By Nze Nwabueze Umeji-Akabogu (JP)
The lingering political crisis in Rivers State is becoming terribly messy and extremely dangerous phenomenon which could ultimately destroy the entire state if not quickly resolved. Unprecedented and extremely worrisome political developments in the state had already assumed dangerous and alarming dimension even as the warring parties were busy digging further deep in their political trenches preparing for a total war or war to finish.
Political watchers of the current war of attrition in the State observed that no day had passed without one hearing about one bizarre incident or dangerous development or the other in the State. In the past one week for example, political developments in the state had assumed extremely dangerous and frightening dimension as both camps in the war of the titans had tried to gain political supremacy over the other.
First, the twenty-five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly whose seats had been declared vacant by the State High Court following their mass defection from the ruling PDP to the opposition APC party had recently overridden the State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his failure to assent to a number of bills already passed by the House of Assembly.
Again, in a swift reaction, Governor Fubara had speedily assented to all the bills passed by a faction of the State House of Assembly loyal to his administration. Earlier, about nine members of the State Executive Council loyal to the former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike dramatically resigned their positions as Commissioners in Governor Fubara’s Government.
Furthermore, the twenty five members of the State Assembly loyal to Minister Wike and whose legitimacy as members of the State Assembly is already in serious contention and questionable had threatened to commence impeachment process against Governor Fubara on the spurious allegation that he, the Governor, took certain unconstitutional actions against the State. Governor Fubara who had previously, at the beginning of the crisis, had ordered the demolition of the State House of Assembly Complex in Port Harcourt, the State Capital, ostensibly to prevent the defected twenty five members from meeting in the State Assembly Chambers.
Meanwhile, Governor Fubara relocated the State Assembly to the Government House Complex where the faction loyal to him had been meeting and passing all his bills with lightening speed. However, in a dramatic twist, Governor Fubara in a rare demonstration of the familiar tit for tat or revenge tactics (do me, I do you) recently, undertook sudden or impromptu tour of the House of Assembly Quarters fueling speculation that he would soon order for the demolition of the newly built ultra modern quarters.
And in a swift reaction, political stakeholders and elites across the political spectrum in Rivers State stormed the legislative quarters and out rightly and unequivocally condemned any attempt to tamper or demolish the newly built State-of-the art quarters and cautioned Governor Fubara against taking any such action. Many well meaning Nigerians across the country had equally cautioned against further escalation of the political impasse in the State and appealed to the political gladiators to maintain the peace.
At press time, it was reported that five State Commissioners in Governor Fubara’s government loyal to Minister Wike just resigned their appointments, further compounding the already messy political situation in the State. In the meantime, Governor Fubara had announced that he would soon set up a Judicial Commission of Enquiry to probe his predecessor in office and the Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike according to press report.
It would be recalled that the current political debacle in the State erupted soon after the Inauguration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara orchestrated by the “all powerful” “all knowing” enigmatic political colossus in the Nigerian Political Landscape and the erstwhile Governor of Rivers State “Emperor” Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. It is a common knowledge that “Emperor” Wike singlehandedly sponsored and bank rolled Governor Fubara’s campaigns which assured his eventual victory at the polls.
Paradoxically, the honey moon between the godfather, Nyesom Wike and his godson Governor Fubara was short lived, as both suddenly became strange bed fellows. The “Almighty” Wike who is currently enjoying his highly exalted position as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (the first Southerner ever to occupy that enviable position) suddenly, turned the heat on the newly sworn-in Governor Fubara and reportedly demanded that the Governor must immediately fulfill his own part of the bargain that brought him to power as Governor of Rivers State.
“Emperor” Wike obviously in his morbid ambition and overbearing posture to control and run the affairs of Rivers State Government as his oversight function from his base in far away Abuja, had failed woefully. And in his characteristic abrasive, desperate and belligerent manner, immediately declared total war against his godson, Governor Fubara and ordered his loyalists or stooges in the State Assembly to commence impeachment process against Governor Fubara which resulted in the factionalization of the State Assembly.
The unfolding political drama assumed yet another dangerous dimension, as the five members loyal to Governor Fubara promptly declared the seats of the twenty-five defected members loyal to Minister Wike vacant, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution and their action had since been affirmed by the State High Court which had also called on the Electoral Umpire (INEC) to immediately conduct by-election to fill the seats rendered vacant by the defection of the twenty five members of the State Assembly.
As the battle for political supremacy intensified, the Presidency obviously not comfortable with the alarming political developments in Rivers State immediately summoned the warring political gladiators and other major stakeholders involved in the lingering political logjam in the State for a peace summit with a view to resolving the rather endemic political imbroglio.
