The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, has apologised to the people of the state over the tension that gripped the state last Monday, following an impeachment plot allegedly masterminded by his predecessor and Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike.
The governor, who survived a plot to impeach him by Wike’s loyalists in the state House of Assembly last Monday, described the crisis as regrettable.
His apology came as the Ijaw Youth Leaders of Thought accused the Rivers State Elders Forum of bias and vowed to resist any form of intimidation from Wike and his cohorts.
Similarly, the apex socio-cultural organisation of over 40 million Ijaws globally, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), said the attempt by Wike to keep the political structures and the incumbent governor under his armpit is an aberration with dire consequences for the human capital, political, economic and social development of the state and by extension, the Nigerian state.
Former Kaduna State Senator, Shehu Sani, has also advised Fubara, to either free himself or continue to appease what he described as the ‘tiger’.
But in what seems to be an attempt to facilitate an easy impeachment of Governor Fubara, the loyalists of the FCT minister in the police force have been deployed to head the security architecture in the state.
Fubara also hailed President Tinubu’s intervention in the political crisis rocking the state, saying it led to a quick resolution of the matter.
The governor described the crisis as “regrettable anxieties of the last few days,” saying it was important to make sacrifices for peace to reign.
He stated this in a statement he signed and titled: ‘Peace is Priceless’, which was issued to journalists on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
While recalling the bombing of the state House of Assembly complex and the division among lawmakers, the governor explained that his visit to the assembly complex was to assess the level of damage caused by the fire and undertake remedial measures to protect lives and property within the complex.
He thanked President Tinubu for his intervention, which he said opened a series of communication channels aimed at arriving at a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
The governor added that no sacrifice was too much for him to make, saying it is the collective responsibility of his predecessor, Wike, and himself, to use their positions to advance the progress, security, and well-being of the people.
The statement partly read: “Late on Sunday, October 29, 2023; I was inundated with reports that the hallowed chamber of the Rivers State House of Assembly has been gutted by fire. The blaze was successfully put out by the fire service, after which security agencies took control of the situation.
“My visit to the assembly complex on Monday, October 30, 2023, was to assess the level of damage and undertake remedial measures to protect lives and property within the assembly complex. I charged the security agencies to thoroughly investigate the incident and report it to me.
“Shortly after, I got reports that the state House of Assembly had broken into two factions: One claiming to have impeached and suspended the House Leader and three others preparatory to initiating an impeachment action against me, and the other rival faction impeaching the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, thus sparking off some form of political crisis.
“I wish to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, for his fatherly intervention which opened a series of communication channels to facilitate the timely resolution of the festering crises. I wish to also thank our elders who are currently intervening in the matter,” the governor explained.
Fubara continued, “Let me clearly state that my actions are aimed at restoring peace and stability in our state. I am a man of peace and as governor, the advancement of our state is my primary concern.
“Consequently, no sacrifice is too much for me to make to achieve this objective. Furthermore, as leaders, it is the collective responsibility of the immediate past governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and my humble self, to leverage our positions and influences within and outside the state to advance the progress, security, and well-being of our people.
“We must, therefore, not allow circumstances that could retard all efforts at achieving greatness for our people to prevail.
“On our part, we are always willing and ready to embrace the path to lasting peace and tranquility with a commitment to consummating all efforts and initiatives by Mr. President and other well-meaning Nigerians, including my brother governors and the elders.
“I assure the people of Rivers State that peace will certainly prevail and we shall continue to work together to advance the peace, security, and progress of our state.”
“As governor, I sincerely apologise to the good people of Rivers State for the regrettable anxieties of the last few days, while thanking you all for your concerns, and continued support, love, and prayers. May God continue to bless our dear Rivers State,” he explained.
Ijaw Youth Leaders Caution Rivers Elders, Vow to Resist Any Intimidation
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Leaders of Thought have accused the Rivers State Elders Forum of bias and vowed to resist any form of intimidation from Wike and his cohorts.
In its statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Comrade Jackson Agbor and its Secretary, Comrade Moses Omare, the Ijaw Youth Leaders of Thought called on all well-meaning Nigerians to rise and condemn self-seeking elders who have been hired to throw the Niger Delta into political turmoil.
The group expressed disappointment that the Rivers State Elders Forum, led by Chief Ferdinand Alabraba failed to condemn the attack on Governor Fubara, but decided to ruin their honour and reputation by brazenly claiming that the incident was false.
“They failed woefully for not making it clear to Nyesom Wike, as expected by the world, that Rivers State is not his private company where he is at liberty to hire and fire at will. They also failed for not publicly condemning the attempt of those disgruntled members of the House of Assembly to impeach the Governor who has not committed any constitutional infraction. They also failed the expectation of the public by not calling on all parties to cease fire and come to a dialogue to resolve the impasse’’.
The group urged the Rivers State Elders Forum to tread carefully and be mindful of their choice of words when referring to Governor Fubara and the Ijaw nation warning that ‘’the Ijaw nation is not at war with any neighbour and, therefore, should not be projected as clamouring for ethnic conflict in Rivers State.
Political Structure Doesn’t Belong to You, INC Tells Wike
Also, the INC in a statement said the attempt by Wike to keep the political structures and the incumbent governor under his armpit is an aberration with dire consequences for the human capital, political, economic, and social development of the state and by extension, the Nigerian state.
INC in a statement said while they remained profusely grateful to Wike for making their son, he should equally give him a free hand to govern the people of the state.
In a statement signed by its President, Prof. Benjamin Ogele Okaba, the body expressed disappointment over his insistence to relentlessly continue his plot to unceremoniously remove Fubara as governor of Rivers State for no just cause, despite the intervention of President Bola Tinubu and pleas from other senior citizens.
The group also called on President Tinubu not to relent in his well-calculated effort to prevail on Wike to sheath his sword unconditionally and support his own dearly beloved godson to succeed.
On his part, a former Kaduna State Senator, Shehu Sani, has advised Fubara, to either free himself or continue to appease what he described as the tiger.
On his verified X account (Twitter), Sani warned Fubara of the consequences of his current path.
Sani metaphorically compared the governor’s situation to befriending a tiger, stressing that when one befriends a tiger, there are only two options: Either to continually appease and feed the tiger or to stand up and fight it to assert control.
“To Mr. Sim; when you befriend a tiger, you must either feed and appease the tiger or you must fight and prevail over the tiger; there is no timid or evasive middle ground like praying or hobnobbing with the tiger for the peace of the habitat,” Sani wrote.
Police Deploy Wike’s Loyalists to Hijack State’s Security Architecture
In a related development, the Nigeria Police Force has deployed Wike’s former Chief Security Officer (CSO), Promise Wosu, as the new Commander of the Special Protection Unit (SPU), better known as Base 6 in Rivers State.
When contacted to confirm the development, the spokesperson of the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko promised to get back to THISDAY but she did not do so as of press time.
The SPU was established to fortify security around VIPS.
Nwosu was last week removed as the CSO to Governor Fubara, after the failed plot by Wike’s loyalists in the state House of Assembly to impeach the governor.
It was also gathered that two other former aides of the FCT minister in the police force were also deployed to head the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and ‘Operation Sting’.
They include the Former Camp Commandant of Rivers Government House, Irikefe London Owen, and Emmanuel Nwakanme.
Operation Sting was a special state security outfit launched by Wike in 2019.
It is believed that the move was to allow Wike’s loyalists to hijack all the security architecture in Rivers State for easy impeachment of Governor Fubara.
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