Akpabio slams Fubara over approach to political crisis rocking Rivers

Akpabio slams Fubara over approach to political crisis rocking Rivers

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday critiqued Rivers State Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s approach to the ongoing political turbulence in the state.

The crisis, which has placed the governor at odds with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, and several other key members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has become a focal point of concern.

Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, emphasized that successful leadership—whether gubernatorial or presidential—requires building strong, cooperative ties with the legislature.

His remarks came as the Special Guest of Honour at a Public Lecture and Book Launch in Port Harcourt, marking Wike’s 57th birthday.

In his address, Akpabio underscored that any wise leader understands the delicate balance needed between the executive and legislative branches of government.

He further pointed out that during his own tenure as governor from 2007 to 2015, he had learned firsthand how critical it was to maintain productive relations with the legislature, or risk suffering political consequences.

Despite the growing tensions, Wike responded defiantly to criticisms from his political adversaries, asserting that the support from President Bola Tinubu was enough for him to stay focused on his work.

Speaking to an audience that spilled out onto the streets of Port Harcourt, Wike shared his perspective: “As long as I know my President is content, and my family and friends are happy, nothing else matters. I continue forward,” he said.

The event, titled Pragmatic Strides of a Visionary Leader and Contemporary Issues of Society, drew a large crowd of Wike’s supporters and political allies from all over Nigeria.

It was organized by the NEW Associates, a political movement inspired by the initials of Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.

At the gathering, Akpabio acknowledged Martins Amaewhule, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who has remained a staunch ally of Wike, leading a bloc of 27 loyal state legislators.

Akpabio reminded Fubara that the legislature holds significant power and that no governor should underestimate its influence in the political landscape.

“For those of you who may not understand politics, we were taught that the parliament can turn a woman into a man and a man into a woman. As a governor, my greatest fear was my House of Assembly.

 “So because of that I never travelled anywhere without my Speaker. Any time I didn’t see him for a day, I would send somebody to his house to invite him to come and have a lunch with me, and I used ideas to look at his face to know whether he was happy with me or not.

“The only place that can hurt a governor is the House of Assembly, and no court or democracy can stop that from happening. Any President that wants to survive like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu must hold the Speaker and the Senate President very closely the way he is holding us.

“Recently he conferred on us GCON, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger. Whether he loved it or not, he did it.

“I do not know what is happening in Rivers State, but I hope that the successor of Wike realises the fact that no matter how the bird flies, the legs are pointing to the ground.

“Something must be wrong. Today is not for politics. Today is for Nyesom Wike.

“But sometimes I wonder, I would never be the governor, given the resources of Rivers State, and then I disagree with my House of Assembly and I am not able to poach at least one member out of the other group.

“If I do not do that, it means that there is something wrong with my political philosophy.

“I do not care what people say. We must try to stop this politics of betrayal and politics of treachery, because it does not allow for good succession.

“Prof Julius Ihonvbere (Guest Lecturer and Majority Leader of the House of Representatives) in everything you said here, the word that was missing was ‘sustainability’.

“You cannot have sustainability in good policies and governance when the person taking over from you is interested in not destroying you alone but destroying everything that you built.

“If you are a politician, note, you must have opposition as people oppose you, they are also the step you can use to go higher.”