Rivers update: Wike continues on warpath as Fubara keeps mum

The political situation has continued to be pregnant in Rivers State without any sign of true reconciliation between godfather and godson.

Instead, FCT Minister has continued to hold meetings and parties in Rivers State where toxic remarks and what looks like open threats have continued to emanate.

On the other hand, Governor Sim Fubara has continued in his ‘mysterious’ ways of applying optimum silence. He has said he was not fighting anybody.

He has not resubmitted the 2024 budget as directed by Aso Rock. The Wike-backed lawmakers have made several calls for the budget but silence has been all they have got in response.

For this, the lawmakers have threatened to cut off further communications with the governor, but the masses have reacted saying the lawmakers had no legitimacy.

Last week, names of the nine commissioners that resigned in the heat of hostilities between the “two elephants” resurfaced before the lawmakers for screening. It was not clear who submitted their names, but hints later emerged to indicate that it was the governor that did.

Fubara seems scared of losing the massive support of the people he has enjoyed at the moment, fearing that they would back out if he appeared to be bowing to Wike. On the other hand, the governor may also be scared of the ‘consequences’ that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had warned at the signing of the deal that breaches carried consequences.

The first consequence some political analysts point to seems to be the much-shifted Supreme Court case against Fubara from the APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, a Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi man.

Pundits wonder why the case was being shifted (now February 26, 2024). Many wonder if the matter was part of what the governor and the president discussed so secretly in Aso Rock last week.

Some argue that if Tonye Cole should win, the structure Wike is worried about would elude both godfather and godson to Amaechi. If a re-run is called for, the issue of who takes over as governor to conduct the election would become serious because it is not clear who the real speaker in the state is; Martin Amaewhule (for Wike) and Edison Ehie’s successor (for Fubara).

Head or tail, the issue in Rivers State looks dicey.