Elders from Rivers State have declared support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara in his political supremacy battle with his predecessor, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The elders, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH in separate interviews, urged Fubara to stand firm against Wike and deliver dividends of democracy to the Rivers people.
The elders, who include members of the Rivers State Elders Council, High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe and Chief Asukewe Iko-Awaji; the Convener of the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought, High Chief Sunnie Chukumele, and a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, said they would not allow the state to be plunged into avoidable crisis.
The elders council, led by a former governor Chief Rufus Ada-George, have been vocal about the political crisis in the state.
From the onset of the feud between Fubara and Wike, the council has held multiple news conferences during which it urged President Bola Tinubu to call the minister to order.
Other prominent members of the council include a former deputy governor, Dr Gabriel Toby, a Second Republic lawmaker, Senator Bennett Birabi, a former PANDEF spokesman, High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, Niger Delta activist, Ms. Ann Kio-Briggs, and a former lawmakers, Senator Andrew Uchendu.
Wike stirred controversy when he endorsed Fubara as the preferred governorship aspirant of the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Several key figures, such as Dr Abiye Sekibo, Senator Lee Maeba, and a former deputy governor, Tele Ikuru, opposed Fubara’s emergency as the candidate, arguing that he had not contributed much to the party and was a political novice compared to them.
Despite this, Wike prevailed, and Fubara not only emerged as the party’s candidate but also won the governorship election.
He eventually assumed office on May 29, 2023.
Soon after taking office, Fubara nominated four of Wike’s loyalists for cabinet positions.
The nominees, who served in Wike’s cabinet, included Prof Zacchaeus Adangor (Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice), Isaac Kamalu (Finance), George Des-Kelly (Works), and Prof Chinedu Mmom (Education), all of whom retained their positions.
However, tensions reportedly escalated when Fubara allegedly faced restrictions in appointing commissioners and other key officials.
Reports suggested he was also not allowed to exceed a particular amount of money from the monthly allocations. This, reportedly, led to significant disagreements.
Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH,an elder statesman, Anabs Sara-Igbe, claimed that Governor Fubara nearly resigned due to the constraints but was persuaded to stay by critical stakeholders.
The situation, however, worsened with an alleged plot to change the leadership of the State House of Assembly. The attempted leadership change, it was alleged, was aimed at impeaching Fubara, with 27 pro-Wike lawmakers issuing an impeachment notice against the governor.
This led to an explosion at the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex on October 29, 2023, which significantly damaged the building.
Despite police barricades, Fubara while attempting to visit the Assembly was reportedly tear-gassed and faced gunfire but ultimately addressed his supporters and questioned the impeachment motives.
On December 13, 2023, bulldozers demolished the Assembly under Fubara’s supervision.
Pro-Wike lawmakers, having defected to the All Progressives Congress, condemned the demolition and continued legislative business from their residential quarters.
This led to the Assembly having two factions with separate speakers: Martin Amaewhule, loyal to Wike, and Edison Ehie, loyal to Fubara.
Governor Fubara recognised the Ehie faction, presenting the 2024 Appropriation Bill to them, which was quickly passed and signed.
The political crisis saw nine pro-Wike commissioners resign from Fubara’s cabinet, despite President Tinubu’s intervention that included an eight-point agreement aimed at resolving the conflict.
In the following months, several high-profile commissioners, including Adangor and Kamalu, who both rejected reassignment, resigned their appointments. The Commissioner for Works, George Des-Kelly, also resigned after receiving a federal appointment.
Most recently, five pro-Wike commissioners have also resigned following Fubara’s hint at probing Wike. Their letters cited reasons such as a toxic work environment, political crisis, and lack of trust.
However, speaking with our correspondent, Chief Sara-Igbe welcomed the resignations, stating that the commissioners added no value to the government.
He reiterated the elders’ support for Fubara and urged the governor to act without sentiment as he continued to deliver on his promises to the state.
Sara-Igbe also urged Wike to allow Fubara to govern without interference, warning that continued disturbance could lead to discontent among Rivers people.
Also speaking, Secondus told Saturday PUNCHthat Fubara had the support of leaders in the state.
He said the support cut across political parties, adding that “Rivers elders won’t open their eyes and allow the peaceful state to go into a crisis that will consume it”.
“In my case, you know I’m a member of the PDP and I have the moral right to support him. Even during the election, I was with him. Now, every leader in the state is queuing behind the governor in this face-off; we cannot just wait and allow an individual to give our state a bad name.
“As I said, Rivers is an oil-producing state and anything that affects it will have a ripple effect on the nation’s revenue. We have to guide against that. That is why I want President Bola Tinubu to call his minister to order and stop him from plunging Rivers State into an avoidable crisis,” he said.
Another group of elders under the aegis of the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought also declared their support for Governor Fubara.
The Convener, High Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said, “They (former commissioners) were not there to serve the state. They were also not men of their convictions because when a man is a man of his convictions, he should be able to deal with justiciable principles. So, they were there just to fulfill some particular interest.”
Chukumele also advised the governor to appoint competent Rivers people to fill the vacant cabinet positions.
“And I think the Governor may also need to create more ministries. For instance, we need a Ministry of Home Affairs in Rivers State. There is so much that is happening that requires security. There needs to be a commissioner who will handle an office like that.
“There are many people who are eminently qualified in Rivers State to fill those positions. They will also be loyal to the governor and the Government of Rivers State. That is important. Insubordination must not be tolerated. There has to be zero tolerance for insubordination. Rivers people are looking for the best,” he added.
Speaking in the same vein, a member of the Rivers Elders’ Council, Chief Asukewe Iko-Awaji, urged the governor to concentrate on governance and avoid political distractions.
He said, “The governor should concentrate. There is no politics now. Politics will come again in 2027. But for now, anything that will cause him distraction should be removed, and he should forge ahead.
“If he fails to deliver the dividends of democracy to the Rivers people, the people will take their decision in 2027. So, he should give more attention to the development of the state. Nobody will take what is happening now as an excuse for failure in his role as the state governor.” (Punch)
