By Didimoko A. Didimoko
The raging political feud between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his erstwhile godfather and predecessor, Nyesom Wike is threatening to plunge the state into a tribal war, investigation has revealed.
Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is locked in an intense battle with his estranged godson over control of the political structure of the state, and its resources.
An investigation by Naija Daily revealed that the battle is degenerating into a tribal war between the Ikwerre (upland) and Ijaw (riverine) areas.
The faceoff between the two sides heated up after the Friday, 28 February, Supreme Court ruling upholding the Martins Amaehule-led House of Assembly.
In the wake of the ruling, the House, which is loyal to the minister, issued a 48-hour ultimatum directing the governor to present the 2025 budget for consideration.
NDN recalls that Fubara had presented the budget to the Victor Oko-Jumbo led four-member house that is loyal to him. But the court has now declared that process illegal.
Amidst the governor’s fear of impeachment, the two major Ijaw groups, Ijaw National Congress and Ijaw Youth Council on Tuesday threatened violence if the governor is impeached.
The President of INC, Prof Benjamin Okoba, said the body would not fold its hand and allow its first governor in decades to be disgraced out of office.
He said, “If Governor Fubara’s tenure is truncated by the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly or anybody else, the INC cannot guarantee the sustenance of the current peace in the Niger Delta, nor the continued rise in oil production,” Prof Okaba said.
Similarly, the IYC Eastern Chapter, described the Assembly’s ultimatum to the governor as a plot to create chaos and potentially impeach Fubara,
“This is not only an attack on our leadership but also an affront to the will of the Rivers people who have entrusted their governance to one of our own,” the group said in a statement signed by Chairman, Datolu Sukubo and Secretary, Tamunokuro Dango.
Our correspondent gathered that the position of the two Ijaw groups has not gone well with some Ikwerre leaders and groups, who had remained neutral in the political face-off.
Findings further revealed that the division between the two groups is spilling into the streets of Port Harcourt and other parts of the state where opinions are now divided along tribal lines.
One Ikwerre leader, who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, warned that the FCT Minister is “not an orphan” noting that if their counterparts decide to speak along lines the Ikwerre would reciprocate.
“The matter in Rivers State is purely political among the two men. It was the same Wike that they are castigating that took an unknown Fubara and made him governor. If there is a fallout, elders and leaders should speak languages of conciliation, not inflammation.”
