The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has asked the National Publicity Secretary of the party to resign from the position immediately.

The party said the call becomes necessary after listening to Morka’s interview on national television and the commentaries he passed against its stand on the legislative overreach and what he described as coup d’etat orchestrated by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to oust the Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Prof (Mrs) Ngozi Odu.

The party said it was embarrassing that Morka responded to the question posed to him on the status of the Mr Darlington Nwauju, who issued statements on the behalf of the party in Rivers.


Morka had described Nwauju as “…an official of the old exco, saying he doubts if he is still part of the current exco…”

In a statement signed by Nwauju on Tuesday, the APC in Rivers State said it is alarmed at the continuous ridicule, disrespect and disregard for lawful court rulings by Morka which he claims has cast a big question mark on the authenticity of the statements, comments and opinions published by the legally recognized Party Spokesperson in Rivers State.

“We are therefore calling for his disbarment, owing to the fact that Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023 (Sam Sam Etetegwung Vs APC) and Suit No 3859/CS/2024 (OkwuJoe Brown Ndke Vs APC), both nullified the purported dissolution of Executives elected in October 16 2021 and voided the kangaroo congress conducted in November 2023 to replace the Executives elected in October 2021, thereby giving Mr Nwauju the audacity to speak for thei party in Rivers,” the statement added.

“Since we are practicing a Constitutional democracy and our Party is built on progressive ideals to defend democratic practice and promote the rule law, Mr Morka has lost the moral high ground to continue to act as a national officer of our great party having been elected to come on national television to promote partisan interpretation to subsisting court rulings over the party leadership question in Rivers APC.

“This misleading narrative is too dangerous to be ignored by any true member of our party praying for the party to mobilize and win elections fair and square in Rivers for Mr President.

“We dare say that Mr Morka should have kept quiet rather than using his interview to launder the image of a non-party member over and above one of the Party’s Governors who doubles as the undisputable leader of our party in Rivers State.

“Again, we are also aware that the National Working Committee, outside of the National Executive Committee (NEC) is the conscience of our party and should not continue to condone persons who are out to promote divisiveness over and above internal party cohesion.

“We are further aware of the provisions of Article 13.4 (xvi), ‘The National Working Committee shall liaise with governments formed by the Party at all levels with a view to ensuring that members of the Party are accorded priority in appointments into public offices, and shall provide periodic reports in this regard to the National Executive Committee’.

“We are therefore at a loss as to why Mr Morka, a national officer of the APC would downplay the serious issue of a self-serving impeachment process against a serving APC Governor. The opinion of Mr Morka, which we very well know is entirely personal and can not pass for the stand of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives congress in Nigeria leaves so much to be desired and calls to question his loyalty to the APC.

“Mr Morka’s poor attitude to the collective wellbeing and interest of our Party leaves both a black eye and sour taste on the lips of party faithfuls across Rivers State and beyond. We are tempted to ask: “Is Morka truly working for the victory of the APC?

“Mr Morka is a trained lawyer who should know better but has willfully chosen to look the other way because the crisis profits him economically.

“We believe it is now time for the NBA and specifically, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Council to investigate and review the deliberate, scandalous conduct of Mr Morka whose comments and behaviour on national television are calculated to detract from the dignity of the court and cause irreparable reputational damage to the legal profession in Nigeria.

“We reiterate this fact and let it be known to all including the National Working Committee of our great party that action(s) taken by persons who were purportedly “elected” into the leadership of the APC in Rivers State through kangaroo congresses conducted under Alhaji Umar Ganduje in November 2023, are a direct affront on the courts as their activities are built on a faulty foundation and cannot survive the test of legal fireworks!

“Our National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwada and Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru must not allow what happened to Rivers APC in 2019, to repeat itself.”

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has described the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on businessman Gilbert Chagoury as a dark moment for Nigeria, warning that the decision sends a dangerous signal that corruption and conflicts of interest are being normalised at the highest levels of power.

In a strongly worded statement he released on Tuesday, Frank said the honour – Nigeria’s second-highest national award – undermines public trust and the country’s anti-corruption posture, given widely reported allegations and judicial findings linking Chagoury to money-laundering cases arising from funds looted during the late General Sani Abacha junta.

