Renowned Nigerian Human Rights Activist and #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore has claimed that the present Governor Siminalayi Fubara was not elected based on capability, but was rather chosen by former Governor Nyesom Wike to cover up his corrupt track record in the state.
According to Sowore who spoke on News Central TV’s Breakfast Central on Tuesday, the political tension in Rivers state is due to a clash of personal interests, describing it as “complete state capture.”
“Sim was made governor not because he is capable. He was handpicked by Wike to cover up his atrocities in the state. But now that Sim is in charge of the sword, he is swinging it in different directions.
“There’s something in Rivers state that everybody goes to look at. Money. Everybody goes to collect their own.
“What is happening in Rivers state signifies complete state capture. State capture is all about resources.
“[This is what happens] when you have undemocratic forces handling the affairs of our state and deciding for the majority of our people,” he said.
Sowore also took a swipe at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, stating that he was “neither here nor there”, as he seemed to belong fully the top two political parties in Nigeria.
“Wike is a member of two political parties. Political parties are just the same people in different departments.
“Nigerians must understand this,” he said.
Wike, who is a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was appointed as FCT Minister by the APC-led administration under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu. He has received a lot of backlash for serving “two masters”.
Rivers State has been rocked by some political tensions in the past weeks. Governor Fubara and Wike have been at loggerheads over some undisclosed issues.
A few days ago, mass resignations rocked Governor Fubara’s Government as some officials said to be Wike’s loyalists, decided to step aside.
The crisis deepened with the mass defection of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from PDP to APC.
President Tinubu on Monday, moved to resolve the ongoing feud. The president had a closed-door meeting with the concerned parties. Wike and Fubara signed a peace accord after the meeting.
Tinubu’s intervention has triggered yet another argument on whether it was politically right for a president to make such moves.
Speaking on the intervention, Sowore said President Tinubu should not have interfered in the affairs of the PDP-led state. He added that the move was for personal gains.
“I knew they would intervene because a lot of people in the backend who are benefiting from the fight, and those equally benefiting from peace will all come together.
“Nigeria is their real estate. They can’t afford for the system to collapse. It is their supermarket,” Sowore said.