By Abiola Olawale
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has declared that he is not the cause of the political turmoil rocking the oil-rich state over the past year.
This is as the Governor also expressed his concern regarding President Bola Tinubu’s reference to his name in the context of the destruction of local government secretariats in Rivers State.
According to Fubara, the political crisis bedevilling Rivers State is beyond him as it has configurations that are within the whims and caprices of a serving Minister.
It would be recalled that on Monday, violence and chaos was recorded in at least four local government areas of Rivers State.
The New Diplomat had reported that parts of the buildings in Eleme, Ikwerre, and Emohua council premises were set ablaze by some suspected political hoodlums.
Gunshots were fired sporadically in Obio-Akpor and Ahoada East LGAs leaving many to run for safety.
The development came after the conclusion of the Rivers State Local Government election.
The Action People’s Party (APP) won 22 chairmanship positions out of 23 in the oil-rich state while the Action Alliance (AA) won a seat.
Reacting to the situation in Rivers State, Tinubu, in a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, ordered the police to secure the local government secretariats in the oil-rich state.
The President also “called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, political leaders and their supporters in Rivers State to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law”.
In a counter-reaction, Fubara declared that he was worried that the President only mentioned his name.
He said: “I do not have any issue with it (the President’s intervention) but I am a bit concerned when my name was only mentioned.
“The issue is very simple. It’s as simple as ABC: everyone in Nigeria, everyone in Rivers State, knows where this issue is coming from. It’s not rocket science. We know what the issue is, and the issue is not Fubara; it is not.
“I believe strongly that with the recent intervention of the Inspector General of Police, maybe we will have a breathing space.
“Maybe as a result of him pulling his men out of those secretariats might be one of the reasons they (hoodlums) took advantage of the situation but I will appeal that while the men are there, the elected officers should have the opportunity to do their work, at least, let them provide security for them, which was even what I was thinking of.
“I was never of the opinion that the police should pull out completely. No. When they said they were moving out, it was what allowed these miscreants to take advantage of the secretariats to destroy them.”
The New Diplomat reports that Rivers State has been in the news for the past year over the cold war between Fubara and his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
While the reasons for the acrimony between the duo remain top secret, some insider sources said that Wike and Fubara have been battling for control of the oil-rich state’s resources and political machinery.
