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Fubara instigated Rivers violence, says Wike

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has blamed Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the violence that engulfed parts of the state after the Saturday, October 5, local government election.

He said Fubara’s refusal to obey a court order stopping the election led to the crisis.

Wike, Fubara’s predecessor, stated this while featuring on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” on Tuesday, October 8.

”You must obey the judgment of the court. The moment you don’t obey a court judgement, you are inviting anarchy, you are inviting violence,the minister stated.

Responding to the allegation that he is demanding too much from the governor, Wike denied the claim and retorted, Has Fubara ever told you that I said come and be giving me money or I should do this or that, and I didn’t do it, and I am not happy.”. The point is he plotted a coup to remove the deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly, and the thing boomeranged against him,he stated.

Wike also accused Fubara of sponsoring the Action Peoples Party (APP) in the state’s local government election.

“Today, people say, ‘discipline Wike; he did anti-party’. I did not do anti-party; I said we must stand for equity, fairness, and justice.

“Today, what happened? The governor [Fubara] is the one who sponsored the APP. The chairman of the [PDP] governors’ forum was the one who attended the swearing-in,Wike stated.

The ICIR reported that the crisis in Rivers State turned violent on Monday, October 7, when hoodlums set two LGA headquarters ablaze in the oil-rich state.

The headquarters of Ikwerre and Eleme local government areas (LGAs) were set ablaze shortly after the Nigerian Police Force withdrew its officers from the facilities after months of siege.

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Police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, while announcing the police withdrawal from the state’s 23 LGA secretariats, said the organisation would not hesitate to return the officers should the need arise.

The ICIR reported on Sunday, October 6, that the state governor Fubara swore in all the newly-elected 23 local government chairmen shortly after the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) announced the election results for the last local government.

The ICIR reported how the African People’s Party (APP) won 22 out of the 23 local government chairmanship seats in the state according to results announced by RSEIC.

Fubara’s preferred candidates were victorious in the poll marred by controversies and security challenges.

Fubara also won the election for an opposition party, as he has yet to decamp from his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Fubara and Wike have been at loggerheads over who controls the PDP structure in the state, with President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to resolve the stalemate yielding no result. 




     

     

    Wike has maintained that he belonged to the PDP and dared the party to suspend him if they could.

    On his part, Fubara has insisted on taking over the PDP’s structure in Rivers, as the move exacerbated his rift with Wike.

    Earlier this year, Fubara ordered the LGA chairmen elected under Wike to vacate their seats, stating that they had completed their term.

    The ensuing crisis led to the police taking over the secretariat.

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    Bankole Abe
    Reporter at ICIR | [email protected] | Author Page

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