As pro-Wike lawmakers reportedly defect to Fubara’s camp in Rivers
By BASHIR ADEFAKA, KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTER, Port Harcourt
According to an online newspaper report titled “Five Pro-Wike Lawmakers Defect To Fubara Camp…”, a twist may have hit the desperation of Bola Tinubu’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike to struggle the control of Rivers State political power with his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The DEFENDER gathered that Wike is the neither Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nor All Progressives Congress (APC) politician, whose tenure as Governor of Rivers State expired since May 29, 2023 but has never ceased one day from using all means from courts to security agencies as Tinubu’s Minister in Abuja to disrupt government activities in the oil-rich state because Fubara says “I am the Governor of Rivers State”.
Our checks showed that Wike, while preparing to leave office during the 2023 elections, had ensured that candidates for the State House of Assembly were 100 percent people he could order at any time and also pencilled down immediately after the state elections nominees that those lawmakers, after inauguration by the governor, approved as his Commissioners.
For failing thereafter to allow the former governor the free access to the state political power and resources control, trouble had since started from Wike to Fubara.
A section of the people of Rivers State, who fault Fubara over the crisis are saying since Wike brought him to office, he should have surrendered the state’s political powers and keys to its economic resources to his godfather so peace would reign.
Those with opposing views, however, punctured the fellow Rivers residents and their supporters from outside the state for “reasoning like the uncivilized.”
Chinosa Ofudie, a resident in Port Harcourt, who spoke to Our Reporter said, “How do you call yourself an educated person and you cannot differentiate between a politician who after finishing his eight years tenure as Governor of Rivers State (2015-2023) has continued to impose himself on his successor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, hindering him from performing his duty as the current constitutionally recognized Governor and Chief Accounting Officer of the state.”
The Supreme Court of Nigeria’s recent judgement has therefore continued to be viewed as controversial across all quarters within and outside the state as to how the apex court that should be the final judiciary level for case decider would leave descretion aside and give justice to a politician of Wike’s type considering that his personal and not state interest led to the crisis.
In the meantime, a surprising political shift has been reported whereby five lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly, all of whom were staunch supporters of former Governor Nyesom Wike, have announced their defection from Wike camp to Fubara fold.
This move, coming just after the Supreme Court judgement, has sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape, prompting speculation over the stability of pro-Wike lawmakers in the state who immediately after the judgement resumed their troubles with fresh plot to impeach the governor.
The five defectors — whose names have yet to be disclosed — were part of the “Pro-Wike” faction that had been instrumental in maintaining the former governor’s hold on the state.
Their departure marks a significant blow to the Wike influence in Rivers State and has left many questioning what this means for Fubara’s eight-year tenure, which some are now humorously referring to as a “celebration of stability.”
Political analysts believe that the defections could further weaken the Wike influence in the state, giving Governor Fubara the upper hand in advancing his agenda.
However, some critics have raised concerns about whether the move could spark a larger exodus of lawmakers, potentially altering the dynamics within the Rivers State House of Assembly.
For now, Governor Fubara, who assumed office on May 29, 2023, is likely to take the defections to his camp in stride, using the shift in political power to consolidate his position.
While celebrations of the governor’s tenure remain speculative, there is no doubt that these recent events could mark a new chapter in Rivers State politics, according to the report.
In an ironic twist, social media has exploded with jokes about the defections, with many joking that the “thunder” of the lawmakers’ exit will reverberate for years to come. “Thunder fire ultimatum,” one commentator quipped, referencing the earlier political tensions within the state.
Whether the defections will indeed lead to a smoother reign for Fubara remains to be seen, but the political waters are undoubtedly more turbulent now than ever.
As the state watches these developments unfold, it remains to be seen whether Governor Fubara’s tenure will be marked by the kind of stability he hopes for, or if these defections are only the beginning of larger political shifts in the coming years.
