Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Friday, warned that the current illegal impeachment plot against the Governor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara, would have devastating effect on the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Frank made these assertions in a statement made available to reporters in Abuja. He underscored the critical and strategic importance of Rivers State to the economic, social and political survival of the country.
According to him, Fubara was freely elected by Rivers’ people during the last general election, “so any attempt to illegally remove him will lead to a very serious political crisis in the state that may not only affect the economy but setback the present administration’s revenue and development drive.”
He declared that the renewed orchestration by Wike to illegally remove Fubara, is an attempt to undermine the Ijaw people in Rivers State.
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Frank said: “Since 1999, this is the first time in Rivers State when you have a Governor from the Ijaw ethnic extraction.
“Every other person who has become governor since 1999 had successfully done two tenures in eight years. So, Wike must allow Fubara to do his own term peacefully.
“Even though it is common knowledge that he was one of those that were instrumental and backed Fubara to become governor, that does not mean Fubara will now become his stooge and neglect to carry out his constitutional duties as the governor of Rivers State.”
Frank, who represents the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) in East Africa and the Middle East, added: “Fubara was not elected for the sole purpose of protecting the interests of a godfather or a dictator.
“I dare say that the same way Wike feels that he supported Fubara to become governor is the same way he was supported by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, to become governor of Rivers State which he ruled for eight years.
“So, God will always use people to support anybody to become governor or whatever position they aspire to, but that does not mean those who emerged will now become slaves to those that helped them to power.
“During Wike’s time, he was not a slave to Jonathan nor his wife, Patience that helped him to become governor but rather he displayed ingratitude to Jonathan and his wife.
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He noted that even the Rivers State House of Assembly members now being engineered by Wike to impeach Fubara are not known to law in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by reason of their defection from PDP to APC.
“The only constitutionally recognized members are the few ones that did not defect to APC. These are the only members vested with the rights to carry out legislative activities in Rivers State.
“Already the Ijaw people are unhappy with his administration because they believe he has handed over the entire Niger Delta region to Wike to dictate and decree according to his whims and caprices.”
According to him, the perception is not not good for Tinubu’s administration “because Wike does not have the capacity to control or influence any Ijaw man or the people of Niger Delta.”
“Let the President advise and restrain Wike to stay out of Rivers’ political activities otherwise what is about to befall his government will come from Rivers state because what is happening is clear tribalism as Wike want to install another Ikwere man as governor through the back door,” he said
He warned Wike’s attempt to use Federal Might to gain political mileage in Rivers State will not work because Ijaw people are not known to be afraid and they will surely fight to safeguard their political interests.