By Daniel Ayantoye
A member of the Rivers Elders Council, Chief Asukewe Iko-Awaji, shares his thoughts with DANIEL AYANTOYE on the ongoing political crisis in River State, economic hardship, among other issues
The political crisis in Rivers State has taken a different dimension. What do you think is the genesis of this problem?
People should know that whatever they are doing has a limited time. Some people go into the office even when they know that the office has a constitutional expiry date. Even when they are not in the office, they think that they should continue. I think that is the genesis of the whole thing. The problem of River State has physical and spiritual aspects.
The spiritual aspect is that right from 1991, the former governor of River State, Chief Rufus Ada George, when he completed his tenure; the deputy governor became governor in 1999 and refused to recognise Chief Rufus Ada George. You cannot write the history of (Rotimi) Amaechi without Peter Odili. So, when Amaechi became governor, he also refused to recognise Peter Odili. You cannot write the history of (Nyesom) Wike without Amaechi. So, when Wike came into power, he also threw away Amaechi. Everybody knows that you cannot write the history of the present governor without Wike but because there is no cordial relationship between the former and the present, some people call it the law of karma and that is what is happening.
Why did it take Rivers State elders so long to intervene in the political crisis in the state?
Most of the elders of the state who would have stood up and talked have also soiled their hands. So, they can’t talk. If there was a cordial relationship between Chief Ada George, Dr Odili, Amaechi, and Nyesom Wike, they would have been able to weigh in on this matter as former governors. But because there is no good relationship between them, that is the problem we are facing. Thank God for His mercies; today, a lot of things are playing out and we believe that things will take a different shape.
You cannot have two governors in a state at a time. When your time comes, you should know that people are watching you. If you do well, they will support you; if you don’t do well, the next election will resist you. All we are saying is that the former governor, who is now the FCT minister has done his own and everybody saw what he did. He should also allow this governor to do his own for us to see. Interfering in the issue of governance will be causing issues.
Everybody is waiting for the dividend of democracy. There is no need for this struggle. Everybody should allow the governor to do what is right. Sometimes these young politicians don’t ask questions. If you ask questions, some people will direct you. I have said time without number that the worst thing that can happen to a nation, a state, or a local government is a crisis. When there is a crisis, people feed from the crisis, and those who are feeding from the crisis will not want it to end.
What do you mean by that?
From the side of the governor, people are feeding from it and will not want the crisis to end. The same applies to the side of the former governor. There are also people feeding from it. So, it takes people with courage to speak the truth at this time. As I am, nobody will say that I am taking sides; nobody will say I have done any government contract. Nobody will say I have been to the Government House. That is why I say let there be peace. The former governor, who is now the FCT minister, is representing Rivers people in the FCT. Let it not be because he is fighting the governor of the state, which is why the governor has not been able to do well.
I want to say to the governor, you don’t need distraction. Be focused. You are the governor of the state, and you should be able to make a decision that people will respect and not focus on individual faces because it is not the individual who voted for you, it is the Rivers people who voted for you. He is the governor, and if any commissioner doesn’t want to work with him, he has the right to sack him and look for people who can help him do the job. He should also be the father of everybody as a state governor irrespective of his age
You said some elders had soiled their hands and could not intervene in the crisis Can you throw more light on this statement?
Most of the people that you have been able to talk to are part of this crisis. Some of them are the ones telling the governor not to agree and also telling the former governor not to accept because they are feeding from it. In that case, what will they tell the public? It takes a man with a clean hand to stand for equity. As a good father, when your children are not doing well, you confront them. If your children are fighting, weigh into it and make peace.
But when your first son is not doing well, you join your second son to fight the first son, and when the second son is not doing well, you will join the third one to fight the second son. Such fathers are not promoting peace. The children of most of the people spreading this crisis are commissioners, and their wives have appointments. Will you want them to speak against the government that is feeding them? The same thing applies to the other side. It is left for both the former governor and the present governor to know that this state does not belong to anybody.
You were the former vice chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party in the South-South zone. How was such a crisis resolved in the past?
Such a crisis can be easily resolved through the party. These people ran the election on the platform of a political party. As far as I am concerned, the former governor has not openly declared for the All Progressives Congress. So, the governor is a member of the PDP. The leadership of the party should be able to call the two of them together and intervene in the matter. But most of the leaders of this party are inexperienced. They don’t even read their constitution. You can’t have two heads in one party. In every case, as long as a governor is elected on the platform of a political party, that governor becomes the leader of the party.
There is nothing like a cum-leader. The President of Nigeria is the leader of the APC in Nigeria. Can you drag the leadership of APC with the president? Otti is the leader of the Labour Party in Abia State and because the LP doesn’t have another governor, he is also the leader of the party in all the states of South-East. As far as the issue of the LP is concerned, Obi is the national leader of the party. Atiku is the national leader of the PDP because he is the candidate of the party. The party has not got another candidate. So, the governors of the states are leaders of the party in the state; there is no controversy about it. I am not taking issues with anybody. So, things are laid down in the process. But the party itself has failed in its responsibility. You can see it in the state House of Assembly.
