President Bola Tinubu has been accused of fueling the political crisis in Rivers State for his future political aggrandizement.
In a statement on X on Monday, social media influencer Olauda Equaiano (@RealOlaudah) alleged that Tinubu may be gaslighting the political upheavals in the state in a bid to ensure his second term as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has been at loggerheads with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Following the unending feud, Fubara and Wike loyalists in the River State Assembly disagreed on Thursday over the governor’s proposal to renovate the state legislative quarters.
The governor, during a visit to the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday, unveiled the plan to renovate the buildings.
But the pro-Wike lawmakers, led by the factional Speaker, Martin Amaewhuke, raised the alarm that the governor’s planned renovation was part of the plot to demolish the legislative quarters the same way he pulled down the House of Assembly in December last year.
Amid the feud between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, there was an explosion at the state House of Assembly last year.
Despite the explosion, the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers found their way into the complex and attempted to impeach the governor.
Fubara, at the Assembly quarters on Thursday, said he undertook an on-the-spot assessment of the condition of the structures for a possible rehabilitation to make them liveable.
But responding to the visit of the governor, Amaewhule accused Fubara of plotting to demolish the residential quarters of the lawmakers, saying there was nothing wrong with the buildings.
Amaewhule condemned the action of the governor, alleging that he was intimidating members of the House to demolish the facility built in 2022 by his predecessor.
As a result of the political tension in the state, Wike asked his supporters to forgive him because he mistakenly handpicked Fubara as his successor.
Wike, who was in Rivers State on Saturday to attend a civic ceremony for Chief George Thompson Sekibo at Ogu-Bolo in commemoration of his 36 years in public service, warned his political opponents in the state, stressing that their illegal deeds would not succeed.
Speaking on the political crisis in the state, Olauda alleged, saying, “I believe that Tinubu may be secretly fueling this Rivers crisis to his future advantage.”
He added that “Wike’s antecedents would make anyone working with him careful of how powerful he gets. Hence, this crisis creates room for Tinubu to ally with Fubara as an option in any case Wike, in his usual defiant manner, gets dissatisfied with Tinubu and works against him in the future.”
Olauda mentioned that he “came to this conclusion when I observed Fubara’s body language before now and his sudden boldness to confront the House of Assembly members loyal to Wike.
“Unlike when this issue first started, when Fubara decried the efforts of the police to frustrate him, Fubara now pallies with the police.
“Police have allegedly taken over the Rivers State Assembly complex moments after a high court in Port Harcourt restrained Wike’s loyalists from parading as lawmakers and Fubara ordered the relocation of sittings to the Government House following the emergence of a factional speaker loyal to him.
“No commissioner of police posted to Rivers State would carry out Fubara’s orders on this matter without first hearing from the IGP, who would have also acted on the president’s tone on this matter.”
Arguing that the moves show how politically “dexterous” Tinubu is, he added that “when I see people, especially those loyal to Wike, trying to drag Tinubu into this matter during their various press releases, as though he would side with them against Fubara, I am tempted to conclude that they probably do not understand that Asiwaju is the most dexterous politician in Nigeria, who often gets the best for his interest in every political crisis.”
![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")
