Former Governor of Rivers State, Rufus Ada George, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of masterminding the ongoing political unrest in the state, including the imposition of a state of emergency and the controversial appointment of sole administrators in all 23 local government areas.
Ada George, who governed Rivers State between 1992 and 1993 and now serves as the chair of the Rivers Elders and Leaders Forum, made the remarks during a media briefing addressing the latest political development in the state.
Ada George said, “The FCT Minister is the architect of all these things,” alleging that the minister had stoked the flames of instability after failing to impose his political will on the state’s leadership.
“He could set ablaze states where the governors did not share his views,” he added.
“And that is exactly what I think he is trying to do in Rivers State. Enough is enough. We will not allow him to set Rivers State ablaze anymore.”
The former governor pointed to the minister’s presence in the state just days before the controversial appointments of sole administrators. “He was reported to have been here on the 7th, Monday evening, traversing the whole place, visiting the military administrator. Then following that, this announcement came through.”
The state of emergency, declared by President Bola Tinubu in March, led to the appointment of a sole administrator, Ibok-ete Ibas and the suspension of elected officials in the state.
The recent decision to appoint sole administrators in local governments has been met with widespread condemnation from local political leaders and civil society groups, who argued that it undermines the democratic process and violates constitutional provisions regarding local governance.
Ada George joined in criticizing the appointments. He said, “The appointment of sole administrators is unconstitutional,” Ada George declared. “There are laid down legal processes for constituting local government leadership. This action undermines those principles.”
Ada George said that despite tensions, the Rivers Elders and Leaders Forum would continue to pursue peaceful solutions. “We cannot go physical… but we will resist in any form that will attempt to disrupt or disorganize this state,” he warned.
He expressed hope that the FCT Minister would engage with relevant stakeholders to ease tensions and restore dialogue. “We hoped he would consult with stakeholders for peacebuilding, to calm tensions, and to resolve the issues between the two parties—not escalate them,” he added.
Ada George also revealed that the Rivers Elders and Leaders Forum had reached out to both Governor Siminalayi Fubara and former Governor Nyesom Wike at the outset of the crisis but received no response. “We did communicate in writing to both the warring parties… but unfortunately, we didn’t have the courtesy of receiving a reply from any of them,” he said.
The forum, however, remains committed to seeking a lawful resolution, with Ada George affirming, “We will go to court where necessary. We have cases in court at the moment, and we will continue.”
