Fubara Was Weakened By His Actions And Inactions – APC Spokesman

The All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman in Rivers State, Chibike Ikenga, has blamed Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the crisis in the state leading up to the declaration of a state of emergency.

Naijaonpoint reports that Ikenga alleged that Fubara allowed ethnic chauvinists to push him into pursuing an ethnic agenda.

Speaking with News Central on Monday, the Rivers APC spokesman said Fubara was prepared to rule but was railroaded out of governance by some people.

He stated that the Governor failed to stem the tide when the political crisis in the state could have been nipped in the bud.

“Well, he was properly brought up, trained, and prepared for the job. But the Governor, I don’t know what happened to him, he refused to do the proper things by allowing some ethnic chauvinists, jingoists to railroad him into pursuing ethnic agenda. And that ethnic agenda is what had also formed part of the crisis we have, where the Governor ought to take some very strong steps in stemming the tide of the threats of violence to national assets. He didn’t do that. And those things were part of the crisis that snowballed into what we have as a state of emergency. The Governor is my friend, but I’m not part of his team. I’m not supporting him. I’m against his policies because he allowed some persons to come to create crises in Rivers State. That’s what weakened him.

“So the Governor became weakened by his own actions or inactions, by allowing some people, we describe as meddlesome interlopers, who come into Rivers State to begin to lay claims to things that they do not have rights to do so, because no one Nigerian citizen can belong to two states at the same time.

“So these are the things that weakened the governor, and they made him vulnerable. And then he also allowed some crisis entrepreneurs, like House of Reps member, Imo Ugochinyere, and cohorts. They were the people that milked him, and then deep holes in the treasury of River State, and created crisis for him,” he said.

Tinubu’s State of Emergency Was Right

The APC Chieftain said President Bola Tinubu‘s state of emergency in the state was to save the state from crisis.

He argued that if Fubara had done the things he should do, the state of emergency would have been avoided.

“That’s why President Bola Tinubu is on the right track. His decision to impose a state of emergency is right, because the primary responsibility of the government, the raison d’etre of every government, is to protect lives and properties, and he did intervene at the most appropriate time to save lives. So the Governor became weakened by his own inactions or actions, leading up to this state of emergency declaration,” he stated.

Wike Intervened to Solve Crisis Between Fubara and Assembly Members

According to Ikenga, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, tried to resolve the crisis between the Governor and members of the House of Assembly.

He dismissed that Wike was a beneficiary of the state’s political crisis and the emergency imposed by the President.

The APC spokesman noted that Fubara was misled into abandoning the agreement proposed by the President on the state’s political crisis.

He continued, “I take exception to that, when you said, even though he claims to be a member of PDP, Chief Nyesom Wike is not a member of the APC. He’s a minister under the APC government. He’s a substantive member, a founding member of the PDP in Nigeria, and a strong one for that matter. However, it is the same system that threw up the Governor, Fubara, that also threw up members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, under the Martins Amaewhule as speaker. So if they disagreed, it’s a political disagreement between the executive and the legislator.

“And then the responsibility of their boss, their benefactor, Chief Nyesom Wike, is to intervene and restore equilibrium. He did through backdoor meetings and all that. It didn’t work until the Governor reported to the President. And the President came in, intervened through the presidential proclamation for peace in Rivers State, which the Governor initially agreed to abide by. I was in that meeting, the Governor signed, and all other stakeholders signed to abide by the provisions of that proclamation.

“But a few days afterwards, when the Governor came back, and those crisis entrepreneurs, who call themselves partisan elders, went to court. And when they went to court, they challenged the President and told the Governor that it was not constitutional for the President to intervene. It was at that point, the Governor agreed with them and started backtracking, which led to where we are today.”