Twenty-seven lawmakers who defected to the APC may suddenly face a battle to regain their sit due to their role in the crisis. Do you think it is proper to say they have lost their seats for moving to another political party?
The matter is before the court, but before now, in a case in Cross River State, we had some members of the PDP move to the APC alongside the governor. A court has ordered that they should be removed from their seats. There is another one (court) in Ebonyi State. I am not a lawyer, but I have not also heard that those judgments were set aside. That is why I said in my previous interview that everybody in this matter should let the court decide.
When people have problems, mostly political problems, they run to journalists. The reason for going to journalists is for the world to hear their voices. Now, they go to court. The reason they go to court is for the court to give a judgment on whether what they are doing is right or wrong. Going to court is not a death sentence. Tomorrow, if the former governor and the present governor can decide to resolve this matter, the matter can be withdrawn from the court. But as far as I am concerned, the fact that we can’t claim that these people are no longer in the PDP, they are in APC, let the law take its course.
Some political observers are of the view that the development of Rivers State appears to have taken backstage by the ongoing political crisis in the state. Do you think the governor should be blamed?
Why should the governor be blamed?
Some think he should be blamed because he is the Chief Executive Officer of the state who should concentrate and ensure development in his state. Don’t you think so?
As I said before, the governor should concentrate. There is no politics now. Politics will come again in 2027. But for now, anything that will cause him distraction should be removed and forge ahead. If he fails to deliver the dividends of democracy to the Rivers people, the people will take their decision in 2027. So, he should give more attention to the development of the state. Nobody will take what is happening now as an excuse if he fails as a state governor. There are laws in place, and I think he should invoke the law and forge ahead. There are problems in other states, but the people are managing them. So, nobody will take any excuse from him. He should toss anyone disturbing him off.
But it was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who singlehandedly made Fubara the governor of the state. Don’t you think the governor should have listened to his political godfather and always do his (Wike’s) bidding?
I told you that the issue of Rivers State is a chain reaction. When you are doing things, always think about tomorrow. If there had been a cordial relationship among former governors, this matter would not have got to this point because they have been in that terrain before. They should have been able to caution these people. As a governor, you should be able to make a decision, as long as the decision does not conflict with the constitution or the rights of the people.
A governor should not talk too much. If you watch Dr Peter Odili, what he said is what they are using against him today. The words Amaechi said are what they are using against him today. The words Wike said are what some people are using against him. This is an internet world. Whatever you say today, people will use it against you tomorrow. So, a sitting governor should talk less. Everything he wants to say should be in action, not in a combative manner.
As it is, Wike is seen as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State. How will you react to this development?
For now, Wike has not declared for the APC officially. He is still in the PDP. So, you cannot say Wike is in the APC.
But it is in the public domain that he worked for the APC during the 2023 presidential election against his party, the PDP, and he is also in the APC government. How sure are you that he will work against the APC in 2027?
All that you are saying is an assumption. I don’t believe in assumptions. A man has a private life to live. Just like at the end of your work, you go home. Whatever you do in your privacy, people cannot assume it is against you. There was no campaign where Wike carried a microphone and said everybody should vote for the APC. As far as I am concerned, it is an assumption. Yes, you may talk about his body language, everything, but he has not officially said, ‘I am now in the APC’. So, I cannot tell you that he is one-legged in APC and one-legged in the PDP.
Look at Emeka Ihedioha; he wrote officially to the leadership of the PDP that he was leaving. At that point, you can hold him responsible for anything he will do. At this level of Wike, if he is going to another party, he will not go from the backyard. I once said that most of the 1999 politicians are the ones giving us stress because they don’t ask questions.
You cannot see most of these things that happen. When I was in NWC, issues happened in the state, the party was set in. We don’t leave it to the elders of the state, because it is a party matter. But because the leadership of PDP has failed in their job, people are saying Wike is the leader of the party. If you like, when you are leaving an office, hand it over to the surrogate, your surrogate is not you.
Governor Fubara, for a long time, was preaching peace. What do you think may have made him change from his defensive posture to an offensive disposition? It is as if the governor is taking the battle to the enemies’ camp.
As a governor, he is now a father, who is fathering about four million Rivers people. A father must preach peace. Then when there is no peace, the father takes the decision. But it is wrong for a father to make a decision first. He is the governor. If he thinks that he has preached peace, and peace is not working, and he wants to take a decision that will work in favour of Rivers people, he is the number one citizen, and nobody will question him for now. But the only way he will know whether he is good for them or not is in 2027.
So, whatever he thinks he can do to deliver the dividends of democracy for the people, it is what Rivers people are after. Rivers people are not interested in any crisis. They are not crisis manufacturers. Whatever the relationship is between the incumbent governor and the former governor has nothing to do with the people. That is their private life. The governor should be able to stand on his feet and do things he promised the Rivers people; if not, in 2027, the Rivers people will decide.
Those known as pro-Wike lawmakers have at one time or another threatened to impeach Governor Fubara. They said he was spending state funds unlawfully. How will you react to this?
