Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has hinted of plans to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate how the affairs of governance were conducted in the state before he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
Fubara gave the hint on Monday at the swearing-in of Mr Dagogo Israel Iboroma, SAN, as the new Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the State at Government House, Port Harcourt.
The governor said he was bringing the Attorney-General on board at a critical time that there were lots of legal matters that needed to be tackled, with bravery and courage.
Fubara did not, however, say what will be the scope of his investigation of the past affairs of the state, whether it’s the immediate-past administration of Governor Nyesom Wike or others since 1999.
He said, “So, my brother, Dagogo Iboroma, you are going to be the brand new Attorney-General of our dear State. SSG (Secretary to the State Government) give him his letter, he is the Attorney-General.
“Why are we bringing you at this very critical time? We have a lot of issues around us. We believe that you are not going to be the one that when they send service to you, you go and file “nolle prosequi” or you go and file one thing that would kill us here.
“Let me also say this, you have a big task. We will be setting up a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the affairs of governance. So, brace up, I am not going back on it.
“Please, defend us. We know that you are going to defend us because your record is clean. You are a gentleman and peaceful. You are not a noise maker. People like you are endowed, and they have the fear of God.”
Fubara reiterated that though he thought the political crisis he considered as problem within a family would have been resolved but regretted that there had been no headway out of it. The governor stated that though it was unfortunate, his administration has, however, moved forward because there is now a well-constituted State House of Assembly to discharge legislative duties, and a seasoned lawyer appointed as the Attorney-General of the State.
He said: “I am happy that this is happening today to mark the beginning of a new era in our administration.
“When I said that I had a reason for being patient, it is because I know that we are all from one family. And if we have a disagreement, no matter how bad it is, it should be resolved amicably.
“But it has become very clear that this disagreement, there is no way to resolve it amicably. And for a lot of reasons, there are visible evidence that there is sabotage, deliberate attempt to sabotage this administration.
“For that reason, we have to move forward. And, moving forward, if it means taking decisions that are going to hurt anybody, we are not going back.”
Fubara took a swipe at the immediate-past Attorney-General of the state, Professor Zaccheaus Adangor, whom as he accused of indulging in sabotaging the same administration he served.
The governor said: “It is good that you were already a SAN before your appointment. This means that you’re a very thorough lawyer and has earned your appointment. Not like the one we had here, who while in office, they went to pay money to get SAN. When you become a SAN, the only thing you will do is to sabotage government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you go publicly to claim that you are a learned person. But go publicly to tell people that you were the Chief Law Officer.
“Chief Law Officer? You were here and you went to stand before a Magistrate Court. At that time, you didn’t remember that you were a Chief Law Officer, going against the ethics of your job. Like I said, you will get your reward, not in the next world, but in this world.”
He also said that God does not make mistakes when He elevates any person to whatever level, and dismissed talks to that effect, saying that it was not a mistake that he became Rivers State governor in 2023.
