The Story Of The Fight Revealed
The raging political battle to save Rivers State Governor Siminialayi Fubara from being removed from office by impeachment has set up division between former Rivers State Governor Sir Dr. Peter Odili against the current Minister of FCT Abuja Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike. The political division may not be unconnected with the gang up against Governor Siminialayi Fubara by supporters of FCT Minister Wike using the 27 APC defected members of Rivers state House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule. In what many outsiders may not follow are ingredients leading to the making up of the frosty relationship that now exists between the Odilis and Wike supporters. First is the fact that Sir Dr. Peter Odili, since 1999 to date had established a political dynasty in Rivers state as he groomed many followers who are today political gladiators in Nigeria politics. Wike was one of such beneficiaries of Dr Peter Odili’s political family as he worked against all odds to have Nyesom Wike return as Chairman of Obio/Akpor, a Local Government Council in Rivers State with the highest political voting block in Rivers State political landscape. And Wike had acknowledged how the wife of Dr. Peter Odili, retired Justice Mary Ukaego Odili assisted him in returning as Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA when the ticket was surreptitiously taken away from him by the PDP leadership in the state then. It was at a social gathering that Wike swore to high heavens that he will not insult or abuse the Odilis for what they had done for him had made him politically relevant in this present political dispensation.
But all that is now history as FCT Minister Wike boldly has plans to remove his political godson now Rivers state Governor Fubara for reasons not yet made public a few months Gov. Fubara assumed office. The elders in PDP in Rivers State including Dr. Peter Odili are against such moves to remove Gov. Fubara and those elders who are against the impeachment plot by Wike’s loyalist in Rivers State House of Assembly are now being seen as enemies of FCT Minister Wike which included Dr. Peter Odili, former PDP National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, former Deputy Speaker Federal House of Representatives Austin Opara, Barrister Celestine Omehia, former Minister of Transportation Dr. Abiye Sekibo , Mrs. Toru Ofili a former Commissioner for Women Affairs under Dr. Peter Odili, Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja a former Leader and member Rivers State House of Assembly and former Commissioner for Water Resources under Wike, Senator Lee Meaba, and all supporters of former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Rivers state during the 2023 Presidential election are now regrouping and backing Governor Fubara against pollical machination and chagrin of Wike.
During the October 30th 2023 political debacle in Rivers state Odili’s daughter Dr. Adaeze Oreh having been appointed and sworn in as Commissioner for Health by the recommendation of Wike refused to resign from office and join other Commissioners appointed through the recommendations of Wike. According to High Chief David Briggs, a former Commissioner for Works during the administration of Odili as executive Governor, one brother Fellix Obuah, a political ally of Wike, was recruited and sent as emissary to solicit support of Dr. Odili in the impeachment plot of Rivers State Governor Fubara . But Dr. Odili in his statesmanship position opted out and decided to play a mediator role that led to the Presidential Proclamation with 8-Points political resolution agenda of the conflict then which has been accepted by all the parties in the dispute except the re-representation of the 2024 Appropriation Act.
In the Month of March, 2024 a House of Representative member Ogundu Kingsley Chinda popularly called O.K Chinda who had represented Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency since 2003 to date did Thanksgiving Church Service during which FCT Minister Wike spoke addressing the Odilis in a disparaging manner not befitting the well-respected Dr. Peter Odili and his wife retired Justice Mary Odili who he constructed two public facilities for. He built the Dr.Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Treatment Hospital located in the precinct of Wike’s community Rumueprikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state and Justice Mary Odili’s Judicial Institute located at the premises of Rivers State Judiciary Port Harcourt as he said that he built a structure and named it after one man and that he built another structure and named it after one woman. After this occasion many of Dr. Peter Odili supporters took swerve on Wike calling him a political ingrate who is not grateful for having been uplifted out of poverty by the Odilis through political support and patronage.
On Tuesday 2nd of April, 2024 at Federal Capital Territory Abuja Minister of FCT, Wike in a media chat told his audience that “The people who are now saying Odili is our revered leader, when Odili left office and was living in Maitama, how many of them went to see him? In fact, Secondus gave Odili a name, he called him “Emir of Maitama” None of them visited him. After Omehia lost at the Supreme Court, he never went to see Odili one day. I pulled all of them in a Mercedes Benz and we drove down to Odili’s House around 8pm. When Dr. Odili saw us, his face changed because he couldn’t believe it. He has not seen these people since he left office in 2007. And I said Sir, I want you to forgive everybody.”
Prior to the unfriendly political development in Rivers State Dr. Abiye Sekibo led 2023 Atiku Abubakar’s Presidential Campaign organization gathered in a press conference held at Port Harcourt where they sent message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and warned him to be weary of Wike for his roles in destabilizing the government of Siminialyi Fubara in Rivers State. Other key political figures in that Press Conference included Prince Uche Secondus, celestine Omehia, Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja, Chief Mrs (Dr), Nice Alamieyeseigha, Sir Austin Opara and others.
However, the arrow head of the political brouhaha Sir Siminaalyi Fubara on Wednesday 3rd of April 2024 while receiving members of National Union of Local Government Employees-NULGE at Government House Port Harcourt while they were in Solidarity Thank You rally in support of good welfare packages offered to them by Governor Fubara who was in his best political mood said “When you are doing what is right I will stand by you. Nobody, whether full or half, is going to intimidate you. Brace up, I say brace up, because the next step will be fire for fire in Rivers State. Everything will be implemented. For our people, the great and wonderful people of Rivers State, we will continue to lead you with the fear of God. Maturity is not about age, maturity is in the person. It is what defines the character of a person. I choose not to respond to people that I assumed are mature, but are obviously immature in attitude. I will continue to be mature, not minding my age, but I will not for any reason allow myself or anybody who is working with me in this Administration to be messed with, maltreated or abused in the cause of administering this governance.”
The running battle to save Rivers state is ongoing and Governor Fubara has the support of majority of rivers people who are currently galvanizing organic support through Local Government grassroot Thanksgiving activities in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state after the delivering of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Supreme Court’s Judgement in the month of January. 2024. A survey by this reporter indicate that if any election in the Local Government Councils are organized today in a free and fair election PDP led by Governor Siminialayi Fubara will clean out all the 23 LGAs of Rivers State in show of his people oriented projects spread across the nook and crannies of the state like in Bonny Island LGA that never had any projected sited in the 8-years administration of Wike now have some projects ongoing inside Bonny Island Local Government Area. Same galvanized developmental projects are going on in the rural areas of Rivers State courtesy of Governor Fubara’s action plans of making life better not only for urban dwellers but for all Rivers State people. Right now there is alignment and realignment in the pre-2027 National political movement which FCT Minister and his old structure using grassroot development Initiatives a Non Governmental Organization NGO, political pressure group to massaging his political ego in Rivers State and Governor Fubara requires a new political identity as leader of PDP in Rivers State. These are few of the several foundational causes of rivalry of political groups in Rivers State now pro-Atiku group against Pro-Wike group all in PDP.
-Emeka Amaefula
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