Former Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State Accuse Governor Fubara of Sponsoring Protest Attack on Wike’s Residence
A group of former local government chairmen in Rivers State, who served during the tenure of Nyesom Wike as governor, has accused the current governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of sponsoring the Tuesday attack on Wike’s residence by hunger protesters.
The chairmen, who were elected under Wike’s administration, alleged that Fubara directed the protesters to march to Wike’s residence along Ada George Road in Port Harcourt, where they laid siege to the mansion, chanting war songs and calling the former governor a “THIEF”. The protesters were only repelled by the presence of police officers who were deployed to the area.
Speaking on behalf of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, a former Chairman of the Emuoha Local Government Area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, warned that Fubara did not have a monopoly on violence and threatened to mobilize their own men to unleash a similar attack on Fubara’s properties.
Lloyd accused Fubara of attempting to incite ethnic bigotry and warned that if similar attacks were to occur again, Fubara would not be able to govern the state. The chairmen also accused Fubara of mismanaging state funds and demanded to know what he had done with the N238 billion he received between May and June.
However, in response, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, dismissed the allegations as baseless and accused the former LG chairmen of meddling in affairs that did not concern them. Johnson claimed that he had seen protesters peacefully walking past the house of the FCT Minister and that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing by Fubara or his administration.
The commissioner also accused the former LG chairmen of being sponsored by a group of former Ohio-Akpor Local Government Chairmen who were seeking to turn the protest into a state of emergency. He warned that such attempts would be futile and that Fubara’s administration would not be intimidated by such machinations.
The tension between the two camps is likely to escalate in the coming days, as both sides trade accusations and counter-accusations. The situation remains volatile, with many wondering what will happen next in this bitter dispute between two powerful figures in Rivers State politics.
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