More Worrisome Drama Unfolds in Rivers

Edith CHUKU

The political crisis in Rivers State took a different turn on Friday, following the allegations by the immediate past Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke against the suspended governor Siminalayi Fubara.

It became more baffling when the wife of the former HoS, Mrs Florence Nwaeke, countered her husband’s claims, alleging that Nwaeke spoke under duress and blackmailed to lie against Fubara.

In her emotional disposition, Mrs Nwaeke raised the alarm of her husband’s whereabouts, saying that she was afraid for her husband’s life and called on Nigerians for help.

Nwaeke’s claims came shortly after his resignation as the HoS, which he said he did voluntarily, that he was not sacked nor pressured to do so.

In his farewell message to the permanent secretaries in the state on March 26, shortly after his resignation, Nwaeke encouraged them to defend the state’s interest by supporting Fubara’s ‘Rivers First’ mantra.

But in his claim of setting the record straight, Nwaeke accused Fubara of directing his Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) to burn down the state House of Assembly complex in 2023 to avert his impeachment by the lawmakers loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

He said he witnessed a bag of money being handed over to Fubara’s Chief of Staff, to carry out the said order.

Nwaeke also alleged that another attempt was made to destroy the residential quarters of the House of Assembly members but was thwarted by a press conference held by Rivers youths, elders, and National Assembly members.

In a bid to correct the impression Nwaeke’s allegations may create in the minds of people, Fubara released a refutal which was accompanied by some whatsApp chats between him and the former HoS.

The suspended governor stated that Nwaeke had been compromised, pleading that his claims be disregarded.

Fubara explained that he had no discussion or plan to support Bala Mohammed’s alleged 2027 presidential bid, as speculated by Nwaeke in the briefing.

On the allegation that he(Fubara) encouraged attacks on oil pipelines and other National assets in the State, the governor debunked the claim, insisting that there was no time he held any meeting with militants or any criminal group to destabilise the State.

He said “the truth is that Dr. Nwaeke has been compromised, and whatever he is saying is only aimed at fulfilling his promise to those who may have paid or coerced him to lie against me. Disregard everything said by Dr. Nwaeke as they are mere desperate attempts to discredit me and my administration, and undermine the peace process by Mr. President.”

Reacting to the issue in an interview with TNN on Saturday, the National President of the South-South Youth Initiative SSYI, Mr Oscar Saviour Imeabe, described Nwaeke’s action as a disappointment.

Imaebe said “we are disappointed in George Nwaeke the Head of Service in Rivers State. Ordinarily, we don’t expect George Nwaeke that we were seeing as role model to do this.

“We were so much happy when George Nwaeke took that step of resigning his position because he wasn’t comfortable with the level of corruption that they were trying to force him into. For him to have resigned his position because he was told to sign a particular amount of money that Rivers State government has spent that he is not aware of and that did not come through his office and that he cannot testify for it, is a good plus for him.

“We were very much happy with his position but funny enough we never knew that George Nwaeke would come to the extend of stooping so low and tarnishing his image.

“It become so worrisome and so disappointing that George Nwaeke will come out again and say that the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara was responsible for the bombing of the state house of assembly, it’s so disappointing because the governor of Rivers State cannot be seen in such a light, a man that is avoiding crime, if not for him, Rivers people would have gone on rampage.

“Nyesom Wike will not take what he is giving to Siminalayi Fubara as a former governor, he will never accept it.

“We know what happened with the Chief Judge of Rivers State how he refused five billion naira bribe and a house in London and several other houses in Nigeria that the FCT Minister, Barr Nyesom Wike bribed him with.

“We are also aware that he went publicly to say that he wasn’t going to accept any bribe to sign an impeachment letter against the governor.”

In his message to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Imaebe assured that, “I want you to understand that if you don’t reverse your step in Niger Delta, Rivers State especially, you will lose 2027 election like a child, no matter the military presence, you will never succeed in Rivers State.

“There is shooting in Wuse street, Abuja, Mr. President has not declared state of emergency, there is conflict in Osun State, Mr president has not declared state of emergency, there was saga in Lagos State assembly, Mr president went there to correct it, Mr president will lose election come 2027 in Rivers State.”