Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Friday took a swipe at Rivers State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the birthday celebration of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike, in Port Harcourt, wondering why the governor has not been able to resolve the political crisis in the state.
Akpabio, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, mocked Fubara’s handling of the protracted political crisis in the state. The event attracted thousands of Wike’s loyalists, friends, and associates. Organised by the NEW Associates, a new political movement coined from the initials of the minister’s names, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the event provided a platform for Akpabio to remind Fubara of the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the legislature.
Akpabio recognised Martins Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, emphasising that every wise governor or president must find a way to work closely with the leadership of the legislature.
Akpabio, who spoke from his experience as a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, noted that a governor could only be hurt by the House of Assembly. He advised Fubara to fashion out ways to work with the Speaker, just as he did during his tenure.
He said: “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 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. He muscled the two Chambers together”. The Senate President questioned Fubara’s inability to win over some of the 27 lawmakers loyal to former governor Wike, despite having ample resources at his disposal.
He expressed concern over the politics of betrayal and treachery, noting that such orientation affects sustainability in governance. Akpabio also observed that the birthday lecture titled, ‘Pragmatic Strides of a Visionary Leader and Contemporary Issues of Society’, delivered by the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, failed to address the critical issue of sustainability.
He said: “I do not know what is happening in Rivers State but I hope that the successor to 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, 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”.
Akpabio, however, said that when politicians serve with dedication, passion, confidence and with open hearts, God would eventually lift them higher. On his part, Wike who appreciated the NEW Associates and Chairman of the Organising Committee, Senator George Sekibo, for putting the event together, said he was not bothered about the ongoing criticisms of a few people.
His words: “For me, in life, what is important is, if you know what you want to do, and you know how you want to do it, then you go ahead. One thing that I can assure all of you here is that we will continue to make you proud.
“I will never be distracted. I will still be focused to achieve the results that Nigerians will know that Mr. President means well. Yes, so many people have talked about criticism; I can assure you, it is even people who inform me that people are criticising me. Frankly speaking, because I do not see them and I don’t hear them and I cannot reply them.”
Wike, who said he was humbled by the crowd that identified with him, said he was satisfied with the support of President Tinubu. He said all the criticisms were designed by his detractors to distract him, adding that the only way to silence the critics was to achieve results for public interest.
He said: “I have told most of you, do not bother about criticisms. What is important for you is to ask yourself if you are focused or you are doing what is expected of you to do. I tell them, the moment your enemies see that you do not listen to them and you are focused and are there to achieve results they will be tired and when you are being distracted, you are worried they will say yes, they have now gotten you.
“The only way that you can silence your critics is to show them your result, show them your performance. I am happy that when we were coming last night I saw the flyovers being painted. I have said, if you are not important nobody will talk about you.
“So, the support Mr. President is giving to me is enough for me. I do not require anything. The moment I know that my Mr. President is happy, the moment I know that my family is happy, the moment I know that my friends and associates are happy, what is my own? I just go on. If you cannot match up with what we have done, why not come out and say look, let the truth be told.
“I do not see anybody that will intimidate or threaten me. I have not seen that person. At the appropriate time we will talk politics; now is for project and project in FCT.”
