The appointment of the King of Apara Kingdom in Obio/Akpor local government area, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, as chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers by Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a worrisome dimension to the raging political crisis in the state.
Rivers state has been embroiled in political crisis since 2023 following the face-off between former Governor Nyesome Wike, now minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and his political godson and successor, Governor Fubara.
Consequently, the appointment of Eze Wodo, who recently visited Governor Fubara to pledge his support for his administration, to replace King Sergeant Awuse, an ally of Wike, is in furtherance of Fubara’s resolve to dismantle his predecessor’s political structure and whittle down his control of the levers of governance of the state.
It is instructive that Wike hails from Obio/Akpor local government area. Awuse, a prominent politician, became a traditional ruler in his Emohua Kingdom in Emohua local government area two years ago.
Despite being new to the revered Council of Traditional Rulers, Wike, during a banquet to mark the end of his tenure as the governor, announced Awuse, his long time ally, as the council’s chairman.
Awuse marked his first year as a traditional ruler in June last year while serving as the chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers, a role he took over from the King of Opobo, where Governor Fubara hails from.
At a meeting with the government classified Traditional Rulers at the Government House last week, Governor Fubara said the appointment of a new chairman is due to the “inactivity and the absence of effective leadership of the council under Eze Ohna Sergeant Awuse”.
The governor accused Awuse of failing to steer the council’s affairs right and being unable to promote cordial relationship among members and with the state government
Awuse’s ouster came on the heels of the swearing in of 23 new caretaker chairmen for the 23 local government areas of the state to replace former chairmen believed to be Wike’s loyalists.
The governor inaugurated the new caretaker chairmen hours after the House of Assembly, led by factional Speaker, Victor Jumbo, screened and confirmed the nominees.
The crisis over the tenure of the former chairmen began after the Rivers Assembly passed the Local Government Amendment Bill into law. While Fubara did not assent to the bill, the lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule, vetoed him.
The law empowered the Rivers State Assembly to extend the tenure of council chairpersons, their vice, and councillors where it is deemed impossible to hold elections before the end of their three-year tenure.
In the wake of the disagreement over the tenure elongation of the local chairpersons and councillors, Rowland Sekibo and Onengiyeofori George of Akuku-Toru and Asari-Toru local government councils, respectively, called for peace after youths barricaded the secretariats.
The crisis in Rivers state has also led to the disruption of the activities of the state legislature as the House of Assembly became factionalised. The threat of impeachment of Governor Fubara by the pro-Wike lawmakers prompted the governor to demolish the Assembly complex.
Following from these precarious state of affairs in Rivers state, Blueprint calls on Wike and Fubara to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign in the littoral state.
While we acknowledge the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other statesmen to resolve the Rivers state’s crisis, it’s obvious that more needs to be done to achieve the desired peace in the state.
Nigeria cannot afford the heightening of insecurity in the Niger Delta region, which is already bedeviled by the illegal operations of oil thrives and militants disrupting the nation’s oil exploration and exportation.