Former spokesman for the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Mr Anabs Sara-Igbe said the governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara had wanted to resign before his feud with his predecessor, Mr Nyesom Wike got worse but for the intervention of some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sara-Igbe disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television.
He alleged that even after leaving office, Wike still had a say in government operations and how the governor was managing the affairs of the state.
He said the governor was tired of Wike’s dominance in his cabinet and control of state affairs, leading to his (Fubara) difficulties in managing the state’s funds and running of government.
“Fubara opted to resign because apart from the way certain forces prevented him from asserting his independence, he did not have enough control over the state’s funds and had difficulty running his government. It took the intervention of some PDP leaders in the state before he reconsidered his stance.
“What is the problem? Wike has come to tell the world that he was fighting Fubara because he wanted to take his structure. What is the structure six months after elections? We are not close to elections, so what has structure got to do?
Sara-Igbe said it is impossible to control a sitting governor in Nigeria because of the huge influence and power available to the occupiers of the office.
“You cannot make somebody a governor; a very important seat in Nigeria —that was the seat Odili sat and he almost became the president; that was the seat (former governor Rotimi) Amaechi sat and he connived with others to remove a sitting president; that is the seat Wike himself sat and became a superman — and you are asking somebody who is on that seat to be subservient. But the governor is still loyal.
“The minister, because of greed and one man who wants to get everything, the first thing they did was to take over the two parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party. I have never seen this in the history of politics. I have been in politics for the past four decades or more. I have never seen one man belong to the government in power and also be in opposition,” he said.
On the defection of 27 pro-Wike lawmakers from the PDP to the APC, Sara-Igbe said there is no gainsaying that the action was engineered the minister.
“I am a father to some of them. I know their personal grievances, but they cannot do what they did without the support of their godfather. They believe Wike and Sim were having problems and because of that they leveraged that to get at him (Sim).
“Even before the impeachment saga, some were threatening the governor that if he did rubbish they would get him removed from office. But the governor is a calm person, and I believe strongly that this is one man who loves Wike so much and has sacrificed so much for him before he became governor and even after.
“Today, the governor is not disposed to making trouble with the minister. He still sees it as a father and son relationship, but the minister, because of greed, is someone who wants to get everything, trying to take over the two parties, APC and PDP. When somebody is in control and wants power at all cost, it’s not the best, and that is what is leading to some of his problems.”
Meanwhile, Wike warned politicians against pulling down the ladder they climbed to ascend positions.
Speaking yesterday when some traditional rulers of Ogba land led by Nwachukwu Nnam-Obi III, visited Wike in his residence to congratulate him on his 56th birthday, Wike said no politicians would sit and watch while his influence is being whittled down.
“No politician will fold his hands and allow to be dragged down. My team and I would accept peace but we won’t allow ourselves to be dragged down because when we go down, who will protect our people? Who will talk about our own interest?
“Everywhere you are, even in the traditional institutions, there are rules. You can’t run away from it. In a political group, there are rules. You cannot say because an Oba has emerged and then an Oba will not follow the rules of the traditional institution. No! An Oba will always obey the rules. So also in politics, there are things you must not do and there are things you must do.
“Don’t pull the ladder that you use in climbing. When you are coming down, the ladder may not be there. Also leave the ladder so that other people can also climb the ladder,” he said.
