By kole Yusuf
Barely 2 months to mark the one-year anniversary celebration of the administration of the government of Sir Siminialyi Fubara all odds have been against the smooth running of his mandate to govern Rivers state for 4 years. No sooner was he sworn in, his predecessor Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike and his loyalists across the 319 electoral wards and 23 Local Government Councils unleashed trouble from all corners. On the 5th month into his administration exactly 3oth of October, 2023 the Rivers state House of Assembly was set ablaze by unknown arsonists as his impeachment notice was served him the same by 27 Members of the Rivers state House of assembly who are loyal to Nyesom Wike. Not done the Opposition political party All Progressives Congress APC faction led by Tony Okocha a subterfuge of the mainstream APC lead by Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi with Chief Emeka Bekee as state Chairman surreptitiously worked hand-in -hand with Nyesom Wike during the February 25th 2023 Presidential election to manipulate Electoral results in Rives state in favour of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose emergence as the victorious President of Nigeria has now divided the real Government of Rivers state into three camps. First is the role the Minister of Federal Capital territory FCT Abuja Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and his 27 Members of Rivers state House of Assembly now defected to APC have put asunder the real government of Fubara.
Another set of challenge to the smooth running of the Government of Sir Siminialayi Fubara is the spoiler role Tony Okocha now Acting Care Taker Chairman of APC in Rivers state who is using every opportunity in public for a to discredit the rivers state Government using his dual current positions as Rivers state representative in the management Board of Niger Delta Development Commission-NDDC and Acting careTaker Chairman of APC in Rivers state.
With 10 months gone apart from 20,00 0mHousing estate project and daily noise making by former member of Rivers state House of assembly Honourable Evans Bipi leader of Simplified Rivers team who are going around the 23 LGAs in Thanking God for Supreme Court victory, no other legacy project of his own creation has been done. The Port Harcourt Ring Road worth N200B which his predecessor-initiated Governor Fubara has been fighting from all fronts a confirmation what his predecessor Wike told him during the book launching programme held at Port Harcourt that he knew that he won’t win against the incumbent Governor but he will distract him throughout his tenure that he won’t have any visible project to show to for campaign during the second term electioneering campaigns.
On several occasions’ members of the Rivers state House of Assembly controlled by Speaker Martins Chike Amaewhule had reversed Local Government Laws of Rivers state introducing new clauses which make the LGC autonomous with less or no supervising powers of the incumbent governor in the administration of Local Government Councils. Even with the administrative roles of Rivers state Local Government Service Commission inside the office of the Executive Governor of Rivers state, 27 Rivers state house of Assembly members believe that they have removed the Local Government administration from Gov. Fubara’s control. The battle here may not be unconnected with the 2027 re-election project of Pro Wike group in Rivers state who are in control of the 23 LGAs On the other hand Gov. Fubara using his position to increase the suspended payment of N30,000.00 salary increment of the workers of the Local Government administration which has been on the table since 13 years.
Tony Okocha on his own part has been criticising Governor Fubara for lacking the administrative acumen promising his followers that come 2027 that his political party APC will upturn the electoral fortune of the ruling party in Rivers state. The Acting State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party PDP Aaron Chukwuemeka a well-known political follower of Minister of FCT Abuja has vowed not to leave PDP of course everyone knows that he has been asked by the Minister to play a spoiler role against Governor Fubara.