Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has expressed dissatisfaction with the presidential declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Wike made this known during a media parley in Abuja on Friday, noting that the emergency rule was not part of his desired outcome in the ongoing political crisis.
“I am not happy with the state of emergency,” the former Rivers governor said.
Last month, President Bola Tinubu proclaimed a state of emergency in the state, citing persistent political instability and escalating security concerns, including recent pipeline explosions.
The president suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the House of Assembly for six months. He described the move as “inevitably compelling” based on security reports.
In their place, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibas as sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs pending resolution of the crisis — a decision that has sparked widespread debate across the country.
Speaking during the media parley, Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers, said he wanted the outright removal of Fubara.
He said: “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.
“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 at loggerheads since Fubara became governor.
The face-off between the two stems from a struggle for control of the state’s political and structural resources.
The rift also affected the state House of Assembly, with 27 suspended members defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
Furthermore, the conflict led to the emergence of factional speakers and a parallel assembly.
Credit: Punch Newspaper
