Fubara has begged his supporters to accept the new conditions for peace between him and Wike for his reinstatement.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Saturday appealed to supporters and members of his Simplified Family to accept the new deal between him and predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
He explained that he accepted the terms proposed by Wike because there was no price too big to pay for peace.
Fubara, who met with members of the Simplified Family in Port Harcourt, asked his supporters to brace the situation saying that the conditions were heavy, bitter but necessary.
Fubara said: “After the meeting we had before May 29th, we’ve had series of meeting and one of the meetings we had was the one we met with the President and the President Tinubu clearly said, ‘I want you and your oga to settle’.
“Nobody can take away the role my oga played, that’s the truth, yes we might have our differences but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role the man played. Nobody can whish away the risk he took, yes at a point we had our differences and if today there’s need for us to settle please anyone who genuinely believe in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do.
“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one both of you are sitting down together to say yes this is what we want.
“At this point I’ve met him and we have spoken, you can’t take away him not being hurt, he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too and if he feels that for the pains he has gone through these are things he wants, in as much it is not my life , I will give it to him and let us have that peace because even while all these things are going, I still in my quite time appreciate and recognise the role he played and everyone of us here we know it.”
While pledging not to abandon his Simplified Family, Fubara appealed to them to understand that whatever terms they agreed upon were important for total reconciliation.
He said: “Like I said, it’s heavy, its bitter but we must accept the situation and move on with it. I can’t abandon you people that’s one thing I need to say here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes I will not abandon anybody.
“The sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy and I want everybody to prepare for it. Without a total reconciliation which by the grace of God the both of us have gotten to, there’s no way we can make progress in this state, there’s no way the President can come in to save the situation.
“So, I want to appeal to every one, I have accepted that we must accept this peace no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel we must accept it”.
Fubara insisted that it was not all about him, but principally about the development and progress of the state, lamenting the number of abandoned projects in the state in the midst of the crisis.
He promised that all his supporters would be integrated into the bigger family adding that it was time for his followers to stand with him.
He told them: “We have fought, I think in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do, at this point if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace, I meant it and i’m still ready to follow it to the end.
“Some of you might be frowning but if we believe that we are in one family and our interest is to support the President, then what is the issue ? You all will definitely be integrated into the big family. If you say you are with us and you believe in me, this is rhe time for us to see it. The time when there’s nothing and you stand.
“It is not even me as a person, it’s about the overall interest of the state, in the midst of this crisis with me and my oga look at the projects we’ve initiated many have been abandoned. We know the progress we would have recorded and areas that would have been developed so there’s need for this peace, that’s the truth”.
Drawing an analogy from the tilapia fish, he said: “In my place, there’s a fish they call ‘Atabala’ you call it Tilapia, the native tilapia doesn’t grow big. The mother tilapia used to tell the kids that if you want to grow up to my own size, hide your head inside the mud.
“Everyone of us should understand that at this time we’ve done our best and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know its difficult and heavy but that’s the true situation”.