By Ayodele Oni
Wife contradicts him, says he is acting under duress. “My husband will never, in his right senses, speak against Fubara”
The political crisis in Rivers State has entered an unbelievable, dangerous and, at once, ridiculous stage. The recently, according to him, voluntarily, resigned Head of Service under suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Dr George Nweke, has stabbed him on the back.
Nweke had resigned from office as soon as the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, appointed by President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
Many wondered why he did, especially, as Ibas, while accepting his resignation said it was with sadness and wished him well in his future endeavours.
But on Friday, March 28, a strange scene in the political crisis in Rivers State which is looking more like a Nollywood African Magic Movie unfolded. Dr Nweke surprisingly surfaced in Abuja and made very terrible allegations against his former Principal, Fubara.
In the long statement, Nweke indicted Fubara, and tried as much as possible to drag a number of people into the mess. They include the respected former Governor of the State, Dr. Peter Odili, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, the State NLC Leadership, and the, at once, famed and notorious Niger Delta Militants.
However, his wife Florence, shocked to her marrows, in an interview said her husband had earlier told her that he resigned because he was being forced to sign false reports against Fubara, particularly of a whopping sum of N15b, allegedly, taken by Fubara.
Mrs Nweke said whatever her husband said, it was under duress. She said he suddenly left for Abuja after informing her of a phone call from a friend, who invited him to Abuja. The last time she spoke to her husband, she said, was on his arrival to Abuja. Since then, she lamented, she has not been able to reach him. She seeks for help, and fears he has been kidnapped.
However, on Saturday, Nweke disclosed he was at the Hilton hotel, very comfortable, and from where he is throwing his bombs at everybody. He is in Abuja, he said, on the invitation of Security Agencies.
Following is Dr Nweke’s public indictment of Fubara and others, where he, also, thanked Mr President for declaring a State of Emergency in Rivers State.
“With the loads of misinformation on print and electronic media, I have chosen to put the record straight, I was not sacked neither was I pressured to resign, I did it willingly from the depth of my heart, however as an insider and a key player in this administration by my position, who worked closely with Siminilayi Fubara, it will be unfair for me to keep silent or not to address some key factors that has affected or will affect our state if we continue on this trajectory.
“I want to use this medium to thank Mr. President for a swift intervention in Rivers State crisis especially on the state of emergency that was declared and assented to by the National Assembly.
“You will recall that when the governor was suspended, as the head of service I was the next in command so I am not speaking from outside, I am speaking as an insider. If not for the intervention of Mr. President Nigeria would have faced the worst economic sabotage and Rivers State would have been up in flames.
“First, it all started with the Rivers State House of Assembly were the Governor, Siminilayi Fubara directed his Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) to burn down the assembly in a way to avert his impeachment, that evening Edison was in government house with two other boys, including the former Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA one Chijioke. I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside.”
“A day after that incident, I almost resigned but I was very scared because I know the power of a sitting governor and he knew that I am aware of the whole plan and that I am discomforted with the unconscionable act and deliberate posture of innocence and mien of a sheep.
“Another attempt was also made to destroy the residential quarters of the house of assembly members if not for the press conference that was made there by Rivers youths, Rivers elders and National Assembly members, that would have been another barbaric demolition in Rivers State.
“Fubara told me he would have pulled down the hall of the Assembly members before visiting the residential quarters. I was shocked at the former governor’s readiness to destroy his state assets and waste public funds on a needless ego fight.
“Thirdly I want to advice some key stakeholders who have condemned the State of Emergency made by the President and confirmed by the National Assembly to retract their statements, I also understand that they are only seeing the surface. If the President did not take proactive step, no one knows who would have been affected by the sinister plans that were cooking.
“While I thank Mr. president for the State of Emergency that was declared in Rivers State for a period of 6months, I will plead with him not to give up on Rivers State affairs because a lot are going on there with Governor Fubara.
“One of the factors that got me removed was when Governor Fubara told me that they will use the Ijaws to decide who will become the next President of Nigeria and I asked him how will that work? Is it by votes or by what means?
“He clearly told me that he is the chief security officer of Rivers State and his brother is in charge of Bayelsa State and all the pipelines are under their care that at the appropriate time they will tell the boys what to do and fund was not an issue. That was why when he made that statement in his public function that “I will tell the boys what to do at the appropriate time’ I knew something was up and perhaps the time was near.
