Paul Ibe, the Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has strongly criticized ex-presidential aide Reno Omokri for what he described as relentless and unprovoked attacks on Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.

In a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Ibe denounced Omokri’s actions, calling them “pedestrian, acerbic, and unprovoked attacks.”

He also questioned Omokri’s intentions and moral values.

The outburst came after Omokri posted on Friday that he had a phone conversation with Atiku, during which the former Vice President allegedly vouched for Omokri’s integrity.

Ibe, however, dismissed the claim, unleashing a scathing response in which he labeled Omokri “a master of treachery” and “an unrepentant opportunist.”

“Credibility and Reno Omokri in the same grammatical environment? Oh, what a mockery,” Ibe wrote.

“That’s an oxymoron so wild it should be banned by both logic and language.”

Ibe also raised doubts about Omokri’s moral direction, referencing his previous verbal assaults on Peter Obi and portraying his political affiliations as opportunistic and erratic.

“You say my principal has been ‘good’ to you, but that phone call you trumpet was likely just another pit stop in your never-ending pilgrimage for personal ‘goodness’,” Ibe remarked.

“Your kind of goodness isn’t ethical — it’s transactional, scavenging like a hyena sniffing out its next meal.”

Continuing his critique, Ibe accused Omokri of double standards and urged him to direct his scrutiny toward more pressing national concerns.

He pointedly mentioned the controversy around President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic credentials and past legal issues.

“If you really care about truth and character, join the call for the FBI to release Tinubu’s drug records in the United States,” Ibe challenged.

He further criticized what he saw as Omokri’s inconsistent political stances, suggesting that such behavior undermines his credibility and political influence.

“Reno, oh Reno, what a mockery,” Ibe concluded.

This confrontation adds to the ongoing internal discord within Nigeria’s opposition ranks, especially with political repositioning already underway ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As of the time of this report, Reno Omokri had not officially responded to Ibe’s remarks.

The House of Representatives, through its Joint Committees on Public Accounts and Public Assets, has summoned the Minister of Finance, Chief Adebayo Olawale Edun, over alleged breaches of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007.

Also summoned to appear on Monday is the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Olayemi Cardoso.

Both are expected to provide explanations regarding internal control lapses highlighted in the Auditor General for the Federation’s 2021 report.

In a letter jointly signed by the Chairmen of the two committees—Rep. Bamidele Salam (Public Accounts) and Ademorin Kuye (Public Assets), the panel requested detailed information from the finance minister and the CBN governor on the remittance of operating surpluses to the Federation Account, as required by law.

Reports from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the Auditor General allege that several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), including the CBN, failed to remit or under-remitted operating surpluses over the past six years.

This non-compliance, the reports say, violates established financial regulations.

According to Rep. Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, “these violations have negatively impacted the liquidity of the federal government and constitute a hindrance to effective implementation of the budgets passed by parliament.”

The committees noted they had previously given both the Finance Ministry and the CBN ample time to reconcile their financial records and clarify their positions.

The upcoming session, they explained, is intended to serve as a final hearing to resolve outstanding issues.

Beyond concerns over remittances, the lawmakers are also scrutinizing findings in the Auditor General’s statutory report which indicates that several publicly funded projects have remained incomplete for years despite being fully paid for.

“Some of these projects in Dutse, Abeokuta and other locations were awarded between 2011 and 2016 but yet to be completed according to audit reports,” the committee stated.

For many Rivers State residents and supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, June 12 was supposed to mark a turning point, a symbolic moment of democratic restoration.

Instead, hopes of reinstating Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly, suspended since March 18 under emergency rule, were dashed.

The anticipation had been building. Many believed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would seize the occasion of National Democracy Day to restore full civil governance in Rivers.

That hope was fueled by his earlier decision to declare a state of emergency in response to escalating political conflict between Governor Fubara’s loyalists and lawmakers aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.

Political analysts had predicted May 29 or June 12 as potential dates for Tinubu to end the emergency rule, restoring democratic order in the state. So, what changed?

What Went Wrong?

Insiders say the president had indeed put mechanisms in motion to recall Fubara to office.

According to sources, key meetings in London and Lagos hinted that Tinubu was ready to announce Fubara’s return, despite political consequences.

However, news of this plan allegedly leaked too early.

Jubilations by the governor’s supporters ahead of the official announcement reportedly angered Wike’s camp, which then mounted serious opposition.

The move was delayed, and conditions were allegedly imposed before reinstatement could proceed.

One source disclosed that Governor Fubara himself hinted at his imminent return during public engagements.

“The announcement of the governor’s return was to be made by Tinubu on June 12. The process of the handing over of power would have taken one or two weeks,” a notable activist revealed.

Still, the governor’s path to reinstatement remains fraught with political traps laid by rivals intent on pushing him out entirely.

Only days ago, Chief Tony Okocha, factional APC Chairman in Rivers, warned that Fubara’s problems were far from over, even if he joined the ruling party.

“If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing to do with the state of emergency in Rivers State. His sins cannot be forgiven because he came to our party. It is not true,” Okocha said.

“He has not spoken to me. He will enter the party through the door, not the window. Not only him.”

