Wabara asks Tinubu to caution Wike over Rivers crisis
Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Adolphus Wabara, has urged President Bola Tinubu to caution Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the recent disturbing developments in Rivers State.
He said his appeal followed the alleged move to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara by lawmakers loyal to the minister, a move that had reportedly been supported by the state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) and chairmen of the 21 local council areas.
The former President of the Senate warned that if the council is unheeded by Tinubu, the state risks being “plunged into a needless political crisis.”
He pleaded with the Tinubu to prevail on Wike, who governed Rivers between 2015 and 2023, to allow his successor to discharge his duties unfettered.
Wabara cautioned that Nigeria might not survive any instability in the state considering its economic importance to the country.
“I appeal to Mr President to call his appointee, Nyesom Wike, to order so that his actions in Rivers do not confirm the suspicion that APC has an agendum to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, hence Wike should allow peace to reign in Rivers State,” he said.
While advising the lawmakers against being used as agents of destabilisation, the ex-Senate President warned that PDP would not tolerate further intimidation or persecution of the governor.
IN a related development, Governor Fubara visited the residential quarters of the state’s lawmakers in Port Harcourt barely 24 hours after the Martin Amaewhule-led group re-enacted the Local Government Bill.
Sources said the governor made a detour to visit the quarters to have an on-the-spot assessment of the mood and status of quarters while heading for inspection of the Emohua-Kalabari highway and the Trans-Kalabari Road billed for commissioning soon.
Fubara, in an eight-second short video clip posted on Facebook by one of his aides, was seen walking around the premises that looked deserted.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, the governor explained that the visit was to undertake the condition of the structures for possible rehabilitation work to restore their status and make them liveable.
Recall that in the heat of the crisis that split the House into two factions, the 26 pro-Wike lawmakers had turned the quarters into their sitting venue, while the four others supporting the governor, used the Government House as their meeting venue.
This followed the demolition of the Assembly complex located along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt by by the state government after the October 30, 2023 explosion.
Giving further reasons for his visit to the quarters, Fubara said: “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?
“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”
Amaewhule, on his part, has alleged that the governor wants to demolish the quarters.
In an interview, he accused the governor of meddlesomeness, alleging: “He (Fubara) wants to yet again bring down the edifice built by his predecessors that was adjudged as the best in the country.”