They are lawmakers. If the governor is spending the state money unlawfully, there is a law, and you don’t take the law into your hands. Your duty as a lawmaker is to make law and not to break it. In the first instance, from the judgment of the court, they have broken the law. If you are breaking the law, before you say anything, wait for the outcome of the judgment, because for now, with the recent judgment, you are no longer members of the House of Assembly. If you are not a member of the House of Assembly by law, can you still make law? If an alternative superior court says you are a member of the House of Assembly, that is when you can say whether the governor is spending the money rightly or wrongly,
There have been calls from some quarters that Nigeria should split. What is your take on the calls by separatists to leave Nigeria?
Look at the map of Nigeria very well. When you look at it, which area will you cut off from Nigeria? Let me tell you, none of the 99 per cent of people talking about the separation of Nigeria has contributed anything to this country. If you contribute something somewhere, you place a value on it. Look at the story and the background of all these people talking about the separation of Nigeria; they are all children of the 1960s-1970s. You were born in this period and you are talking about separation. What do you know that you talking about? They are calling for separation because they have not suffered for the country. Their parents didn’t suffer for Nigeria.
Some of them have talked about the uneven distribution of wealth in the country. Don’t you think that this is worrisome?
We are talking about restructuring. We are all human beings. This is a world of technology. The world is moving from analog to technology. Now, I believe in dialogue. If there are things people see that are not going well, if they are members of this country, they can ask questions but not by war or fighting. You can’t carry fuel and put it inside the fire to quench it. When things are not going well, engage in a dialogue. The President (Bola Tinubu) inherited many problems. The problems the president is facing today were not created by him.
But his party did and he was one of the major stakeholders who advertised as sold the last government to Nigerians. Don’t you think so?
If anybody says he knows any human being, he’s making a mistake. Yes, Tinubu can speak for former President Muhammadu Buhari from the area he knows him. If you spoke on behalf of someone and he disappointed you, what would you do? When you talk about a political party, it is an organisation comprising millions of people. If you look at the attendance of the registration of the APC, it ran into millions. So, you can’t use the problem of millions of people and put it on one person’s head. I am not speaking for anybody, but I speak the truth.
If you go to Buhari’s government and look at it very well, you can’t see any appointment Tinubu took from their government. So, you can’t hold him accountable. He may speak for somebody, but at the end of the day, he goes to his house and the person makes his decisions. You are the one who just told me that Wike singlehandedly put Fubara in office. Are they not quarreling now? So, human beings have different characters and that’s why it’s not good to speak for anybody. The problem is that most of the people in the government don’t have the interests of Nigeria at heart, and the President cannot be everywhere. Before Tinubu came to power, was there no hardship? There was hardship.
But the hardship is more pronounced now than before.
There was hardship, and as I said, it was not caused by him. He inherited it. He can’t work alone. He needs people to work with him. He has made his appointment. So, everybody should bring ideas to the table. The only thing you would say is that he should also look inward at the people he put in the office. No constitution says the President cannot appoint a minister today and sack him the next day. We are almost one year in this situation. By now, the President should look inward.
The President should drop ministers who don’t have anything to offer. He (Tinubu) should look for people who will help him solve these problems. If the President knows that there is somebody in the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party, or any other political party who can help him solve this problem, why can’t he pick the person? Are we not all Nigerians? Are we not suffering the same thing? He should look for people who are after Nigeria and not their stomachs because most of these people in positions of leadership are not after Nigeria. That is why the President is having problems; that is why many governors are having problems. You don’t run governance by proxy.
President Tinubu will be one year in office by May 29. How will you describe his performance in one year?
I don’t believe in assumptions. Maybe he is doing something we don’t know. By one year in the office, he should be able to tell Nigeria what he has done. Then, we will also know whether he is doing things or not. We are not fools. So, don’t assume anything. Allow the President to speak for himself. If we start to preempt him, you can’t do your work and do God’s work. Let the President and governors come up with their scorecards. But for now, let the President say it.
The Federal Government recently increased the electricity fee and there are indications that the government wants to increase channels of taxation. Don’t you think this will create more hardship for Nigerians?
There is a governor in Nigeria today. Each time you talk with him, he will tell you that he didn’t become governor to punish his people. He became governor to help the people out of their debt. Rather than increasing taxes in the state, rather than taxing the people much, he looked for an avenue to create wealth. That governor is doing very well. When you are leading the people, you are not to punish the people. You have to lead and the work of the leader is to help. If the people have electricity and you say they should pay, it is a different thing but there is no light and you are taxing the people.
Who is the governor?
Let me mention him so that other governors will learn from him; the governor of Oyo State (Seyi Makinde). People should learn from Makinde. Governors should hold a lecture and let Makinde come and teach. Go to Oyo State, he is not taxing the people like other states, yet the state is growing. From the last publication, you can see that Oyo State is the number six richest state in Nigeria. Even during COVID, when other states could not pay half the salary, the Federal Government was paying half the salary, and Makinde was paying full salary. So, governance is not about punishing the people. It is to see a way to lift the people from their poverty.
Daniel Ayantoye
Daniel, well versed in print and multimedia journalism with about 10 years experience, is also a videographer, photographer, cinematographer, video editor, and website developer
Originally published at PUNCH