President Bola Tinubu, while declaring the State of Emergency in Rivers State, had assured that his action was aimed at restoring peace in the state and preventing the escalation of the crisis. However, with the alleged startling revelations of the former Head of Service to the state, Dr. George Nwaeke, the expected peace under the current emergency regime may not be near, Ann Godwin reports.
The current video and script wars going on among citizens of Rivers State, especially from the former Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, his wife, and other key players, indicate that the alleged peace expected from the declaration of a State of Emergency in the state may not be near soon. Though aside from the infighting between the warring factions and their followers, the state has enjoyed relative peace
The ex-HoS, Nwaeke, was an insider in both administrations of the two gladiators—former Governor Nyesom Wike and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
During Wike’s administration, he was Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office and privy to executive decisions. In Fubara’s time, he was Head of Service with a chair in the State Executive.
The governor said it was unlikely that Nwaeke would have been present if he wanted to discuss such sensitive things as the HoS mentioned, such as how to bomb places.
Yet again, Nwaeke released another video clip hours later. This time, he appeared more firm and maintained that Fubara allegedly sponsored the bombing of the Assembly complex.
However, a discreet listen to the scripted statement by the former Head of Service and his wife’s honest outburst showed that the coming weeks may be full of more intrigues and fierce battles between the two camps—Fubara, Wike, and their supporters.
There are emerging indications that the suspended governor of Rivers State may face more shuffling as his attackers seem to be plotting more dangerous actions against him, some of which may involve getting his close allies arrested based on revelations from Nwaeke.
Also, security operatives and anti-graft agencies may come after Fubara’s Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, based on the confessions of the former Head of Service regarding the demolished House of Assembly complex and funds alleged to have been doled out in the Government House to prevent the first impeachment move by the 27 Assembly members loyal to the FCT Minister against Fubara.
It was also learned that the dragnet may extend to catch other persons who played prominent roles in the Fubara government.
It was gathered that part of the agenda is to ensure that there is no peace in the first six months of the emergency rule regime in the state, hence the need to extend it after six months.
Speaking on the matter, a lawyer in the state, S. J. Ogolo, said the development may lead to looming anarchy in the state and urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene before it gets out of hand.
Ogolo said, “A lot of constitutional breaches and threats to peace and security are happening under his watch while he looks the other way.”
He stated that the confessions by the wife of the ex-HoS, where she noted that her husband was compelled by the present government to sign a missing N15 billion, indicate that the Sole Administrator is on a sinister mission in the state.
He said, “Else, what will lead to a phantom N15 billion naira missing or not declared finding? Is the Sole Administrator here to investigate the Rivers State Government or to hold brief and resolve the face-off between the Executive and the Legislature? In less than two weeks, appointees of government have been laid off and several threats issued at several quarters. There is more to the appointment of a Sole Administrator in Rivers State.”
He added that the alleged teleguided statement was targeted at: “A forcible arrest and prosecution of some persons who are their perceived threat, distracting Rivers people and Nigerians from speaking against the unconstitutional appointment of the Sole Administrator in Rivers State, and eroding the goodwill enjoyed by Governor Fubara by labeling him as corrupt and evil.”
Ibas’ Leadership Style Is Unsettling Residents
The State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd), is pulling his cards in a disquieting manner. Barely two weeks after he resumed duty as the helmsman of Rivers, each day comes with a fresh twist to the troubled state.
On Thursday last week, he ordered the sacking of all political appointees of Fubara and, in a statement released at night, directed the affected persons to hand over to either a Permanent Secretary or a senior official in their offices the same day.
Expectedly, the leadership style of Ibas, especially the sacking of all government appointees, is already taking its toll on the economy. Statistics showed that about 40 percent of workers have been dislodged from their offices, and the effects on their dependents in the current economic woes cannot be imagined.
Also speaking, Mrs. Pauline Green, a woman leader in the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, lamented that what is going on in Rivers State is no longer about Wike and Fubara but a strange wave of a sinister force lurking in the oil-rich state.
She said it is unsettling that a stranger is at the top of affairs in the state, regretting that the fighters are busy fighting each other and not considering the enormous loss.
She also alleged that the actions were a plot to drain the treasury of the state, especially at a time when Nigeria has become a country where accountability is no longer possible.
Indications from the above show that the coming weeks may not be easy for either camp, as more startling revelations may be made, various scripts will be played, and, of course, the struggle to defend oneself may continue, while the residents and economy continue to bear the brunt.
