Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State on Sunday assured his supporters and the people of the oil-rich state that intimidation by his successor is over.
Fubara, who refrained from mentioning Wike by name, noted that he has put the feud with his successor behind him and is now looking ahead.
In his calm fashion, Fubara referred to the Bible, explaining that Pharaoh once intimidated the children of Israel (the Hebrews) but that Pharaoh’s intimidation eventually ended.
“Intimidation has a time when it expires. It’s over,” he said in an interview.
“Even in the Bible, Pharaoh intimidated the children of Israel or the Hebrews. It got to a point where the intimidation worked again, but it didn’t work. Any bad thing that has a beginning has an end.
“That is why I said don’t worry; we don’t have any problems.” We have kept that behind; we are looking ahead.”
Chronicle NG reports that although Wike handpicked Fubara as his successor, the duo have been at loggerheads for months over political differences that led pro-Wike legislators in the Rivers State House of Assembly to decamp from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
On Saturday, Wike noted that his choice of Fubara was a mistake.
“I want to say this clearly: in life, we make mistakes. I have made a mistake. I own it up, and I say God forgives me.
“I have said all of you should forgive me, but we will correct it at the appropriate time,” he boasted.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
