Elder statesman Edwin Clark claimed to have advised President Bola Tinubu to grant Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara full authority over the affairs of his state.
The Ijaw national leader made these remarks while weighing in on the conflict that has engulfed the oil-rich state over the past few months between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, Tinubu's nominee.
The crisis has divided the Rivers State House of Assembly, and many Wike supporters who had been appointed by Fubara have left. “I have advised Mr. President (Tinubu) to leave Fubara alone to run his government, and Wike should concentrate on his job in Abuja,” I stated once more.
The state will regain its peace and stability once that is accomplished. Be that as it may, assuming that they do anything opposite and there is no harmony, it will influence the economy of the country," Clark told The Punch.
The 97-year-old said senior legislators such as himself have been not able to intercede among Wike and Fubara on account of the previous' emphasis on controlling the political design of the state.
"How would you unite them? One man claims that I have split up. Be that as it may, you are my house help It's impossible for you to be son. Outsiders cannot possibly accept him.
This is due to the fact that Wike does not perceive any flaws in him. He is under the impression that he retains control over the structures in Rivers State, despite the fact that those structures have existed under each governor.
They are not the property of one person. Rivers was created before Wike was even born, he stated. Clark slammed Tony Okocha, Rivers State's Caretaker. Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for urging the president to declare a state of emergency due to the crisis. “I can tell you that Tony Okocha does not know what he is doing with regard to the call for the declaration of a state emergency. Who is he going to sue for that? He was fortunate to be appointed because the Rivers APC executives had already been disbanded.
He knows a lot about me. "Might it be said that he was not the head of staff to (Rotimi) Amaechi when he was lead representative? They were in the APC together. Wike later took seven of them to see (Dr Abdullahi) Ganduje in Abuja. They shaped a (overseer) board, and today, he is the director of Waterways State APC. As a result, it was clear from the beginning that Okocha did not want to be with Amaechi once more. He stated, "These are the people dispersing Rivers State."