Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has explained why the state of emergency in Rivers State remains in effect and why suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara cannot be reinstated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the moment.
Speaking in a media parley with TVC from 1:29:47, Wike offered a candid assessment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s political predicament. “Governors came and pushed him (Fubara). Where are they now? I think the governors are enjoying their own power in their states,” he stated.
The minister reflected on his initial guidance to Fubara. “This was a young man that I said, ‘Look, go this way and you will not have a problem,'” Wike recalled. “People came and told him to assert himself as governor. He has asserted himself now, and trouble has come. A state of emergency has been declared now. Who wears the shoe knows where it pinches him.”
Wike elaborated on why President Bola Tinubu cannot easily lift the state of emergency. “Assuming that the state of emergency is called off, has the problem ended? No,” he explained. “The Assembly will still be firm as they have been; they will not pass your budget. So, the crisis will still be there; you won’t get federal allocation. He has to take the necessary steps towards peace.”
Addressing his recent meeting with Fubara, Wike emphasized that he did not impose preconditions. “I did not give him any condition,” he said. “I told him that I don’t think you have the capacity to really make this peace, because it is not easy.”
The minister criticized the approach of Fubara’s supporters, noting ongoing public demonstrations. “If you are making peace, your people are demonstrating every day. If you are making peace, your people are on television, insulting people every day,” Wike noted.
