Anita Ogona
A former governor of Rivers Nyesom Wike has accused his successor Siminalayi Fubara of sponsoring the Action Peoples Party (APP) in the just-ended local government election in the state.
The FCT minister had earlier, also blamed Governor Fubara for disobeying a court order, an action he said led to the breakdown of law and order in the state
โWho is the perpetrator of the violence, I am not blaming the Governor, but he is the architect of the violence in the stateโ โDid you see my supporters causing the mayhem, those shouting No Wike, No Rivers, is not my business. I was in Abuja and not in Rivers on the day of the electionโ, Wike told ChannelsTV anchor, Seun Okinbaloye in an interview on Tuesday
He said โI was a governor, I have always obeyed the rule of law. You heard the governor say that our state is turning into a state of anarchy where people do not obey the rule of law.โ
โYou must obey the judgment of the court. You must not take the law into your own hands. The moment you donโt obey court judgment, you are inviting anarchy, you are inviting violence,โ Wike said.
Five people were killed and over 3 Local government Secretariats were burnt in what could be described as post-election violence that erupted in the state after political thugs allegedly loyal to the minister protested the outcome of the Local Government election in the state
Wike condemned Fubaraโs stance, stressing that the refusal to uphold the rule of law would plunge the state into disorder.
Recall that Governor Fubara had days ago sworn in local government chairpersons in Rivers State. APP won 22 of the 23 chairmanship positions in the election. The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorsโ Forum Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State also attended the event.
In the lead-up to the poll, Fubara who is a member of the PDP said he is the โgreatest loserโ since his party was not on the ballot.
But Wike who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) claims Fubara sponsored the APP for the election.
He said “Today, people say โDiscipline Wike, he did anti-partyโ. I did not do anti-party; I said we must stand for equity, fairness, and justiceโ,โย When asked about his support of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election.
โToday, what happened? The governor [Fubara] is the one who sponsored the APP. The chairman of the [PDP] governorsโ forum was the one who attended the swearing-inโ.Wike was the Rivers State governor under the PDP from 2015 to 2023. He contested the partyโs presidential primary but lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He accused the party of injustice, insisting that the PDP should zone its presidential ticket to the southern part of the country and not leave it open for people like Atiku to contest.
Efforts to reconcile Atiku and Wike failed. That led the FCT minister to work for Tinubu of the APC, resulting in the PDPโs loss in the presidential election in Rivers State. The president thereafter appointed him as a minister.
Although they have been clamour for Wikeโs suspension from the PDP, the minister insisted that he did not violate the partyโs laws and does not regret backing the APC.
โI have no regret at all,โ Wike said when asked about his support for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
