By OUR REPORTER
“We have moved to the APC and we are working with the President, we have crossed that Rubicon and there is no going back for us,” George said.
For waiting until the embattled Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, had publicly confirmed that he actually signed the reported peace agreement with Nyesom Wike under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s watch before coming out to object the president’s directives, the next line of battle against the governor may have been drawn except it is the rumoured plan to make him eventually lead the Wike group into APC that is playing out.
Accused of having hand in the state political crisis emanating from Wike, former governor, wrestling power structure control with his successor, Fubara, Tinubu had intervened Monday night by proffering a solution that saw both parties signing a controversial eight-point peace accord whereby he directed the 27 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, who defected to his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) amidst the situation, to return to status quo.
Although it has been widely reported the differences between Wike and Fubara have been resolved, crisis in the South South state appeared to continue unabated Wednesday night, when one of the defecting lawmakers, Enemi George, ruled out returning to the former party thus vindicating those who warned the governor asking him to watch his back as the people he was signing agreement with are irrespectant of any agreement and that Wike would use it to strike him later.
Fubara, to the shock of many across Nigeria, had come out to say he truly signed the agreement, not under duress, because he said nothing could be too much to give as price for peace. Those who were shocked wondered whether the governor’s political enemies share the same belief with him.
Explaining the resolve of the cross carpeting members to remain with their new party, George, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, said that 27 of them that moved to the APC are committed to supporting APC’s President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.
“We have crossed that Rubicon. We have move to the APC. We voted for the President, if we find Mr President worthy of our votes then I think we should find him worthy of our support.
“We have moved over to join his Renewed Hope Agenda to work hands in gloves with him to ensure that the expectations of Nigerians are fulfilled. So, we have moved to the APC and we are working with the President, we have crossed that Rubicon and there is no going back for us,” George said.
The crack between Wike and Fubara split lawmakers in the House with 27 of them decamping from the PDP to the ruling APC, a party in whose central government Wike currently serves as minister.
It degenerated to a level where the governor was served impeachment notice, saw the demolition of the Assembly Complex and a gale of resignations of pro-Wike commissioners from Fubara’s cabinet.
However, a resolution seemed to have been reached after Tunubu had a meeting with the warring parties on Monday. But in the fallout after, the agreement looks more like a hatchet work to deal with the governor, going by George’s latest revelation.
According to George, over 150 people from both parties, including members of the National Assembly, elders in the state, among others, attended the peace meeting with the President.
He went on to narrate how truce was brokered between the warring parties President.
“For every item that was considered, the President gave both parties the option of controverting or agreeing. So, each item was deliberated and was agreed on.
“At the end of the deliberations, parties were asked to come up and append their signatures to the document and Mr President said, ‘Do I have your approval to release this to the press?’ and everybody echoed yes.
“And so, everybody signed on the document and then we moved forward. The governor signed and he gave a speech that he was committed to that agreement; Mr Speaker also made a speech and committed to accepting all the agreement,” he said.
Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu had warned that by the agreement, President Tinubu removed the knife from Fubara’s neck to his back. Others said the governor, by signing, signed his own death warrant.
