A former Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chijioke Ihunwo, has charged the immediate past Head of Service of the State, Dr. George Nwaeke, to tender an unreserved apology over his accusations against him on the alleged bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly or meet him in court.
Nwaeke, in a viral video clip, recorded at a hotel in Abuja, fingered Ihunwo when he claimed that the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara handed a bag of money to his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, who was in Government House, Port Harcourt with two other boys, including Ihunwo for the operations.
However, Fubara and Ehie had since described the allegations as false, misleading, and laughable, accusing Nwaeke of monetary compromise.
Ihunwo, in a letter on Tuesday, through his lawyer, Obidinma .C. Obidinma, noted that Nwaeke’s misleading and defamatory claims which were aired and published on national televisions and newspapers, had caused serious damage to his reputation before the citizens of Nigeria.
Ihunwo, the immediate past chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria Rivers State Chapter, stated that a “reputation once damaged cannot be assuaged”, and has therefore, urged Nwaeke to publish an unreserved apology within 48 hours on national television and three national newspapers.
He warned that failure to heed the demand would compel him to set the arsenal of law in motion and subject Nwaeke to the cause of such avoidable action.
Part of the letter reads, “Our client, the immediate past State Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria Rivers State Chapter, a position he occupied until his subsequent appointment as the Caretaker Committee Chairman Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Chairman and election as the substantive Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Rivers State.
“It is noteworthy that our client served the dear youths of Rivers State as their state chairman for close to five years unblemished, leaving behind a purposeful National Youth Council of Nigeria Rivers State Chapter, wherein several organizations both locally and internationally bestowed on our client several awards for his outstanding exemplary leadership qualities.
“That due to our client’s outstanding exemplary leadership qualities, the Governor of Rivers State Sir Siminalayi Fubara, appointed him as the Caretaker Committee Chairman Obio/Akpor Local Government Area for a period of three months again our client served the entire Obio/Akpor Local Government Council purposeful and unblemished wherein after the expiration of his tenure as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor council, the entire citizens voted him as the Executive Chairman Obio/Akpor Local Government Council and was subsequently sworn in as the said Chairman.
“That our client performed his duties exceptionally as Executive Chairman Obio/Akpor Local Government Area commencing from the day, he was sworn-in, until the landmark supreme Court Judgment of February 28th, 2025, which set aside the election of all (23) twenty-three elected Chairmen of Local Government Council in Rivers State.
“That our Client was seriously taken aback, when you appeared on national television on the 28th day of March 2025 and made several allegations, wherein you categorically stated that our client was part of the persons who burnt down the house of assembly in your own language.”
