ABUJA/Nigeria: Comrade Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has alleged a covert scheme orchestrated by President Bola Tinubu to remove Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office. In a statement issued in Abuja, Frank criticised a recent Federal High Court ruling that halted Rivers State’s monthly allocations, calling it a deliberate move to undermine the governor.
Frank described the court’s decision as part of a broader plot to pressure Fubara into joining the APC or face removal. He suggested that the President’s silence on what he termed “constitutional violations” by the courts and police in Rivers State reflected Tinubu’s implicit approval of these actions.
“The President is enraged that Fubara showed defiance by refusing to join the APC,” said Frank, “especially after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, reportedly advised him that Tinubu cannot secure Rivers State’s support for a 2027 election with Fubara in charge.”
Frank, a Bayelsa-born activist, accused Wike of acting as a “proxy” on Tinubu’s behalf in an alleged campaign against Fubara. He claimed federal agencies and institutions were already targeting Fubara, under directives to either coerce the governor into compliance or push him out of office. “This is the only reason why Justice Joyce Abdulmalik can issue an unconstitutional order regarding Rivers State’s statutory allocations without fear,” he stated, warning that such moves would lead to serious repercussions.
Frank cautioned the President against meddling in Rivers State affairs, asserting that any attempt to withhold legally accrued funds or oust Fubara would meet resistance from the people of Rivers and the wider Niger Delta. “Any illegal attempt to destabilise Rivers or remove Fubara from office will spark consequences that reverberate across the country,” he said. “The Niger Delta stands ready to resist, and the resulting turmoil could be uncontainable.”
He urged Governor Fubara to stand firm, affirming that the people of Rivers are united in their support for his leadership and sovereignty over state affairs. Frank also appealed to international leaders, calling for intervention to dissuade Tinubu from pursuing alleged plans to remove Fubara or force his alignment with the APC. He warned that instability in Rivers could disrupt operations of international oil companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta, with potential fallout for global energy supplies.
“A stitch in time saves nine,” Frank stated. “Let the international community act now to prevent an escalation. IOCs require peace to operate in the Niger Delta, and any crisis here will severely impact their activities.”
Frank, who also serves as the Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), further decried the court’s ruling to seize Rivers’ allocations as an affront to democracy. He urged the people of Rivers to resist the decision and called on Nigerians to hold Tinubu accountable for any negative fallout.
The activist’s charges add fuel to the simmering political tensions in Rivers State, where issues of sovereignty and federal interference are increasingly at the forefront.