The outcome of the peace meeting held in the Presidency is now History, even as the reported peace accord reached had finally collapsed irretrievably and the warring parties had gone back to their trenches for a fight to finish which is currently raging in the crisis-torn state.
It is instructive to mention however, that the Chairmen of the twenty three Local Government Areas in the State who are loyal to Minister Wike had equally joined forces with the twenty five State Assembly members in the unholy war against the embattled Governor Fubara.
According to press report, Governor Fubara had threatened to dissolve the L.G.As Chairmen and Councilors at the end of their current tenure prompting the L.G.As Chairmen to launch severe verbal attack and abuses on Governor Fubara and dared him to carry out his threat to dissolve their Local Government Areas Administrators. They had maintained that their tenure of office was yet to end and told the Governor point blank that he lacked the constitutional powers or authority to sack them from office.
It is a matter of deep regret however, that inspite of the prevailing extremely dangerous and unpredictable political situation in Rivers State, the Presidency was reported to have washed off its hands from the seemingly intractable political logjam in the State, in the similar manner the biblical Pontus Pilate had washed off his hands during the trial of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Suffice it to say that President Bola Tinubu has the sacred obligation or responsibility to take decisive action to checkmate the anti-democratic forces now at work in Rivers State whose unconstitutional posturing and activities might lead to the total breakdown of law and order in the oil rich State and which portends grave danger to the entire nation.
The clouds are already gathering and there are ominous signs of looming anarchy if not quickly averted. Some people might tend to ignore or dismiss the above statement of fact as mere doomsday prophecy but the statement remains valid and obvious reality or truism based on the highly volatile and unpredictable nature of Rivers State politics. The Presidency therefore, has a duty to ensure that the country’s constitution remains sacrosanct, respected ad upheld by all and sundry.
It is high time “Emperor” Nyesom Wike should immediately be called to order by the Presidency and he must steer clear from the affairs of Rivers State government led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and allow peace to reign in that crisis-torn State. Minister Wike should be told in clear and unmistakable terms that he has no constitutional rights or powers to dictate to the duly elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara on how he should run the affairs of his State as no one dictated to him, Wike when he held sway as Governor of Rivers State for eight consecutive years in office.
Minister Wike should concentrate and direct all his energies towards fixing the decayed and dilapidated institutions and infrastructures in the nation’s Capital City Abuja. It is a sad commentary that those who parade themselves as democrats were simply behaving like military dictators or colonial over Lords. They were never democrats but rather dictators and anti-people and should never be tolerated in a free society such as our cherished free and democratic society.
It is pertinent to mention in this piece however, that the political situation in Rivers State could be likened to the current terrible war situation in Sudan where two powerful, unpatriotic and self seeking Generals of the Sudanese Army had been locked in a senseless and utterly destructive war of Supremacy for more than one year now and the end seem not insight.
The hapless Sudanese civilians are worse off in the current conflict as thousands of innocent lives and properties had been destroyed and it would take many years to rebuild the terribly devastated and poverty-stricken country. And in the case of Rivers State, the current political war between “Field Marshal” Nyeson Wike and “General” Siminalayi Fubara could bring unimaginable turmoil and hardship to the innocent people of the State if the Presidency fails to act decisively and stop this terrible madness. President Tinubu should act like a statesman he is and take urgent action to save the people of Rivers State from the looming catastrophe and uncertainty, as it is said that when two elephants fight, the grass ultimately suffers tremendously.
It seems former Governor Wike has the misfortune of always backing “wrong” people to achieve their political ambitions, as he was recently quoted to have regretted and lamented backing Governor Fubara to become Governor of Rivers State, when he was addressing his supporters in the State that he made a “mistake” in his choice of Siminalayi Fubara as Governor, in the same manner he previously regretted his choice of his brother Uche Secondus as the National Chairman of P.D.P, as well as his successor Dr. Iyorchia Ayu from Benue State.
He had equally regretted backing Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State during the epic political battle that eventually gave Governor Obaseki decisive victory for his second term in office nearly four years ago. There were some other unreported cases when “Emperor” Wike regretted backing “wrong candidates” for political offices who later “betrayed” him and which he often termed a “mistake” on his part. Governor Siminalayi Fubara recently, mockingly, described Minister Wike as “Mistake General of Nigeria” (MGN).
In Conclusion, all Nigerians must rise up and defend our hard earned democracy and rule of law and totally reject the fifth columnists and anti-democratic forces that are already rearing their ugly heads under our current democratic dispensation. It is Rivers State today and if allowed to fester, it could be another State tomorrow which might jeopardize or endanger the nation’s socio-economic cum political development and also hinder her current progressive march towards taking her rightful place among the comity of advanced nations of the world.
Nze Nwabueze Umeji-Akabogu (JP), a regular public affairs commentator and analyst, writes from Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.
