Rivers: Ogiri Denies Inviting Nwaeke To Abuja

A federal commissioner representing the South-South region in the National Population Commission (NPC), Itotenaan Henry Ogiri, has denied allegations that he invited former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, to Abuja for a press briefing on the state’s political crisis.

Earlier, Nwaeke’s wife, Florence, claimed that Ogiri had called her husband and asked him to travel to Abuja.

However, in a statement released in Port Harcourt on Saturday, Ogiri dismissed the claim, stating that he had been in Rivers State since leaving Abuja on February 28, 2025. He also clarified that he had only spoken to Nwaeke once since leaving the Rivers State Cabinet in 2023.

His statement read: “Early this morning, the 29th of March 2025, my attention was drawn to a viral social media video in which the wife of the recently resigned Head of Service of Rivers State Government alleged that her husband is missing and may have been held hostage.

“Of note is the fact that the woman in the viral video was accusing me of putting a call from Abuja across to her husband and had asked that the husband come over to Abuja so we can discuss some certain matters. She even alleged that I offered to pay for the flight ticket of the husband. Who is supposed to pay for whose ticket?

“More worrying is the fact that the woman is asking her interviewers to tell Ogiri from Abuja to bring her husband back to her. Nothing can be further from the truth.

“Let me state clearly that was a poorly rehearsed theatrics. While Dr. George Nwaeke is my friend and a professional colleague, we have only spoken once since I left the Rivers State cabinet in November 2023. I think that should be late last year or early this year.

“I came to Port Harcourt from Abuja on the 28th of February 2025 (the date the Supreme Court gave judgment on Rivers State) and haven’t traveled out of Rivers State till date. I have been working at our Port Harcourt office while also preparing for the burial of my foster father, which took place last Saturday, 22nd of March 2025.

“I haven’t spoken with Dr. George Nwaeke since the Supreme Court judgment. And if this allegation was from Dr. George Nwaeke himself, then I would have viewed this from a different perspective.

“However, thank God telephone service providers are able to provide call logs as well as conversations thereon. And airlines are also able to provide evidence to contradict my claim of haven’t traveled out of Rivers State in the last one month.

“While we await to see how the unfolding drama and tissue of lies play out, I urge my relatives, friends, supporters, associates, leaders, and the general public to be rest assured that the truth shall be unveiled in no time.”

Ogiri assured the public that he had no involvement in the matter and expressed confidence that the truth would soon come to light.

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