“Today ranks among the saddest days of my life as a Nigerian,” Frank said, recalling reports that a Swiss court convicted Chagoury in 2000 in connection with laundering Abacha loot, after which he allegedly paid a fine of one million Swiss francs and returned about $66 million to the Nigerian government.

“To bestow one of our highest national honours on a person publicly tainted by allegations and judicial findings of corruption sends a deeply troubling message about our national values,” he added.

Frank also raised concerns about alleged conflicts of interest, citing reports that Chagoury is a business associate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and is linked to the controversial Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project, reportedly awarded without competitive bidding to Hitech Construction Company, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group.

“A sitting President should not be in business dealings – directly or indirectly – with close associates while holding office,” Frank said, arguing that the optics of the award and the project fuel public suspicion of abuse of power.

The former APC spokesman further pointed to what he described as troubling institutional contradictions, noting that Nigeria’s current National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, once served as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when Chagoury was reportedly investigated as one of Abacha’s key cronies.

Frank who currently serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East as well as Senior Advisor to the Global Friendship City Association (GFCA), USA,
claimed that Chagoury left Nigeria at the time, only to return later after settling fines and returning funds.

He also referenced reported issues Chagoury allegedly had with United States authorities over money-laundering allegations, though later settled, arguing that such a history should preclude elevation to national honour and international legitimacy.

Expanding his critique to the international arena, Frank cautioned the United States – particularly President Donald Trump and American policymakers – against being misled by lobbyists or vested interests.

He warned that Washington should not appear to lend moral or political cover to individuals or governments perceived to reward corruption.

“A President reputed for standing against corruption and poor governance should be cautious about associating, directly or indirectly, with a government that glorifies individuals with controversial corruption histories,” Frank said.

He also alluded to persistent claims that Chagoury exerts outsized influence over major infrastructure and commercial decisions in Nigeria, allegedly to the detriment of American business interests and in favour of French-linked firms.

If true, Frank said, such claims raise serious questions about transparency, fair competition and the capture of state policy by private interests.

“Nigeria should not become a theatre where corruption is rewarded, conflicts of interest are ignored, and foreign influence is leveraged against national and allied economic interests,” he warned, adding that the controversy has international governance implications.

Frank criticised what he described as a growing disconnect between government decisions and public sentiment, arguing that transparency and accountability are increasingly sidelined.

He questioned the criteria used to confer the GCON on Chagoury, asking Nigerians to demand clarity on his contributions to national development.

“What hospitals, schools or scholarships has he built or funded to merit this honour?” Frank asked. “Beyond his name being linked for years to alleged corruption cases without clear conclusions, Nigerians deserve to know what qualifies him for this award and who among our business leaders has been similarly honoured.”

Calling for civic vigilance, Frank urged opposition parties and citizens committed to justice and the rule of law to treat the episode as a wake-up call.

“A nation where individuals accused or convicted of corruption are protected, defended or even honoured is a nation drifting dangerously toward institutionalised impunity,” he said.

“It is one thing for the rule of law to be weakened; it is far worse for impunity to be openly rewarded.”

Frank urged reflection and decisive action, insisting that Nigeria must recommit to accountability and ethical governance. “Nigeria deserves better,” he said.

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom, for the preliminary hearing of her trial premised on bribery charges.

Alison-Madueke, who was in office from 2010 to 2015, was the first woman oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The case was listed on the cause list for Court 8 before Justice Thornton on Monday.

Alison-Madueke was in court for the preliminary hearing ahead of her full trial, scheduled to commence on January 26, 2026.

Preliminary proceedings, including technical matters and jury selection, began this week, with Alison-Madueke in attendance.

The 65-year-old has been on bail since she was first arrested in London in October 2015. She has denied six charges against her.

She was formally charged in 2023 by the UK’s National Crime Agency with offences of accepting bribes between 2011 to 2015.

“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” the NCA said at the time.

According to the indictment, Alison-Madueke benefitted from at least £100,000 ($134,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, and the use of multiple London properties.

The charges also detailed financial rewards including furniture, renovation work, and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Louis Vuitton.

The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 26, and is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks.

Two others are also being prosecuted on bribery charges linked to the case: Doye Agama, who appeared in court via video link on Monday, and Olatimbo Ayinde, who was present in the dock.