In response to Wike’s attacks, Fubara said he had always stood on the path of truth and would not need anyone to apologize for him for doing what was right for the state.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has accused his political opponents of being envious and frustrated, saying he is building a psychiatric hospital for the benefit of his detractors. Fubara made this statement on Sunday during an inter-denominational church thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt, where he also boasted about his administration’s achievements.
The governor’s statement came a day after former Governor Nyesom Wike, who is also the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, mocked him for joining the Action Peoples Party, saying he would teach him how to play politics. Wike’s remarks were seen as a veiled attack on Fubara’s decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Action Peoples Party.
In response to Wike’s attacks, Fubara said he had always stood on the path of truth and would not need anyone to apologize for him for doing what was right for the state. He added that his administration was committed to securing the state’s commonwealth from those who wanted to lay hands on it.
The governor also took a swipe at Wike, saying that he should focus on developing the state rather than making personal attacks. Fubara claimed that his administration had achieved more in one year than Wike did in eight years and was committed to continuing to do what was right for the state.
The Rivers Ijaw Foundation, a group that represents the Ijaw people in Rivers State, has also weighed in on the issue. In a statement, the group condemned Wike’s attacks on Chief Edwin Clark, a revered national leader and father of the Ijaw nation. The group said Wike’s utterances were crude, divisive, and disrespectful and called on President Bola Tinubu to call him to order.
The statement also requested that Tinubu should not give the impression that he prioritized political exigencies above the peace, happiness, and prosperity of Rivers people and Ijaw. The group added that former President Goodluck Jonathan never had ministers who publicly disrespected elder statesmen like Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Chief Olu Falae, and Pa Ayo Adebanjo.
Fubara also used the occasion to lament the issue of oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism in the state, saying it was a major challenge that needed to be addressed. He called on the security agencies to do more to tackle the problem and proposed a special committee to address the issue.
The governor reiterated his commitment to building a better Rivers State, saying that his administration was working hard to ensure that the state became a proud place for all Rivers people. He urged everyone to join hands with his administration to tackle the big task of securing the soul of the state and making it a better place for all.
In his sermon at the service, the Archbishop of Niger Delta Province, Most Reverend Blessing Enyindah, bemoaned Nigeria at its 64th Independence anniversary, saying it seemed like a country under siege, wherein its citizens were held up as captives with no hope brighter than noonday to expect. Enyindah blamed leaders across sectors, particularly political leaders, for the nation’s woes.
The Archbishop asked them to stop enacting irrelevant policies and resist the temptation of perpetuating themselves in office for Nigeria to become the country it should truly be. He also asked judicial officers to break away from issuing conflicting judgments that could promote a miscarriage of justice.
The Rivers Ijaw Foundation has called on President Bola Tinubu to call Nyesom Wike to order or risk being asked to choose between Wike and the entire Ijaw nation.
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