Fubara is the architect of Rivers violence, he didn’t obey court order – Wike

Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has accused Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, of being responsible for the recent violence in the state.

In an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, Wike claimed that the unrest in Rivers stems from Fubara’s failure to respect the rule of law and court decisions. He pointed to a judgment from the federal high court in Abuja, which had restrained the police and other security agencies from participating in the October 5 local government elections in Rivers. According to Wike, Fubara ignored this ruling.

“When I was governor, I always upheld the rule of law,” Wike said. “The governor himself acknowledged that the state is descending into anarchy, but what does it mean to obey the rule of law? It means respecting court judgments, regardless of personal opinions. Once you disregard these rulings, you are inviting chaos and violence. Was there this level of destruction before now?”

Wike criticized Fubara’s public refusal to comply with the court’s decision, stating that the governor misinterpreted the ruling. Fubara had claimed the court did not explicitly forbid the elections from being held and even suggested that the police were unnecessary for conducting the polls.

“In that case, who is really responsible for the violence? It’s clear the governor is the architect,” Wike said.

On Monday, suspected hoodlums set fire to parts of three local government secretariats in Emohua, Eleme, and Ikwerre, allegedly to stop the newly elected officials from assuming office.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) held elections for 23 chairmanship positions and 319 councillorship seats on Saturday. The Action Peoples Party (APP) secured 22 local government areas (LGAs), while the Action Alliance (AA) won in one.

Despite the unrest, Governor Fubara proceeded with swearing in the elected officials on Sunday.

The build-up to the elections was marred by legal disputes, including conflicting court rulings. On September 4, a Rivers state high court allowed RSIEC to use the 2023 voter register for the elections. However, on September 30, a federal high court in Abuja barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to RSIEC.