…says former governor’s camp doesn’t want implementation of Supreme Court judgment on LGAs
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has joined voices condemning the way former governor Nyesom Wike’s camp has been handling the political crisis in the state, describing it as “failed coup attempts by the camp loyal to the FCT Minister and a former governor of the state.”
The Coalition made its views known in a press release signed by its National Spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, on Wednesday.
Inter alia, CUPP stated: “It is unfortunate that those fomenting violent crisis in Rivers State do not realize how dangerous it is to the current democratic dispensation because if the crisis comes to a head, it has the potential to disrupt the current Republic and reverse the country’s democratic gains of almost three decades.
“There have been a series of coup attempts against the current Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Governor Similayi Fubara, as being instigated by the FCT Minister and the state’s immediate past Governor and his political camp. This has led to extreme frustration due to the failed coup attempts by the camp loyal to the FCT Minister.
“The desperation to impeach Governor Fubara has failed so far and will continue to fail because it is not only anti-democratic, but also against the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the good people of Rivers State who have remained unequivocal in their support for Governor Similayi Fubara from Day One of his administration.
“Rivers people across the state, irrespective of ethno-religious and political affiliations, have remained solidly behind Governor Fubara in collective solidarity to defend the mandate they freely gave to him as the state’s Executive Governor in 2023.
“The Wike camp also doesn’t want the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on the state’s local governments as it is plotting against the local government areas’ election budget presentation. Their tactic is to block the presentation of the Appropriation Bill so that the Governor will not have access to resources to conduct election in the Local Government Areas of the state.
“We wish to alert Nigerians and the international community to the fact that those orchestrating the Rivers State crisis on the prompting of the FCT Minister and other anti-democratic elements constitute a significant danger to the current democratic dispensation by their disruptive extra-constitutional activities aimed at throwing the state into the darkness of unmitigated crisis that may spread across the country and consume our democracy.
“We call on the international community and all well-meaning Nigerians to caution these enemies of democracy and let Rivers State be at peace. They are seriously frustrated that all their shenanigans to impeach the Governor have failed woefully so far and will continue to fail. Therefore, they want to cripple the state financially by not passing the Appropriation Bill into law to allow the state government to have access to funds critical to the development of the state and to conduct election into the LGAs.
“Their actions are very injurious to the interests of Rivers State and its people. In general terms, their antidemocratic shenanigans are injurious to the democratic stability of Nigeria. Wike and his cabal of political jobbers must let Rivers State breathe as they have already pushed the Rivers people to their utmost limit.”
