By Lateef Adegbite
Worried of losing his political structure in the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and the Opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, in Rivers state, Nyensom Wike, a former governor of the Niger Delta state and minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration, appears too have been pushed to the wall.
The minister’s worry was that Siminalayi Fubara, his estranged god son and incumbent governor of the state, whom OLubode George, a Chieftain of the PDP, had said is the Chairman of the party in the Rivers state, had sponsored the Action Peoples Party, APP, Candidates in the just concluded October 5, 2024, \local government elections to win the 23 Chairmanship and councillorship Seats in the state.
The FCT, minister, who believes that Gov. Fubara, had engaged the services of the Neighbourd Safety Corps Agency, the state internal security outfit, under the close watch of one Mike Chukwuma, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, rtd, to provide security during the Local election in order to rig it may have sent a message to the governor that the battle is not yet over.
Many believe that Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, may have given room to the FCT’ s minister’s aggrieved followers who had lost out in the power struggle for control of the soul of the oil rich Rivers state to take to the streets in the six local governments areas to cause widespread destruction of governments assets , forcing the councils personnel including the newly sworn Chairmen and councilors to take to their heels amidst gunshots from unknown political thugs armed to the teeth.
Grace Iringe –Koko, a Superintendent of Police, and the Rivers state Police Command , spokesperson may have alluded to this when she Disclosed that Mustapha Bala, the state Commissioner of Police , who was said to have replaced Olufemi Obaniwonda, immediate past CP of the state who, many believe was said to have supervised the police personnel from the Government House, in PortHarcourt, the state Capital and non- participation in the in the Rivers LGAs, elections and, on the instructions of the IGP, appears to have fulfilled his mandate.
Recall the Rivers state local government secretariats were saled last June following the disagreement between the Caretaker Committee Chairmen appointed by Gov. Fubara and the immediate past elected Council Chairmen, loyal to the FCT, minister whose tenure had elapsed after three years in office.
The former Rivers stat governor e loyalists who could not s understand how a political feather weight like Gov.Fubara, could pull the rug under the feet the strong man of Rivers politics to ensure that his sponsored Candidates clinch the Chairmanship and councillorship Seats in Obio Akpor, and other local government areas in the state , were said to have resorted to violence in the flash point local areas of Obio Akpor, Emohua, Ikwere, and Eleme LGA. The violenece in Ogba/Egbema and Ndoni, LGA, Ahoada East and Ikwerre LGA, may not have been as violent as the ones of ObioAkor, Emuoha or Eleme, due to the close of the Neighhood Safety Corps Agency operatives, though not armed.
Eyewitness account said that at Omoku, Headquarters of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, home local and home of Peter Odili , a former governor of the state who was said to have brought into politics the all- powerful Wike , who now controls the Leadership of the PDP , and APC, the two major parties in the state and Felix Obuah, a former Chairman of PDP chapter in the state and who incidentally was said to have contested the governorship primary in the state for March 2023, election in PDP, that was won by Fubara, with the support of Wike, who was said to have thrown his weight behind him.
The minister may have known that without reconciling with Obuah, to prepare the ground ahead of the Local government election in the state that he was said to have visited him at Omoku, amidst large turnout of party loyalist to welcome him. It was not surprising why the party thugs were aid to have to overrun the council Secretariat to destroy chairs and other items.
The situation appears to be worse in Obio Akpor, the minister’s home Local government where there was gunshots, which onlookers had said was coming from outside as people scamper for safety. There were insinuations that security operative were involved in the shooting spree ostensibly to put fears on Gov. Fubara.
The Nigerian President may have known that if the crisis in Rivers state is not put under control, it may derail the country’s democracy that he was said to have given a matching order to the IGP, to mobilize his men to protect all the local government secretariats in Rivers state ‘’to avoid further incursion by ‘’arsonists and vandals’’. This because the rampaging aggrieved political thugs over the outcome of the Saturday, Oct.5, 2024, LGAs, poll who were said to have set ablaze some of the Council secretariats in the state.
The former Lagos state governor who could not hide is feelings was said to have appealed to the Judiciary to settle all political disputes in the oil –rich state , insisting that there should be no exemption, , not even the just concluded local government elections in the state , that had been won by the APP, a minority party.
Bala, the new CP, Rivers state, may have known the Rives people have lost confidence in him for throwing the state into crisis by unsealing the LGA, Headquarters in the state , according to informed sources is doing he is doing everything within his powers to restore normalcy in the state and win the heart of the people.
This may have informed why he has embarked on an inspection visits to the local government areas touched by the hoodlums to assess the level of damage amidst tight security. The new Rivers state, CP, who many believe had thought he was doing good to the people of the state by unsealing the Council Secretariats after the newly elected council Chairmen were sworn in may have realized that it was a wrong step, though not stating it categorically to avoid stepping on toes.
He was said to have had a meeting with Chijioke Ihunwo, of the Obio Akpor, at the Council Secretariat, Rumuoumaya, before embarking on the inspection tour. The visit was said o have taken to him Emuoha, another local government vandalized by he hoodlums to see the level of destruction himself.
Political obserrvers had said that the aggrieved PDP and APC, followers have no reason whatever to go wild because of struggle for polical supremacy between Gov. Fubara and Wike, the FCT, minister, as obtained in the wild, wild western region in the ‘60’s due to the struggle for political Supremacy between Ladoke Akintola, the then Premier of the Western region and Obafemi Awolowo, the Leader of the Action Party, AP, and the Opposition Leader at the Federal level.
Gov. Fubara,my have resorted to Plan B, to hold the proposed LGAs , election in the state, when it became obvious that the PDPD and APC, and their Leaders were out to sabotage the election that the government had spent billions of naira, to prepare for months.He may have asked the interested Candidates for the various positions in the LGAs, to buy the Form of any of the parties , with the exemption of the ruling PDPD , in the state and the Opposition APC.
Given that the candidates do not want to split the positions among the parties for proper Coordination and ensure loyalty to the governor may have forced them to pitch their tent with the APP, which they were said to have Campaigned for. Given that the PDP and APC, Candidates did not participate in the LGAs, election believing that it will hold because of the Supreme Court ruling may have turned the election in favour of APP Candidates, which has the backing of the governor which was said to have resulted in Wike, the FCT , minister and his followers weeping .
