The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused some close associates of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara of giving him bad counsel and dragging out the political disagreement in the state.
Wike made the claim on Saturday during a chat with journalists in Port Harcourt where he named former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, Chijioke Ihunwo, Victor Oko Jumbo and activist Ankio Briggs as people he believes influenced the governor’s decisions during the crisis.
The FCT minister was reported to have said the people played a role in the governor’s actions after the peace agreement was reached through the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
He said their advice had led Fubara away from commitments made during the settlement process.
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Wike said the governor was the worst hit in the political fight, adding that he pitied Fubara over the ordeal he endured in the course of the fight.
He said, “I sympathize with Governor Siminalayi Fubara because he is the biggest loser. Governor Siminalayi Fubara was misled by the advice he received from Edison Ehie, Chijioke Ihunwo, Victor Oko Jumbo and Ankio Briggs.
“The political situation in Rivers State was as a result of the wrong counsel people around the governor gave him. Influence from within the governor’s circle meant the peace agreement that President Bola Tinubu had brokered was not respected. The crisis that engulfed Rivers State has hit Governor Fubara the hardest.
The fallout between Wike and Fubara, who succeeded him as Rivers governor, led to a huge political crisis in the state.
The disagreement later resulted in the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, with Fubara suspended from office for six months.
Though Fubara later defected to the All Progressives Congress, he could not get the party’s ticket to contest for another term.
The governor had recently returned to Wike’s political camp after the long-running feud.