Okocha added that the governor had failed to carry out the president’s instruction to restore peace at home:

“I can confirm that there is no reconciliation effort currently underway in Rivers. The suspended Governor Fubara has not made any move to reconcile with the lawmakers. Only genuine reconciliation can save him from impeachment, as the Supreme Court judgment stands.”

In a recent media appearance, Nyesom Wike accused Fubara of not being serious about reconciliation.

He claimed that after a meeting arranged at his Abuja residence involving two prominent Yoruba leaders, Fubara failed to follow up.

“He has the yam. He has the knife. If you want genuine peace, we will know. If you don’t want genuine peace, it is still your choice,” Wike stated.

Ironically, just a day after those remarks, photos of Fubara with Tinubu surfaced online, showing the two together during the Salah holiday at Tinubu’s Bourdillon residence.

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Ibok-Etteh Ibas, the Sole Administrator of Rivers, has reportedly received a direct order to conduct local government elections before his term ends in September.

According to insiders, this is intended to lock down Wike’s political influence across the state and ensure control of the grassroots ahead of the 2027 elections.

The presidency’s nomination of members to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and local commissions just last Thursday is seen as part of this broader plan.

The implications? Fubara might be reinstated only after the elections, returning to a weakened and volatile political landscape.

Some believe this tactic is designed to render the governor powerless even if he’s brought back.

At the heart of Wike’s refusal to back down, sources say, is his lost shot at the PDP’s 2027 presidential ticket, a move allegedly derailed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, once his ally, now rival.

According to one insider:

“Wike’s scheme was to ensure that once the ticket gets into his kitty, he would step down for Tinubu to complete his second term in the spirit that the presidency still remains in the South for eight years.”

With ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi poised to rally opposition forces against Tinubu in Rivers ahead of 2027, the state may become a fierce political battlefield.

Public resentment over the ongoing emergency rule could work against the President, especially with Amaechi in the race.

Still, Tinubu clearly values Wike’s political capital. During the inauguration of the renovated International Conference Center (ICC) in Abuja last Tuesday, he openly encouraged Wike to formally join the APC:

“Wike is an asset that no party would love to lose.”

With the state in limbo, many political observers now question whether Governor Fubara has any real chance of returning to office with authority intact.

Civic groups are silent. Protests have cooled. Even elder statesmen seem resigned to the ongoing power tussle.

Yet, some continue to press for resolution. Notably, PDP elder Chief Bode George issued a heartfelt appeal to the President:

“I also appeal to him, in the spirit of my maternal grand uncle who founded the first political party in Nigeria in 1922, Herbert Macaulay, to please reinstate Fubara. Tinubu should listen to, and honour this appeal in memory of all those who died in the journey to our democracy.”

Renowned Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to launch an investigation into the unresolved and mysterious deaths of notable Nigerians such as Dele Giwa, Kudirat Abiola, and Bola Ige.

Soyinka stressed that doing so would help bring closure to long-standing national grief and unanswered questions.

Speaking with a group of selected journalists in Lagos on Saturday, Soyinka noted that some Nigerians, including those in the diaspora, may hold vital clues to the assassinations.

Soyinka’s appeal came during the commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, marked every June 12.

The 2025 celebration saw President Tinubu deliver an address before a joint session of the National Assembly, during which he also conferred national honours on some heroes of the democratic struggle.

While Soyinka commended the gesture, he pointed out that several key figures were excluded.

However, he said the honorees represent a broader community of unsung participants in the fight for democracy.

He added, “I will be dedicating my honours to the memory of Late Beko Ransom-Kuti, who I described as a defender of human rights, champion of good governance, and campaigner for democracy, who was detained and jailed several times by the Nigerian military.”

Emphasizing the gravity of June 12, Soyinka remarked that the day should not be trivialized, as it stands as a solemn reminder of the bloodshed and sacrifices endured during the military era.

“He warned that no one should make light of the weight and importance of the June 12 struggle, as many people died, and many others were greatly injured by the military junta, which killed, tortured, and imprisoned Nigerians at the time.”

This statement also comes in the wake of public confusion, as the Presidency denied awarding national honours to Aisha Yesufu and 35 others, despite rumours to the contrary.

Names of the awardees were officially announced by Tinubu during the June 13 National Assembly session.

Among the posthumous recipients were Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Professor Humphrey Nwosu, and Kudirat Abiola, who is widely regarded as a martyr of the June 12 struggle.

In a historic move, President Tinubu also granted a posthumous state pardon to environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine, whose execution in 1995 under the Abacha regime sparked international outrage.

The President stated, “I also confer posthumous national honours on Ken Saro-Wiwa (CON), the leader of the Ogoni Nine and his fellow travellers.”

He continued, “I shall also be exercising my powers under the prerogative of mercy to grant these national heroes a full pardon, together with others whose names shall be announced later in conjunction with the National Council of State.”

Each of the other Ogoni Nine was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), while Ken Saro-Wiwa received the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

This is the first time a Nigerian president has officially acknowledged the Ogoni Nine’s contributions to democracy and environmental justice.

The honoured activists included Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, all tried and executed under what human rights observers widely condemned as a politically motivated process.