The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reached out afresh to his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike, as part of ongoing effort to patch up their soured relationship.
Fubara is understood to have visited the Federal Capital Territory Minister in his Abuja residence on Monday for peace talks.
Sources told Our Correspondent that Fubara has failed to meet with the pro-Wike state legislators who were also suspended under the emergency rule. …CONTINUE READING
Details of their discussion were not immediately available, but the meeting came amid fresh calls from some quarters for the reinstatement of the suspended governor.
Some of Fubara’s supporters had even hoped that President Bola Tinubu would lift the governor’s suspension and terminate the emergency rule in the state during his Democracy Day speech at the National Assembly on Thursday.
One of them, Senator Seriake Dickson, expressed disappointment that President Tinubu did not declare an end to the Rivers State emergency rule on Thursday. He likened the current administration in Rivers to a military government because it is headed by a retired military officer.
A principal officer of the suspended House of Assembly said: “You’ll recall that he met with his predecessor and Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, who told him to meet with other aggrieved stakeholders.
“He met with President Tinubu after meeting with Wike. But since then till now, the suspended governor has not met with anybody.
“He recently went to see the President in Lagos, but that will not guarantee his coming back. Even if he comes back, remember that the National Assembly has not passed the Rivers Budget.
“This means that the House of Assembly will also come back and the National Assembly will return the budget to the state Assembly and the crisis will continue.
“As we speak, Fubara has not even met with those he himself called the three wise men. These men, OCJ Okocha, Sargent Awuse and Ferdinand Alabraba, were instrumental to his election.
“So, no reconciliation has taken place”.
A former Local Government Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Dr Chidi Lloyd, said there was nothing exciting about Fubara returning to office without reconciliation.
Lloyd said there has been no reconciliatory meeting between Fubara and the state legislators.
He insisted that Fubara was playing the ostrich.
“What is the hullabaloo about his coming back? He has been told many times to go and make peace. Assuming he comes back, has the problem with the House Assembly been resolved?
“The lawmakers will throw him out because there is nothing like the Chief Judge setting up any panel. The Supreme Court has already itemised all his sins.
“I am bothered about governance in Rivers. Others have moved on. See what is happening in Enugu and Delta states. That is our priority.
“Fubara is playing the ostrich. Going to see the President and taking photograph, does it stop the problem?
A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has been courageously advising Fubara to show leadership in the reconciliation by driving the process.
He said it would be dangerous for Fubara to return to office without first dispensing with the reconciliation process.
He recalled that he had earlier advised Fubara to deepen the reconciliation after his first meeting with Wike.
Fubara first visited Wike last April to seek reconciliation.
He also met with the President and told his supporters that the President meant well in declaring the state of emergency in Rivers.
The situation, according to him, saved the state from chaos.
