Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, has referred to his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, as his ‘boy’ amidst their ongoing political discord. Wike, currently serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s call for peace, expressing his willingness to cooperate. ‘That boy is my boy, my son. How can I engage in conflict with him? My adversaries are those who seek to claim what they have not earned.
The President reached out to me for reconciliation; I responded, ‘Boss, how could I refuse your request for peace?’ he stated during a BBC Pidgin interview. The rift between Wike and Fubara has resulted in a political crisis within the state, prompting President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers, which included the suspension of Fubara, his deputy, and the House of Assembly.
In response, a retired naval chief, Ibok-Ete Ibas, was appointed as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs for an initial six-month period. This presidential action incited both protests and counter-protests from various factions within the state. Concerned about Tinubu’s decision, eleven governors from the Peoples Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to contest the emergency declaration. However, the National Assembly urged the court to reject the PDP governors’ suit, arguing that it was procedurally flawed and lacked substantive merit. They further contended that the court did not have jurisdiction over the matter and recommended that N1 billion in costs be imposed on the plaintiffs for what they deemed a frivolous and speculative lawsuit.
Nevertheless, on May 11, Fubara stated that he was not eager to reclaim his position. During a memorial service for the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, in Port Harcourt, he remarked, ‘Do you even know if I wish to return? My spirit has already departed from there.’
