Fubara sacked me as traditional rulers’ chair while in ICU, says Awuse

Wike: Awuse played crucial role to make Fubara governor

The ex-chairman of Rivers State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Sergeant Chidi Awuse, has lamented that Governor Siminialayi Fubara kicked him out as the chair of the state’s monarch’s council when he was still in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) battling for his life.

The traditional ruler of Emohua Local Government Area further said Fubara publicly cast aspersions on him describing him as “unsteady”, despite his near-death situation after his contributions to making him the governor.

He made this known at the weekend when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, led a delegation of his political family to his palace to rejoice with him for surviving a debilitating illness.

On June 21, Fubara removed Awuse, who was appointed by his predecessor as chairman of the Rivers Traditional Rulers Council and replaced him with the paramount ruler of Apara kingdom, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, accusing Awuse of inactivity and absence to provide effective leadership of the council.

But Awuse, who recently returned from a medical trip, described the governor as ungrateful. He said he formally informed the governor on three occasions about his trips in writing and that all his letters were acknowledged by the state government.

Awuse said: “I never went out of this state without telling my governor; not just once. So, when somebody said he didn’t know where I went to, I was surprised.

“I was sacked from my seat the day I was in ICU. I was in a coma for 10 hours. I told only Wike because everybody rejected me. The government I was serving rejected me. I am learning how to stand up because I was in the ICU for six weeks with gadgets all over my body and was fed through my nose. But the governor said I was a man of questionable character, and I am not steady”.

That is one quality I don’t deserve. Call me any other name but I am a steady human being.”

Speaking, Wike expressed surprise to hear the governor cast aspersions on Sergeant Awuse, whom he said was revered as an astute politician. He said Awuse was one of the few leaders, who ensured that Fubara got the governorship ticket of the PDP.

“He was one of the few people who made sure on the day we were deciding who will run as a governor, he canvassed that the ticket be given to the governor. But he was on television casting aspersions on somebody who all of us revered in politics. That is all part of life.”