I wanted Fubara removed, not emergency rule – Wike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he is not happy with the Presidential Proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State.
The minister stated this during a media parley in Abuja on Friday.
Last month, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing persistent political instability and recent security threats, including pipeline explosions.
The president suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the House of Assembly for six months. He described the move as “inevitably compelling” based on security reports.
In their place, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibas as sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs pending resolution of the crisis — a decision that has sparked widespread debate across the country.
Speaking during the Friday media parley, Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers, said he wanted the outright removal of Fubara.
Wike insisted that the governor’s position was already untenable before the president stepped in.
He said: “As a politician, I am not happy with the declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers state. I wanted the outright removal of the governor. But for the interest of the state, the president did the right thing to prevent anarchy in the state.
“The governor was gone. He was gone, yes… so when people say the president did this, I say they should be praising him. Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?’”
Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads since Fubara became governor.
The face-off between the two stems from a struggle for control of the state’s political and structural resources.
The rift also affected the state House of Assembly, with 27 suspended members defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Furthermore, the conflict led to the emergence of factional speakers and a parallel assembly.
