Guardian News.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has taken steps to reverse yet another decision of his predecessor, reinstating ownership of a property previously seized from retired General Anthony Stephen Ukpo.
This marks a significant departure from the stance taken by the previous administration.
The property in question, Ogeyi Place Hotels (formerly Le Meridien Hotels Limited), located at Plot 319, GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt, has been embroiled in a dispute over ownership. It was originally confiscated during Nyesom Wike's tenure as governor.
The Fubara administration formally announced the reversal through a public notice, attributing the initial confiscation to an "error" and characterizing their action as a corrective measure against the previous administration's decision.
Governor Fubara has recently been active in reversing policies implemented by Wike's administration, including annulling the recruitment of 10,000 civil servants due to alleged irregularities.
In a separate development, the High Court in Port Harcourt acquitted Dr. Farah Dagogo, a former member of the House of Representatives, of charges leveled against him by the Rivers State Government.
Dagogo was arrested in April 2022 when he appeared for a screening as a governorship aspirant for the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Governor Wike had accused Dagogo of sponsoring disruption during the PDP screening exercise, which Dagogo denied vehemently.
Justice Chinwendu Nworgu of the Port Harcourt High Court criticized the prosecution for lack of diligence and acquitted Dagogo of all charges in suit No. PHC/1440/CR/2022, affirming that the case cannot be reopened in any court of law in Nigeria.
Dagogo's lead counsel, Cosmas Enweluzo (SAN), emphasized that the ruling completely absolves Dagogo from any legal encumbrances.