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The Inside Story
Over the last few weeks, many people have been in a state of shock over the political developments in Rivers State.
They have been shocked at how Gov. Siminialayi Fubara has taken on his political godfather, Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister.
Many political analysts just could not believe that Gov. Fubara will turn against the man who made him Governor.
And over the last 3 weeks, a lot has happened in Rivers which has shown that the Governor is no longer ready to take instructions from Wike.
Insiders close to Fubara say all we are seeing play out is the game of a Governor who wants to be a man of his own and is no longer ready to take orders from his former boss, which explains why he has decided to do away with all the pro-Wike loyalists in his cabinet. There are strong indications that Gov. Fubara has ordered all Rivers Commissioners appointed by Wike to resign before Monday 18th December, 2023, failure of which they will be sacked.
This explains why close to 20 Commissioners have so far resigned. City People gathered that part of why Fubara is angry, is because Wike, before he left office, surrounded him with his cronies and loyalists to be able to keep an eye on him.
Pro-Fubara loyalists insist that before he left, Wike had strategically put in place his political loyalists in the House or Assembly and Local Governments.
According to them, this makes it easy for Wike to strike Fubara anytime he so desires, as evident in the recent failed impeachment attempt.
City People can authoritatively reveal how Gov. Siminialayi Fubara plans to survive the on going battle with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. We gathered that what Fubara plans to do is to make sure that he neutralises the influence of the pro-Wike House of Assembly Lawmakers so that they will be weak to spring a surprise on him. This he has done with the demolition of the House of Assembly Complex, claiming structural defects of the building.
Two, he has decided to rejig his cabinet. He plans to do away with all the pro-Wike Rivers Commissioners and appoint new ones.
Three, he plans to sack all the Local Government Chairmen & Councillors and appoint Caretakers who will be loyal to him.
Recall that the entire scenario started in the open with the Impeachment process attempt on Monday 7th of October 2023. The intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Aso Rock Presidential Villa later that month somehow got abated. Yet, the warring parties never stopped their supporters from escalating the war of intrigues. There are those who say part of the allegations not yet brought to the public view may not be unconnected with money especially as it has to do with the state IGR.
It is alleged that the incumbent Governor, Siminialayi Fubara had to bring in financial experts to help him unravel the mystery behind the sharp drop in the Internally Generated Revenue, as he brought in his kinsman Dr. Chamberlain Peterside from Opobo town like himself who served as Commissioner of Finance during former Governor Chibuike Rotimi AMAECHI’S administration.
To the FCT Minister, this is an afront bringing into the Government, he midwifed, his political enemies…to come and be part of the Fubara administration.
Irked by this brazen challenge by his political godson it was gathered that Wike who still has firm control of the Rivers State Government never overlooked the implications of the action and inactions of his successor in office which indirectly affected his political structure in Rivers State.
Before now, there has been unfounded allegations from the Fubara group that the FCT Minister wanted certain percentage of each Month FAAC allocation of revenue to Rivers State. The former Governor has denied this allegation. There is also the allegation that over 99 percent of the appointed serving Commissioners and Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and federal parastatals appointees all came through Wike’s political influence.
It’s also worthy to note that all the administrative structure of the present Government have the official stamp of approval of the FCT Minister Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike with the reposting of senior staff of the Rivers State House of Assembly recently, it’s an indication of the powerful influence and Control of the 3 Arms of Government by Wike. The headship of the Judiciary, as Arm of Government is being headed by Justice Simeon Amadi who belongs to the same Ikwerre ethnic group of Wike, while the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Rt. Honourable Martins Amaewhule is a political godson of Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike who since both were Obio/ Akpor Local Government Council Chairman and Leader Legislative Arm of the LGA.
In the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The current Executive Director Finance and administration, Honourable Boma Iyaye, a former Commissioner in Wike’s administration still remains loyal. So also the appointment of Dr. Henry Ogiri, as the current representative of Rivers State as Federal Commissioner at the National Population Commission NPC and the former State PDP Chairman Ambassador Desmond Akawor now appointed as a Federal Commissioner representing Rivers State at the Revenue Fiscal Mobilization and Allocation Commission. So, everywhere you go, it’s just a surrogate Governor that has been put in place, while the FCT Minister and his political structure hold sway at Rivers State.
