Fubara, Wike clash over money sharing – Amaechi

Speaking in an interview today, Amaechi also criticized President Bola Tinubu’s emergency rule in the state, calling it unconstitutional.

He stated: “The dispute between the current governor of Rivers State and the FCT minister revolves around financial allocations. If not, what exactly is the issue? Nigerians no longer oppose corruption. No one is questioning the root of the conflict. Can both of them address the public and explain the real problem?”

“We are now denied democracy. Rivers State is the only state in the country currently not enjoying democracy. They have imposed military rule on us.

“Secondly, the president acted outside the Constitution. Section 188 states how a governor can leave office, either by death, resignation, or impeachment. It didn’t say that one day you wake up and a man called the president of Nigeria will throw you out of office, which makes democracy unstable.”

The former minister asserted that the President played a role in the crisis in Rivers State, suggesting that his actions were driven by a desire to consolidate power by removing governors who might not support him in the 2027 general elections.

“Rumors are widespread that any governor who is not cautious could be removed by the President. The situation in Rivers is primarily about money distribution and political maneuvering ahead of 2027.

“If the President claims that a pipeline explosion justified declaring Rivers State unstable and imposing a state of emergency, what about other regions facing security challenges? Does this mean he should impose emergency rule on himself? That’s impossible because he was democratically elected. The North East, North West, South East, and South-South regions all face security concerns.

“The governor is not responsible for the pipeline explosion in Rivers—security falls under the President’s jurisdiction. Why punish someone who has committed no offense?”

He urged the people of Rivers to oppose the emergency rule imposed by the President and encouraged them to protest the decision.

The ongoing conflict between Fubara and Wike escalated last week during the state’s local government elections.

Before the elections, two court rulings—one in favor and another against the elections—were issued concerning the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), chaired by retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli.

Leading up to the elections, the state’s factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under Tony Okocha, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, withdrew from the election, citing procedural irregularities.

They accused RSIEC of failing to invite them to a stakeholders’ meeting where election matters were discussed.

As the elections neared, Okocha, in two media interviews, insisted the elections would not proceed, having filed a lawsuit to prevent INEC from releasing the 2023 voters register to RSIEC.

However, RSIEC Chairman Enebeli claimed he had obtained the voters register from INEC, despite the electoral commission denying any official release of the document.

The resulting tensions destabilized the state, leading President Tinubu to suspend Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Oduan, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for an initial six-month period.

In a national address, Tinubu announced the appointment of retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as Administrator to oversee the state’s affairs in the interest of Rivers’ residents.

“For clarity, this declaration does not impact the judicial arm of Rivers State, which will continue to function as mandated by the Constitution,” the President stated.