By Omeiza Ajayi, Dan Abia, Davies Iheamnachor, Peter Duru, Emem Idio

PARTIES in the political imbroglio in Rivers State, yesterday, commenced moves to end the crisis with the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Joseph Johnson, saying that Governor Siminalayi Fubara would implement the agreements brokered by PresidentBola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.

Johnson, who noted that the governor signed the document containing the eight resolutions between the warring factions in the state, said his principal would be implementing the agreement reached.

Also, the group of 27 lawmakers, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, withdrew their impeachment notice against Fubara, yesterday.

However, an attempt by the legislators to withdraw Fubara’s court order was stalled as the counsel to the Rivers State Government said he did not have the instruction of the government to withdraw the matter. 

Dropping of the impeachment moves against Fubara and withdrawal of cases against the G27 by the state government, Fubara, and his team were two of the eight-point agreements reached in Abuja. 

This came as Ijaw Youth Council, IYC,  eight Niger-Delta groups and others rejected the Tinubu peace agreement, which they described as a nullity, and a rape on democracy.

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara’s N100,000 Christmas bonus to workers excited the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Rivers State workers, who prayed that no evil machination formed against the governor shall prosper.”

Fubara’ll cement peace deal

Johnson said Fubara was committed to the process of peace, adding that the governor would take actions that would cement peace in the state.

The Information Commissioner said Governor Fubara did not show weakness when he agreed to the decisions taken at the meeting, as critics said. He also doused claims that Fubara did not sign the agreement.

His words: “There is nothing to doubt about it. We have gone beyond the issue as to who signed, who didn’t sign. The Bible that we all profess to says we should pursue peace with all men at all costs. Mr. Governor is a stickler to rule.

“And if the President has intervened, he (Fubara) is not a man of perfidy. He will not say something and do the other. In the next couple of hours, I will be unveiling some of the approvals His Excellency has already given as an indication that he is prepared for peace.”

G27 withdraw impeachment notice against Fubara

As part of the peace efforts, the Speaker Martin Amaewhule -led G27 legislators, which has 25 lawmakers, yesterday, withdrew the impeachment notice against Fubara at their resumed sitting.

The lawmakers who met at the Assembly quarters in Port Harcourt said their change of mind was in compliance with the resolution brokered by President Tinubu, and out of respect for the president. 

Reading the letter by 24 lawmakers, Speaker Amaewhule recalled that on October 30, 2023, he read a notice of impeachment signed by 24 members of the House pursuant to Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which contained particulars of gross misconduct, and was served on the Governor.

Amaehwule said following the agreement reached on December 18, 2023, at the instance of President Tinubu, the House has withdrawn the notice of impeachment, and would abide by the letters of the agreement and the advice of Mr. President, whom he said members have immense respect for.

The Speaker added that the House would continue to perform its constitutional functions of law making and oversight for the development of the state, and commended President Tinubu for his fatherly role.

However, the Commissioner for Information and Communications,  in a quick response said the state government was not aware of the development.

Drama in court

Meanwhile, there was mild drama at the Rivers State High Court sitting in Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state as the G27 lawmakers who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike moved to withdraw motions filed in a matter instituted against them by Governor Fubara.

The governor had on November 1, in suit no. IHC/230/CS/2023, dragged the Rivers State House of Assembly (1st defendant), Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly (2nd defendant), Deputy Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly (3rd), Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly (4th), and Chief Justice of the State as 5th defendant, to court, praying interim order to stop the lawmakers from impeaching him.  Trial judge, Justice O. Ben-Whyte, had entered the order as sought by the applicant through his counsel, Mr. Damian Okoro, SAN. 

The court barred the Assembly and the Chief Judge of the State from impeaching Governor Fubara pending the determination of the motion on notice before it.

However, at the resumed hearing, counsel for Rivers State House of Assembly, Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, informed the court that he has the instruction of his clients to withdraw the matter from court.

Orbih noted that the decision was in furtherance of the peace agreement reached by parties in the suit in Abuja, Monday.

But counsel for the claimant, Okoro, SAN, quickly told the court that he does not have the instructions of his client to withdraw the matter.

Consequently, the court directed that claimant’s counsel consult his client with respect to the recent development as submitted by the defence counsel, and adjourned the case to January 31, 2024, for report of alternative settlement.

Crisis a threat to Nigeria’s democracy —PDP Senators

Senators elected in the platform of the PDP have expressed worry over the political impasse in Rivers State, warning that the development could be compared to a people sitting on a keg of gunpowder, saying it was a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

The lawmakers appealed to the parties in the feud to exercise restraint and avoid acts that could destroy the democracy Nigerian patriots fought so hard to attain for the country.

The Senators in a statement by Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro(PDP, Benue South), noted that the crisis should be a source of worry for every discerning mind.

The lawmakers stated: “At our meeting of December 12, 2023, Senators unanimously agreed to call on the two parties to exercise restraint in the interest of our fledgling democracy. While the inevitability of disagreement is understandable, we must thread carefully not to allow our personal interests to destroy this democracy that was fought for by many patriots.

“We also wish to call on the good people of Rivers State to please avoid making inflammatory statements or take other actions that are capable of escalating the crisis.”

Tinubu’s peace deal a rape of democracy, open hatred for Ijaws—IYC

However, Ijaw youths under the umbrella of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide, labelled President Tinubu’s peace deal as “a rape of democracy and display of open hatred for the Ijaw people.”

