Ogona Anita
Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), expressed his dissatisfaction with the Presidential Proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Last month, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing ongoing political instability and recent security threats, including pipeline explosions. The president’s declaration included the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the House of Assembly for six months. He described this decision as “inevitably compelling” based on security assessments.
To manage the state’s affairs during the crisis, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibas as sole administrator, a move that has ignited considerable debate across the nation.
During the media briefing, Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers, stated he preferred the outright removal of Fubara, saying: “As a politician, I am not happy with the declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers State. I wanted the outright removal of the governor. But for the interest of the state, the president did the right thing to prevent anarchy in the state.”
He further remarked, “The matter is in court but people must say the truth. The governor was gone. It is not on my place to make it good for the governor. As a politician, my business is not to make him comfortable and that is why there is power plane.”
Wike and Fubara have been in conflict since Fubara assumed the governorship, with the dispute rooted in a struggle for control over the state’s political and structural resources. The rift has also had repercussions in the state House of Assembly, where 27 suspended members defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This conflict has resulted in the emergence of factional speakers and a parallel assembly.
