Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has explained that the current political turmoil in the state is a result of his resistance to being controlled by his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.
Fubara and Wike have been at loggerheads over the control of the state’s resources, since he assumed office in 2023. Wike, who served as governor of the state between 2015 to 2023, has accused the governor of deserting the “structure” that brought him to office.
Fubara on Monday, hosted stakeholders of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality, including the leadership of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, the Supreme Council of Ikwerre Traditional Rulers, Ikwerre women, opinion and youth leaders, at Government House in Port Harcourt.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nelson Chukwudi, the governor rejected being tagged “ungrateful” by those loyal to Wike. He said he is not a bad person, adding that if he was, it would have shown long ago.
Fubara argued that he can now take decisions on his own rather than being controlled by anyone.
“I want to also say this: Fubara is not an ungrateful person. If I were a bad person, you (one) can’t hide a character that is bad for more than one week, two weeks, one month, one year, two years, eight years, or even more than eight years. For 16 years, if I was a bad person, everybody would have known,” he stated.
“But, even your own child that is in your house that you have given birth to let us start with even the girl child. It gets to a stage where your girl child will enter the bathroom and lock the door from behind.
“Even if they forcefully put a feeding bottle in my mouth, if I get filled up, won’t I pull it out? So, when people stand outside and say what they say, I want you people to ask them to tell you in their own good conscience, what is that bad thing, that wickedness, that ungratefulness that this man (Fubara) has ever shown or done? But, I leave that one to God, who will judge everybody.”
