Nyesom Wike, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has stated that Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers, is the “architect” behind the violence in the state.
In an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, Wike attributed the violence in Rivers state to the governor’s refusal to obey the rule of law and court judgments.
The FCT minister explained that Fubara ignored a judgment from the federal high court in Abuja, which restrained the police and other security agencies from participating in the October 5 Rivers LGA elections.
“When I was governor, I always obeyed the rule of law. You heard the governor said, our state is turning to a state of anarchy where people did not obey the rule of law. What is obeying the rule of law?” Wike questioned.
“You must respect and obey the judgment of the court. You must not take the law into your hands. It does not matter how you see that judgment.
“The moment you don’t obey court judgments, you are inviting anarchy and violence. Was that destruction done before now?
“A governor came out on national television to tell the world that I will not obey court judgment.
In fact, he said there is nowhere in the judgment that the court said the election should not hold. He went so far as to say, I don’t need police before I conduct the election.
“In that case, who is the perpetrator of that violence? It is not about blaming. The governor is the architect of the violence in Rivers.”
On Monday, sections of three LGA secretariats — Emohua, Eleme, and Ikwerre — were set ablaze by hoodlums to prevent the elected officials from resuming their duties.
On Saturday, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) held elections for 23 chairmanship and 319 councillorship seats in the state.
The Action Peoples Party (APP) won 22 LGAs, while the Action Alliance (AA) claimed victory in one LGA.
On Sunday, the Rivers governor swore in the newly elected LGA chairpersons.
On Monday, hoodlums again targeted and burned parts of the Emohua, Eleme, and Ikwerre LGA secretariats, further disrupting the newly elected officials’ duties.
