The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has said that Governor Siminalayi Fubara told him he was not interested in becoming the governor of Rivers state and even suggested Isaac Kamalu for the position.
On the crisis rocking the state, Wike said he will not stop the Rivers House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule from performing its constitutional functions.
The immediate past governor of Rivers state also blamed the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, for instigating the main issue that led to the ongoing political crisis in the State.
The minister spoke at Abalama Town where a crowd of Kalabari Ijaw trooped out in their numbers to treat him to a grand civic reception and thanksgiving.
The event held despite protests by some women groups, who tried to block the road to stop people from accessing the venue of the programme.
Security operatives, especially the police fired teargas cannisters at the protesters to disperse them to avoid the disruption of the programme.
Wike, who was cheered by the crowd, said he came because some persons threatened him not to attend the event, noting that the occasion was an indication the opposition was a mere radio noise.
He said: “I heard some people say I won’t come here. Who are they and how many are they? What you have done today is to tell the world all these noise in the radio is not the real thing. If you are of the Kalabari and of the Ijaw nation and you are receiving me today, God will continue to bless you. I will continue to stand by you and to support you.”
He explained some persons had misunderstood and misinterpreted his recent interview on Ijaw but clarified that he only meant that an Ijaw man becoming a governor in Rivers was made possible and agreement to work together.
He said at the final day of deciding who would be his successor, Fubara said he was not interested and urged them to give the position to his then Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu.
He recalled the process that led to Siminalayi Fubara becoming the Governor adding that Chief Alabraba, Chief Seargent Awuse and OCJ Okocha mounted pressure on him to allow Fubara in the principle of live and let live.
He said: “What I said on my interview people will want to misinterpret it. However they want to misinterpret it is their business. I want to repeat what I said. I said we are all working together if we don’t work together it would have been difficult to produce the governor. That was what I said. Chief Alabraba did not allow me to rest; he nearly fainted when we were deciding who would be governor.
“Himself, OCJ Okocha and Seargent Awuse and this boy Celestine Omehia when we met, that day was the primary, this governor today said he was not going to run that my Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu, should be the one to run. Celestine Omehia said it should be Isaac Kamalu that this governor cannot carry out effectively, the functions of the governor.
“OCJ Okocha and Chief Awuse said live and let live. Let us not do something that people will begin to say why must it be only one sided. What I mean was that it was not because of the strength or the power of Ijaw. It was because we worked together.
“Nobody should associate anything evil to Ijaw. Ijaw people are not evil people. You cannot everything be saying I will blow pipeline. No. Engage people intellectually and diplomatically and you get what you want. In the world we are in today we have passed the stage of threatening people.”
Wike said those around the Governor encouraged him to seize the salaries and allowances of the House of Assembly members for over a year telling the governor that nothing would happen.
He said: “They told you to seize Assembly members salaries and allowances for more than one year. They have no income to feed their families and pay their children school fees. And you were jubilating and people were encouraging you and telling you that nothing would happen.
“Now something has happened. I am not going to stop the assembly from performing their constitutional duties. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their duties. People who love peace don’t threaten people.”I told you that the House of Assembly will not lose their seats. I told you that the shenanigans of local government would not stand. I don’t need to be a governor. I know what is illegal is illegal. We fight it constitutionally and by following due process. What did we do wrong?
“We said all these chairmen and the assembly members suffered, national Assembly members suffered for you to become governor. Therefore, don’t abandon them. But they said I was asking for money. Has the money come? Those you are sharing the money, how far?
