THE weekend in Rivers State under the state of emergency regime was replete with reports, mostly videos of accusations and allegations, from top actors of the ongoing political crisis.
Most intriguing was the video by the Head of Service (HOF) of the state, Dr. George Nwaeke who in the video made scathing allegations against his principal, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, indicting him of being responsible for the issues leading to the demolition of parts of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, among other wrong doings.
He started with explaining the circumstances of his sudden resignation of his position noting that against several media information; “I was not sacked neither was I pressured to resign, I did it willingly from the depth of my heart, however as an insider and a key player in this administration by my position, who worked closely with Siminilayi Fubara, it will be unfair for me to keep silent or not to address some key factors that has affected or will affect our state if we continue on this trajectory”.
And thus, he begun to discredit his principal, recently suspended Governor Fubara, and to ensure that the public understood the import of his presentation he reminded the people that; “when the governor was suspended, as the head of service I was the next in command so I am not speaking from outside, I am speaking as an insider. If not for the intervention of Mr. President, Nigeria would have faced the worst economic sabotage and Rivers State would have been up in flames”.
Dr. Nwaeke went on; “First, it all started with the Rivers State House of Assembly were the Governor, Siminilayi Fubara directed his Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) to burn down the assembly in a way to avert his impeachment, that evening Edison was in government house with two other boys, including the former Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA one Chijioke. I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside.
“I want to tell Rivers people today that the house of assembly complex in Moscow Road was clearly brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Gov Siminilayi Fubara, I challenge him to an open confrontation and I will throw more light on it. A day after that incident, I almost resigned but I was very scared because I know the power of a sitting governor and he knew that I am aware of the whole plan and that I am discomforted with the unconscionable act and deliberate posture of innocence and mien of a sheep”.
He also accused Fubara of another attempt to “destroy the residential quarters of the house of assembly members if not for the press conference that was made there by Rivers youths, Rivers elders and National Assembly members, that would have been another barbaric demolition in Rivers State”.
“I came to realize that they actually wanted to demolish that second building because after some weeks, he personally told me that if he knew early he would have gone to pull down their hall before visiting the residential quarters of the assembly and that he didn’t actually know that they had such a beautiful hall were they are using now for their sitting, I was shocked and I asked myself how could a man that wants to lead his people be destroying his state assets and wasting public funds on a needless ego fight.
“Thirdly I want to advice some key stakeholders who has condemned the state of emergency made by the President and confirmed by the National Assembly to retract their statements, I also understand that they are only seeing the surface. If the President did not take proactive step, no one knows who would have been affected by the sinister plans that were cooking.
“While I thank Mr. President for the state of emergency that was declared in Rivers State for a period of 6 months, I will plead with him not to give up on Rivers State affairs because a lot is going on there with Governor Fubara. “One of the factors that got me removed was when governor Fubara told me that they will use the Ijaws to decide who will become the next president of Nigeria and I asked him how will that work? Is it by votes or by what means?
He clearly told me that he is the chief security officer of Rivers State and his brother is in charge of Bayelsa State and all the pipelines are under their care that at the appropriate time they will tell the boys what to do and fund was not an issue. That was why when he made that statement in his public function that “I will tell the boys what to do at the appropriate time,” I knew something was up and perhaps the time was near.
“He boasted to be the ‘David that will bring down the Goliath of Rivers State’. That he has the backing of the cream-de-la cream in the state. The likes of Dr. Peter Odili and family promised to use their contacts in the judiciary including some members of their University Council to break new ground for him.
“The plan was to start from non-Ijaw speaking areas to destroy oil facilities to remove attention from the Ijaw and make it have a statewide look. The Ogoni, Oyibo, Ahoda areas were to be bombed first before the Ijaw zones. This would have brought down the government of President Tinubu and usher in a new President from the coalition of political parties with a Vice President from the Ijaws.
“The media was to be captured by paying heavily for airtime and retaining the social media influencers and known social critics in their payroll. I am not unaware of what this revelation means but I am doing this to free my conscience and warn those innocent persons that are used to sway public sentiment, that there is more than meet the eyes in the Rivers matter.
