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Rivers crisis APC chieftain blames party. Salihu Lukman, a former Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (North-West), has blamed the incumbent APC government for Rivers State’s ongoing political instability.
Lukman said that the APC government has been indulging the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, an act that has expressed itself in the state’s current crises.
He made the remarks during a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, ahead of the public presentation of his new book, ‘APC and Transition Politics,’ on Tuesday.
Rivers’ situation worsened on Thursday, when seven commissioners loyal to Wike resigned from Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s cabinet.
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN); Commissioner for Works, Dr Des George-Kelly; Commissioner for Special Duties, Emeka Woke; Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs Inime Aguma; Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu; and Commissioner for Education, Prof. Chinedu Mmom were among those who resigned.
Five of the seven commissioners worked in the same capacity for Wike’s administration, with Woke serving as the FCT minister’s Chief of Staff for eight years.
Even after the demolition of the parliamentary quarters last week, the two factions of the state House of Assembly continued to hold separate sittings.
On Sunday, Lukman expressed alarm that the APC leadership had been reduced to the level of a spectator in the’street brawl’ between Wike and his estranged political godson.
“I think we should take some responsibility,” he continued, “because perhaps, if as party leaders, we didn’t indulge Wike the way we did, he would have managed his relationship with the governor and other political leaders better back in Rivers.”
“Honestly, because I don’t want to play cheap politics, I believe we must appeal to Wike that if he supported Siminalayi Fubara’s election as governor for whatever reason, he must accept responsibility and find a way to swallow the bitter pills.”
“The more he messed up his relationship with Fubara, the worse it got.”
” Based on their street brawl, it’s clear that a ‘arrangement’ was struck. Fubara provided a budget, which was approved in less than 24 hours. This is no longer democracy.”
Continuing, the former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum stated that he expected Wike and the governor to reconcile for the sake of their people, adding that leadership entails accepting full responsibility.