Instead of peace, what has taken place in Rivers State for a little above one week now is either a semblance of peace, or a ceasefire between the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike and his loyalists on one hand, and with the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara on the other, TNN has found out.
Whereas Wike and Fubara keeps saying that peace had been restored in Rivers State, loyalists of the FCT minister are saying a different thing from their body language.
While Fubara has been stripped of all political structures, Wike, on the other hand, is in full control of all structures and political offices in the state.
For the first time in the history of political developments and leadership in the state, a national event such as the Independence Day thanksgiving service that had the governor in attendance was not important enough for Wike’s loyalists in the state house of assembly to attend.
Also, out of the 23 local governments, only the chairman from the governor’s local government attended the thanksgiving. At that event, Fubara’s disappointment and frustration were glaring and palpable.
The governor was so disappointed that he could not utter a work in the form of a speech, as the practice has always been. Even the officiating minister who had thought that the speaker, Martins Amaewhule was in the church, had to introduce him, only to discover to his shock, that the man was nowhere near the church.
But Fubara read the first lesson of the service and thereafter maintained a suspicious silence throughout the service.
Another major supporter and loyalist of Wike, Samuel Nwanosike, who is also the chairman of the state waste management agency, has been doing his own thing, without recourse to the governor.
At the heat of the crisis between Fubara and Wike, Nwanosike had called the governor a fool, even though he later rendered what he called an apology, because, according to him, Wike told him to apologise to the governor.
Nwanosike is among those that Ibok-Ette Ibas appointed into positions, during the emergency rule. He is not known to have taken any instructions from Fubara since he returned to office and is said to have been taking decisions on his own particularly on environmental sanitation issues.
At the church service, the officiating minister, Archbishop Enyinda Blessing, tried to console the governor when he said “on behalf of the ministers of God and the Church in Rivers State, especially the Anglican Churches in Nigeria and the Niger Delta Province, and the entire Rivers State in particular, we gladly welcome the Governor, the Deputy Governor, and the State House of Assembly from your six months leave.
“Six months—yes, I call it six months leave because while people looked at the situation through political eyes, we, as spiritual people and spiritual leaders, looked at the situation through spiritual eyes. God said, we know that all things—I say all things—work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
“We believe that God allowed the situation so that you might have time to get out of the heat, restrategize, rejuvenate your strength, examine and assess the situation, reset, and come back strong. It was also for the heat all over the State to calm down, so that we can have the enduring peace we have been praying for.
“Now that we are at this point, now that we have peace, I urge us to continue to pray that the peace will endure forever. So, that whatever the Lord has put in the heart of our Governor to do for the State, he will peacefully accomplish for us. We pray that he remains strong and finishes well. Whatever is in your hand to do for Rivers State, God will help you to achieve it in Jesus name.”
