Ibrahim Manga, acting national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, rejected the offer to control the state’s political structure.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, Manga recounted that the PDP’s national working committee (NWC) approached Fubara to nominate a candidate to fill the vacant position of the party’s chairmanship in Rivers.
He said Fubara turned down the opportunity to nominate someone for the position, insisting that Nyesom Wike, his predecessor, should choose a nominee.
Fubara and Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), have been at loggerheads over control of the state’s political structure.
The conflict has led to a polarisation of the Rivers state house of assembly.
The PDD spokesperson said the party had done everything to support Fubara, noting that the governor failed to rally the national working committee (NWC) and fellow governors to his side.
“The kind of opportunity given to Fubara by this party is the sort that you never imagine exists from any political party to any of its members, not a governor, not a president,” Manga said.
“It is the sort that you would not believe any member will enjoy, any person no matter his status, whether in former president.
“If I start talking now, I’ll dig out what we have been keeping in the cooler—the opportunities, the chances, the repeated chances given to this governor for him to take the leadership and take control of the structure.
“He was the first person that came to meet this NWC when they requested the replacement of the state’s chairman of the PDP.
“He said, ‘No, no, no’, nobody should call him that they should call ‘oga in Abuja; let oga give the person; anyone oga’ gives he is comfortable.
“This was the beginning of the whole of this problem. He was the one who said he cannot take decisions when Nyesom Wike is still alive.
“That was before the relationship went sour. So, at what point did you now stop recognising him as your boss, that you start taking all of those decisions?”
‘FUBARA, BALA MOHAMMED MAY FACE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS’
The PDP spokesman hinted that Fubara and Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi, may face disciplinary actions for alleged anti-party activities in the Rivers LGA elections.
“That is a clear anti-party on the part of the governor, and we will wait for him with that himself,” Manga said.
“The governor that went to identify with him during the inauguration of the elected officials himself, the chairman of the governors’ forum, will be accused of anti-party.
“And this is why we are always careful to, you know, apply the sledgehammer on the heads of all of those persons accused of identifying with this thing called anti-party.
“Because you would soon realise that you have finished all the members of the party, and you are leaving nobody behind. Everybody has one action or the other that can constitute what is anti-party in the face of law.
“So, in the running party…because he went there, they were inaugurated, none of them was PDP local government chairman, none of the 21 of them.
“But the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum went there, gave his blessing for a sitting PDP governor to inaugurate the opposition party, and then they were all joyful and in a festive mood.
