Wike blames Fubara for attacks on council secretariats in Rivers

Council secretariats in three local government areas of Rivers were set ablaze by hoodlums on Monday.

The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the architect of violence that rocked the state on Monday, a day after new chairpersons of local government areas in the state were inaugurated.

Some hoodlums, who were dissatisfied with the conduct of the election, set ablaze Ikwerre, Emohua, and Eleme local government secretariats.

The election took place amidst conflicting court orders: A Federal High Court in Abuja barred INEC from releasing voters’ registers to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and also barred the police from providing security for the election, but a State High Court in Rivers told RSIEC to conduct the election.

The police barred operatives from providing security for the election in compliance with the federal court’s order.

Governor Fubara, while addressing reporters, said that the court barred the police from providing security for the election but did not say the police should prevent the election.

The governor had insisted that the election would be held without police security.

Mr Wike, who appeared on Channels Television on Tuesday, blamed Mr Fubara for the destruction in the state, arguing that the governor does not obey the rule of law.

“Obeying the rule of law: you must obey the judgments of the court. The moment you don’t obey court judgement you are inviting destruction and anarchy, Mr Wike said.

“The governor came on national television to say he will not obey the court judgement. He said there’s no way in the court judgment that the court says the election should not be held.

“He (Mr Fubara) went as far as saying he does not need police to conduct an election,” Mr Wike said.

Mr Wike said the rule of law is the only thing that can bring peace to the state.

“If you don’t obey the rule of law, if you don’t obey court judgments, you are breeding anarchy,” Mr Wike added.

Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Mr Wike are battling each other for the control of political structure in the state.

Mr Wike opposed the conduct of the local election. He mobilised the Peoples Democratic Party and the APC in the state to boycott the exercise, citing a court order, but the election was held irrespective.

In the election, the Action Peoples Party, whose platform Mr Fubara’s loyalists contested, won 22 chairmanship seats while Action Alliance won one seat.