The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has said he will not stop the Rivers House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule from performing its constitutional functions.
Wike also blamed the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, for instigating the main issue that led to the ongoing political crisis in the State.
The minister spoke at Abalama Town where a crowd of Kalabari Ijaw trooped out in their numbers to treat him to a grand civic reception and thanksgiving.
The event held despite protests by some women groups, who tried to block the road to stop people from accessing the venue of the programme.
Security operatives, especially the police fired teargas cannisters at the protesters to disperse them to avoid the disruption of the programme.
Wike, who was cheered by the crowd, said he came because some persons threatened him not to attend the event, noting that the occasion was an indication the opposition was a mere radio noise.
He said: “I heard some people say I won’t come here. Who are they and how many are they? What you have done today is to tell the world all these noise in the radio is not the real thing. If you are of the Kalabari and of the Ijaw nation and you are receiving me today, God will continue to bless you. I will continue to stand by you and to support you.”
He explained some persons had misunderstood and misinterpreted his recent interview on Ijaw but clarified that he only meant that an Ijaw man becoming a governor in Rivers was made possible and agreement to work together.
He said at the final day of deciding who would be his successor, Fubara said he was not interested and urged them to give the position to his then Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu.
He recalled the process that led to Siminalayi Fubara becoming the Governor adding that Chief Alabraba, Chief Seargent Awuse and OCJ Okocha mounted pressure on him to allow Fubara in the principle of live and let live.
He said: “What I said on my interview people will want to misinterpret it. However they want to misinterpret it is their business. I want to repeat what I said. I said we are all working together if we don’t work together it would have been difficult to produce the governor. That was what I said. Chief Alabraba did not allow me to rest; he nearly fainted when we were deciding who would be governor.
“Himself, OCJ Okocha and Seargent Awuse and this boy Celestine Omehia when we met, that day was the primary, this governor today said he was not going to run that my Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu, should be the one to run. Celestine Omehia said it should be Isaac Kamalu that this governor cannot carry out effectively, the functions of the governor.
“OCJ Okocha and Chief Awuse said live and let live. Let us not do something that people will begin to say why must it be only one sided. What I mean was that it was not because of the strength or the power of Ijaw. It was because we worked together.
“Nobody should associate anything evil to Ijaw. Ijaw people are not evil people. You cannot everything be saying I will blow pipeline. No. Engage people intellectually and diplomatically and you get what you want. In the world we are in today we have passed the stage of threatening people.”
Wike said those around the Governor encouraged him to seize the salaries and allowances of the House of Assembly members for over a year telling the governor that nothing would happen.
He said: “They told you to seize Assembly members salaries and allowances for more than one year. They have no income to feed their families and pay their children school fees. And you were jubilating and people were encouraging you and telling you that nothing would happen.
“Now something has happened. I am not going to stop the assembly from performing their constitutional duties. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their duties. People who love peace don’t threaten people.”I told you that the House of Assembly will not lose their seats. I told you that the shenanigans of local government would not stand. I don’t need to be a governor. I know what is illegal is illegal. We fight it constitutionally and by following due process. What did we do wrong?
“We said all these chairmen and the assembly members suffered, national Assembly members suffered for you to become governor. Therefore, don’t abandon them. But they said I was asking for money. Has the money come? Those you are sharing the money, how far?
“Remember yesterday. A man is bad, a man is crook and a man is a criminal. But it was that same man that made you against all odds. If I hate Ijaw I wouldn’t have done that and nothing would have happened. I followed my principle of live and let live.
“If you watch all those around the governor are people who are natural ingrates. Nobody who is not an ingrates will associate himself with what is going on. I told the governor to eat what God had given to him peacefully that it is not good for him to face this crisis. But they told him, you are governor you have money. I agree but money is not everything. All these people have nothing to offer. See where we are. Now how far?”
Wike highlighted all the projects he initiated and handed over to Fubara to make him popular including the Port Harcourt Ring Road adding that whatever the governor’s team was parading were his initiatives.
