President Bola Tinubu allegedly imposed a pre-written agreement on governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers state in the purported crisis resolution meeting with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike held at the instance of the president at the state house, in Abuja on the on Monday, a PDP chieftain David Briggs has revealed.
In a video interview with Symfoni, Briggs narrated how he witnessed, as part of governor Fubara’s entourage to the purported resolution meeting, how president Tinubu coerced, with subtle threats, Fubara into signing a pre-written resolution to reintegrate resigned commissioners and defected House of Assembly members loyal to Wike back into his government.
In his words:
“Actually, the understanding, and I am saying it from the primary point of view that I was a participant in that purported meeting. I was there, I am a witness, so what I say is primary not secondary.”
“We were invited for a meeting but that was not a meeting. If it was a meeting, it would mean opinions would be sort. There will be discussions between both parties and resolutions would be reached but is not what happened.”
Briggs emphasized that the president openly threatened governor Fubara with consequences if he refused to adhere to the pre-written agreement he had presented to him.
“What happened is that Mr. president walked in with a written resolution, addressed us and declared that what he has in his hands is presidential proclamation, a presidential directive and at a point withdrew and emphasized the fact that he is the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. Therefore, he can whip and anybody who dares to say no to what he is saying, it has consequence. That is not democratic. That is, in a simple layman’s word, a threat.”
“He wrote the resolution but refused to read the resolution. (He) handed the resolution to Dr. Odili to read and interjects. Each time he interjects, it comes with a subtle, polite, smiling insult and thereafter he asked the governor to speak.”
“Now let’s get it clear, if you are in the position of the governor, what would you do? get up and go? Say no to Mr president with the kind of subtle but energetic threats, realizing that back home you are fighting an internal aggression and division? If you were in his position, would you want to extract another fight? The answer is no, so you see that our governor is very intelligent. Very humble but very intelligent and not just intelligent but committed to the values of governance. “ Briggs recounted.
Sir David Briggs further said that when a member of Fubara’s entourage, Dr. Adokiye Amiesimaka asked the president what the 27 House of Assembly members who defected to the APC from the PDP should do since they defected without informing their constituents, who elected them to office, the president responded by telling him that he (Tinubu) was the leader of the APC and could not send new defectors away from his party. Tinubu further said he was surprised that governor Fubara have not defected to the APC so he would not be impeached.
“At that point, It is not expected that Mr. President thinks about himself, and I am not judgmental about this, but he should think about the people. That is the operational word of democracy: what do the people want? “
“And these are the first three words in the United States of America, where we have copied our democracy: We the people is more important than I the president.”
David Briggs
Responding to questions bothering on the fate of the PDP in Rivers state, Briggs iterated that the PDP was still the party in leadership and with the majority members in the state house of Assembly.
“In the eyes of the law, the PDP still has the majority in the state assembly because before the law, they are only six members and they are all from the PDP” Briggs added.
Briggs emphasized, given the tense situation before president Tinubu, that governor Fubara acted wisely but added that the next line of actions will be enacted and carried out by the people of Rivers state.
“…It is the people that will react, not the governor. The governor has already promised loyalty to Mr president.” Briggs said.
David Briggs speaking to Symfoni
Recall that REPORT AFRIQUE earlier reported how the Rivers crisis was allegedly resolved by president Tinubu at the state house.
Before the governor was invited by the president, the political crisis rocking the state led to the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex, the resignation of 9 commissioners in state executive cabinet and the defection of 27 members of the state assembly loyal to Wike.
