Edwin Clark accuses Wike of scheming to replace Fubara with Rivers Speaker

Chief Edwin Clark, a PANDEF leader and elder statesman, has accused the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, of masterminding the plot to impeach Rivers State Governor, Sam Fubara.

He said Wike’s plan is to make Fubara’s deputy quit after the impeachment and put the state Assembly Speaker, who is from the same ethnic group as Wike, in charge of the state. He urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene and stop Wike and the security agencies in Rivers State from causing trouble.

The Rivers State Assembly had sacked Fubara’s ally and majority leader, Edison Ehie, who had blocked an impeachment move against the governor on Monday. The governor and his supporters, with armed security operatives, then stormed the assembly complex to foil the impeachment attempt.

Clark, in a statement on Monday, said Tinubu must act quickly and prevent the crisis in Rivers State from escalating for the sake of his government, the country’s democracy, and the nation’s interests. Clark said Nigeria is a democratic country, and the constitutional principles must be respected by all Rivers people who have endured enough political turmoil. The statement partly reads, “I am very concerned about the reported developments in Rivers State in the last 24 hours. I have been reliably informed that there is a scheme to unlawfully remove the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Siminalaye Fubara, who has been in office for only about 5 months.

“I understand that this unfortunate episode is being spearheaded by the former Governor of Rivers State and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike. And that his intention is to remove the governor, force his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, to resign, and install the Speaker of the House of Assembly, another Ikwerre person, as the governor of the state.” I want to warn strongly that we will not allow that to happen. President Bola Tinubu must call Nyesom Wike and the security agencies in Rivers State to order to avoid any serious crisis in Rivers State.”

The consequences would be grave for the stability of the region and the national economy. What has Governor Fubara done wrong? Rejecting to be further’remotely controlled?’ Mr. Nyesom Wike was governor for 8 years; nobody disturbed him. He governed Rivers State like a dictator; he did not show any respect or regard to anyone, not even those who imposed him on the Rivers people in 2015.”