Given the above political scenario the question now is how does the incumbent Governor Siminialayi Fubara plan to survive the onslaught against him which his predecessor in office had made it open that none of the present occupants of elective political office purchased Forms except the ones he procured for them from Governorship candidate to 32 House of Assembly members, 13 Federal House of Representatives and 3 Senatorial Zone…after the 2023 General election he got all elected except one seat of the Federal House of Representatives which was won by Labour Party.
For Rivers State Gov Siminialayi Fubara remaining a valid member of PDP and pushing for the updating of abandoned projects that have direct impact on the well-being of Rivers State people are his masterstroke device to win the hearts of the people against Wike’s overbearing political control.
On Wednesday 13th of December 2023 two members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Mrs. Linda Stewart from Okrika State Constituency and Smart Adokie from Ogi/Bolo State Constituency came out to disassociate themselves from the 27 former PDP Members who decamped to APC saying that they are no longer associated with earlier pronouncement of defection.
Another plan of Wike led members of the state executive Council cabinet is to resign from the Government led by Sir Siminialayi Fubara and join their godfather, Nyesom Wike as the group plans to defect to APC waiting last minute execution of the purported arrangements. With the Rivers State House of Assembly being illegally brought down by Gov. Fubara who allegedly acted against the law by not following legal jurisprudence concerning exparte Order issued against 26 Lawmakers led by Rt. Honourable Martins Amaewhule. First, is the alleged constitutional breach of Section 96 and 98 involving formation of Quorum in the Rivers state House of Assembly sitting whereas no Court of competent Jurisdiction had given judicial pronouncement on the status of the defected 26 members to APC on the ground of having division in their firmer political party PDP due to the National Secretary of PDP Senator Samuel Anyanwu who contested Governorship election in Imo State without resigning from his office as National Secretary. According to reports monitored by this Reporter on Channels TV on Friday 15th of December 2023 where Wahab Shittu SAN, in his position argued that there must be intervention by the government of the Federation, especially Attorney General of the federation to approach Supreme Court of Nigeria to determine whether 4 Members of the 31 member Rivers State House Assembly properly constitute a Quorum to legislate on key issues concerning the state, especially Appropriation Bill Presentation by Governor Siminialayi Fubara of N800B. Another ground Shittu said should be taken to Supreme Court by the Solicitor General of the federation for determination is the status of the 26 members of Rivers State House Assembly who defected to APC, whether their seats are vacant and whether there’s division in their firmer political party PDP before their defection saga. “All is not well with the political struggle of control and influence in Rivers State.
The political structure of Minister of Federal Capital Territory FCT Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike is closing up on Sir Siminialayi Fubara with the mass resignation from the Executive Council cabinet. And the parallel Speaker Martins Amaewhule led 26 on Thursday 14th of December 2023 sat at the Legislators’ Quarters to pass Bills on the autonomy of Local Government Council administration and emphatically stopping a sitting Governor from not dissolving the 23 Local Government Councils of which currently serving 319 Councilors and 23 LGA Chairmen are loyal to Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike.
WIKE in one of his public statements said that he will fight Gov Siminialayi Fubara and that he knows that he may not win, but will make his administration feeble and ungovernable. This was said during the 2023/24 Legal Year organised by Rivers State Judiciary with a book launch which he participated in, at Port Harcourt Rivers State capital recently. He challenged his Fubara that running to the Court will not save him if he, WIKE, decides to fight him. So, should Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike and his political structure in Rivers State defect to APC, it will be a Tsunami and end of political power tussle in Rivers State and the beginning of a new political landscape, requiring new young politicians to take up the mantle of leadership in the state as new Commissioners will be appointed and by first Quarter of 2024 there will be a Local Government Council election for 319 Councillors and 23 Local Government Council Chairmen in the state. New Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants will be appointed to take over from those Wike appointees who have resigned.
-Emeka Amaefula
