The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Monday met with the suspended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Wike hosted the suspended lawmakers for a dinner in the United Kingdom, UK.

This followed his earlier meeting with some of his political allies in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Sunday.

The meeting was disclosed by the minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, via his Facebook page.

According to Olayinka: “Yesterday, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, hosted Rivers State House of Assembly members who are in the United Kingdom for Legislative Capacity Building, to a dinner. Wike left Nigeria on Sunday night after visiting his political friends and associates in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”

Recall that the lawmakers were suspended by President Bola Tinubu after declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State due to security concerns. Governor Sim Fubara was also suspended for six months. The emergency rule stemmed from the ongoing political crisis between Wike and Fubara.

The crisis had affected the lawmakers and the entire political structure in Rivers State.

The Supreme Court later intervened, ordering the reinstatement of the lawmakers and directing Governor Fubara to present the 2024 budget before the Martins Amaewhule-led Assembly.

However, Fubara’s attempt to present the budget was thwarted as the lawmakers barred him from accessing the Assembly complex.

The suspended lawmakers are currently in the UK for a legislative capacity-building programme.

The suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has instituted a N5billion defamation case against her colleague, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi for alleging that she had six children for different men.

In the process she filed through her team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. M. J. Numa, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan described Nwaebonyi’s claim as false, saying it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish her reputation.

She told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that Nwaebonyi who represents Ebonyi North Central Senatorial District, had severely injured her reputation, caused her considerable distress and embarrassment to her credibility and public perception.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan told the court that the defendant, who is also the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, had on March 6, 2025, during a televised interview on Channels TV’s “Sunrise Daily” programme, falsely, maliciously, and without any lawful justification, referred to her as a “gold digger,” a “habitual liar,” and a “habitual blackmailer.”

She told the court that aside from the allegation that she had six children for different men, Senator Nwaebonyi equally alleged that her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, married her under duress.

“These statements were broadcast nationally and rebroadcast across multiple online and social media platforms, thus ensuring wide publication,” the claimant added, insisting the claims were false, malicious and targeted at bringing her image to disrepute.

“The claimant further contends that these statements in their natural and ordinary meaning, are meant and were understood to portray the claimant: as someone who constantly extorts people for money through dishonest and unscrupulous means as a career.

“As someone who demands money or other benefits from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them. As a woman who forms relationships with men purely to obtain money or gifts from them.

“As someone who constantly tells lies and does not speak the truth on most occasions and as someone who uses the threat of damaging information to coerce others into acting in her favour.”

The claimant told the court that the defendant deliberately made the defamatory statements knowing same to be false as it was meant to discredit her, in an attempt to justify her illegal suspension by the Senate.

“That the defendant, who is equally a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, made those false and reckless statements to prejudice the mind of the public against the claimant’s petition before the Senate.”

Consequently, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on a six-month suspension, among other things, prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies or anyone howsoever called from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained about or any other defamatory words concerning the claimant.

In the suit marked: CV/1259/25, she further prayed for an order of the court, to compel the defendant to retract the defamatory words on the same platforms used to make the defamatory publications and to tender an unreserved apology in at least two national newspapers electronically and vide print media circulated nationwide, within 7 days from the day of the delivery of judgment in the matter.

She also urged the court to award “the sum of N5 billion only, against the defendant being aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the Claimant for the false, malicious and injurious statements that have since caused the Ccaimant considerable distress, reputational harm, embarrassment, and emotional distress.”

As well as: “An order of this Honourable Court awarding post-judgment interest on the judgment sum awarded to the Claimant at the rate of 10% per annum from the date of delivery of the judgment until the judgment debt is fully liquidated.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained that her characterization by the defendant as a mother of six from different men was baseless, malicious, and indeed reckless.

“The claimant is an inspiration to women in politics and aspiring women for speaking truth to power.

“The claimant is not spoiling the chance of women in politics as falsely alleged, rather she is inspiring women to be bold in their quest for politics and good governance,” she added.

Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.

The founder of the defunct Diamond Bank Plc, Pascal Gabriel Dozie, has died at the age of 85.

According to Business Day, Dozie passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

His death came just a day before his 86th birthday, following a battle with an age-related illness.

Dozie was best known as the founder of Diamond Bank, one of Nigeria’s most innovative financial institutions before its merger with Access Bank.

He served as the bank’s chairman before handing over leadership to his son, Uzoma Dozie.

Dozie is survived by his wife Chinyere Dozie, and five children among other relatives.