The chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area in Rivers State, Samuel Nwanosike, has pointed fingers at Governor Sim Fubara, claiming that Fubara is behind the surge in kidnappings in the Federal Capital Territory.
In a video posted on his X handle on Sunday, Nwanosike asserted that Fubara’s alleged involvement is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the reputation of Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers and the current FCT Minister, with the ultimate goal of forcing him out of office
“He is paying people to go and tell Abuja that Wike is playing politics in Rivers state that they are doing kidnapping in Abuja,” the Ikwerre chairman told thousands of his supporters at Omerelu community in the video.
“It means that Fubara is part of those supporting the kidnappings in Abuja because he wants Nyesom Wike to leave office. Nyesom Wike will not leave office. Foul!” Mr Nwanosike told his supporters, who responded with excited screams of “foul.”
Adding to the accusations, Mr. Nwanosike asserted that Governor Fubara, in addition to orchestrating kidnappings, has failed to register any significant achievements since taking office.
Nwanosike claimed that Fubara is financially supporting Chijioke Ihunwo, the chairman of Rivers Youth Council, to insult the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike. As a response, Nwanosike vowed to continue criticizing the governor for his alleged actions.
“Fubara is a foolish governor because since he took office May 29, he has done nothing for Rivers people,” said the LG chair.
The local government chairman claimed President Bola Tinubu would not succumb to Mr Fubara’s cheap tactics to remove Mr Wike from office as he is happy with the latter’s performance despite the increased insecurity in the nation’s capital.
“Tinubu is aware of who he appointed, and I’m happy that Tinubu is happy that Nyesom Wike is delivering in the service of democracy,” he stated.
Joe Johnson, Rivers commissioner for information, told Peoples Gazette that he was not aware of the allegations as he was “only hearing it now” but that he would react when he can confirm the statement.
In a recent development, Governor Wike attributed the escalating kidnappings in Abuja to the military incursion in Kaduna and Niger states. He stated that the operations had displaced many bandits from the region, causing a domino effect on security.
The strained relationship between Governors Wike and Fubara, centered around state affairs, was resolved after presidential intervention. The resolution, favoring the conditions set by the minister, has contributed to easing tensions between the two.
