Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday in Abuja, condemned the demonstration of impunity and abuse of the rule of law by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and declared that it is not an offence if he is impeached.
“Politics is not play. If he has done something to be impeached, let them impeach him. It’s not a criminal offence,” Wike stated, asserting that loyalty should be reciprocal.
The former Rivers State governor added that impeachment ” is provided for in the constitution.”
“And let me tell you, I have heard people say, ‘Oh, if they impeach him, there will be a breakdown of law and order!’ Rubbish,” Wike declared.
In his media chat in Abuja, Wike lamented that Fubara is not committed to restoring peace in Rivers State.
The minister also condemned threats in some quarters that should Fubara be impeached, there would be serious unrest in the Niger Delta.
“Rubbish! Tell me, who are the militants?” Wike queried. “Who is not a militant? Who is born as a militant? You say you’re a militant. Who is not a militant? Who cannot blow the pipeline? Why do you arrogate power to a certain group of people? Ijaw people are the only people who can blow up pipelines? What nonsense is that? Who told you Ogoni people cannot blow up pipelines? Who told you Ikwerre people cannot blow up pipelines? Who told you Ippa people cannot blow up pipelines? Why do we arrogate powers to people?”
“Which threat? It does not exist. These are political things being planted by some people in government. All of us know ourselves. You make the appointment of MD of NDDC, they threaten, they will blow pipelines. What kind of a country are we in? As a sitting President, you threaten me that if you follow what the court said, you will blow off everywhere? Let the whole place be blown off. People must learn, enough is enough. You don’t tell anybody that. I was a governor, and I saw security reports. I said this security report is fake. I told the Director of SSS, ‘This one is fake, take it out. I know where this one is coming from.’ You will see security reports, and you will laugh, planted by people in government who are in support of what the young boy is doing.”
He added that Fubara has not treated the need for a cordial relationship with the State House of Assembly with the seriousness it deserves.
“You can take a horse to water, but you can’t force the horse to drink,” Wike remarked when asked about his potential involvement in the matter.
Stressing that Fubara was not committed to peace, Wike queried: “Does he (Fubara) think I have a role to play? Has he ever called me one day? Now, let me tell you why he’s finding it difficult. You people should understand, if he was a good person, we have an elder, Chief Ferdinand Albrada, 80-something years old. I’m sure at the time he made his money, this boy was not born. This governor was not born. He was the one who cried in our meeting for an Ijaw man to be chosen to be a governor.
“Speaker and Assembly members are not our children; they were elected; they are not your boys or your girls. You sit with them and play with them. I traveled with my Speakers, and I created relationships. It’s not a master-servant thing.”
The minister accused Governor Fubara’s associates of taking advantage of the situation to mislead the governor for their selfish interests, just as he criticized the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), labeling it the “worst organisation” he had ever encountered for allegedly attempting to obstruct President Bola Tinubu’s mediation efforts.
