The immediate past governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Nyesom Wike, is not prepared to sustain peace amid the political unrest roiling the state, according to elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark, who spoke with President Bola Tinubu about this.
In a statement released on Thursday in Abuja, Clark claimed that Wike’s ongoing actions are unmistakable signs that he is not prepared for peace in Rivers State.
According to Obasanjo News24, Tinubu intervened in the crisis by telling both parties that Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, and his allies should drop all court cases related to the issue. This goes against the 1999 Constitution and the general consensus of Rivers residents as well as Nigerians.
Fubara and his allies have abided with the arrangement, including Edison Ehie, the Speaker acknowledged by the court.
“It is expected that the 26 decamped legislative members who had filed cases in court would have done the same,” the statement reads. However, they refused, which resulted in the ruling by Justice James Omotoso on January 22, 2024, which declared, among other things, that the 2024 budget that Governor Fubara submitted, approved, and signed into law was void.
Additionally, Justice Omotoso stated that he based his decision on the legislature’s claim that there was no proof of a settlement of the case at hand.
Ijaw leader Clark said that although most Nigerians were unhappy with the terms of the settlement, it was evident that Fubara obeyed Tinubu and followed his directive in violation of the 1999 Constitution “for the sake of peace,” with the exception of what the courts are currently prohibiting him from doing.
Wike cannot be perceived as bringing about peace in the State, he claimed, having done all of these things against the Constitution, which Fubara, as Governor of Rivers State, promised to preserve.
He asked Tinubu to warn Wike so that Fubara can rule the State in a peaceful manner.
