Concerned by the military rule imposed on Rivers State to quell the ongoing feud between the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has attributed the face-off to personal interest on both sides in the state.
Amaechi noted that the interest of both parties was centred on an appropriate sharing formula that should be adopted for funds allocation between them, saying this is the root cause of Wike and Fubara’s dispute.
The former minister, who was an ex-governor in the state, made the allegation during an interview on Saturday, kicking against the emergency rule imposed by the President, describing it as unconstitutional.
Amaechi said: “The fight between the current governor of Rivers State and the FCT minister is about sharing money. If not, what is the quarrel? Nigerians don’t dislike corruption again. I’ve not seen anybody on the street querying what the problem is. Can both of them speak to the public and tell us what the problem is about?”
“We are now denying the people the right to a better democracy. Rivers State is the only state in the country that still practices democracy. They (President Bola Tinubu) have imposed a military rule on us. Secondly, the President acted outside the constitution. This is because section 188 clearly states how a governor can leave office. It is either by death, impeachment, or by resignation. The law did not state that the President can just wake up and throw the governor out of office. Allowing this in the country makes democracy unstable.
Amaechi also claimed Tinubu had a hand in the political turmoil in Rivers State because he wanted to wield power by ousting governors who might not support him in the 2027 general election.
He added: “Rumours are everywhere that if any governor is not careful, the President will remove you. So, the Rivers issue is about sharing money and 2027 politics.
“If the President said that the pipe that exploded was the reason why he tagged Rivers unstable and insecure by declaring a state of emergency, what about the other parts of the country where there is insecurity? Is the President saying that they should impose an emergency rule on him? They can’t because he is a democratically elected President. There are insecurity issues in the North East and North West, even in the South East and South South.
“The governor has no responsibility for the blown pipes in Rivers. Security responsibility rests solely on the President. Why punish a man who did not commit any offence?”