Tracing the genesis of the crisis, the minister said: “Who started this problem? Danagogo SSG used his elder brother, who is a judge. They sat down under ex parte order saying 27 members have defected; ex parte not on notice.
“SSG lured his brother judge to give ex parte order that the government can present budget to three or four people. Secretary is Danagogo, the judge who gave the order is Danagogo. Look at how people can destroy a state.
“That is the genesis of all this crisis; how a judge will sit down under ex parte order saying that people had defected and you can present budget to three people. This is Danagogo who wanted to be governor. He was so pained that he was not given.
“He is the one leading you and he will lead you to hellfire. You surround yourself with people who wanted to be governor; who I stopped because they don’t mean well for Rivers State. They are the ones surrounding you giving you advice. Why do you think you will succeed?
“They will give you bad advice and see what the bad advice is doing to you. This is 2:0 and more will come. I haven’t seen this kind of politics where you surround yourself with those who want your seat. Will it work? They come they and abuse me and you are happy. You don’t know they are destroying you”.
He remembered that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu invited them for peace but that while he and other leaders got the assembly members to withdraw the impeachment notice they issued to the governor, those around Fubara stopped him from implementing the decision.
He said: ” You can abuse me as.muxh as you want. I have never bothered myself because abuse doesn’t kill anybody. What is important is the result. Who now has High blood pressure? They are the ones. This was what I was avoiding.
“Mr. President invited all of us for peace and after that day we the leaders sat and told the assembly go back and withdraw that impeachment notice since the president has intervened for peace. Instead of them to do their own part they instigated many court actions and used them as an excuse.
*When they won in court of Appeal they held a thanksgiving. Today we won and they said we should not do Thanksgiving. Are they being fair. The judgement day has come. OCJ Okocha said judgement day would come and judgement day has come.
“When the president intervened people like Sarah Igbeh went to court challenging Mr. President that he has no power. I was told Sarah Igbeh was in the villa for the president to intervene; you that went to court against the President you are now going back to the President. You must be consistent”.
Wike insisted that his team that worked for Fubara to become the governor would not be pushed aside adding that there must be an end to use-and-dump politics.
He said all those, who tried to stop Fubara from becoming the governor were the ones collecting his money and saying they would decide for Rivers.
The Minister said: “Politics comes with good and bad. When the good comes you take it when the bad comes you face it. We cannot be pushed out after all our efforts and sweats. All of you suffered.
“All those, who said they would not serve a master and his son, are the ones waiting on the road opening doors for the son. People have no conscience at all. Those who wrote petitions to EFCC against this governor for him not to be governor are the ones saying they would decide. Decide for who for us? They are not yet born. I have defeated them before and I have continued to defeat them”.
Wike vowed to support the reelection of President Tinubu and wondered what would have become of his team of the President had not given the ministerial position.
He said: “I am supporting President Ahmed Tinubu. I don’t say one thing in the afternoon and say another in the night. Anybody who remembers you in the rainy season you also remember him. Assuming Mr. President did not give us this position we occupy we were hoping that we had a governor who would take care of us.
“What would have happened to us? Will someone come and preach to us to tell us to support another person? Politics is interest. People must not use people and dump them. The politics of use and dump must stop.”
The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, heaped praise on Wike for his political sagacity and his love for the Ijaw people.
Alabraba said Wike had resolved the political crisis in Rivers by following the dispute up to the Supreme Court praying that peace would return to the state through the process.
He told the Minister that the people of Kalabari Kingdom would continue to stand by him and support him.
He said; “May this achievement serve as a foundation for massive peace and may you continue to lead with wisdom.and integrity. We extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering leadership. The Kalabari people will be with you at every time.
” We will continue to support you at all times and uphold collabiration as a veritable force that will drive rhe interest of all sections of rje state. We assure you that your footprints in Kalabari land will remain indelible for many generations”.
