We Know What We Could Have Done To Allow Emergency Rule Continue – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says President Bola Tinubu deliberately chose to lift the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers state in the overall interest of the state.

President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State at the peak of the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and loyalists of his estranged political godfather, Wike, the immediate past governor of the state.

Tinubu had suspended Fubara, Ngozi Odu, the Deputy Governor and members of the Rivers House of Assembly for six months.

He had appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ibot Ekwe Ibas as Sole Administrator of the State, a move which was heavily criticised

On Wednesday, the President announced an end to the emergency rule, saying feelers from the state showed that there was no need for it to last a day longer.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday night, Wike explained that there were steps the government could have taken to prolong the emergency rule.

“I was watching on television today, there are people who are natural crisis builders, who think they can only benefit when there is a crisis,” he said.

“If we didn’t want the state of emergency to be lifted, we would have done one or two things to make sure it continued. But we did it for the interest of the state.”