Rivers State Governor Siminialayi Fubara has urged his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to allow him to rule the state without interference.
In an interview with ‘Politics Today’ as reported by The Nation, Fubara emphasised the importance of maintaining stability in the state, stating that there is no need for anyone to cause disruption.
He praised the achievements of the Wike administration, noting that Rivers State was the envy of others during Wike’s tenure. However, Fubara appealed for the Minister’s cooperation, asking that he be given the space to focus on leading the state effectively.
When questioned about the source of the rift, Fubara refrained from delving into specifics, simply noting that the disagreement revolved around issues of power and control.
READ ALSO: Let go, you can’t win all fights, Fubara tells Wike
The Nation quoted him saying: “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 the or governance. We need all the support. We are complaining that Nigeria’s oil production is low and we are trying to improve our production stage, we have 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 an 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.”
READ ALSO: Rivers: Tinubu tells Fubara, others to settle dispute in court
Fubara stated that he doesn’t believe there was any agreement with Wike that he failed to uphold.
Although Fubara welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s call for peace, he expressed concern that the official statement only mentioned his name.
“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”.
Governor Fubara attributed the violent protests that erupted across the state on Monday, in part, to the complete withdrawal of police officers from government secretariats, a decision made by the Inspector-General of Police.
