Opunabo Inko-Tariah is former Special Adviser to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. In this interview, asks President Bola Tinubu to call the Inspector General of Police to order, frowns at some actions taken by Governor Fubara, among others. JOY ANIGBOGU brings the excerpts:
Your former boss, Nyesom Wike said that there is peace in Rivers State thanks to the intervention of President Tinubu, as a stakeholder, is there peace in Rivers?
The FCT Minister was just mouthing, there is no peace in Rivers State. What we have in Rivers State now is peace before the storm. First of all we are talking about the hounding of those that are perceived to be loyal to Governor Simi Fubara, for example the chief of staff. Why did they have to move the case from Rivers State to the Federal Capital Territory? I am talking about the murder of the DPO. You will ask yourself a question, where was the crime committed? You cannot just move the case to Abuja. Wike said that the judiciary, the legislature and the executive are working independently and very well. Are you saying that the judiciary in Rivers State doesn’t have what it takes, the credibility to handle that matter, because the matter is already in court? It was moved to Abuja so that he can bring to bear his peasants and that is why most of us are calling the President to caution the Inspector General of Police (IGP). It mustn’t be political. We have not heard about those policemen that were with the commissioner when he was killed. We have not heard about them but you are hounding the chief of staff because of his political fidelity. Talking about the House of assembly, we are going to have very serious constitutional crisis. We must not allow sentiments becloud our reasoning. The reason adduced for the defection, they said it was eight point agenda. Must political settlements out distance legal requirements and conditions? If that is the case we don’t need Supreme Court judgments anymore. We just need to go to the President and let him give a verdict on any issue. If he says you are guilty, you are guilty, and if he says you are innocent, you are innocent. We don’t need the courts anymore. We are talking about legal matters where you have pectoral of cases and defections. Too major conditions, it is either party melt of you have crisis. The first time they talked of crisis, where the party secretary who had gubernatorial ambition refused to resign his seat, which was not tantamount to crisis, one person dragged him to court. The second one was, “the president was doing well” This is not known in law and it is alien to content of judgment of the Supreme Court. As we speak, those persons are not members of the House of Assembly irrespective of the agreement entered into because that cannot supersede the provisions of the law. As we speak we don’t have a speaker, we have only four members. It was in that premise and relying upon court judgment that the budget was presented. That budget was passed and you said it should be represented. Now, why do you want to represent that budget? The question will arise after your representation. On what authorities do you spend the monies that were spent? It is clearing the grounds for impeachment and removal. You have also admitted by representing that budget, that Martin Amaewhule irrespective of the court judgment, which is why you represented that budget to him. Then all these while that you have been spending money on whose authority did you spend the money. In that case it is an impeachable offence. He cannot even defend it. That is why I said that the governor if he represented the budget, he will be signing his exit card. There is no sentiment about it because they are coming for the jugular. They are only preparing grounds. Now, how many times has the state Assembly turned down the governor? They kept over riding the veto of the governor, and they say that there is peace. If you look at the laws that they came up with caretaker committee, these are things that in as much as the care taker committee so to speak, not legal, but even the Wike himself started the care committee. There were local government chairmen that he removed through the instrumentality of the court and appointed caretaker committee chairmen. Now it is not even time for election and you are shouting that you don’t want caretaker committee. They are scared that the governor might want to influence the election of local government chairmen. If he cannot come up with caretaker committee so that he can still be in control and that is why he is responsible for all these laws.
You highlighted a few things to demonstrate the fact that no love lost between the Governor and the House of Assembly, no peace yet despite the peace brokered by the President and despite all the thanks giving to him by the Governor after the Supreme Court ruling, and the FCT Minister coming out to thank the President for bringing some sort of peace, the bills that have been sent to the House of Assembly has been vetoed when he didn’t assent to it, and they said that they didn’t need the Governor, what is the way forward?
I think the tranquilizing drug of calmness that the Governor has taken is yet to expire. That is why a lot of us Rivers people are saying, that we have to be in the side of the law. Sadly I must say that the Governor is not even ready to assert his right, and we don’t even know why. A lot of us are worried because it’s not about Fubara, it is about the office that symbolizes the struggle. It’s just about the office of the Governor. It could have been any other person. When you see the Rivers people troop out to support the Governor, it is not about the Governor Fubara, it’s referendum against dictatorship. One day even the state elders, like the Rufus Ada George and co, it cuts across party line. Some of them are even apolitical. Even when they invited the Governor he turned down the invitation. He doesn’t attend, he doesn’t turn up. So, you don’t even know his thinking, his mind set, so Rivers people are saying, no. So we are not just talking about Simi Fubara we are talking about our state. Even Simi Fubara cannot just wake up and say he wants to sell the government house. We are going to protest, we won’t let him do that. What we want is for the rule of law to prevail, with the rule of law 70 percent of the problem would have been solved.
Why are you drinking pain killer for somebody that says he doesn’t have pain, you are a busy body because the Governor has said that him and Wike his father are one and he will make peace with him, so why are you bothered?
First and foremost I will not sit down and watch you murder your son because he is your son. Because your son said that he is your father then I will watch you kill him that is number one. Secondly, if it is between father and son they should go to the bedroom and fight and not use the state as ring. We are not interested in whether you slap former Governor Wike or Wike slaps you. This as to do with the state and we are all stakeholders.
It’s no longer in your hands because when these people made plans on how to win elections, you don’t know the agreement between them. He is like a man in love….
We are not bothered about what goes on between father and son. It is affecting governance and it is also affecting us. Nothing is happening in Rivers State in terms of human capital development. In terms of infrastructural development. We are worried. Wike was governor for eight years he has gone. Fubara will be governor if God blesses him for another eight years, he will be gone. What will happen to the state? If the likes of Spiff have toed this path, we wouldn’t have had Rivers State today, so that is the problem.
Why are some people in Rivers accusing the police?
In the administration of justice you don’t cherry pick. The matter is already before a High Court in Rivers State. What is that vested interest in moving the matter to Abuja. In that same matter you don’t have any evidence yet but you are hounding the chief of staff because of his fidelity to the Governor. In that same matter we are yet to hear of the prosecution of the police officers that abandoned their DPO and ran away. You also look at the antecedents. During the election certain people were hounded for darling to declare their intentions.
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