By Felix Durumbah
There may be no end soon to the political rift between Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, and his estranged political godson and current Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara.
This is because Wike, the immediate past governor of the oil-rich South-South state, has played down any likelihood of an immediate rapprochement.
For over a year now, both personalities have been embroiled in a tussle for control of the soul of the state even as political heavyweights in and outside the state have thrown their weight behind one or the other of the gladiators, depending on interest.
The development has split the state down the middle as the state’s lawmakers now have two factional Speakers even as the legislators themselves are presently in court over a matter of defecting to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Interestingly, both Wike and Fubara belong to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with Wike serving as Minister in the Federal Government (FG) controlled by APC.
Even President Bola Tinubu had,on October 31,2024, waded into the crisis -apparently to no avail.
Speaking during a media chat on Sunday, January 19, Wike slammed Fubara and his camp for refusing to implement a directive by President Tinubu during the intercessory meeting convened in Abuja by the President.
According to him, the governor and his camp were meant to return to Tinubu to explain why he failed or refused to carry out all the directives issued by the president.
At the peace meeting, Tinubu reportedly directed those members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike, who were intent on impeaching Fubara at the time,to withdraw the impeachment notice while,in turn, certain demands were made of the governor –in a bid to ensure peace reigns in the state.
Responding to a question on the lingering crisis, Wike said: “I’m wondering, what conflict to resolve? Mr President, in his wisdom, called all parties. He said ‘withdraw the impeachment notice’, ‘you go and do this, you go and do that’, but they never returned to him.
“The Assembly withdrew the impeachment notice; you did one and two, and then you sent people to go to court. Elder, have you gone back to Mr President to tell him ‘we can’t do three and four’? Nothing.
“I have never seen this in my life — for a president to call parties, and one party goes back and says it’s political. Who does that?”
Wike’s statement,legal experts said, however, runs contrary to the spirit, dictate and practice of constitutional democracy as,under the Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President cannot give directives to a state governor,both being equally elected officials operating in different jurisdictions.
Dwelling on the emergence of his ethnic kinsman, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, an Ikwerre, as President-General (PG) of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on January 10, Wike rebuffed suggestions that he (Wike) is an Igbo man.
Declaring that he is an Ikwerre man and not Igbo, Wike overlooked the striking linguistic, cultural and historic affinity between both ethnic groups, arguing that Azuta-Mbata becoming Ohanaeze PG does not make every Ikwerre an Igbo person.
Congratulating Azuta-Mbata on his feat, the Minister, however, reiterated that it was wrong to believe that Ikwerres are Igbo just because Azuta-Mbata emerged PG or because they and the Igbo live within the same broad geopolitical region, insisting that it was like thinking that all northerners are Hausa.
