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Winners & Losers Emerge
The ongoing political impasse occasioned by the State of Emergency declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 18th of March, 2025 has entered a new dimension. The supporters of the two major political gladiators FCT Minister Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike and the Suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara are now trading blames on who should take the bull by the horn and tender public apologies to Rivers people. This is coming on the heels that the Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas retd. has been going about talking to stakeholders in the 23 Local Government Areas using the Rivers state Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adepoju as his representative with other Service chiefs accompanying him in their quest to appealling to residents and indigenes residing in the LGAs where critical national infrastrucures are located for them to maintain peace and order. The group led by Commissioner of Police Rivers State Police Command, CP Adepoju used such outing to also get valid information from the stakeholders on their most concerned challenges that pose threat to peace and order in the state.
However, one thing is sure that on the side of FCT Minister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, when peace and order has been restored in the oil rich Rivers State, some key political office holders on the side of Governor Fubara especially his Commissioners, 23 Local Government Council Chairmen and 319 Councillors with key appointees in the Ministries, Directorates and Agencies MDAs will definitely not return to their various political positons as they will sacrifice such positions as part of compromise on the side of Gov. Siminalayi Fubara.
For FCT Minister Nysom Ezenwo Wike, it is almost jubilation time for him and his supporters as he may smile with 27 members of Rivers State House of Assembly led by Rt. Honourable Martin Chike Amaewhule. He, FCT Minister will have greater share of the number of Commissioners, reconstituted members of Management Board, Governing Councils of institutions of higher learning, members of House of Assembly Service Commission, membrrs of Civil Service Commission, members of Judicial Service Commission, Members of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
In a press interview recently granted to BBC Pidgin English version by FCT Minister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, he made statements like ‘“if they want wayo peace we give them if they want genuine peace, we will give them”…The FCT Minister also admitted that Governor Fubara is his political son and that he is not fighting his political son but fighting those who are outside and who never wanted Governor Siminalayi Fubara to be elected as Governor during the 2023 governorship election. He went on to announce the names of Rivers State politicians he defeated at the polls then including Dr. Austin Opara former Deputy Speaker Federal House of Representatives, Sir Celestine Omehia former Commissioner and 5-months Governorship usurper in 2007, Dr. Abiye Sekibo former Minister of Transportation and Director General Rivers State chapter of Atiku Abubakar 2023 Presidential Organization and Prince Uche Secondus former National Chairman PDP all were supporters of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar a 2023 PDP Presidential candidate. They all collapsed the Atiku Abubakar 2023 Presidential Campaign organization in Rivers state to join Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s government. These PDP members are frontline Rivers State politicians who are currently relevant in the search for peace in the troubled Rivers State political landscape.
Again, FCT Minister and 27 State Lawmakers led by Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule who in the Supreme Court Judgement have had their membership of the Rivers State House of Assembly validate in the FCT Minister Wike is raising his voice to speak about victory in this struggle to control who gets what in the Rivers State political governance.
Therefore, losers in the Rivers State political crisis are those who fought against Wike in the 2022 PDP presidential primary election in which he lost to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Another set of losers include all who participated in the 5th October 2024 Local Government Councils election under the Action Peoples Party-APP with elephant as its political symbol.FCT Minister Wike was vexed that the political structure under his watch has been destroyed. Therefore to restore that political structure in the 319 Wards is the battle and 23 LGAs leadership via election of Chairmen which the Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas retd. Another loser is the Acting PDP Chairman in Rivers State Dr. Robin Ewor while Aaron Chukwuemeka led Executive of PDP may be restored for a lasting peace which also will be a total win for FCT Minister in his quest to control PDP in Rivers state ahead of the 2027 General elections.
Should the suspended Governor Fubara return back to office in September 2025, he will be made to accept a single term governorship from 2023 to 2027 as the impeachment threat will be suspended.
On the part of FCT Minister Wike, the losers include Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule for he lost being Acting Governor if the impeachment process against Gov. Fubara had succeeded in March 2025. Another critical loser may be Hon. Dr. Edison Ehie who was Chief of Staff to Gov. Fubara. The question is will he be restored back to Government Administrative office as Chief of Staff or will Wike select Mr Amadi, the former Chief of Staff to Gov. Simnalayi Fubara to return to office?
The entire losers are the Rivers State citizens who since the onset of the 2023 demoncratic dispensation have been denied smooth governance due to the political fight between FCT Minister and his political son Gov. Siminalayi Fubara. This is because all ongoing developmrntal projects were put on hold due to the 2025 state budget not being appropriately presented to Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule led House of Assembly. This is currently being handled by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has written to Senate and House of Representatives with a N1.43trillion Rivers state 2025 Budget proposal. Rivers State people are not happy going by their daily utterances monitored from major radio stations in the state. Their grouse may not be unconnected with the implementation of such humongous N1.43trillion by a non elected and non Indigene of Rivers state who they claim may not apply directly the state funds in such a way that certain political gladiators will not be found dipping hands into the state treasury sharing the cake according to the interests of those who appointed him.
Again, for the fact that a National Assembly legislative Committee will be playing oversight legislative function that the Rivers State House of Assembly ought to have played if they were to be in office, is among the dissenchantment by Rivers State people not accepting the 6 months presidential proclamation of State of Emergency in Rivers State.
If Governor Fubara had succeeded in this fight all the 3 elected Senators Allwell Onyesoh Rivers East, Dr. Ipalibo Harry- Banigo Rivers West and Dr. Barinada Mpigi of Rivers South East senatorial Zone all sponsored by Wike will not be returning to National Assembly by 2027 including those members of Federal House of Representatives who never supported Gov. Siminalayi Fubara’s administration with O.K Chinda minority leader House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly would have waved goodbye to their 2027 bid to continue representing the good people of Obio/ Akpor Federal constituency.
–Emeka Amaefula
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