Presidency: Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers crisis not political — he’s father of the nation

The presidency says President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the crisis in Rivers has nothing to do with politics. 

Over the past few weeks, there has been tension in Rivers over the feud between Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor.

In the wake of the crisis, the Rivers house of assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Fubara.

The governor’s loyalists kicked against the impeachment moves.

Thereafter, 27 lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Subsequently, Edison Ehie, factional speaker of the Rivers assembly, declared the seats of the lawmakers who defected vacant.

However, following Tinubu’s intervention on Monday, Fubara and Wike agreed to end the feud between them.

According to the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting with Tinubu, all parties agreed that all matters instituted in courts should “immediately” be withdrawn.

In the eight-point resolution signed by Fubara, Wike, and other Rivers stakeholders, it was agreed that all impeachment proceedings against the governor should be dropped “immediately”.

They also agreed that Martin Amaewhule should be recognised as speaker, while the 27 lawmakers who defected should be taken back as members of the assembly.

‘A FAIR RESOLUTION’

Speaking in an interview on TVC News, Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, said Tinubu intervened in the crisis because he is the father of the nation.

“The motive of the president is clearly in this case not a political one. He is the father of the nation; he is the president of the federal republic of Nigeria; he is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces,” Ngelale said.

“It is the primary responsibility of his to ensure that there is peace and stability and security in all parts of the country.

“If he sees any sign that peace is breaking down in any part of the country, this is a president that will take action.

“And frankly, the resolution of the Rivers crisis is one that results from a series of interventions that he has made over the course of the last few months on this issue.

“Mr. President was fully ready and equipped to take a very hard action if this resolution had not been reached.”

Ngelale added that resolutions from the meeting have brought relief to the people of Rivers.

“It is to great relief of Rivers people and to Nigerians at large that you have a resolution in which nobody got exactly what they wanted; nobody got what they wanted,” he said.

“There was compromise involved. All sides of the political divide within that state have had to compromise to ensure that there is a fair resolution.

“Nigerians are going to see that the difference between what we have seen from this president as against previous presidents of the past 24 years is that when something is wrong — whether it involves a political party or not in any part of the country — as the father of the nation, he is going to call everybody to the table and he is going to get everybody to a common resolution in the interest of the Nigerian people.”