Amid a dispute between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, and the wave of resignations that have followed, the Rivers State Government has stated that the governor did not coerce any of his commissioners to resign.
Joe Johnson, the state’s Commissioner for Information, clarified this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. He stated, "Whatever their reason, I will like to say that the governor did not force, compel or ask anyone to leave. Those who left did so on their own volition, and according to their reasons."
Johnson also mentioned that a structural firm had confirmed that the Rivers State Assembly Complex was no longer fit for use, which led to the governor's decision to demolish the complex. He added that even Wike agreed that the complex was no longer habitable. Johnson further described his principal as a pacifist who is doing everything within his power to resolve the crisis.
Rivers State has been in a state of turmoil for the past three months, with the state House of Assembly serving as the epicentre of the conflict.
The disagreement between Wike and Fubara led to a split among the lawmakers in the House, with 27 of them switching from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a party in which Wike currently serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in its central government.
The feud also resulted in the emergence of parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and a wave of resignations from pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet.
Despite interventions in the crisis by President Bola Tinubu and some elder statesmen, there appears to be no end in sight to the political upheaval sweeping the oil-rich South-South state.