Governor Fubara, you’re on your own

 

On Monday, December 18, 2023, a signed agreement to resolve the lingering political crisis in Rivers State surfaced in the media. It was an eight-point resolution reached at the end of about three hours meeting held at the Presidential Villa between the camps of Rivers State governor, Siminalaye Fubara, and that of his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike. This was the second time the President is mediating in the brewing local political crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta state. Some political watchers said the president shouldn’t have mediated while others believe that Fubara was handed the short end of the stick.

Before examining the content of the signed truce, let me attempt a chronicle of the political development that brought about this presidential intervention. On the night of Sunday, October 29, 2023, there was an inferno at the Rivers State House of Assembly complex due to explosives purportedly ignited by unknown arsonists; by the dawn of Monday, October 30, the majority members of the Rivers State House of Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Fubara. They said he committed gross misconduct. They also suspended the Leader of the House, Edison Ehie, and three others loyal to the governor. It became clear thereafter that in a 32-member Assembly, only four members are with the sitting governor while 27 are loyal to his godfather, the former governor now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. One of the RSHA members died.

In the course of time, two factions of the House of Assembly emerged, both laying claim to be the authentic faction and having parallel sittings. The judiciary was dragged into the fray with both sides getting ex-parte orders and several court injunctions in their favour both in Port Harcourt and Abuja. On Tuesday, December 12, Justice M.W. Danagogo of the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt ruled that the authentic Speaker is Edison Ehie. The judge also restrained Martin Amaewhule and Dumle Maol from parading themselves as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, or interfering with the activities of Ehie as the Speaker of the Assembly.

This emboldened Fubara as he hurriedly presented the state’s N800bn 2024 Appropriation Bill to a four-member Assembly on Wednesday, December 13. Isn’t that preposterous? Absurdity and impunity were taken to Olympian height when the governor claimed to have received the approved budget from the House a day after it was presented. He claimed to have signed the budget into law. N800bn state budget without any legislative action; no first, second readings; no committee work; no budget defence by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Rivers State; no third reading and final passage of the bill. Wow!

While many thought that was enough shenanigan, Fubara ordered the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The Same day he presented the budget to the minority House, excavators, wheel loaders and other earth-moving equipment moved to the Rivers State House of Assembly, not to refurbish the torched complex, but to level the structures to the ground. The Assembly complex comprising about six buildings, including the main chamber, was built during the administration of Dr  Peter Odili who was the state governor between 1999 and 2007. There is no gainsaying that it is a sheer waste of public finance to pull down structures that can be repaired. Although the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, in a statement last Wednesday, said the place was unsafe for human habitation because of the recent explosion and fire incident there, however, not a few knew it was done to prevent the 27 loyalists of Godfather Wike from sitting, thereby frustrating any impeachment move on the governor.

On Monday, December 11, 27 Rivers State lawmakers loyal to Wike defected to the All Progressives Congress citing division within the Peoples Democratic Party as well as the refusal of the state governor to pay their salaries and allowances. Prior to this gale of defections, the APC Rivers State Executive Committee was dissolved and a seven-man caretaker committee inaugurated on Friday, November 24, 2023, at the APC headquarters. The caretaker committee is headed by Tony Okocha, who is a presumed loyalist of Wike.  Thus, the grand design is to hand over the APC structure in Rivers State to the immediate past governor. It remains to be seen if he and his other loyalists comprising senators, House of Representatives members and other federal political appointees will defect to the APC in due course.

Meanwhile, Edison Ehie as the recognised Speaker has officially written to the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct bye-election in the 27 constituencies where their lawmakers have defected to the APC.  The G-27 also got an Abuja High Court injunction from Justice Donatus Okoronwo to stop INEC from doing so following an ex-parte motion moved by the defected lawmakers’ counsel, Peter Onuh. The court order restrains INEC, PDP, and the House of Assembly from declaring the defectors’ seats vacant or withdrawing their Certificates of Returns pending the determination of the motion on notice.

Another newsworthy incident that happened in the course of this political imbroglio was the mass resignation of commissioners serving in Governor Sim Fubara’s government. At the last count, nine out of 19 commissioners had resigned their appointments. They are the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN); Commissioner for Works, Dr Des George-Kelly; Commissioner for Special Duties, Emeka Woke; Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs. Inime Aguma; Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu. Others are the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Chinedu Mmom; Commissioner for Housing, Dr Gift Worlu; Commissioner for Transport, Dr Jacobson Nbina; and Commissioner for Environment, Austin Ben-Chioma.

The content of the eight-point resolution signed by the mediators and warring parties in the Rivers State crisis on Monday, December 18, 2023, stated as follows: Governor Fubara and his allies will withdraw all court cases related to the crisis. The state House of Assembly will drop impeachment proceedings initiated against Fubara.  The leadership of the House, under Speaker Martin Amaewhule, will be recognised, along with the 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party. Governor Fubara will re-present the 2024 budget to the Amaewhule-led Assembly.

Others are: Salaries and benefits for all Assembly members and staff will be restored. The Assembly will have autonomy to choose its location and conduct business without interference from the Executive. The governor will resubmit the names of resigned commissioners for approval and the dissolution of local governments is declared null and void.

From the foregoing, it will seem that the resolution achieved a win-win solution. However, Fubara only got his seat protected for him. He will still be governing among his political enemies. All Wike’s loyalists both in the state cabinet and House of Assembly are to retain their seats. The local government chairmen and councillors also got their lifeline. Now the governor who is still in the PDP will be governing over the APC-dominated House of Assembly. A look at the key ministries being held by the resigned Wike loyalists shows who is controlling the finances of Rivers State. Believe you me, Governor Fubara you’re O-Y-O! This means you’re just a figurehead governor with no power or authority as the levers of power remain with your political godfather in Abuja. You’re a military General without a battalion of soldiers under you. Figure it out!  Unfortunately, as this roforofo fight rages, the welfare and security of the good people of Rivers State is secondary.