‘How to resolve Rivers crisis’

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose spoke on the protracted political crisis in Rivers State and how the face-off between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike can be resolved. Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports

What is your reaction to the face-off between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike?

In my meeting with Fubara, I said to him, Your Excellency, Governor Fubara, you’re here by the grace of your brother, the former governor and today you are the governor of the Rivers State. I was able to remind him that it’s better for him to seal all his windows because patronizers will soon come. People who lead people astray will soon come; seal your door, don’t wait for people to come by and say things to your ears that will destroy your relationship with Wike.

I further admonished him that in the first four years and ultimately for eight years; if you open these doors, you’ll begin to see spirits and don’t follow a trend and fight with Wike because if you do so, by Wike’s antecedents, these problems will continue indefinitely. It’s quick to forget what life is all about.

I was a different person during my first term as governor. The youthful exuberance of getting yourself can put you into so many troubles. It doesn’t have to be said it’s spiritual but it’s an advance warning. Also, by telling him that there’s a window, there’s an ample opportunity for you to close this and solve this problem.

The price for peace is cheaper than the consequences of war. If you don’t do it, it’ll only be left in the hands of God because you can’t take away the powers of the House of Assembly. During my first tenure, I inherited the House of Assembly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State because our election is the off-season election. It was a tough experience. They would have taken me out the second time. I had to use wisdom, carrot and stick. I had to manage everybody for me to survive.

While is Wiike not concentrating on his job in Abuja and leaving Fubara alone?

May I say this to you, and to Nigerians. That’s always the beginning. You brought up your child. And somebody says, he wants to marry your daughter. If you have left that girl untrained, ordinary carpenters and people who have no capacity will be chasing her. A man who wants to marry must have capacity. Life is level by level. God has graduated this life like a pyramid.

The governors, the minister, everybody is at a level. You can’t tell me that a man who is down the ladder wants to marry a queen somewhere

They will tell him that he doesn’t have the capacity. Let’s go back to the issues. Everybody must have helped everybody in life. But God himself says he hates ingratitude.

I will only fight with what I have left. You can’t sack Wike from Rivers politics. You can’t sack me from Ekiti politics. I’m not supposed to say what I want to say to you now but I’ll say it to you. This is about equity in politics. I was in this house three years ago.

The current governor of Ekiti State is of the APC extraction. I’m of the PDP. He told me that he would want to visit. He came here and sat on the chair and said, I want to beg you to come to my support.

I want you to stand by me in this government. I didn’t go to him. He’s the governor. To him, I still have hands and legs everywhere in the state. Yes, I’m not the governor but that’s a path of wisdom.

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I was taken off my feet. I said to him, whoever has taught you this, has taught you the right thing. And if it’s the leading of God, you’re well led. I’ll give you my support. When the governor was having issues in APC, I stood my ground. I went to Tinubu and said: This is the man that has won the election.

The governor is doing well. My own position is always clear. Whether Fubara or my governor; all of them got their strength from other people. Like I said, there are a lot of issues between godfathers, and godsons in most states. But it’s wisdom that guides the sitting governor.

Look at Kogi. Why are they not having issues in the state? Why is the governor of Kogi being very humble? Whatever you say about Yahaya Bello, he doesn’t want to hear it.

Whenever anybody comes to say something to him about Yahaya Bello, he remembers the day Yahaya Bello gave him that platform. And I told my governor, whatever former Governor Kayode Fayemi must have done to you, remember the day he gave you that platform. Don’t say ill of him. I cooperated with him and he thanked me for such advice.

The national chairman and secretary of the APC have both said that Fubara is the leader of the party in the state, but Wike says the governor cannot be the leader of the party. Who is the leader?

When I was governor; if I’m coming, the traditional rulers, the leaders of thought and people that matter in the state will get up. They will rise up and say ‘the governor is here.’ And nothing is called to order except the governor is seated.

That’s in the office. That’s the difference between the office and 001. What brought about 001? Who gave Fubara the platform to be calling himself 001? Wike gave him the platform. It is a sad narrative for Governor Fubara to be struggling. It is a sad story for my governor to be fighting Fayemi.

Rather, he should manage the situation. You see, Ekiti people said that those who give you life are the fathers of those who give you money. The person that prevents you from dying is the father of the person that gives you wealth because if you have no life in the first instance, wealth will not come.

Who is Governor Fubara? I respect him as a governor. A governor goes before the people and prostrate. As a governor, I would go to certain places and prostrate. Did it take anything away from me? Even if Wike says he’s the leader, it’s not for Governor Fubara to be contesting that with him. You didn’t know about Fubara three years ago. You never heard about Fubara three years ago.

