Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has come under fire from the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike for addressing the state House of Assembly in a letter.
Wike characterised the letter as “useless,” even though it asked lawmakers to meet to discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling on the state’s political situation.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike said he didn’t like Fubara’s strategy.
He stressed that Fubara has no authority over Speaker Martins Amaewhule and the lawmakers, and they have to be respected.
Wike maintained that Fubara ought to have called Amaewhule and his colleagues directly to set up a meeting rather than writing a letter to the public.
He said that lawmakers should be respected since they are not Fubara’s subordinates.
The minister contended that Fubara ought to have phoned Amaewhule to set up a meeting rather than writing a letter to the public.
“You have had a frosty relationship with an arm of government. If you are a good politician, will you go and write a letter? Is it by writing a letter signed by the SSG? What an insult! Is it how it is done? If you are a politician, you know what to do.
“You want to play at the gallery which is rubbish. All these letters are useless, you are not sincere, you are playing to the gallery,” he said.
On February 28, the Supreme Court made several rulings concerning the political situation in Rivers State.
A five-member panel led by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye rejected Fubara’s appeal, which challenged the legitimacy of the House of Assembly under Speaker Amaewhule.
The court recognized the Amaewhule-led assembly as the legitimate Rivers assembly.
Additionally, the Supreme Court prevented the Accountant General, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other financial institutions from disbursing payments to the Rivers State Government.
The court ruled that the October 5, 2024, local government election was unconstitutional, accusing the administration of disregarding earlier decisions.
Fubara responded by pledging to follow the court’s rulings and giving the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission instructions to hold a new election, which is presently set for August 9, 2025. Rivers Crisis Fubara affirms the full implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
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Tammy Danagogo, the Secretary to the State Government, wrote a letter on Friday asking for a meeting with lawmakers on March 10 as part of ongoing attempts to settle the problem.
The budget for 2025 and peacekeeping initiatives are anticipated to be discussed at the conference.
When asked how peace could be restored in the state, Wike said it couldn’t be restored until the right thing is done.
“What is peace? What is more important than letting the right thing be done? When the right thing is done, there will be peace. But if the right thing is not done, how can you talk about peace? Go present the budget; go submit the list of the commissioners.” – Wike
