With the local government elections done and dusted in Rivers State, in line with the wishes of the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, the political structures in the state will now be effectively in his back pockets, while the state governor, Sim Fubara, gets ready to return to office as the first siddon look governor in Nigeria.
Indications have already emerged, that Fubara will return to office as the emergency rule ends in the around September 18. On Saturday, Wike said after casting his vote at the election which was marred by low turn-out in most parts of the state, said the emergency rule would end, after the elections.
But what he did not say was that the main aim of the emergency rule was to allow him grab the political structures which Fubara tried to collect from him.
Already, Fubara has shown signs that he has surrendered to Wike, apparently to enable him return to his office. None of his loyalists took part in Saturday’s election, an indication that Wike’s loyalists will control all the 23 local governments.
Apart from the local governments, the administrator had named Wike’s known fans, supporters and loyalists into various agencies, aside from the state house of assembly members whose loyalty remained with Wike.
By implication, Fubara will return to office as governor, but will not likely be in charge of anything. He is very likely to be taking orders from Wike, the same way it used to be in the first few months after he was sworn in, before he decided to be his own man, an action that angered Wike, making the FCT minister to go after the seat.
It is, however, expected that Julius Berger will return to site for the ring road project, when Fubara returns. There are indications that Wike will talk the construction giants into returning to site, as he was the one who initiated the project, flagged it off and left it for Fubara to drive.
But Fubara will, expectedly, have a smooth relationship with the state house of assembly as the two arms of government return. Any attempt by Fubara to flex muscles, either with the assembly or with Wik,e may earn him an impeachment.
After casting his vote on Saturday, Wike had said: “I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire and the state assembly will come back to their job and we will have a government at the grassroots level.
“The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”
