The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara can be described by all forms and standard as the last man standing due to his resilience in tackling headlong the political tusnami that almost swept him off his feet recently .This is so, as he is however gradually gaining his feet as a leader to be reckoned with in the politics of the state. To the admiration of his numerous supporters within and outside Rivers, the Governor is now talking tough at every forum without minding whose ox is gored.
Since January this year, the once “weak, docile and incompetent” Fubara ( as many tagged him) has suddenly become an ironclad lion literarily constituting a terror in the political camp of his detractors most to the excitement of his teeming supporters. “Let me say it here if that action that I have accepted to follow will be taken for my weakness, I will surprise them”, the governor dared, apparently referring to the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s 8-point peace agreement between him and the Minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.
Observation has shown that the renewed Governor Fubara does not seem to be-labour himself with the vituperation and “uncomplimentary utterances” of those who are politically affiliated with the Minister. When he speaks, he directs his salvo to his principal opponent, a case of daring the ultimate godfather.
The Governor made it known to all that he had judiciously implemented six out of the eight points “political solution” invented by the President. The remaining two are the re-presentation of the 2024 budget and the conduct of a local government election. There is no clear indication that these two points will be implemented.
While the budget re-presentation has since been overtaken by events and there is no assurance that it would ever be implemented, the local government elections as wanted by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, is at the mercy of the Governor.
It will amount to political suicide if the Governor bows to pressure to conduct the local government elections now. This is because more than 98 per cent of the present council chairmen are loyal to the FCT minister. They will heavily mobilize to ensure that APC sweeps the poll whether the election is free, fair or not. If the APC wins in the 23 local government areas, one can only guess what happens to a PDP governor who has 27 APC lawmakers in a 32-man Assembly to contend with.
That is beside the 9 Commissioners in his cabinet whose loyalty is somewhere else. In this scenario, impeachment is inevitable. This fact remains the major reason the Governor may not be in a hurry to test his might at the council poll.
Chief Tony Okocha, APC caretaker committee chairman in the state had branded the Governor as being disrespectful to the President for not conducting the LG election as enshrined in the presidential peace clause. “If you signed an agreement to implement the eight points and you ended up implementing just six, you have disrespected the President”, Okocha said.
Also, the recent “fake” PDP caretaker committee list in circulation is a source of worry for the Governor. The list is said to contain names of Wike’s foot soldiers. If allowed to stand, the list is capable of causing a booby trap to the Governor thereby snowballing into avoidable political somersault.
“Fubara is a strategist. At a point he was economical with words, he was planning”, said the Ijaw National Congress, INC, President, Professor Benjamin Okaba. Okaba said that the Governor “has succeeded in putting his structure in place and has built confidence. There is a lot behind the scenes. He has a formidable force that is working for him across the country. He has built bridges”. Little wonder the Governor is now daring his fear.
Only recently, the entire gamut of political gladiators in the state who rooted for the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, declared support for Fubara and President Tinubu. Led by Dr. Abiye Sekibo, the bloc was made up of former national chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, former deputy speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Austin Opara, former Governor Celestine Omehia, former deputy governor, Tele Ikuru, former Senator Lee Meeba, former secretary to state government, Dr Gabriel Pidomson, former chief of staff, Dr Glory Emeh and many others.
More significant is the recent public endorsement of the Governor as the political leader of Rivers state by no mean personality than the former Governor and a widely acclaimed godfather of Rivers politics, Dr. Peter Odili.
Odili fell out with Wike on what is widely believed to be the former’s bold step not to be part of the conspiracy to impeach Fubara. That decision earned him the derogatory sobriquet of “one man” and his wife, “one woman”.
Fubara’s rise in confidence is also linked to the people-oriented policies he is implementing which, perhaps, have endeared him to the masses. He equally enjoys maximum support from over 50 PDP Lawmakers in the National Assembly who want an end to the infractions in the state.
However, the crisis in Rivers State has not shown any sign of abetting soon. It keeps escalating as long as the two gladiators keep talking tough.