•Sara-Igbe, Wike and Tinubu
Amid the crisis rocking Rivers State, a member of the Rivers Elders Council, Anabs Sara-Igbe, yesterday called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Sara-Igbe, who was a guest on Channels Television last night, faulted the removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
He argued that President Tinubu has no constitutional power to suspend a governor who is democratically elected.
“He has no constitutional power to suspend the governor,” Sara-Igbe said. “But a minister who is fomenting the whole problem that he appointed, he has never questioned or sanctioned him.
“What stops him from sanctioning the minister that is causing the whole problem?” he queried.
On Tuesday, the president declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, suspending the governor and his deputy. He also suspended all elected lawmakers of the Rivers Assembly for an initial period of six months.
Tinubu cited as the basis for his action “the disturbing violence in the state in the last 24 hours”, including explosions and vandalisation of petroleum pipelines, linked to the political crises in the state.
Weighing in on the matter, the elder statesman accused Wike of being the problem behind the oil-rich state.
Sara-Igbe argued that the president wasn’t fair in addressing the issue by suspending Fubara and sparing Wike as FCT Minister.
“You have suspended an elected governor, but you cannot suspend a minister who is the root cause of all the problem.
“If two children are fighting, you will beat the two of them, heaven will say that you are fair. You cannot flog one child all through and abuse him when he is not the troublemaker to insult everybody.
“He has insulted every part of the country. He has insulted his grandfathers, calling ethnic groups to come out and cause problems. But the man that is peaceful, obeying you is the one that you sanctioned,” he stated.
