and disappear into the thin air… Yet the government didn’t declare a state of emergency? Everyone goes about as if nothing happened?
This column suggests that President Tinubu must declare an emergency situation in Kwara immediately. Whatever the range and dimensions it would take.
The Rivers State Police Command on Friday, February13, 2026, informed that efforts are underway to track down a middle aged man who killed his elder sibling in Umunwacha ,Ofeh Community in Omuma Local of the State over alleged witch craft practices.
Nwalozie Chinwendu, who is currently at large on Thursday, February 12, hacked his brother, Chidiebere Isaiah, to death with a sharp cutlass after accusing him of using witchcraft to block his progress.
A statement from Grace Irenge-Koko, the spokesperson, for the Rivers State Police Command, stated that the suspect insisted that his lack of progress in life was the handiwork of his elder brother who, he alleged, has been using witchcraft to hold him down.
“Information at my disposal indicates that the suspect used a cutlass to cut the victim to death after accusing him (victim) of witchcraft, which made him (suspect) not to prosper”, Irenge-Koko stated.
While assuring that all efforts are ongoing to hunt down the suspect, the police spokesperson reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the service towards ensuring a thorough investigation of the case , with a view to serving justice.
This is as she informed that the corpse has been retrieved and deposited in the mortuary.
“The corpse has been retrieved, deposited in the mortuary, and a manhunt has been launched for the suspect with a view to arresting, and bringing him to face the law in compliance with the directive of the Commissioner of Police CP Olugbenga Adepoju”, the police added.
Meanwhile, the leadership of Ofeh Community has urged security agencies to take all necessary measures to ensure that justice prevails.
The Youth President of the Community, Chinonso Favour Chima, while expressing shock and disbelief, appealed to security operatives to swiftly rise to the occasion by arresting the suspect.
