Suspended Rivers State Governor Similanayi Fubara has refuted allegations levelled against him by President Bola Tinubu in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday night.
During the address, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, suspended Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly for six months, and appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as the state’s sole administrator.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara denied the accusations, particularly regarding the status of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex. He clarified that the building, which was demolished, was not abandoned but was already 80% complete.
The statement read in part: “First, it is important to clarify that Governor Fubara has nothing to do with the threats by militants and did not in any way ‘telegraph’ attacks on any oil facility in the state.”
Fubara also suggested that some of the recent unrest in Rivers was sparked by comments made by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), about the Ijaw people.
“It is on record that the reaction of stakeholders in the Niger Delta—including elders, chiefs, women, the Ijaw National Congress, and its youth wing, IYC, as well as militants—was triggered by remarks made by the FCT Minister during a live media chat. He dismissed the Ijaws as a ‘minority of minorities’ with little influence in Nigeria’s political landscape, adding that they were not the only group capable of militancy and pipeline attacks.”
Fubara added that several Ijaw leaders and groups demanded an apology from Wike, which he refused to offer.
Reaffirming his commitment to maintaining peace and security in Rivers, Fubara emphasized his track record in protecting oil infrastructure. He pointed out his past role in the Presidential Committee on Oil Installations Protection and stressed that he had consistently urged his supporters and the public to refrain from actions that could destabilize the state or harm the national economy.
