It is becoming clearer by the day that the tiff between Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and his predecessor, godfather and benefactor turned foe, Nyesom Wike, is far from abating. And there is nothing to suggest that it would likely be over anytime soon.
Tellingly, as the days go by, it appears Fubara is indeed sitting on a hot seat, with each new day coming with a fresh headache. The governor himself acknowledged this when he noted that the battles against his administration have been fierce and are not over yet. What he did not say, perhaps because he wants to give his sympathisers hope, is that his fate is still hanging in the balance.
“… We have not been given the opportunity to do those things that we ought to do for our state. We have had a lot of distractions,” Fubara told a gathering during a thanksgiving service, recently.
I don’t envy Fubara; I doubt if anyone determined to provide serious leadership would wish to be governor under such an atmosphere. But Fubara is the architect of his own misfortunes.
In one of my columns which focused on the fracas between the two VIPs in Rivers State, I categorically stated my doubts about Fubara surviving this onslaught and here are my reasons. It is clear that Wike has the backing of both the ruling APC and, indeed, the presidency. The APC has had its eyes fixed on getting Rivers, one of the nation’s vote banks, and the current scuffle provides it all it needs to actualize that.
Obviously, Wike is steering the state, using his ‘structure,’ in the direction of APC and I see the party giving him maximum support. Additionally, it is to BAT’s advantage that the APC have full control of Rivers, as that will count well for him and the party come 2027. In the days ahead, Fubara may be treated to a brazen display of federal might and that could further sway the balance of terror in Wike’s favour.
Even though there has been no brazen display of federal might so far as being feared, the so-called 8-point resolutions signed by the aggrieved parties following President Bola Tinubu’s ‘intervention’ was clearly done to favour Nyesom Wike. What is difficult to comprehend is the fact that Fubara graciously endorsed the peace pact.
Still on that skewed resolution
To say that resolution was one-sided is an understatement. How else can one explain the fact that Fubara was asked to recognize the leadership of the state House of Assembly under Speaker Martin Amaewhule, a staunch Wike loyalist, along with the 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP? He was also asked to re-present the 2024 budget to the Amaewhule-led state assembly!
These lawmakers defected from the opposition PDP to the ruling APC without any of the reasons for such defection as envisaged by the constitution. Instead of asking them to vacate their seats in line with the provision of section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 constitution as amended, the governor agreed to a resolution that mandated him to treat them with utmost legality.
Another annoying aspect of the resolution which has been implemented by Fubara is the reappointment of some Wike loyalists who had earlier resigned their appointments as commissioners. These folks resigned on their own volition but as part of the so-called peace moves, Fubara was asked to resend their names to the state assembly for screening and confirmation as commissioners. With that done, they are back as members of the Governor Fubara-led executive council but with unalloyed loyalty to Wike. How the governor will pilot an executive council with such a number loyal to his foe is what we all will have to learn.
Hostile assembly, cabinet
With a significant number of the state assembly members and some persons in Fubara’s cabinet displaying scant regards for the governor, one thing is certain. He cannot get the sort of support a governor expects from these guys. Both the lawmakers and the commissioners loyal to the former governor have the capacity to put Fubara under more pressure and may likely do so with all pleasure.
Not surprisingly, the Amaewhule-led state assembly has, in the last few days, shown that the road ahead will be extremely rough for Fubara. The assembly passed a law stripping the governor of powers to appoint caretaker chairmen for council areas in the state, even as it passed a resolution faulting the appointments made by the governor into some parastatals. Not satisfied, the lawmakers are perceptibly spoiling for war with the governor over the said appointments.
It is certain that were the lawmakers on the same page with Fubara, all the talk about stripping him of powers to make some appointments would not have arisen. That is a fact.
Unless the current crisis is effectively handled, there are clear signs that one of two things will eventually happen to Governor Fubara. He may either be impeached or be compelled to run a government under a very tense atmosphere for the next three years and some months since he is surrounded by key officials who are unapologetically loyal to Wike.
The question is: to what extent has Fubara’s signing of the 8-point resolution benefit him? Only Fubara can answer that. However, as someone viewing the unfolding events from outside, I strongly believe that by accepting those vexatious resolutions, Fubara has sacrificed his present and future political life.
Funny enough, the governor warned the reappointed commissioners, who everybody knows are very loyal to Wike, against destroying his government. But to borrow a leaf from Chinua Achebe, whoever fetches ant-infested firewoods should expect a visit from the lizard. Expecting loyalty from these biased cabinet members is like thinking your goat is safe in the hands of a very hungry Hyena. Were they loyal in the beginning? What makes the governor to think they would be loyal now that their reappointment has been imposed on him? Someone has to remind Fubara that he needs to brace up for a very rough journey.
Rivers suffers
But one thing is certain. It’s practically impossible for good governance to take place under an atmosphere of hostility, especially the type between the governor and the state assembly.
Sadly, as the scuffle continues, the ultimate casualty will be Rivers State and its over seven million people who will be deprived of the much-needed dividends of good governance. If not halted, the animosity will also impact negatively on the state of security, exacerbating the already worrisome spate of cult violence in the state.
Nonetheless, for a state that serves as home to a significant percent of the country’s crude oil output and richly blessed with other natural resources like silica sand, glass sand and clay, the nation cannot afford to allow the Wike-Fubara feud to fester, knowing the impact in the long run.
Even though Fubara didn’t handle a couple of things well, Wike must allow Fubara to govern Rivers in peace. That is what he was elected to do. The FCT minister should concentrate on his national assignment, nothing more, nothing less.
