PDP chieftain: We have been under siege in Rivers since Fubara became governor

Chidi Lloyd, a former lawmaker representing the Emohua constituency in the Rivers house of assembly, says the state has been under “siege” since Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor, assumed office.

Llyod, the immediate former chairman of Emohua LGA, spoke on Monday during an interview on ‘Focus Nigeria, a programme on AIT.

On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers and suspended Fubara, his deputy, and members of the state house of assembly, citing a protracted political crisis.

The president appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, as the state’s sole administrator.

Llyod, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, said the political impasse in the state was caused by Fubara’s refusal to recognise the 27 lawmakers of the Rivers house of assembly loyal to Nyesom Wike, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

“Since the inception of Governor Simi Fubara’s administration, there has been a state of emergency in Rivers state,” Llyod said.

“What happened a few days ago, was that the president, invoking his powers under section 305 of the constitution, merely declared the state of emergency, by appointing for us, a sole administrator.

“We have been under siege in this state since Governor Fubara became governor, so it is nothing new, we are used to it.

“Imagine a situation where a governor would charge street urchins to be on standby, that very soon he will give the instruction and that he will lead from the front.”

The former LGA chairman said such statements were unbecoming of a state chief executive.

Llyod also said Fubara was never prepared to be chief executive of Rivers, as admitted by the governor himself.

“But I take solace in the fact that this governor had told us abinitio that he is not prepared for this office. He did say it on the day of his primary, he said he should have been informed 20 years ago so that he would learn the rules of how to become governor,” he said.

“So, most times, I don’t find myself blaming him. If a young man who wants to learn how to drive is not given a bed-kit, anybody who wants to learn how to drive is usually given a rickety beetle so that all of those other parts, the clutch, the headlights, and so on, you can manage to forego, but not of course with a Bentley.

“So, we had a situation in Rivers state where we gave a learner driver a Mercedes Benz. And this is the result of it. Out of 36 states in the federation, it is only in Rivers state that, for the past, going to two years now, we’ve not had peace.”