Victor Ezeja
AdminAgainst the backdrop of the raging face-off between him and his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike – the serving Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Governor Siminalayi Fubara asserted on Friday that he didn’t get into the governance of Rivers State to feather the nest of “big men”.
Only yesterday, Prime Business Africa reported the Caretaker committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state as disclosing that the attempt by President Bola Tinubu to broker peace between Fubara and Wike, who is the immediate past Governor of the state, has failed.
On Monday, 27 members of the State House of Assembly loyal to Wike cross-carpeted from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC. This was as Governor Fubara demolished the Assembly complex, saying the integrity of the structure which was gutted by fire two months ago could not be guaranteed.
In the wake of the assemblymen’s defection, factional speaker of the House, Edison Ehie promptly declared their seats vacant.
The Governor went on to present the 2024 budget to the Ehie-led group of five lawmakers at the Government House in Port Harcourt after a court barred the Martins Amaewhule-led faction from using the assembly.
The latest in the political drama is the resignation of at least seven commissioners from Fubara’s cabinet in an apparent show of solidarity with Wike.
Speaking at the flag off of 20,000 housing units in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state today, the Governor said, “I can assure you here that this is the beginning of our service to the people of Rivers State. It is not service to big men like me but like to the low-income people”.
Fubara maintained that his administration is not interested in fighting anybody, assuring the Rivers people that his government will take care of and defend them. He told investors that Rivers State is very safe and secure for their investments, insisting that there is no crisis in the state.
“Rivers State is a haven for investment. What we are doing today is to let the world know; not what you hear on the radio or what you see on the screen of television, ‘Rivers State is not safe, there is a crisis’.
“Rivers State is safe and secure for anybody anywhere to come and invest, your investment is safe in our hands.
“For our people, I want to assure you that our governance has nothing to do with fighting anybody. Our governance is to take care of and defend our people,” he said.
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