I was supporting Austin Opara. I was sitting by Governor Wike to mull his opinion to support Austin Opara towards the time of the election. In the car, when I was asking who the candidate was, Wike told me ‘Fayose, I know where you belong and I’m not going that way. I’m going to Fubara.’ I never knew Fubara. Let’s call a spade a spade.

Who is the governor? The governor is the creation of some people. He’s the creation and influence of some people, Wike is the major influence that led to the emergence of Fubara as governor.

Do you think that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention will make any difference this time aroubd?

I want to advise Governor Fubara again, Please, Governor Fubara, I’m begging you, go and make an end to this crisis. Your wife can only tell you, after all, I’ve said sorry to you.

Is that an apology? My wife can tell me, I’ve said sorry to you. How many times will I say sorry to you? There’s what we call in Yoruba, I’m saying it just for me to have peace, not because I want to show remorse.

Those people are misleading Governor Fubara but if he goes down today, they’ll run away. People who were saying I should fight back in those days, they were not there when I was isolated and when I was alone. That’s all I will say. In this current situation, the President that I know hates ingratitude. The President that I know controls Lagos from the palms of his hands.

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For instance, the Speaker of the Lagos State Assembly was impeached and somebody else took over. The President, without saying a word, caused the system to restore that speaker because it’s an affront to the President, who’s the leader there. Do you want to tell me that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the leader in Lagos?

Let him announce it. Let Governor Sanwo-Olu come out and say ‘I’m the leader in Lagos.’ There are certain things that are said to cause aesthetics. Don’t let it get into your head.

The emergency rule was all-winning for Governor Fubara. By now, he would have been history because the moment you’re impeached, you’re out of the way.

You can’t contest. If you read the text of President Tinubu, it took Governor Fubara to the cleaners. So, it’s time for Governor Fubara to learn the way I learnt after my first tenure. And let me explain to you: Will the President remove the office of the lawmakers; will he say the lawmakers cannot do their assignments? I don’t think so.

How would you be running a government without sending names of appropriate people for clearance with the House of Assembly? How would you be spending public funds? Even if it’s for a photo-trick, it’s supposed to follow due process. These are matters of the constitution. The constitution gave Rivers people the power as members of the House of Assembly.

Where does this leave the people of Rivers State; the people who voted?

They should wait for another time to vote. Americans have conceded their powers to President Donald Trump. Trump is using his powers today. For them to say a word about Trump, they should go back to an election.

And may I say to you, the same people of Rivers State voted for their House of Assembly members. They’ve transmitted their powers to that House of Assembly. And let me run that up for you to tell you very clearly.

I’m not here to tell you the people of Rivers State are with Fubara or with Wike but I’ll not tell you they’re with Fubara. Wike has been going around, drawing crowd. Fubara has the resources of his state, let him go around too. People who have power of creation can have power of taking out. And to the House of Assembly, they have a mandate.

No matter the narrative, the House of Assembly removed me in Ekiti. Whichever hand is behind it, that time, it was President Olusgeun Obasanjo’s hand, it was a lot of elite’s

hand, but they accomplished it. I was removed; I became history, and went on exile. If not for God, I wouldn’t have returned.

Is Nigeria sliding into a one-party state?

I have said that I have always supported President Tinubu even when I was a sitting governor. I was part of the G5 that supported him. I was one of those who told Governor Wike to stay with Tinubu against Atiku who is not a promise keeper, he’ll come back for you when he wins the election.

By the grace of God I was among the people who went to Port Harcourt with Fayemi, late Rotimi Akeredolu, Sanwo-Olu and about two other people to consummate the relationship.

There was no time that we admitted that it was our fault that caused the exodus. We must be honest. When you’re weak, tendencies are there for you to fall in front of the stronger side.

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The challenges in the PDP are not the fault of Tinubu. How many out of about eight governors who have defected have you seen a trace of oppression, suppression, like we’re saying? Money was given to Governor Seyi Makinde. Remember that Oyo is a PDP state; it’s not an APC state. So, in what way was he suppressed? They had issues with their own party. And as governors, they want to survive at all costs.

They took that path. It’s not their fault, probably not, but let me help you to round it up. There are two dominant parties at a given time. Are we saying the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is not dominant? Recently, Peter Obi moved into to the party, and I’ve said it, Obi is the life in the ADC. I’ve never said the other people there are not human beings. I’m saying they are likely spent forces.

Let Obi not go to ADC, let Obi go to another party, you will see the effect. Let’s say Obi is in Accord, the party would become alive, I’m saying that Obi is the only traction, Obi is the only meaning, Obi is the only factor, Obi is the only person in the ADC that matters. And if Obi had not gone to ADC, you would have seen the difference.

When Obi went to Labour Party, the Labour Party that would never have won elections had members in the National Assembly and so on. I’m not saying Obi will win the election. I’m not saying Obi will not win this election, but I’m telling you, if ADC fails to field Obi, their case will be worse than their coming together.