•Dan-Princewill
Fafaa Dan-Princewill is a former gubernatorial aspirant in Rivers State. In this interview, he speaks on the Rivers State crisis.
The politician laments that the issue is about the 2027 presidential election. He’s of the view that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike is the reason there’s no peace in the state, among others, reports Daily Independent.
Excerpts:
What can you say about the crisis in your state, Rivers?
The State Assembly, they have all crossed to the All Progressives Congress (APC), so it is now fully an APC matter. And officials of the political party have also made public statements in support of the Governor. I believe that the persistence of the FCT Minister, because this is a proxy war, as everyone knows, anything the State Assembly people do are instructions from the FCT Minister. I believe that it is time for all concerned, especially the powers that be in the APC, to tone down the level of the quagmire in Rivers State. The state is suffering from the effects of this instability. A lot of work at the beginning that Siminalayi, the Governor, was approaching is now suffering.
At the same time, there was a lot of hope, especially in the decentralization programme, which showed many areas that have been neglected in the past, beginning to get some kind of government attention. We also feel the consensus, I would say, most reasonable people in Rivers State believe that it is no longer a matter of political party as such.
I agree with the Honorable Minister of FCT in that regard, that Rivers State is no longer a matter of APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Labour Party or whatever. We all want good governance, we want peace, we want stability, and we want Rivers State to take its rightful position in these circumstances that we find in our country. From an international perspective, off the coast of Rivers State, was where the missiles were fired to Sokoto State. We believe that we need peace in Rivers State.
You were just saying now in passing that you agree with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory on the point about peace, good governance in Rivers State. Many people will be concerned that, should anybody in fact be agreeing with the Minister, we can consider him as the main architect of the crisis in Rivers State, as some already did. Do you think he’s unfairly fingered in this matter?
No, I think you’ve heard me wrong. Let me clarify. Yes, the aspect I agree with the Honorable Minister is that there are no political party interests as such anymore. That is, APC, PDP, Labour Party, it’s not about that anymore. What we need to do, that’s the area I agree with him.
In terms of peace, it is very clear that the Honorable Minister is perhaps the single reason why there’s no peace in the states. That is not debatable. He has not had his way, and there is no peace because he’s not having his way.
I don’t want to make judgments on whether his way is correct or not, but the reason there’s no peace in the state is because he’s not having his way.
So I cannot say that he’s the one creating peace in the state.
Everyone is a commentator now on the Rivers State situation. That is the burden that the people of Rivers State have brought upon themselves. Now, people are saying, let’s wait for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return and intervene in the matter. After all, the other time, when a state of emergency was declared, the President took the lead, even met with the gladiators. So, do you think that this is a matter now? Even if this is not for political parties, is it a matter for the President of Nigeria to look into? Because I don’t think that the president can afford to have chaos, confusion in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Actually, if we want to be very plain about this, the crisis is about the 2027 election. The crisis is also about the presidential election.
And given that, no one can say that the president has no role to play. In fact, it is his call, it is his minister, his appointed minister, his representative that is at the centre of it all. So clearly, the president has a role to play and must intervene. He has intervened a few times, I think one or two times, publicly known that the president intervened. And unfortunately, the interventions did not resolve the issues.
The interventions have been partial, not comprehensive. Sometimes I remember the first intervention where the governor went and withdrew his court case and all of that. The intervention was escalated rather than de-escalated the situation. So perhaps it’s also due to not understanding all the factors, perhaps. But the intervention of the president is necessary. In fact, it is welcome. I believe that those in Rivers State do not think that this is a Rivers State problem really. It’s not in the character of Rivers people to have this kind of endless, treacherous, personal conflict.
What would you recommend as a way forward? Some people have suggested that perhaps Governor Fubara should resign and save himself the embarrassment of being impeached and then not being able to run for governorship a second time. Some people have said maybe President Tinubu should declare another round of state of emergency in Rivers State and appoint another sole administrator. Some people have also argued that perhaps he should relieve the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of his position since that position gives him the oxygen to maintain his relevance in Rivers State. What would you consider as a good option?
To be very honest with you, I don’t think that there’s much that the governor can do. A lot of what has happened, except of course those who feel that he should obey all the instructions of his godfather. I don’t share that opinion.
So, I don’t think that you can blame the governor that much. They disagreed and they have found it difficult to resolve issues. And from the public statements, it appears that the governor is willing to meet them halfway. I believe that the present issue on the table is supplementary budgets. And when you look at it carefully, the State Assembly wants a supplementary budget and the governor does not think that a supplementary budget is necessary. I don’t think that is a reasonable basis to offer an impeachment. It is well within the powers of the governor to decide whether there should be a supplementary budget or not. And if in his wisdom, or lack of wisdom, he chooses not to have a supplementary budget, I think the State Assembly should wait a few more months and they will be able to have a proper impeachment. So, I don’t think that’s a reasonable basis to offer an impeachment.
