Tinubu vs Fubara: Wike Breaks Silence on Rivers Emergency Rule, “The Gov Was Almost Impeached”

• FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has denied allegations that he supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers state
• In a media chat held in Abuja on Monday, June 2, Wike dissociated himself from the move and emphasised that he would not have endorsed it had he been Tinubu reached out to him
• Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers state, also clarified that he holds no personal grudge against his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, despite the political tension in Rivers state

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

FCT, Abuja - The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has refuted claims of supporting the declaration of a state of emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers state.

Emergency rule: It was to protect Fubara from impeachment - Wike

Wike, a former governor of Rivers state, stated this during a media chat with selected journalists in Abuja on Monday, June 2.

The FCT minister maintained that he has no personal conflict with Governor Siminalayi Fubara despite escalating political tensions in the oil-rich state.

Wike explicitly distanced himself from the presidential move and said:

“I am not the President who declared a State of Emergency. If Mr. President had called me, I wouldn’t have agreed. I have never supported it.”

Buttressing his point, Wike spoke about his relationship with the suspended governor Sim Fubara.

As reported by Leadership, Wike struck a conciliatory yet pointed tone:

“I do not have any crisis with him. Rather, the governor, unknown to me, gave himself to be the tool for those who could not fight me, to fight me.”

Wike framed the emergency rule in Rivers state as interventionist protection for Fubara amid impeachment threats.

“The declaration was to save the governor because he was almost impeached,” Wike said.

The minister, when asked on the crisis resolution, deferred to presidential authority:

“He, Tinubu knows when to lift it, he has everything on his table. I don’t know.”

Rivers crisis: Wike confirms meeting with Fubara

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Wike disclosed that Fubara was making reconciliatory moves.

At a media parley in Abuja, Wike announced that Fubara visited him alongside two other governors.

Recall that Fubara, who was suspended for six months, appeared to have distanced himself from the fervent calls for his return to office.

Wike and Fubara's clash started barely six months after the latter resumed office over the control of Rivers state's political structure.

Read more about Rivers crisis here:

• Rivers emergency rule: Why Fubara may dump PDP, defect to APC, Top political analyst speaks
• Wike makes fresh declaration on Fubara, "He is my boy", Video trends

Fubara confirms return to office, calls Wike his "oga"

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the suspended governor of Rivers state, Siminalayi Fubara, has confirmed that he will be resuming duties at the government house “very soon”.

Fubara made this disclosure on Thursday, weeks after he claimed that his spirit had “left the governor’s office" amid a face-off with FCT minister Nyesom Wike.

His remark came on the heels of his secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu in London and a recent meeting with his political godfather, Wike, in Abuja.

Source: Legit.ng