RIVERS CRISIS: What Tinubu did after Yoruba group asked him to intervene to clear his name

By OUR REPORTER

One of them asked, “What is in that eight-point resolution Fubara was made to sign that favours the governor? He should watch his back because they will use the signature he appended to deal with him.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday, again, intervened in the political crisis rocking Rivers State where the former Governor now his Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, struggles power of syste control with his erstwhile godson and success, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The DEFENDER reports that Tinubu’s recent intervention insidevthe same All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja failed because it was all done to favour Wike, who will no longer be held accountable over the affairs of the state, against the interest of Fubara, who is currently the custodian of power in the South South’s economic nerve centre.

Monday’s fresh intervention was of no difference as Tinubu reportedly made Fubara to sign an agreement that stakeholders in Rivers and in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nationwide have described as making the governor amidst “enemies” sign his own death warrant but insist will not be obeyed as Fubara does not represent himself but tge people.

However, both parties reached a truce that Monday night following about three hours of the talks at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, between President Bola Tinubu, Rivers Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, a former governor of the State, Peter Odili and Nyesome Wike, among other stakeholders.

Wike arrived at the State House at about 7 pm and was ushered into the President’s office, where the meeting was held with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, also in attendance.

The presence of pro-Wike’s APC Chairman, Tony Okocha, at the strictly PDP affair meeting became a major puncture to the presidential intervention.

They reached a purportedly eight-point resolution signed at the end of the meeting, following which the President directed that all lawsuits instituted in the courts by Fubara and his team regarding the political crisis in Rivers State be withdrawn immediately. Tinubu, however, did not – to the knowledge of our reporter – ask Wike team, who went to use a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop thevrequest of the governor to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-election to fill 25 seats vacant after Wike’s lawmakers decamped to Tinubu’s APC.

Tinubu, who wanted status quo maintained, did not also direct that those those PDP lawmakers who decamped from their party with intent to make the state difficult for Fubara to govern should return to their party and cooperate with their governor.

Nonetheless, the resolution was signed by Fubara; his deputy, Ordu; Wike; Ribadu; Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka, and his All Progressives Congress Chairman, Tony Okocha.

According to the Tinubu’s directive, Fubara was mandated to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill he had earlier presented to the four-member state House of Assembly to the full House.

Also, the directive read that all impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers Assembly against Fubara should be dropped immediately.

The eight-point resolutions read: “All matters instituted in the courts by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, and his team, in respect of the political crisis in Rivers State, shall be withdrawn immediately.

“All impeachment proceedings initiated against the Governor of Rivers State by the Rivers State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately

“The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.

“The remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the executive arm of government.

“The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.

“The names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the State should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval

“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised.”

The political crisis in Rivers State snowballed into the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex, which was burnt earlier, even as security personnel reportedly barricaded

Analysts have, however, asked Fubara to watch his back as there is no agreement reached with people like Tinubu and Wike, who play politics not to suit the people but own interests, that they themselves will take seriously and obey.

One of them said, “What is in that eight-point resolution Fubara was made to sign that favours the governor? He should watch his back because they will use the signature he appended to deal with him.”

Yoruba Group

The Progressives Yoruba Youth Congress (PYYC) had, on Sunday, called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the festering political crisis in Rivers State.

The president of the group, Akintunde Adedeji, who addressed journalists, urged Tinubu to openly state his position on the crisis in Rivers State by directing that all government institutions act according to the law.

“We call on the 27 former Rivers State House of Assembly members to seek proper legal guidance on the choices available to them going forward since it appears they are not beneficiaries of sound legal counsel based on their past and ongoing actions.

“We say this because the rest of Nigeria will hold them individually and collectively liable, with Wike their boss, for any breach of the peace in Nigeria arising from their misadventure,” Adedeji stated.

The group added that the call for Tinubu’s intervention was necessary to nip in the bud the insinuation that a Yoruba president is part of those allegedly destroying Rivers State.