By Lateef Adegbite
Nyesom Wike, a former governor of Rivers state and now minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, described in political circles as ‘’the strong man of Rivers politics’’, appears to unbared his mind about the suspended Gov. Siminalayi Fubara from office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The FCT minister. who may not have secured the approval of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the party in which he had contested the 2022, presidential primaries but lost to his arch-rival, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration to serve in the ruling All Ruling Progressive Congress, APC, Government, formed by Tinubu had unbared, had said that his plans was get the suspended Gov Fubara and Deputy Gov. Odu impeached.
The former Rivers state governor who was to have left no one in doubt that he was acting out a script to get Gov. Fubara, out following months of political crisis in the state barely few months in office may have initiated the bold political plans to kick the duo for daring to challenge his political authority in the state as the authentic leader of the PDP, chapter, in the state and who had installed him in office.
The Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, born Politician who could no longer hide his feelings had said that their saving grace was President, who was said to have to have taken the right decision to suspend two political gladiators from office, describing as a ‘’step in the right direction’’.
As a prelude ‘’to ensure the outright removal of the embattled Gov. Fubara and Deputy Gov. Odu from office, the Ikwerre born politician was said to have rallied 27 members of the state House of Assembly with one accord to his own side. The Lawmakers, who were ready to do his biddings lwere said to have concluded plans to go ahead with the impeachment process of the two political actors to kill their political career in the state.
He had alluded to the fact that President Tububu had saved the duo from being humiliated out office as he gave a soft landing by declaring a State of Emergency in the state and appointed a Sole Administrator, Ibok- Ete Ibas, a retired Vice Admiral and former Chief of Naval Staff during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration from the Niger Delta state of Cross river to replace him.
Putting on the garb of being a politician, he was said to have told those that cares to listen that he is not happy with the declaration f state of Emergency in Rivers start as his plan was for outright removal of the Gov. Fubara and Deputy governor Odu, to actualize his plans of getting the state back on course by his loyalists to take over the Government House in Rivers state.
He had said that President Tinubu, who many believes has a working agreement with him to deliver the Niger Delta state to APC, in the upcoming 2027, general elections may have deliberately made the state ungovernable for his successor to keep him perpetually at his becks and call.
The President may have outsmarted the FCT, minister by suspending the governor, deputy governor Odu and the 32 Lw makers of the state House of Assembly for six months at the first instance, and imposed o Sole Administrator, wit a military background, to restore Law and order in a state. There is no gain saying the fact that the south-south state was heading ‘’to anarchy that could have claimed many lives because of the rivalry between two political gladiators: Gov. Fubara and Wike. The FCT minister was emphatic that the President may have taken the bold political initiative ‘’to prevent anarchy in the state’’.
Appreciative of the swift intervention of the Nigerian President on the declaration of the State of Emergency in the state, he was said to have sounded it loud and clear, that but not for the President’s intervention, nothing could have saved the embattled Gov. Fubara and Deputy Gov. Odu from being impeached by the 27 Lawmakers believed to be loyalists of the FCT minister.
The FCT, minister, using cronies may have started the process to make things difficult for suspended Go. Fubara and Deputy Gov. Odu, through the Court process, when the Wike’s camp secured a Supreme Court judgement asking the Amaewhule led state House of Assembly, who were loggerhead with Gov. Fubara ‘’to resume sitting’’. The Wike’s loyalists did not stop there. They were said to have also secured the Court Judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, under the close watch of Olayemi Michael Cardo, to stop releasing funds to the Rivers state government, ostensibly to weaken the governor.
The minister, who appears to have become stronger than the PDP, that brought him into limelight into politics, may have shown that suspended Gov. Fubara and Deputy governor Odu’s problems are not yet over as he was said to have hosted the 27 Lawmakers, suspended by the President as well in London, United Kingdom, UK, to say a big Thank you to them for being together and working according to plans. The Lawmakers, according to Lere Olayinka, the FCT minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Publications and social media was quoted to have said that the Lawmakers were flown to UK, for Legislative capacity building’’ at whose expenses. The message was very clear that the FCT, minister, has the money to throw around to get Gov. Fubara and Deputy Gov. Odu, impeached to put his man Friday Amaewhule, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly and the third in Command in the power hierarchy in the state.
He had justified the Legislative tour of UK, by the 27, Rivers’ state Lawmakers and loyalists of the FCT minister who are in the majority in the House, ‘’to learn new things outside the shores of Nigeria, which could improve the Legislative capacity of members for the tasks ahead.
The suspended Rivers state Lawmakers, upon their return after the Legislative tour of UK, were said to have gathered at their usual meeting point in Port Harcourt, the state Capital, where Spear, Amaewhule was said to have declared open the 10th Rivers state House of Assembly to resume their Legislative business.
It would be recalled that the FCT minister insistence that the embattled governor would have been kicked out by the Lawmakers was not be different from what George Nweke , one of the appointees of the suspended governor and immediate past Head of the Civil Service in the state, who may have been privy of the gang up and plan to impeach the him had said that but not for the intervention of President who had saved the former governor’s political career and saved the people of the state from anarchy, he would have been impeached.
But trouble appears not to be over yet for the 50 – year old suspended Rivers state governor, and Deputy Governor, as the duo were said to have been invited by the former Naval and Sole Administrator of the state ‘’to discuss their management of the resources since their inauguration in May 29, 2023, which had been denied by the state government.
