By Kolawole Ojebisi
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has vowed to ensure that those responsible for the recent arson on local government secretariats in the state will face the full wrath of the law.
Fubara said that his administration will work in collaboration with security agents to identify, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of this dastardly acts so as to serve as deterrent for those nursing such deleterious motive.
The governor made this statement while swearing in four new commissioners at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
“We won’t stand by and watch political thugs wreak havoc in Rivers State.
“Those behind these attacks will account for their atrocities,” Fubara declared.
The governor’s remarks come days after he alerted the public about intelligence reports indicating a plot by certain individuals to prevent newly elected council chairmen from assuming office.
He noted that the recent arson was a direct manifestation of these threats.
“I said it before it happened. Those behind this are unhappy and have gone to extreme lengths to sow discord among our people.
“But we won’t allow this to go unpunished. We will work with security agencies to uncover those responsible and ensure they face justice,” he noted.
Fubara also commended the people of Rivers State for their patience and calm in the face of the attacks, despite the anger the incidents have caused.
He urged the public not to resort to violence, stressing the importance of maintaining peace and unity.
“As your leader, I assure you I will not mislead you. We must remain peaceful, even though we are angry. Meeting violence with violence will only make us the greatest losers,” he cautioned.
The supremacy battle between Governor Fubara and his erstwhile ally, Nyesom Wike, has ignited political crisis in Rivers State
Recall that the rift which has lasted for months, came to a head in the buildup to the just concluded local government elections.
The Wike faction had vehemently opposed the conduct of the elections while the Fubara faction kept pressing for it.
The election was eventually held amid pervasive atmosphere of gunshots and explosions.
The All Peoples Party(APP) swept all but one chairmanship seats in the 23 local government of the state.
The remaining one chairmanship seat was won by the Action Alliance.
The APP is believed to be loyal to Fubara and his loyalists who were displaced from the Peoples Democratic Party by Wike.
Meanwhile, hours after the election, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the withdrawal of police personnel from the state and unsealed all the secretariats.
Hours after the IG’s order, hoodlums descended on at least three secretariats and set them ablaze.
These secretariats are Ikwerre, Emohua, and Eleme Local Government Areas of the state.
