Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has revealed reasons why he is at loggerhead with his political godfather and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.
Fubara, who spoke in the wake of renewed political crisis leading to the destruction and burning of some local government secretariats in the state, said the fight is over power and control.
The governor, who claimed he had done everything legally and humanly possible including knelling down as a governor for his predecessor to beg for peace, asked the FCT minister to let go of the crisis.
Speaking on Channels Television’s flagship show, Politics Today, Fubara said there was no need for anybody to destroy things in the state.
Governor Fubara said, “My appeal is that everyone should shield their sword. Even to the Minister, my oga, there is no need to destroy things. He once ruled and the state was the envy of every other state.
“Another person is there now what he needs is to give his support. After four years or who knows eight years I will also leave and another person will take over. That should be the spirit.
“When the election comes, you can fight and do whatever. But now is time for governance. We need all the support. We are complaining that Nigeria oil production is low and we are trying to improve our production stage, we have the problems in Emohua and Degema we are trying to manage it and we are now adding in-house issues. This is an in-house issue that ought not to be out.
“We all know the issue. It is very simple. It has to do with the issue of power and control. You have all seen it in this case. If election had been held in Rivers and council chairmen had been inaugurated in a normal situation do we even need anybody to go and obstruct them from entering the secretariats?
“Maybe there is somebody somewhere who believes that he is higher than the authority in the state. It is all issues of power. I don’t intend to discuss it and I don’t want to take issues with that. I want to focus on governance and manage the situations as much as I can.
Fubara added: ” I don’t think there is any understanding we had that I haven’t kept. There is no understanding that we had that I haven’t kept. Like I said I won’t want to discuss those issues”.
Fubara said though, he welcomed the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who called for peace, he expressed concern about being singled out for mention in the statement from the presidency.
He said, “I don’t have any issue with the President intervention. But I am a bit concerned when my name was only mentioned. But like I said since it is coming from the President, I have no comments about it.
“This issue is simple. It is as simple as an ABC. Everyone in Nigeria and Rivers knows where this issue is coming from. It is not rocket science. The issue is not Fubara”.