“Sometime, I sleep over in government house but I started being uncomfortable when Gov. Bala Mohammed and some other stakeholders started nocturnal visits to Rivers State. I recalled after one of such visits he told me that he will support Bala Mohammed for president or any other northerner. That discussion is ongoing. Though I was not bothered about who he supported but I was more concerned about the quantum of state resources that he releases to these visitors at each visit.
“More worrisome is several meetings between the governor, his chief of staff and some militant leaders. The details of which meetings I am not privy to since I was not allowed into the meetings. However, each meeting ended with huge sum of money paid to attendees.
I wish to state categorically that Rivers people and indeed Nigerians are the beneficiary of the declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers State and not Gov. Fubara or Minister Wike.
“Finally, I wish to call on Mr. President to urge the Sole Administrator to step up his guards and be very vigilant because I am aware of the sinister arrangement and dastardly plans to continue to hatch their plans if not put in check. This account for the organized media condemnations and seeming public outcry against Mr. President and National Assembly”.
Few hours later, as the people were still grappling with the authenticity of the shocking revelations of the former Head of Service another video of the wife, Florenece emerged, indicating that her husband must have made the revelations under duress.
In her own video she stated how someone invited her husband to Abuja on a sponsored trip and how her husband had not at any time given any indication of dissatisfaction with Governor Fubara to the extent that he could make such damning utterances against the suspended Governor.
She made reference of some people trying to blackmail her husband over an undeclared N15 billion the HoS was covering up for the Governor and capitalizing on it to pressure him to resign.
She claimed; “This morning he told me that one of his friends from Abua, he said his name is Ogiri from Abua that he had sent him ticket for him to come for them to discuss”, adding that she tried to dissuade him to wait till after the weekend but he had to go.
She also said that he called to tell her that they had landed in Abuja safely only for her to be inundated with calls and messages from relations about the video of the husband against Governor Fubara.
She lamented that even the text that she sent to him to ascertain what was happening the husband had not replied it as at the time of her video.
She said that her husband could not have granted that interview or he must have done so under duress.
“I sent a message after I saw the video online, Nigerians help me, my husband is in trouble. I asked him, daddy why, were you held hostage? Why didn’t you talk to me,” she cried.
With Mrs. Florenece Nwaeke’s video came flurry of other reactions. Another video of her husband was circulated early Saturday morning disowning his wife’s video and indicating she was the one who put up her video under duress.
Also, the Professor mentioned by Nweke’s wife responded denying everything she said. Ogiri said network recordings and air traffic records would show he never travelled out of Rivers State within the period she claimed.
On his part, Gov Siminalayi Fubara also denied everything Dr. Nwaeke claimed.
He said it was impossible that Nweke would have been present if he wanted to discuss such sensitive things the HoS mentioned such as how to bomb places.
Fubara said: “Ordinarily, I would not have responded to his claims, but to correct the erroneous impression such allegations may create in the minds of the people, and the disaffection it is bound to cause in the state and the country.
“First, on the claim that he was aware of my discussions and plans to support Bala Mohammed’s alleged 2027 presidential bid, it is laughable that Dr. Nwaeke would be part of any high-level political meeting as Head of Service, much more sitting in my alleged night meetings with Bala Mohammed and militants like he claimed. Howbeit, none of such meetings ever held.”
He said the visit of the Bauchi State Governor, as Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, was not a secret. He also said it was ludicrous for Nwaeke to claim that he was aware of the governor’s meetings to encourage attacks on oil pipelines and other national assets in the state denying that there was any such meeting.
He said, “It is on record that I have been at the forefront preaching peace in the state even in the face of obvious provocations.
“The truth is that Nwaeke has been compromised, and whatever he is saying is only aimed at fulfilling his promise to those who may have paid or coerced him to lie against me.
“I call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the good people of Rivers State to disregard everything (and anything) said by Nwaeke as they are mere desperate attempts to discredit me and my administration, and undermine the peace process by Mr. President”, the Governor stated.
Many people in the state are worried at the turn of events in Rivers state since the days of the state of emergency with many wondering why the actors would be bent on destroying the state with unnecessary lies and intrigues.
They said that their expectation was that after removing Governor Fubara via the state of emergency and subsequent suspension the state would have been saved of further embarrassments like it is been subjected to by some the political shenanigans that have continued to play out.
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