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  • Wike-Fubara feud: More Rivers lawmakers opt for reconciliation

    Wike-Fubara feud: More Rivers lawmakers opt for reconciliation

    • Monarchs step in

    More members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have joined the train of those calling for the termination of the ongoing impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.

    Similarly, traditional rulers in the state have constituted a team to seek a solution to the political crisis.

    It was also learnt that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the political party that both the governor and the majority members of the House of Assembly belong to, has intervened.

    Yesterday, two lawmakers – Barile Nwakoh (Khana Constituency 1) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor Constituency II) – appealed to their colleagues to conditionally withdraw the impeachment proceedings.

    They said that although the governor and his deputy might have violated the constitution, pleas by respected leaders to the Assembly cannot be ignored.

    Their appeal came two days after the Minority Leader, Sylvanus Nwankwo (Omuma Constituency), and Peter Abbey (Degema Constituency) had pleaded with other colleagues to temper justice with mercy.

    However, the four lawmakers did not dissociate themselves from the impeachment notices signed by 26 lawmakers.

    The move by the lawmakers to stave off the impeachment is conditional.

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    The governor is expected to respect the Constitution in his conduct of state affairs.

    The mediation committee set up by the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) early in the week and chaired by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), also swung into action by making consultations with the two warring camps.

    Sources said Fubara has demonstrated a readiness for a truce by reaching out to the House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, for reconciliation.

    The governor issued a directive to members of his camp to stop making public comments against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and avoid heating up the state.

    Fubara and Odu were served with impeachment notices by the Assembly last week over allegations of gross misconduct.

    The lawmakers gave them seven days to respond to the allegations.

    A member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on the Rivers crisis, said the party had launched an intervention into the impasse to prevent the depletion of its governors’ forum.

    He said it is the duty of the party leadership to reconcile the governor and the lawmakers, who are chieftains of the ruling party.

    A source said that, based on the party’s intervention,  the Assembly may reconvene to put the impeachment process on hold and seek a political solution.

    Yesterday, the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers raised a nine-man Reconciliation Committee to end the crisis and persuade the lawmakers to withdraw the impeachment notice.

    The committee, which was inaugurated by the Chairman of the council, Eze Oha Apara IV, Apara Kingdom, Eze Chike Amadi Worlu-Wodo, is chaired by His Majesty, Dr. Suanu Baridam, while His Majesty, Eze Nwachukwu Nnam Obi, is co-chairman.

    Other members of the Committee are Eze Uchechukwu Isaiah-Elikwu, Eze Leslie Eke, Dr. Samuel Amaechi, Dr. Felix Otuwarikpo, Eze Onyekachi Amaonwu, King Agolia Aboko, and Eze Nwankwo Nwankwo.

    Darlington Owiriwa will serve as secretary.

    A statement by Baridam said:  “In view of the sensitive nature of the issues before the public, we appeal to supporters of all factions, social media enthusiasts, and the general public to moderate their comments in order not to escalate the situation.

    “We further urge citizens to refrain from acts likely to cause a breach of the peace in the state.”

    Lawmakers call for political solution

    At a news conference in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, Nwako and Amadi, who called for a political solution, thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Wike for their interventions.

    They traced the genesis of the crisis to the violation of the Constitution by Fubara and Odu and the governor’s refusal to adhere to agreements he reached under the supervision of the President.

    The duo appealed to their colleagues to embrace a political solution if Fubara can demonstrate his readiness to respect agreements and obey the constitution.

    They said: “We speak for ourselves and not for the House, as we do not have the leave to speak for the House of Assembly.

    “We are part of the notice of allegation of gross misconduct against the governor and the deputy governor because they truly infringed several times on the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    “The governor has seriously abandoned the agreement entered into in the past with the supervision of Mr President in a bid to find a lasting solution to the constitutional infractions. This casts serious doubts on why any person should trust him.

    “However, we have been inundated with calls from some of our leaders and Rivers people begging that we seek a political solution to this problem created by the governor and his deputy.

    “We hereby state our willingness to look at a political solution rather than an outright removal of the duo. We call on our members to also consider this approach.

    “We did not say this as a sign of weakness, but because we have forgiving hearts and as mothers.

