Good morning in Nigeria. Welcome Naija News Monday, March 24, 2025, today’s top newspaper headline review in Nigeria
The presidential palace strongly rejected the claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other politicians in the Rivers State were a power that insisted that the president had acted decisively to prevent the state from falling into anarchy.
In a statement issued on Sunday, March 23, 2025, Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, outlining the urgent need for intervention, stressing that waiting for a collapse in governance before action would be reckless and irresponsible.
Naija News reported that the ongoing crisis in Rivers state stems from a long and painful power struggle between Governor Forbala and the state capitol loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike.
The conflict paralyzed governance, and the Supreme Court ruled that it was confirmed that the Constitutional faction ignored it.
Onanuga noted that intelligence reports confirmed that militants in the creek were preparing to destroy critical oil infrastructure, posing a direct threat to Nigeria’s economic security.
The board of directors of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) strongly rejected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s announcement of the emergency in Rivers, calling it a “serious violation of the Nigerian constitution.”
The PDP robot also criticized the National Assembly for approving the president’s actions by voting only by voice, rather than the two-thirds majority of the Constitution.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Adolphus Wabara, chairman of PDP Robots, also former Senate president, demanded the immediate revocation of emergency rules.
He condemned the move, noting that “can only be imagined in the military era” and blatantly ignores the democratic process.
The statement stressed that the declaration of emergency rule, coupled with the suspension of the governor, lieutenant governor and all elected members of the Rivers State Capitol, represents a serious violation of constitutional provisions and democratic norms.
Wabara spoke on behalf of the robot and also criticized the National Assembly for approving the state of emergency.
The party expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the legislature, which should uphold constitutional guarantees, approved the important measure through voice votes rather than the two-thirds majority stipulated by the constitution.
Aspiring man Segun Showunmi, former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governor of Ogun State, accused Atiku Abubakar and Nyesom Wike of causing a crisis for the party.
Naija News reported that despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the crisis in PDP is about Samuel Anyanwu and the position of state secretary who ruled on Sunday, may not have ended.
Although the Supreme Court withdraws the party back to the party to determine who its state secretary is, Anwu and Ude-Okoye continue to claim the position.
For Anyanwu, he remains the party’s state secretary. But the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) endorsed Ude-Okoye in a statement issued by its spokesman Kola Ologunagba.
The PDP Chief responded to a user accused him of supporting former River Governor on Sunday, saying he did not support Atticu and Vik.
Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara made her first public appearance since the state declared a state of emergency and its subsequent suspension.
Fubara was seen arriving at the worshipped Savior headquarters on Sunday.
Naija News reported that Governor Fubara joined his chief of staff, Edison Ehie, to participate in the service at the Salvation Commission.
This emergencies came just days after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, citing increased political tensions and security issues.
Some reports say Governor Fobara moved to Bielsa after Tinubu’s suspension.
Demola Olarewaju is a prominent aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who severely criticized President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.
Olarewaju compared the move to a decision made during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and believed that past actions were possible due to the country’s new democratic system and the slower news cycle at the time.
Olarewaju noted in his comments that while Obasanjo could have had relatively easy withdrawal from the governor during his presidency, President Tinubu’s attempts in River State are more likely to backfire in the current political environment.
He stressed that in Obasanjo’s time, the news cycle was slower and social media was not present, making it easier to manage such controversial decisions without widespread opposition.
He added that the political landscape and communication systems have changed dramatically since then, making the actions to be successfully executed even more difficult.
Olarewaju specifically criticized Tinubu for his decision to appoint Deputy Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Retd.) as the only Chief Executive of the River State, Siminalayi Fubara.
He described the move as “dangerous” and expressed his reliance on the president’s retired military figures to deal with the political crisis.
The former governor and chief of the Jigava state of Sule Lamido, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has said he does not want any benefit from the government led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The former governor said in an interview with Sun Sun that the government is not a creation of Nigeria’s interests, but a creation of the interests of some selfish people.
Lamido said that only Nigerians could visit the government, adding that they were the ones who voted for the PDP and voted in All Progressive Conferences (APCs).
He said Nigerians are very aware of what is going on now and they are very familiar with what is on the ground.
An undetermined police officer reportedly shot and killed many people in the Watt business district in Calabar, Cross River State on Sunday.
Naija News reported that the police, reportedly an inspector, started shooting with a gun and walked out of a nearby police station.
Video of the incident was uploaded by an account showing a local deceased.
The handle revealed that many marketers were killed by police bullets, while others were injured.
“S@d! Mother happened Sunday morning in Calabar, police inspector ran@d, open fire, k!ll $ marketers and some people!” The administrator of the account captioned the video.
Cross River State Police Command responded to the account’s video, confirming the incident.
Although the command did not provide full details, it promised to issue a press release on the incident, it revealed that the inspectors had been arrested and detained.
However, police did not comment on the death toll or the officer’s name, and the order did not give the inspector’s name.
Police Attorney General IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun sent a stern reminder to all members of the Nigerian police force on the importance of respecting fundamental rights in pre-trial detention.
Naija News reported that this was known in a statement issued by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Sunday.
He revealed that the IGP emphasized that compliance with legally stipulated detention periods is not only a legal obligation, but also a fundamental aspect of the safeguarding of individual dignity and rights, as covered by articles 34 and 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, guaranteeing the right to dignity and individual freedom.
He said that in calling for a culture of responsibility to be established within the troops, the IGP encourages officials to maintain the highest standards of conduct in their interactions with the public.
Former Sports and Youth Development Minister Solomon Dalung revealed that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is currently in discussions with key figures including former ministers and senators as part of defeating all Progressive Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.
Darren revealed in an interview with Punch on Sunday that the discussions involved important politicians from all over the country, but he emphasized the need to protect his privacy at this stage.
Naija News reported that Dalung stressed that SDP is now seen as a key player in Nigerian politics, not because of its white horse symbol, but because it represents justice.
Darren further criticized Nigeria’s political trajectory and pointed to the 16 years of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the subsequent 10 years under the leadership of the APC. He believes that Nigeria has deviated from its potential and needs to trace its steps.
He added: “Nigeria’s democracy won’t get anywhere when we go back to where we missed the steps. We should go back to our steps.”
According to Dalung, the SDP’s view on prosperity remains clear, highlighting the party’s commitment to eradicating poverty and building an equal society.
Former Super Hawks forward Brown Ideye said he believes the Remo star is the leader in the Nigerian Prime Minister Football League (NPFL) champion this season.
Naija News reported that Remo Stars is currently leading the alliance.
Remo Stars ranked at the league table with 57 points, while Rivers United, second-placed, was eight points behind.
The Ikenne-based team has been runner-up in the first two seasons.
With 11 games left this season, the sky blue stars are challenging on the road ahead.
Currently Enyimba’s forward Ideye acknowledges the unpredictability of football, but emphasizes that the championship is mainly composed of Daniel Ogunmodede’s team.
That was the top newspaper headline in Nigeria today. Read more Nigeria news Naija News. See you tomorrow.
