PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of persistently undermining the authority of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, warning that the protracted political crisis has inflicted grave damage on governance and the economy of the state.
In a statement made available to the media, Eze lamented what he described as sustained interference by the former governor and his allies, including members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, which he said had turned governance into a theatre of power struggle rather than service to the people.
He said the political standoff, which preceded the declaration of a state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu, stalled governance and disrupted key development projects across the state.
“Before the emergency rule, the pace of governance and general administration progressed steadily until the wheel of state was abruptly grounded to a halt by the removal of the governor,” Eze said.
He cited the abandonment of the multi-billion naira Ring Road project, which connects several local government areas, noting that the suspension of work during the emergency period distorted project timelines and could result in cost variations running into billions of naira.
According to him, several other ongoing projects were also stalled, while the state’s economy suffered major setbacks.
“Investors were scared away, jobs were lost, internally generated revenue declined and investment opportunities were missed. The unconstitutional regime foisted on the people could not even pay salaries, while the administrator and his backers allegedly feasted on the resources of the state,” he said.
Eze further criticised what he described as a pattern of political dominance by Wike in Rivers State, recalling that as governor, he dismantled projects initiated by his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, across critical sectors including agriculture, education and security.
He alleged that the political tension that trailed the 2023 elections was deliberately engineered to retain control of the state’s political structure, despite nominating Fubara as governor and securing electoral victory for him.
“Since then, Rivers State has hardly known peace because of the attempt to control everything and everyone in government,” he said.
The APC chieftain also listed what he described as a set of political conditions imposed on Governor Fubara in the name of peace, including restrictions on appointing local government chairmen and commissioners, limits on advisers, a bar on contesting a second term and constraints on his political movements and affiliations.
He warned that such measures were designed to weaken the governor politically and economically, frustrate development and ultimately determine the succession of power in the state.
Eze, however, commended Governor Fubara for what he described as foresight and restraint, while expressing concern that the lingering crisis had continued to distract the administration from fully settling into governance.
“The sabotage against the governor was massive, and the impact on governance is huge. Rivers State will grapple with recovery for a long time,” he said.
He urged the governor to remain steadfast, praying that “God grants him the wisdom to navigate the trials of the moment so that the state can recover quickly and return to the path of growth and stability.”