    “It is our hope and expectations that assurances will come from the governor and the deputy governor that they will retrace their steps and govern in line with the constitution and keep all agreements entered into with the supervision of Mr President.

    “We thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the political leader of Rivers, Chief Nyesom Wike, and the good people of Rivers for their encouragement and support.”

  • The Wike-Fubara rodomontade

    The Wike-Fubara rodomontade

    AS 2024 ends, it’s expected that the immediate past Governor of Rivers State who is the incumbent Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, and the current Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, who is Wike’s erstwhile most-favoured mentee, would be doing political stocktaking. It’s believed that money, or its euphemism, “party structure”, is what has put asunder the marriage made in heaven. And the schism is marked by ‘rodomontade’ which, alternatively, is called ‘braggadocio’, ‘grandstanding’, or simply, defined by Oxford Reference as “boastful or inflated talk or behaviour”.

    There was a golden opportunity to resolve the feud between the erstwhile political soulmates in December 2023. At the time, some stakeholders from Rivers State entreated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene between the contending parties. And he did, and some seemingly consensual terms of settlement were established at an Abuja meeting with the President on 18 December, 2023. However, once the parties in conflict returned to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, some other stakeholders began to stridently condemn the terms of agreement as being skewed in favour of Wike. They even said that the terms of agreement were unconstitutional.

    So, despite his avowal of the value of the President’s intervention, Governor Fubara did not implement the most critical terms in any substantial way. This led to the hardening of the positions of the feuding parties. One of the terms of the President’s attempt to broker peace was that the Governor should re-present the state’s N800 billion 2024 budget to the full Rivers State House of Assembly to repair the oddity of having presented it to just 4 members (loyal to the Governor) out of the 32-member House (including the 25 members loyal to Wike). Incidentally, this same scorned recommendation was one of the rulings given in the 10 October, 2024 judgement of the Court of Appeal on the Rivers State problem.

    Right from the beginning of the crisis, both political gladiators had been pressing rodomontade amply into service. In response to the demands of traditional and community leaders who paid him a solidarity visit on 16 July, 2024, Fubara boasted: “We appreciate what God has used people to also do in our lives, but we are not going to rule this state on our knees. We will go standing this way I am standing. … So, I will continue to stand tall.” Furthermore, to show that he was not dispirited by Wike’s boasts and threats that the Governor would not be allowed to have a second term, Fubara said lightheartedly to the leaders: “I’ve gone through your requests. If we take all these requests, it will be my first four years [full programme].” He was implying, here, that he had gone past threats and boasts, and was already anticipating assuredly his second term election victory.

    In relation to Fubara’s posturing, in a 13 September, 2024 interview with Channels Television’s Seun Okinbaloye, Wike boasted: “I will never support Fubara in my political life again. … It’s not about me. People laboured to put up a structure. People laboured where you [Fubara] … wouldn’t have even taken the fiftieth position [among candidates for the governorship nomination]. … I sacrificed to talk to the Ogonis. I sacrificed to talk to several people: ‘Let us go this way. Let’s see how things are.’ He turned it that I’m asking for 20 billion, 100 billion. … He turned up lies against me. … In every political family, you run election under people, and … we must have to keep our political structure.”

    Moreover, Fubara was at his boastful best, in the early hours of Friday, 4 October, 2024, when he visited the headquarters of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in Port Harcourt and commented on the court order for the police not to provide security cover for the then-forthcoming 5 October, 2024 local government elections in the state. He said: “We came here this morning when we heard that the, according to what they call themselves, Nigerian police, are coming to take over the premises of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission and I have to come myself to find out why would such a thing happen. From what I heard, that one … is it … DC (Operation) brought them here to withdraw the policemen that are already here protecting this place so that new officers will take over the place, but I have to say this on a very strong note. We have seen enough nonsense from this institution.”

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    Fubara continued: “Everybody is aware of the Court judgement. … Did the ruling specify anywhere that election should not hold? He said don’t give voters register. What are we doing with it? Okay, police, don’t provide security. … Is this the same thing as blocking the election? … I don’t know the relationship between Inspector General of Police and one person who claims he has so much power in the state. … We don’t need your security. We will provide our own security. …Go away with your security, but this election must hold. If you like, whatever it is you want to do, do it. The election result will be declared. People will be sworn in.”

