•As Wike keeps mum
By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt and Davies Iheamnachor
In a bid to formalise his defection circle, Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubar has received the membership card of the All Progressives Congress, APC, thereby making him the automatic authentic leader of the party in the state.
Completing the process on Friday in Government House Port Harcourt, Fubara reiterated that his decision to formally cross over to the All Progressives Congress, APC, was driven by the overriding commitment of “the safety, protection, progress, and sustained development of Rivers State”. Recall that the governor chose to dump the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, a platform that gave him the ticket to become governor in 2023, on Tuesday, barely four days after about 17 lawmakers of the state House of Assembly resigned from the PDP to pitch tent with the APC.
Trying so hard to convince his supporters on his decision, Fubara said “aligning with the ruling party at the federal level became necessary to ensure political stability and accelerate development across the state”, noting that “supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not only a matter of political alignment but also a show of appreciation for the President’s sacrifices in keeping the Rivers State government standing through its most challenging moments”.
The Governor emphasized that now that Rivers State is united under one political umbrella with the federal government, “the task ahead to strengthen the APC and secure a smooth political sail into 2027 has become clearer and more achievable”.
He assured the party’s national leadership that Rivers State would remain a stronghold of the APC under his watch, pledging to take full responsibility for meeting the needs of the party executive and sustaining its activities across the state.
Meanwhile, all is not right between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state as the Assembly led by the speaker, Martins Amaewhule has consistently accused the governor of abandoning the agreement reached between him and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike in a peace deal brokered by President Tinubu.
Amaewhule disclosed that the various lawsuits in the state appeared designed to immobilize the Assembly at a time when political alignments became a necessity. He argued that the legal actions were not mere responses to constitutional issues but part of a broader strategy to keep lawmakers from exercising their political options.
The speaker noted that while disagreements between the legislative and executive arms are not unusual, the scale of the legal measures taken signaled a deeper unwillingness to accommodate political plurality, saying that such aggressive litigation has contributed to heightened political tension and confusion among residents.
He argued that the outcome of these legal battles has shaped public perception about the government’s tolerance for dissent and internal movement within the political class. According to him, the Assembly has been forced to manage its duties under what he described as an atmosphere of legal intimidation.
According to him, despite the hurdles, lawmakers remain committed to carrying out their responsibilities, noting that the numerous court processes have only complicated an already fragile political environment. He called attention to the implications of these disputes, particularly for governance and public confidence in state institutions.
“The governor does not want to work with the Rivers Assembly; we will discuss that another day. He rushed to court with over 50 cases just to stop us from joining the APC.”
Nevertheless, Fubara had since deflated the claims that he avoids seeing the lawmakers, blaming the situation on Minister Wike whom he said was yet to fix an appropriate time for such parley.
Wike is yet to comment on the defection of governor Fubara or the silent political war with the lawmakers who are his loyal foot soldiers in the state.
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