“He boasted to be the “David that will bring down the Goliath of Rivers State. That he has the backing of the cream-de-la cream in the state. The likes of Dr. Peter Odili and family promised to use their contacts in the judiciary including some members of their University Council to break new ground for him.
“The plan was to start from non-Ijaw speaking areas to destroy oil facilities to remove attention from the Ijaw and make it have a statewide look. The Ogoni, Oyibo, Ahoda areas were to be bombed first before the Ijaw zones. This would have brought down the government of President Tinubu and usher in a new President from the coalition of political parties with a Vice President from the Ijaws.
“The media was to be captured by paying heavily for airtime and retaining the social media influencers and known social critics in their payroll. I am not unaware of what this revelation means but I am doing this to free my conscience and warn those innocent persons that are used to sway public sentiment, that there is more than meet the eyes in the Rivers matter.
“Sometime, I sleep over in government house but I started being uncomfortable when Gov. Bala Mohammed and some other stakeholders started nocturnal visits to Rivers State. I recalled after one of such visits he told me that he will support Bala Mohammed for president or any other northerner. That discussion are ongoing.
“Though, I was not bothered about who he support but I was more concerned about the quantum of state resources that he releases to theses visitors at each visit.
“Let me also draw the attention of Nigeria Labour Congress to call the Chairman of their Rivers State chapter to order to avoid politicizing Labour. I am privy to several private meetings between the Governor and the Labour leader in the state and the largesse that accompanied each meeting to compromise the Labour Union.
“More worrisome is several meetings between the governor, his chief of staff and some militant leaders. The details of which meetings I am not privy to since I was not allowed into the meetings. However, each meeting ended with huge sum of money paid to attendees.
“I wish to state categorically that Rivers people and indeed Nigerians are the beneficiary of the declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers State and not Gov. Fubara or Minister Wike.
“Finally, I wish to call on Mr. President to urge the Sole Administrator to step up his guards and be very vigilant because I am aware of the sinister arrangement and dastardly plans to continue to hatch their plans if not put in check. This account for the organized media condemnations and seeming public outcry against Mr. President and National Assembly.”
Nweke’s Wife Cries For Help, Begs Fubara
In response to her husband’s statement, Mrs Florence Nweke has not only asked Fubara to pardon him, but has asked Nigerians to help her husband.
A distraught Mrs Nweke in an interview told Journalists she was afraid for her husband’s life.
She said: “When he got to Abuja, he called that he had landed. I said, ‘Thank God’.
“The next thing I saw this night: people were calling me and said he got an interview. I said, ‘What interview? Interview for what?’ Not until I saw things flying on the internet that he granted an interview. What happened? I said, ‘That is not my husband. That is not my husband.’
“So I sent him a message. I said, ‘Are you under duress?’ I sent him a message. I said, ‘Have they kidnapped you? Talk to me now. Why are you not talking to me?’ This is the message I sent to him when I saw his interview online.
“Oh, Jesus, help me. Nigerians, help me. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. Look at the message I sent to him. See the message I sent to him. I said, ‘Daddy, why? Were you in hostage?’
I said, ‘Why didn’t you talk to me?’ These are the messages I sent to him, but he didn’t reply to me. His numbers are not going through. Nigerians, help me! Nigerians, help me!”
Mrs Nwaeke, in another video, called on Governor Fubara for help.
“Governor, help me. My husband is in trouble.
He is in trouble. My husband resigned under duress.
“My husband is being forced to confess to things he knew nothing about.
My Husband Can’t Sign Anything Against Fubara
In a video shared by Channels Television Mrs Nweke begged Fubara:
“It’s not him. He resigned and said that he can’t sign anything against you.
“My husband is in trouble. I can’t reach him. I don’t know if they have killed him or if he is being held hostage. I have been calling him, but there is no response. Please help me find him.”
But Fubara responded: Governor Fubara responded by expressing surprise and questioning why his former HoS would turn against him, considering their relationship.
Fubara to Nweke’s wife: “You are sure you are not aware of his actions? There is nothing that happens that he doesn’t share with you. Where have I offended him? After everything I have done for you people, why would he lie against me?”
But Nweke’s wife insisted that her husband would never betray the governor.
She said: “It’s not him. He resigned and said that he can’t sign anything against you. He had refused to be part of any wrongdoing.”