    Fubara castigated the IGP further: “You’re not ashamed of yourself. You call yourself Inspector-General of Police. … If I go back and I hear any problem, I will come back here. This is my property and you don’t have any power whatsoever to bar me from entering it.  Just try it, then that part of your history as a wicked and fraudulent police will include shooting Fubara. … Well, let me say it to all Rivers indigenes, everyone residing in Rivers State, election will hold. Anything that wants to happen, let it happen.”

    On 5 October, 2024, the election held without police support as Fubara had boasted that it will, but certain things did happen after, contrary to his boast. After the elections, probably to stop the allegation that the security forces had been compromised, the police authorities ordered the withdrawal of the police personnel who had, very much earlier, been deployed to the different local government headquarters to protect the facilities. Almost instantly, the headquarters began to be subjected to arson attack, in turn.

    This unsettled the Governor, and it was a more conciliatory Fubara who received the new Commissioner of Police to the state on 25 October, 2024. He said: “I can say that we are receiving you with open hands. That is the truth. We don’t have any option. … The worst of police is better than the best of criminals. So, we need to embrace you whichever way, because you are our friend. … Today, I want us to start a new relationship. Please, bygone is bygone. Please, let’s work as one… You’re the CP, you’re representing the IG. You can pass on my message to him. Please pass my goodwill message to him that we thank him for standing firm in believing in the cause of democracy; that we will continue to support him in whichever way we can to make him succeed.”

    As both Wike and Fubara, along with their respective supporters, continue to engage in euphoric rodomontade, they continue to record personal and communal losses. Especially noteworthy in this regard is the following Fubara expression of regret, in an interview with Channels Television’s Seun Okinbaloye, on 7 October, 2024, resulting from the arson following the local government elections of 5 October, 2024: “With all the problem we’re having, the wonderful jobs I’m doing in this state are not seen, because of the crisis.  … [T]he whole thing everybody is hearing is one crisis or another. … I need peace in the state. I don’t feel happy hearing every time Rivers State is in the news for bad reasons. It’s not good.”

    All the same, in response to the allegation that he had been weak in his handling of the security situation in Rivers State, Fubara boasted, in the same interview: “I can assure you I have all it takes. I have the guts. You’ve seen it in a few things. I can do a lot. But in all, I also try to control what I do, so that if I’m asked anywhere why is this action taken, I can defend my action.”

    Moreover, in a YouTube video of the opening of the 2024/2025 Rivers State Legal Year and Re-Dedication Service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s, Anglican Communion, in Port Harcourt on 17 October, 2024, Fubara said: “I’m here today, to assure you that even if [it will be with] my last breath, I will defend the justice in this state. I know the journey has not been easy, because of all the troubles. The good works we are doing, the enemy is overshadowing it with bad news. … About this time last year, the story was different, but today, we are smiling, because we have what, even if you put all of them together, they don’t have. We have God, and when God is in your business, no matter what level of gang up, there is no way you can be defeated.”

    Incidentally, the Wike-Fubara crisis has extended beyond Rivers State. For example, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State, declared as follows: “The PDP Governors’ Forum 2024 fourth meeting held here in Jalingo, Taraba State, on Friday, August 23rd, 2024. … The PDP Governors’ Forum restates its stand and firm support for the Rivers State Governor … allowing His Excellency Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.” In response, on 31 August, 2024, Wike said: “Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us. But let me tell people, I hear some governors who say they will take over the structure and give back to somebody. I pity those governors, because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace – anything you see, you take.”

    Creative boasts may generate applause, but also have the overriding tendency to aggravate crisis. So, while Wike and Fubara were savouring their rodomontades, and their adulations by their respective cheerleaders, the gyre of the Rivers State crisis was widening and the wound was festering. It is therefore incumbent on the mutually-abused elders of the Wike-Fubara divide to give all it takes to stem the tide of the retrogressive developments in the state, recognising that, as a Yoruba proverb puts it, “Ìjà ò d’olà; orúko níí so’ni.” (‘Quarrelling doesn’t bring fortune; it merely gives bad names.’)

    Wishing you a prosperous New Year 2025!