Fubara speaks on real ‘reason’ behind Rivers crisis

The political crisis has battered the state legislature and disrupted governance in the oil-rich state.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has revealed the real reason behind his frosty relationship with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister.

“There is a reason for this crisis, and that reason is the control of the resources of Rivers State,” Mr Fubara said on Sunday, ending the notion that the former allies are fighting over the control of the political structure in the oil-rich state.

“Rivers State resources belong to you, and we will make sure that the resources are applied judiciously for the betterment of Rivers State,” Mr Fubara remarked at the 51st birthday ceremony of the founder of Omega Power Ministry, Chibuzor Chinyere in Port Harcourt.

“What you owe us is just one thing – continue to pray for us. Let us not lose focus because we know the devil is always at war to derail people in governance,” Governor Fubara told the congregants, which included Nigeria’s former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, and former Senate President and chairperson of PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara.

Mr Fubara’s remark is contained in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the governor’s spokesperson, Nelson Chukwudi.

The oil-rich Rivers State has been enmeshed in a political crisis for over a year after some lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike attempted to impeach the governor just five months after assuming office.

Although the governor did not mention Mr Wike’s name, it is apparent that he was referring to the minister.

Six months ago, the governor’s chief of staff, Edison Ehie, made a similar remark about the Rivers crisis.

Mr Ehie had, at a thanksgiving service in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state for Mr Fubara’s victory at the Supreme Court victory, said the problem of the state began when a few political leaders sought exclusive control of the state’s resources, Channels Television reported.

The oil-rich Rivers is Nigeria’s second richest state after Lagos, regarding Gross Domestic Product.

According to BudgIT, a non-profit promoting accountability and transparency in budget, Rivers is the second state after Lagos that can sustain itself without federal allocation, indicating that the state has much money in its coffers from the internally generated revenue.

Mr Ehie had warned that Governor Fubara was “capable of teaching his opponents a political lesson”.

“The problem we have in the state is that 11 persons said they will control the resources of Rivers State. These 11 persons called 20 others to allocate resources to themselves,” Mr Ehie had said without disclosing the identities of the persons.

Background

Mr Ehie, a two-term member of the state assembly and an ally of Governor Fubara, was removed as leader of the assembly by pro-Wike lawmakers for refusing to support the impeachment move against the governor.

When the state legislature split into two factions, Mr Ehie became the speaker of the four-member assembly that declared vacant the seats of the pro-Wike lawmakers after they defected to the APC.

He later resigned both as speaker and member of the assembly after President Bola Tinubu brokered a peace deal between Messrs Fubara and Wike.

Mr Ehie, in compliance with the peace pact, withdrew all litigations relating to the crisis, while the pro-Wike lawmakers outsmarted them by allowing their own lawsuits to progress, dealing a severe legal and political blow to Mr Fubara.

Mr Fubara last Wednesday blamed the collapse of the peace deal on the refusal of pro-Wike lawmakers to honour the pact and withdraw their suits, a situation he said was “ambushed” by his opponents.