Rivers crisis: Wike, not Fubara, should be suspended, says Archbishop Danson

As far as His Royal Eminence Archbishop King Benny Danson, President of the International Council of Archbishops, is concerned, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should have suspended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Nyesom Wike, over the political crisis in Rivers State.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja on Thursday, he faulted President Tinubu over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The cleric, who described the measure that led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state Assembly members for six months as an illegal act, called on President Tinubu to reverse the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

He said: “With all due respect, sir, I know you mean well for Nigeria, and you mean well for Rivers State, but your action in declaring the state of emergency was really unconstitutional. And I want to end it there by saying the best decision you would have taken was to call the FCT minister to order, call the 27 legislative members of the House of Assembly to order, and call the governor to order.

“You set up a panel to look into these affairs, and the governor, which is, sir, Siminalayi Fubara, followed every instruction, met with the panel, but the FCT minister disrespected it and never gave an audience to the panel that you, Mr. President, set to look into this matter.

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“So, if there was anybody to suspend, I think it should be your minister. But then, if it comes to suspension, you should have suspended both the FCT minister and the governor. The deputy governor has done nothing other than remain silent, waiting to hear and obey the last order.

“You can’t suspend the governor and suspend his deputy, who handles the affairs of the state. And we are in a democracy, yet you brought in a retired military man. That is returning us to the military regime, which is unconstitutional. Sir, with all due respect, rethink your decision and the broadcast you made, because it may cause more chaos.

“As far as I am concerned, some of us have not kept quiet. We have spoken to the governor, and I personally have spoken to some among these 27 members of the House of Assembly, who happen to be my spiritual sons, to allow peace to reign. The state is going through this because His Excellency Wike, who is a former governor, is interfering with the governance of the present governor, which is unconstitutional too.

“Sir, how would it look if His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari began to interfere in your rulership? How would you feel? It doesn’t work that way. So, with all due respect, sir, I want to call on your indulgence.

“Rethink this broadcast and call the governor back to his duty while questioning the FCT minister and the 27 members of the House of Assembly to follow through with what the Supreme Court has already said.”

He thereby called on the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, traditional rulers, members of the judiciary, and all well-meaning Nigerians to wade into the matter—not with violence, but rather by speaking out and getting the error corrected.