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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ruled out the possibility of resolving his conflict with Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State, saying it was based on refusal of Fubara and his camp to carry out the directive of President Bola Tinubu during the peace meeting he convened.
Making this disclosure yesterday during a media briefing in Abuja, he noted that Fubara and his supporters should have returned to Tinubu to explain their inability to implement the directives.
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Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads since Fubara became governor in 2023. The face-off stems from a struggle for control of the state’s political and structural resources.
The rift has also affected the state House of Assembly, with 27 members loyal to Wike defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Furthermore, the conflict led to emergence of factional speakers and a parallel assembly.
At the press briefing, Wike said: “I’m wondering, what conflict to resolve? I have never seen this in my life — for a president to call parties, and one party goes back and says it’s political. Who does that?”
Wike also said should state police be allowed, many Nigerians who oppose state governors won’t dare to come out of their houses for fear of being victimised.
He said unlike many developed countries, the system in Nigeria is yet to become independent enough to stand against manipulations.
The minister also justified his emphasis on infrastructural development in the FCT without humal capital development pointing out thatbit is what develop the economy.
