Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday, accused supporters of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, of attempting to bomb a popular hotel in Port Harcourt, State capital, Presidential Hotel, as part of plans to justify their call for a state of emergency.
Fubara spoke when he received a delegation of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, led by its Chairman, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, to the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The governor, who also clarified that he was not fighting anybody, claimed that he was only defending the state against predators, and protecting supporters of the interest of Rivers against those whom he said felt they owned the life of others.
He however, shamed his detractors, just as Kalu, urged Wike to sheath his sword and call his supporters to order in the collective interest of the state.
This was as the immediate former publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Darlington Nwauju, condemned what he described as the reintroduction of guerilla warfare to the politics of the state.
According to him, the failed attempt by the protesters demanding an extension of the tenure of former local government chairmen, to detonate an explosive device at the Hotel Presidential, a five star hotel in Port Harcourt, was a deliberate ploy to strengthen the call for a state of emergency by haters who wanted to undermine the state to achieve their evil plans.
Fubara said the protesters and their sponsors were aware that the National Assembly members were guests at the Hotel Presidential, yet, attempted to detonate an explosive device near the facility in order to give reason to support the call for a state of emergency.
He, however, said the detractors failed in their plan for the call.
“As a matter of fact, let me tell you, I know of everything that is happening. Yesterday (Tuesday), they (the protesters) were aware that you are in the state. So, there was an attempt to create serious problem.
“In fact, there was a plan to detonate dynamite at the Hotel Presidential because you people were there. But this God that we serve, it happened that the man who was trying to do it, detonated it but just few seconds after, it blew his hands off.
“The idea was that as you hear state of emergency, it will be so that by the time they finish, when you return to have your sitting tomorrow (Thursday), the debate will be from somebody from this state who called you people to tell you not to come.
“He will now raise issue of state of emergency, and say after all, distinguished colleagues saw it happen while you were in Rivers State, that you saw what happened.
“But you see, when you are with God, even your own child who is planning evil, will go and tell somebody that God is with this man because he is clean. This is what my father is planning. That is what is keeping us in this State.”
The governor wondered why it seemed that the law was silent or inactive to take its course over offenders because somebody appeared to be bigger than the law on the agitation, because there was nowhere in the country were tenure elongation for former local government chairmen has been an issue.
He pointed out that there was no governor in Nigeria, who could take 10 per cent of the abuse rained on him by former local government council chairmen.
But Fubara said he had taken those insults and attacks in stride without going hard at the purveyors because their plan was to distract him, stressing that he remained focused on delivering good governance and democratic dividends to Rivers people.
“Where on earth can tenure of local government chairmen be elongated? You were a governor, was it tried in your time?Even those of you that are senators here, even in your own states, has anyone tried this before?
“Is it that the Constitution that governs Nigeria is different from the one that operates in Rivers State? These are the very pertinent questions we should ask. Why should it be that when it comes to the case of Rivers State, the law is always silent? Is it that there is somebody bigger than Nigeria? That is the question I want you to go back with.
“I am not fighting anybody. If I am fighting, people will know that I am fighting. My pattern will change. What we are doing is to defend ourselves. We can’t just fold our hands. Only a tree will be standing and somebody will come and cut it off.”
He told members of the committee to factor in the interest of the state as they recommended the privatisation and commercialisation of public companies, saying, when the state buys stakes in such companies, it could be protected and supervised to be viable.
Kalu, who said they were in the state to carry out oversight duties on some projects, commended Fubara for his love for peace, determination to offer quality governance and keep pace with providing the right climate to engender economic growth to all residents in the State.
He also urged Wike to sheath the sword, and call his supporters to order as a commitment to fostering peace and putting the interest of the State above all considerations.
“I want to admire Your Excellency, your Deputy and your team for the good things you are doing in the State, but it is good to have peace.
“I want to thank you because you look like a very peaceful man. Your face shows a peaceful man. Your laughter shows a peaceful man. So, I want you to continue in that manner of peace.
“Leadership is a very big burden. It is not a sweet potato. It is not anywhere where you can see rice and beans. On the street of Rivers, everyone is saying that the governor and the former governor are quarreling.
“We want to plead with you, continue to hold your people back because if your people demonstrate like the other people, we will have a state of anarchy, and it is not good to have anarchy.”
Reacting to the attempted bomb incident, Nwauju alleged that “the protest is organised against all advice and caution by a political group loyal to the FCT Minister, same group that has called for impeachment of the sitting governor, same group now calling for state of emergency in the state.
“The protests appear to be orchestrated and stage-managed to justify their call for State of Emergency, even where no such situation ordinarily exists.”
Meanwhile, a youth group under the aegis of National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Rivers State chapter, has commended the state police command led by the Commissioner, Olatunji Disu for ensuring tight security at the 23 LG Secretariats across the state.
Leader of the group, Nwisabari Bani, who led a peaceful march to the police Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, said the barricading of the secretariats by the police has prevented hoodlums from vandalising the facilities.
Blessing Ibunge
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