When the full democratic apparatus of governance was restored in Rivers last September, following the suspension of Governor Sim Fubara and the state House of Assembly members for six months, many heaved a heavy sigh of relief. They decided to move on from the shenanigans, illegality and brazen violation of the nation’s constitution that characterised the declaration of the state of emergency in the state by President Bola Tinubu, which he then used as a pretext to suspend the democratically elected governor and lawmakers in the state.
With the restoration, the governor and the lawmakers, many Nigerians, particularly residents of the state, thought the last had been heard about the invidious power struggle and battle for control of the state’s political and governance structure and by extension its resources between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. However, the crisis that many thought had been consigned to the dustbin of history has, like a volcano, erupted again and this time around with more intensity and ferocity.
In September, after the six-month suspension expired, the governor and the state lawmakers returned to office. But while the crisis and tension that led to their suspension may have simmered, the political manoeuvring and gamesmanship have remained, even intensified. No sooner had the legislators returned to the office than they defected to the APC. They were soon followed by Fubara. While the lawmakers may have moved to the APC at the behest of Wike, that may not be the case for Fubara.
Fubara, realising that the PDP has been severely emasculated by Wike and his cohorts, had decided to defect to the APC where he believes he can get the cover and protection from overbearing and domineering Wike. The move means that he is no longer in the shadows of Wike, who wields immense influence in the PDP and would have thwarted whatever plans he has to return for a second term. Fubara knows that with APC, he will likely be protected by the upper echelon of the party, which will insulate him from the shenanigans and crude antics of Wike.
Wike has been ostensibly unsettled by the defection of Fubara to the APC, as the reality of Fubara’s likelihood of securing the APC gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 election and ultimately winning a second term stares him in the face. So momentous is Fubara’s defection that it put Wike and high-ranking members of the APC on a collision course as seen in his war of words with the national secretary of the party, Senator Bashiru Ajibola, who warned him to stay away from the internal affairs of the APC as he is not a member of the party. The problem here is that a lot has changed between last year and now.
The PDP he wields so much power over has been decimated by infighting and division thanks to his devious and abhorrent antics. But unlike the PDP, the APC is a different ball game. Wike does not wield any influence in the APC, and if he does, it is insignificant and infinitesimal, not enough to trouble Fubara, who is said to enjoy the backing of heavyweights in the APC. Whatever influence he has in the APC does not go beyond his access to Tinubu. He lacks any real power to influence the decision-making process of the party especially in the area of gubernatorial candidature.
The latest twist in the jarring political furore is the impeachment move against Fubara by the Rivers State House of Assembly. Last week, the assembly initiated proceedings to impeach Fubara. The impeachment notice was formally read at a plenary session presided over by Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, the Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack. In the notice which has received the support of 26 lawmakers, Fubara was accused of gross misconduct and actions that violated the Nigerian Constitution.
Of course, no one is under illusion as to what this impeachment move is all about. It is the crude and naked moves by Wike to consolidate his power in the state and remove the threat to the dynasty and hegemony he is trying to build by turning Rivers into his personal fiefdom. Seeing that Fubara’s move to APC has removed him from his sphere of influence, where he can make or mar the governor’s ambition, the next thing to do is to activate his pliant and loyal stooges at the state Assembly to orchestrate the removal of Fubara.
Whether the impeachment plot is to scare and rattle Fubara and remind him of who is truly in charge and what is at stake or it is part of a calculated, deliberate and ruthless move to get rid of him once and for all are besides the point, the obvious thing here is that Wike is not leaving anything to chance. He wants to cut out the threat posed by Fubara at the root before it morphs into an untamable and uncontrollable monster that he believes he would become once he gets a second term. To him.
The irony of Wike trying to subdue and thwart the aspiration of Fubara is that Wike himself rose to where he is today by sheer act of reprehensible rebellion, betrayal and treachery. From an inconsequential, lowly but overly ambitious local government to becoming a governor and serving as a federal minister under two different governments, his journey has been characterised by unconscionable politicking, lack of integrity and ruthless, inordinate pursuit of power.
In all of this crude and naked struggle for power that has come to typify the cutthroat nature of Rivers’ politics, it is the people who bear the brunt of the action of the selfish and power-hungry political class. The vicious and diabolical move to assert dominance and exert total control on the state has nothing to do with the betterment of the people or the development of the state by a nerve-wracking desire to steal, pillage and plunder the state.
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