The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has confirmed that the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, visited him in Port Harcourt alongside two other governors.
Speaking during a live media chat on Monday, Wike stated that although Fubara came to seek peace, the two governors who accompanied him were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Yes, he came. He came with two governors and one other person. Unfortunately, the two governors are APC governors, so I will not pursue them. And he said he wants peace, fine. I want peace,” Wike said.
The FCT Minister attributed Fubara’s current political struggles to poor decisions and described the situation as one the governor brought upon himself despite earlier interventions from senior political figures.
“Indeed, this is a self-inflicted injury. He does not need it. When this thing started, I called him, Seyi Makinde was there, Ortom was there, Ikpeazu was there, Ugwuanyi was there, we were scouting. We sat him down and said this thing is not good for you. God has given you this thing, why not be humble and not allow people to push you? They are telling you to act like a governor. We know. Nobody is taking it away; you are a governor. But all I am saying is don’t abandon people who have laboured for you day and night,” he said.
On the ongoing issue of open grazing in the FCT, Wike acknowledged the challenges involved, especially concerning land previously earmarked for grazing that has been encroached upon.
“The truth is that nobody is happy about it… Governance is not like when you are running a private business; you have to tread carefully, and we are doing everything we can. For example, before I came, there was a place where land was allocated for grazing reserves, about 100 hectares. If I tell you the fight we are currently fighting. So many people have encroached, land grabbers have encroached, but it’s a problem that will be sorted out, though we have to tread cautiously,” Wike said.
The minister’s comments come amid rising political tensions in Rivers State and debates around the management of grazing and land use in the nation’s capital.
