President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the political ripples in Rivers State over the crisis that rocked the state, following attempt by 24 members of the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Monday.
Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, who briefed State House Correspondents after the maiden Police Council meeting under the Tinubu administration, said the president engaged in discussions with both Fubara and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is alleged to be behind the plot, to restore peace in the state.
Both men attended the police council meeting, which consists of 36 governors and the FCT minister.
Mohammed said: “We had a closed session, you will recall, members of the press, where a very serious national issue was discussed that has security implication. That is the problem emerging in Rivers. Mr. President, in his usual leadership position, intervened and it would appear there will be peace in that respect.”
Fubara and Wike (who incidentally wore white kaftan) were seen outside the Council Chambers of the State House, shaking hands.
Some of the governors, including Wike and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, were sighted as they engaged in a aside discussion while others exchanged banters.
In the ensuing development, Wike later proceeded to shake hands and briefly exchange pleasantries with Fubara after he had disengaged from the NSA. However, the security personnel present throughout the men’s small talk prevented media from taking any still or moving images of the event.
The plot to impeach the governor was foiled by his loyalists who stormed the Assembly complex.
In a separate reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2015 governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, has called on the political actors to let reason prevail.
The former director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), lamented that “our once peaceful Rivers State” has been turned into a theatre of the absurd by desperate political actors who do not wish the state well.
He condemned in all ramifications, the raw violence that followed what he said should ordinarily be average political engagements.
“I also completely condemn the unwarranted disruption of normal governmental activities by politically motivated interest. All people of goodwill who love our dear state and democracy must condemn this in no mean measure.
“I have read in the media, impeachment issues and the like. In good conscience, impeachment issues cannot arise in less than five months of incumbency. It sends the wrong signal that our state is a land of theatrics.
“Nothing in the political landscape has shown that the governor has compromised the state’s interest or put our state in a severe security quagmire.
“I have always said no pursuit of personal interest or ambition can override the interest of Rivers State and its people. We, political leaders, must always watch our actions and tame our excesses.
“I appeal to all political actors to allow time and space for the governor to do his job. Only one governor can function at a time. I also appeal to House of Assembly members to focus on the business of law-making and get less distracted by the pursuit of personal ego or narrow pecuniary interest.
“I appeal to all leaders in Rivers State to intervene in measured terms with the overall interest of our state in mind. Posterity will judge all of us. Let us allow reason to prevail,” Peterside said.