Despite having the Rivers people solidly behind him, Governor Sim Fubara on Monday night signed a shadowy peace agreement with his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike and other critical stakeholders in the impasse in Rivers State, which still leaves him politically vulnerable and at the mercy of pro-Wike legislators who dominate the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The peace agreement, aimed at resolving the weeks-long conflict in the oil-rich state, was signed at the instance and supervision of President Bola Tinubu, who had summoned the warring parties for a peace parley at Aso Rock Abuja.
Recall that the crisis in Rivers was triggered by an “illegal” attempt by the pro-Wike legislators to impeach the governor, allegedly at Wike’s instigation.
It was reported that Wike sought to discard of Fubara after the latter stopped doing his bidding as governor of the state.
In attendance at the peace meeting were Governor Fubara, a former governor of the state, Peter Odili, and the immediate past Governor, Nyesom Wike, and other stakeholders.
Other signatories of the resolution are the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr Ngozi Ordu; Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, a loyalist of the FCT minister, Hon Martin Amaewhule; acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chukwuemeka Aaron; and the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker committee chairman, Chief Tony Okocha.
According to a resolution signed Monday night, which still leaves Fubara as a governor in a cage, the President directed that all matters instituted in the courts by the governor and his team in respect of the political crisis be withdrawn immediately.
Also, all impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor by the state House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.
The resolution was signed by Fubara, Wike; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Speaker, Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; PDP Chairman, Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka and APC Chairman, Rivers State, Tony Okocha.
The resolution read, “The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.
“The remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
Given the inhabitable state of the Rivers State House of Assembly building, Tinubu directd that the lawmakers “shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interreference and/or hindrance from the Executive arm of government.”
Also, Fubara, who had earlier presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill of his state to four members of the Assembly “shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.”
Likewise, the President directed that the names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state “should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval” adding that “There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State” declaring the dissolution of the Local Government administration as “null and void”.
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