By Ayo Kehinde
Indications are strong that the Monday meeting called by President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing political crisis in oil and gas rich Rivers State is yet to have any effect as supporters of Governor Siminelaye Fubaru and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike are yet to key into the resolutions reached after the presidential intervention.
In one instance, the resolutions are being treated a fake, while on the other chieftains of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are kicking against the president’s interventions, saying it has political undertone and unconstitutional.
At the first instance in a reaction from a Special Adviser on Media to the Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Engr. Boma Precious Kalama who took to his Facebook page to deride the resolution in circulation as fake, poining out certain considered errors. Hon Major Jack is Leader of the House.
According to Engr. Kalama, the absence of key signatures, including that of former Governor Peter Odili and Rt Hon Ehie Edison, the speaker and ” the sudden change in pen colour used by Governor Fubara, from his typical red to black, further exposed the legitimacy of the purported agreement. ”
On the social media post, he argued;
“See eh! Desperation eh! Is a bad thing oh! So the president didn’t sign as a witness of the MOU reached? One of the big shoe who was present in the meeting Dr Peter Odili didn’t sign.” “Rt Hon Ehie Edison, Speaker didn’t sign to affirm that he agrees to the resolution reached?. The Governor who uses red pen all of a sudden used a black pen. And when did Gov Sim talk about not doing LGA election?”
“A democratically elected Governor should represent the budget to Non-Assembly members as said on the constitution. The signature of the governor is FAKE. Whosoever did, this Photoshop did a poor job and should be arrested and money returned.”
“Dear Gov Sim Fubara’s supporters do not buy this RUBBISH. I am telling you from a place of authority that this alternative toilet paper is FAKE, RUBBISH, and typed at UST back gate.”
A chieftain of the PDP, Dele Momodu in a post shared on his Instagram page, faulted President Tinubu for what he referred to a meddling in the affairs of another political party and referenced the presidents’ assertion of his independence as Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007 by disagreeing with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo over the federal government’s stand against the creation of Local Governments in Lagos state with a legal tussle going all the way to the Supreme Court.
The PDP chieftain said, No President can be a Headmaster of both the State and Federal Government… What manner of democracy are we practicing that allows a President to intervene in the internal affairs of opposition parties’ over-rules the Constitution unchallenged, and our politicians comply as if they are in a slave camp… Opposition parties must vehemently oppose this brazen attempt at forcing a one-party dictatorship on Nigeria….
Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu fought endlessly for the fundamental rights and the independence of Lagos State against interference of President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007 and went as far a s the Supreme Court.
The governor of Rivers State has the full rights to defend his state against the suffocating strangulation of any godfather in the overriding interest of his people. Those defending the ongoing rascality neither know their contemporary history nor appreciate what freedom entails. No President can summarily reverse the decision of legal process that seek to protect the sanctity of separation of powers. Tinubu would have been applauded if he had the courage and fairness to call his querulous benefactor Nyesom Wike to order and getting him to work as federal Minister. No soul could have done to Wike what he is doing to Fubara today.
Former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan tweeted on Tuesday, “The Asiwaju Declarations on Rivers State are unconstitutional and a wholesome abuse of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The law is that @inecnigeria holds election in the vacant seats of the Rivers House of Assembly in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), @officialABAT, as a major beneficiary of our constitutional democracy, must not be allowed to turn our nation into a banana republic where anything goes.”
Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale said on a TVC news that the President intervened as father of the nation wit no political undertone.
He said, “The motive of the President in this case is clearly not a political one. He is father of the nation, president of the federal republic of Nigeria, he is commander -in-chief of the armed forces,”
According to him, “It is the primary responsibility of his to ensure there is peace and stability and security in all part of the country. If he sees signs that there is breakdown of peace in any part of the country, this is a president that will take action. And frankly the resolution of the Rivers crisis is one that results from a series of interventions that he has made over the course of the last few months on this issue.”
Even so, when the crisis reared its head in October, 2023, many PDP governors called on the president to intervene as well as elderstatesman and leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark. A word is yet to be heard from the PDP as a party, though sources say that would after a new exco, expected in a few days ahead, has been constituted
At the end of a closed-door meeting held at the State House called by President Bola Tinubu on Monday, former governor, Peter Odili; Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara; Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and other, an 8-point resolution was reached.
It said; “ALL matters instituted in the courts by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, and his team, in respect of the political crisis in Rivers State, shall be withdrawn immediately.
“ALL impeachment proceedings initiated against the Governor of Rivers State by the Rivers State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.
“The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly, as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.
“The remunerations and benefits of ALL members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the Executive arm of government.
“The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the State budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly
“The names of ALL Commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council, who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state, should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval.
“There should NOT be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised.”
