During Rivers State’s local government elections on Saturday, August 30, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike made a suggestion that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State could return to Government House and take up his constitutional duties.
According to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s announcement on March 18, the state was to be placed under emergency rule for a period of six months, with the option to prolong it if peace was still elusive after that time. As a result, the first six months will begin on September 18 and many Rivers residents’ hearts are racing.
On September 18, the day of the local government election, Wike predicted that Fubara will probably make a comeback. Wike might not be the nation’s president, and he lacks the constitutional authority to revoke a statement made by the commander in chief. However, Wike’s statement might serve as a bond because of his proximity to the halls of power.
Few people have placed their bets on the September 18 date, despite the minister’s announcement possibly reigniting hopes for Fubara’s historic homecoming. Fubara will be remembered as the most degraded and destitute governor in history.
Wike, Okocha’s remarks on Fubara’s return
Wike had declared on election day that “the governor and State House of Assembly will return to their jobs by the 18th of September, when the state of emergency will end.” “The Supreme Court had nullified the other election (October 5, 2024), and if this election was not conducted, it means that there is no governance at the grassroots level,” he continued, explaining why the local government poll had to be held in the manner that it was.
Chief Tony Okocha, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers state chapter and a close supporter of the FCT minister, firmly stated that “the governor who was suspended will return to office on 18th of September,” supporting Wike’s claims. It is also thought that Okocha may have had privileged knowledge of the potential to put Fubara back in power because of his affiliation with the APC and his connections to federal authorities.
At a news conference in Port Harcourt, Okocha went a step further to provide a more comprehensive picture of what Nigerians and Rivers residents might anticipate when Fubara inevitably takes government again. “APC will work with him when he returns,” he stated. In several states, the governor and members of the assembly come from different political parties. We will collaborate with him. That won’t, however, take away our ability to chastise him when he acts improperly. The Local Government Area Chairmen would cooperate with him, but we won’t accept cruel practices, Okocha stated.
This makes it quite evident that Fubara must carry out all of the promises made in the most recent peace agreement, which inevitably implies making him merely a ceremonial governor with no independent political system.
Fear of Emergency Rule extension
Despite Okocha’s and Wike’s promises, there is still concern that the emergency rule would be extended for an additional three months. Reputable sources suggested that several organisations supporting retired Vice Admiral Ibok Etteh Ibas, the only administrator of Rivers state, are requesting further time for him to complete some initiatives he started. They think that even though Ibas inherited the majority of the projects, he will want to see them finished before giving the governor control of the state to ensure efficient governance.
Rebuilding the destroyed House of Assembly complex on Moscow Road is one such project. “The administrator’s goal is to make sure the Assembly Complex is finished and furnished properly so that when lawmakers return from suspension, they can work in a comfortable environment,” the source stated.
Additionally, the state makes more money through the continuous verification process of its government officials. Given that 37,703 workers were confirmed, compared to a prior estimate of almost 43,000, Ibas had suggested that the exercise had produced noteworthy outcomes. Additionally, 2,004 local government pensioners out of 2,600 were validated, while 19,186 state pensioners were certified versus the prior 25,500.
The administrator had received praise for the revisions from several trade union officials. Comrade Alex Agwanwu, the State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), expressed his satisfaction with the exercise’s results, stating that it had “fostered efficiency, transparency, and professionalism.” Comrade Christopher Amadi, the chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), expressed gratitude that the exercise did not interfere with wage disbursements. Given these facts, it is clear that the state is saving some money. Additionally, it has revealed a certain level of corruption that has always been a feature of the state civil service system.
Distrust
There is still mistrust between the suspended governor and FCT minister Wike that needs to be addressed, even though there are encouraging signs that Fubara will return.
Both Wike and Fubara’s supporters harbour intense animosity and mistrust towards one another during the state’s nearly two-year political crisis, and they have not yet accepted the peace agreement. Therefore, full healing will require more than a formal peace agreement.
Findings indicated that Fubara’s troops and friends avoided the practice on the day of the local government election. They boycotted the election because they believed that the FCT Minister had cheated on Fubara and his supporters by taking advantage of every political chance for himself and his friends.
“The crisis went too deep and will take a longer time of deliberate effort for genuine peace to heal,” one of Governor Fubara’s commissioners stated. The governor and the members of the Assembly must work together harmoniously, and the governor and the FCT minister must have a close relationship.
“These two powerful gladiators will never again have faith in one another, regardless of what anyone says or does. The crisis caused too much pain. While Fubara is extremely ashamed and humiliated by the suspension, Wike feels deceived by Fubara. The peace agreement is merely a front. There’s a lot underneath.
Lawmakers’ regret
Investigations have also revealed that certain Assembly legislators’ welfare has suffered as a result of the nearly six-month ban. Some of them now regret fighting Governor Fubara as a result of this. According to reports, one of the parliamentarians said in a friend, “‘oga’ (the FCT minister) pressured us to start this pointless battle.
The crime that Fubara has committed is not even visible to me. This was forced upon us without our consent. For some of us, things are not going well. We have to look after our families, kids, and other family members. And what about our many supporters throughout the state? “This is regrettable,” he bemoaned.
According to the Lawmaker, Fubara was the subject of numerous falsehoods. However, we quickly learnt that everything was false. We had no choice but to reluctantly continue at that point,” he admitted.
Controversy over LG polls
Governor Fubara’s October 5, 2024, council election was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in its ruling in the case SC/CV/1176/2024, which pitted the Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, and nine other parties.
In the main ruling, Justice Jamilu Tukur ruled that the election was “unconstitutional” because it did not adhere to due process. The implication was that the Federal Government would withhold the contributions owed to the 23 councils until a new poll was completed. The August 30th council election seems to be correct in the eyes of those who support the state’s emergency rule, despite the administrative and procedural flaws that plagued it. The recent election was conducted at lightning speed, which resulted in a number of mistakes, but the leaders and influential players behind the Rivers State democratic twist chose to ignore these.
Objections to polls
The African Democratic Congress, or ADC, made it apparent that the exercise was carried out in flagrant violation of the law by boycotting the poll. Chief Leader Sampson, the party’s chairman, declared the election to be “unconstitutional” in addition to “illegal.”
In addition to being unlawful and unconstitutional, the exercise was a flagrant attack on democracy, he argued. It can’t and won’t endure. The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is merely attempting to force his personally chosen candidates on the people of Rivers State through this alleged election.
“We oppose this pathetic attempt at political manipulation. Rivers residents’ resounding and admirable rejection of this egregious disregard for democratic standards was demonstrated by their refusal to cast ballots.
“As a law-abiding political party, the ADC refused to participate in this sham process. We will challenge it to a logical conclusion. We recall that during the national bye-elections earlier this year, INEC failed to conduct elections in Rivers State—specifically in Khana Constituency 2—on the grounds that the State was under emergency rule and therefore unsafe.” Nevertheless, the election was one of the factors that accelerated Fubara’s return, and now that the poll is over, all eyes will be on September 18 for the restoration of all democratic institutions in the state.
Ibas meets Tinubu
The date of the state’s emergency rule removal on September 18 may actually be sacrosanct given the unverified rumour that Ibas and President Tinubu met privately in the Villa in Abuja last Wednesday.
According to a source, there may be a connection between the process of transferring power to Fubara and the private meeting between the president and the administrator. “The President is an extremely careful individual. He wants to know how much Ibas earned during the emergency, how much he spent on certain initiatives, and how much money was left over in the public coffers,” he stated.
