Mr. Joejim Alaboso, a former campaign manager of erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan, in this interview, says a sitting governor will find it difficult ceding his executive powers to an outsider. Alaboso, president of All Niger Delta People’s Congress (ANDPC) says Governor Fubara of Rivers should concentrate on his job for which he was elected by Rivers people.
Excerpts:
What do you make out of the emerging fracas between Wike and Fubara of Rivers state?
I was shocked when I saw on TV what was going on there. It was hard to believe that such could happen after a very divisive general election. Whatever is causing the split into groups to remove the governor of Rivers state is regrettable.
How do you describe the action of Fubara in response to plot to impeach him as governor of Rivers state?
Governor Fubara is well within his right to fight for his survival in response to a plot to impeach him.
We understand that police shot at him when he was going to the house of assembly that was burnt. What do you say about the police actions?
It is unfortunate that the state house of assembly was burnt down and the shooting at a sitting governor the chief security officer of a state. How can anyone call all we have witnessed in Rivers state a democracy of course, it is not. We at the All Niger Delta People’s Congress (ANDPC) call on all the actors in this disgraceful episode in Rivers state to resolve their differences in a peaceful and democratic manner.
There are allegations on social media that Wike is collecting N2bn monthly from Fubara, but he didn’t deliver for the past two months, hence Wike moved his men to impeach him. If this is true, what do you say about Wike?
I saw a lot of it the social media, such weighty allegations if it is indeed true then it shows Nigeria is in trouble. If the immediate past governor orchestrated the removal of his successor because of such financial arrangements then Rivers state citizens need to be worried.
Do you think Fubara is taking the right decisions at the moment?
Quite honestly when a man is boxed into a corner, the survival instinct in him will take the president any other consideration and therefore it is impossible for him to make any rational decisions.
Examine the reaction of Rivers state people to the impeachment plot
The people have every reason to be upset, as I said earlier on, the country just went through a keenly contested election. This is not the kind of crisis they expect from the stakeholders in PDP.
What do you think about governors imposing their successors on their states? Is it a good development? Should it continue or stop?
The crisis we are all witnessing is a result of the hypocrisy within the political parties in Nigeria that lack integrity and democratic values. They go behind closed doors to impose candidates on their parties because of their selfish interest and the closed-door deal has backfired and we are all witnessing the result of their hypocrisy.
All this has shown to us that imposition does not work because it is impossible for an executive-powered governor to cede his authority to someone else when at the end of the day he will be held responsible for the financial misappropriation in the state.
This should serve as a lesson for other governors who are thinking of imposing their candidates on the parties. It should be stopped so that democracy can flourish in political parties in Nigeria.
What do you think is the way forward for Fubara in his relationship with Wike? Apologise or pull out from his grip?
I honestly think that the governor should, if possible, reach out the Odilis to broker peace between him and his predecessor the FCT minister and where that is not possible, he should concentrate on the job for which he was elected.
What do you suggest Rivers people should do to Wike?
The people of Rivers state have no choice but to support their governor for him to deliver on the promises he campaigned on.
If you were President Tinubu, what would you do to Wike?
There is very little the president can do other than to face his ministry because after all he was no privy to their arrangement before the election.