The group while commending Tinubu for his intervention, however, described it as a well-planned and orchestrated attempt to further undermine, humiliate and frustrate Governor Fubara, adding that the settlement was one-sided, devoid of justice, fairness and negatively twisted deliberately against the Governor and in favour of Wike.

IYC in a statement by its Spokesman, Binebai Princewill, emphasized that Ijaw youths were in total agreement with the position of the leader of PANDEF and Ijaw Leader, Pa Edwin Clark, that the intervention of Tinubu demonstrated his hatred against the Ijaws.

They called on Governor Fubara to be watchful and wary of the booby-trap settlement, saying it was not yet time to celebrate.

Princewill said: “Considering the political impasse in Rivers State, we all called for the intervention of President Tinubu to broker peace but it has become very worrisome and frightening to us as Ijaw people when the settlement is one-sided, devoid of justice, fairness and negatively twisted deliberately against the governor which is in total favour to Wike. For us, that is not a settlement but laid down rules for the continued enslavement of the Governor of Rivers State. The purported settlement is nothing but a mere charade and a drama stage-managed by Wike and his cohorts in Aso Rock.

“Governor Fubara cannot be treated like a man that has committed any crime. All he has done is to rebuild a better and stronger Rivers State. Governance in Rivers State must never be seen as a caricature or a joke where a governor will be made to hustle and compile names of commissioners that resigned on their own to be resubmitted again to an impeached Speaker and House of Assembly members that have lost their seats for screening. This is really strange and baffling.

“We are calling on our dear governor of Rivers State to be watchful and wary of this so-called settlement, that it is not yet time to celebrate. Fubara needs to show that he is the governor of Rivers State now. The Ijaw Youth Council is aware that there is more to this premeditated settlement. The big question now is: the defected 27 lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly, what party are they now, are they in APC or PDP?”

Your resolutions on Rivers dictatorial, a nullity, N’Delta groups, others tell Tinubu

In the same vein, Niger Delta groups and others from across the country faulted the eight-point agreement, describing it as dictatorial. At a joint news conference in Abuja, the groups said the president had no locus to interfere in the internal affairs of an opposition party or give orders to a state governor.

The groups are the Niger Delta Nonviolence Agitators Forum, NDNAF, Niger Delta Civil Action Advocacy Group, NDCAAG, Ijaw Wari Worldwide, IWW, Movement for Unity of Northern and Southern Nigeria, MUNSN, Association of Ekpeye Women in Diaspora, AEWD, and the Niger Delta Unity Front, NDUF. Others are Coalition of North Central Women for Unity and Good Governance, CNCWUGG, Ijaw Renaissance Force, IRF, Association of Waterways Ambassadors of Nigeria, AWAAN, and Coalition for Greater and Better Nigeria, CGBN.

The groups which passed a vote of confidence on Fubara, insisted that the 25 PDP lawmakers, who defected to the APC have automatically lost their mandates.

National President of Niger Delta Nonviolence Agitators Forum NDNAF and Executive Director, Centre for Peace Advocacy and Social Rehabilitation CPASR, Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli, who read the resolutions of the groups said the issue in Rivers was avoidable.

He said: “We totally frown and object to the purported resolutions of December 18, 2023, meeting that was convened by President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, wherein the governor of Rivers State was ambushed and treated like a cockroach in the gathering of hens, a sad development where the governor was coerced to accept terms that are totally anti-people of Rivers State and therefore unacceptable.

“Governor Fubara was elected by millions of Rivers people to govern over 10 million Rivers people thus cannot subject himself to any unfavourable terms and agreements without consulting people of the state.

“We want Mr. President to understand the fact that the will of few individuals, who hold public offices in trust for the vast majority of the people can never override the overall interest of the masses and electorates who voted for them.

“Anything contrary to the position of the people of Rivers State shall be vehemently opposed and we shall mobilise multitudes to occupy Rivers State, the National Assembly and all foreign Missions and Embassies that are domiciled in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

“Nigeria runs a constitutional democracy and not a Banana Republic where the President will abuse the constitutional powers that are bestowed and entrusted to him by the good people of this great country to direct and humiliate an incumbent state governor, who has same constitutional powers and immunity to surrender all his constitutional rights, powers and privileges to one single individual.”

Fubara’s N100,000 Christmas bonus excites NLC, Rivers workers

Meanwhile, the NLC has gone spiritual in the face of the political war against Governor Fubara, praying that no evil machination formed against the governor shall prosper. This followed the governor’s approval of N100,000 to be paid to all civil servants as Christmas bonus.

State  Commissioner for Information and Communications, Johnson disclosed that the governor ordered that the bonus should be paid with immediate effect to enable workers to have a wonderful festive season.

The Rivers State Chairman of NLC, Mr. Alex Agwanwo, commended the governor for putting joy in the hearts of civil servants in the state, promising that workers would support the programmes and activities of the administration.

Agwanwo said that for over eight years, workers in the state had not been remembered for better welfare, praying for God’s protection on Fubara.

He said: “It is a welcome development. Since that memo came out last night, I have received several calls from workers and you can see the level of joy among workers. For the past eight years this has never been done and it is happening now. This is the reason we will continue to support the governor in all his activities and programmes because the executive governor today has proven that he was a civil servant that grew through the ranks to become a governor.

“Even without us putting any pressure the governor came on his own and did this. We want to appreciate him. We pray that God will protect and keep him in that office. No weapon formed against him shall prosper.”