The Deputy National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okey Osuoha, has described the unfolding political arrangement in Rivers State as “an aberration”, warning that it poses grave implications for the country’s democratic system.
Osuoha told BusinessDay, “Nigeria’s democracy is on trial.” He lamented that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara had not been active in party affairs despite being named a member of the PDP’s convention planning committee.
He further stated, “We are sure that when he comes back, he will begin to participate in the party’s activities. We have not lost all hope.”
Fubara is expected to return to office on September 18, when the six-month state of emergency imposed by President Bola Tinubu on March 18 will lapse.
However, credible sources, who spoke with the publication mentioned above, suggest that his reinstatement will come with significantly reduced powers, as his political godfather, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and the Federal Government are set to maintain a firm grip on governance in the oil-rich state.
President Tinubu had on June 3 hosted Fubara, Wike, and Rivers lawmakers in Lagos to broker a truce after months of crisis.
As part of the deal, last weekend’s local government elections, in which the All Progressives Congress secured 20 of the 23 council chairmanship seats, were factored into the conditions for the governor’s reinstatement. The outcome has been widely interpreted as a significant power shift to the APC in Rivers politics.
A source at the Presidential Villa told BusinessDay that one of the preconditions for Fubara’s return was to relinquish control over critical governance structures in the state.
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