Fafaa Dan-Princewill is a former governorship aspirant in Rivers State. In this interview, he speaks on the political crisis in the state and the 2027 presidential election, among other issues
What can you say about the crisis in your state?
Members of the state House Assembly have all crossed to the All Progressives Congress (APC), so it is now fully an APC matter and officials of the political party have also made public statements in support of the governor except for the persistence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, because this is a proxy war, as everyone knows, anything the State Assembly people do are instructions from him.
So, I believe that it is time for all concerned, especially the powers that be in the APC, to tone down the level of the quagmire in Rivers State. The state is suffering from the effects of this instability. A lot of projects that Governor Siminalayi Fubara started are now suffering. I will say most reasonable people in Rivers State believe that it is no longer a matter of political party as such.
I agree with the Minister of the FCT in that regard, that Rivers State is no longer a matter of APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Labour Party or whatever. We all want good governance, we want peace, we want stability, and we want Rivers State to take its rightful position in the country.
You just said in passing that you agree with Wile on the point about peace and good governance in Rivers State but many people believe the he is the main architect of the crisis in Rivers State. Do you think he’s unfairly fingered in this matter?
The aspect I agree with the minister is that there are no political party interests as such anymore. That is, APC, PDP and Labour Party. It’s not about that anymore.
That’s the area I agree with him. In terms of peace, it is very clear that the minister is perhaps the single reason why there’s no peace in the state. That is not debatable. He has not had his way, and there is no peace because he’s not having his way.
I don’t want to make judgments on whether his way is correct or not, but the reason there’s no peace in the states is because he’s not having his way.
People are saying, let’s wait for President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter. Do you think it a matter for the President to look into?
Actually, if we want to be very plain about this, the crisis is about the 2027 election.
The crisis is also about the presidential election. And given that, no one can say that the President has no role to play. In fact, it is his minister that is at the centre of it all. So, clearly, the President has a role to play and must intervene.
He has intervened a few times, I think one or two times, but unfortunately, the interventions did not resolve the issues.
The interventions have been partial, not comprehensive. Sometimes, I remember the first intervention where the governor went and withdrew his court case and all of that.
The intervention was escalated rather than de-escalated the situation. Perhaps, it’s also due to lack of understanding of the factors. But the intervention of the President is necessary.
In fact, it is welcome. I believe that people in the state don’t think that this is really a Rivers problem. It’s not in the character of Rivers people to have this kind of endless, treacherous, personal conflict.
What would you recommend as a way forward? Some people have suggested that perhaps Governor Fubara should resign and save himself the embarrassment of being impeached and then not being able to run for governorship a second time. Some people have said maybe President Tinubu should declare another state of emergency in Rivers State and appoint another sole administrator. Some people have also argued that he should relieve Wike of his position since that position gives him the oxygen to maintain his relevance in Rivers State. What would you consider as a good option?
To be very honest with you, I don’t think that there’s much that the governor can do. A lot of what has happened, except of course those who feel that he should obey all the instructions of his godfather. I don’t share that opinion. So, I don’t think that you can blame the governor that much. They disagreed and they have found it difficult to resolve issues.
And from public statements, it appears that the governor is willing to meet them halfway. I believe that the present issue on the table is supplementary budget, and when you look at it carefully, the state Assembly wants a supplementary budget but the governor does not think that a supplementary budget is necessary. I don’t think that is a reasonable basis for an impeachment.
It is within the powers of the governor to decide whether there should be a supplementary budget or not. And if in his wisdom, or lack of wisdom, he chooses not to have a supplementary budget, I think the state Assembly should wait a few more months and they will be able to have a proper impeachment. So, I don’t think that’s a reasonable basis for an impeachment.
