Rivers State governor, Sir Similanayi Fubara, has given reasons why the peace accord brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu between himself and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike collapsed.
The governor who claimed that he was ambushed into signing the deal, however, clarified that the ambush did not come from the peace initiative’s initiator but from those who believed they were being clever.
“But you know such smartness, no matter what you call yourself; it is still foolishness before God. That is why, as they said, those other things that they are looking for to make them feel they are coming back to life, we will not do it. So, let me see how they will come to life when we don’t do it,” he said.
Speaking during a Thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Fubara asserted that he had sincerely implemented the details of the peace accord, including withdrawing legal suits. However, he accused the other party of violating the agreement by pursuing their own legal actions and securing a judgment in their favour.
Referring to a judgment from the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt monthly allocations to the state, Fubara remarked, “We withdrew our matter, and in doing so, you took advantage of that and secured a judgment. Is that not fraud?”
The governor vowed that his administration would remain steadfast in protecting the interests of Rivers State. “We promise to defend and protect the interests of Rivers State genuinely, and we will not waver. With your support, we will see this through to the end,” he said.