The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has pledged not to influence appointments in Rivers State as Governor Siminalayi Fubara resumes office following six months of emergency rule.
He stated this when he appeared on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme on Thursday night, September 18.
Wike dismissed speculations that he was behind the political turmoil that rocked the state earlier this year.
“I cannot go and impose anything on the governor. Why would I impose anything on the governor? I have no candidate, and I will not,” Wike said.
The former Rivers governor explained that even if Fubara reached out to him, his advice would be for the governor to govern independently while sustaining the progress already made in the state.
“Even if the governor comes to me now and says, ‘we have agreed we want to work together,’ which is natural, I will say, ‘look, I give you free hand, you know how you want for the state.’ All I would want to say is, I know what I did to keep this thing at this level — don’t drop it, move ahead. As I speak to you, I left the state where we can compete favourably with Lagos,” he said.
Governor Fubara, suspended in March after a protracted feud with Wike, was widely expected to return to office on Thursday but failed to show up at the Government House. Supporters who had gathered for his resumption later dispersed.
Reacting to the absence, Wike argued that there was no legal requirement for Fubara to resume immediately.
“There is no law that says he must resume work today. He is the governor. I don’t understand the way we operate. Being sworn in today does not mean I must go to the office tomorrow. You don’t know his programmes, you don’t know what he has scheduled to do,” Wike remarked.
