Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
A factional Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Dr. Robinson Ewor, has alleged that the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, deceived them into believing that he was capable of wrestling political control from the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The PDP chieftain lamented that after making them believe his alleged mission, the governor dumped the party at the middle of a political sea for the All Progressives Congress (APC)
The PDP chairman spoke while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday.
He said rather than follow the path of peace after the end of the emergency rule, so as to ensure smooth running of government, the governor was allegedly boasting that Tinubu will not only force the State House of Assembly members to pass budget, but will also force Wike to work for his (Fubara) reelection.
He demanded that the Rivers people must know the full content of the agreement reached before Mr President lifted the emergency rule.
“The mandate he (Fubara) is holding was given to him by Rivers people, and all his actions and inactions affects all those whose mandate he is holding. Therefore, it is incumbent on him at this material time to fully disclose to Rivers people all the agreement he entered into in a peace deal brokered by the president of the Federation before the Emergency Rule was lifted,” Ewor said.
He added: “First, you will agree with me that the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, was elected by Rivers People for a period of four years. Within his first one year in office, there was a disagreement between him and the members of the State House of Assembly.
This disagreement led to the bombing of the hallowed Chambers of the Assembly. The events of this disagreement and bombing of the Assembly led to a peace pact brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
This agreement broke down, plunging the state into a protracted political crises, cumulating into a declaration of a State of Emergency in March 2025.
“While this disagreement was on, a lot of us were deceived into believing so many things that were not true. In other words, the governor deceived us. Rather than give us the true pictures of things, we were led with propaganda and lies, making us to believe that the governor will wrestle political control from Wike.
“During the period of the emergency rule, another round of peace pact was brokered by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Unlike the previous peace pact where an eight-point agenda was signed, the current peace pact was not documented and Rivers people were not in the know.
“Again the peace agreement between the governor, the FCT minister and the State House of Assembly collapsed. This led to the defection of the governor from the PDP to the APC in December 2025. As a political party, we challenged the declaration of the State of Emergency in the Supreme Court to protect our mandate. Today, the governor has taken our mandate to the APC, which with all intent and purpose is not proper.
“Rather than follow the path of peace so as to ensure smooth running of government, the governor has been boasting that President Bola Tinubu will not only force the State House of Assembly members to pass the budget, the President will also force Wike to work for his (Fubara) reelection.”
Ewor, who expressed displeasure over the recent happenings in the political space in the state, added: “The issue I want to educate the public is the PDP elective Convention 2025 Ibadan. Our Constitution provides for a National Convention every four years. First to elect new executives to pilot the affairs of the party over the next four years. Second, to formulate policies to guide the operations of the party.
“As at the time of the Convention in November 2025, our governor, was still a member of our dear party and one of our governor. All the activities leading to the convention happened under his watch and direction. Rivers State Delegation to the convention was led by my humble self and we fully participated in the convention. But for personal reasons not known to me, the governor did not attend the convention. It was at the Ibadan Convention that the Rivers State Executive Committee of our dear party was dissolved.
“To me, asking us to go to Ibadan when he knew he won’t be attending the convention amounts to double standard, which is not an attribute of a honourable man. Most importantly, after the governor had boasted that he would take over the PDP structure in the State, could it be that it was when he saw that PDP had become a no-go-area, that he quickly defected to APC? We need explanations.
“The third issue is the Constitution of the State Caretaker Committee. Following the dissolution of the State Executive Committee of our dear party, at the Ibadan Convention, the National Working Committee (NWC) of our dear party in December 2025 constituted the current Caretaker Committee of our dear party led by my humble self.
Members into the Caretaker Committee were duly nominated by the leadership of our great party in the state including, Prince Uche Secondus, a former National Chairman of our great party PDP, Rt. Hon Austen Opara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abiye Sekibo, a former Minister, Celestine Omeha, a former Governor of our dear state and Senator Lee Maeba, a former Senator of the Federal Republic, including my humble self, Alalibo Graham Braide and Dr. Field Nkor, who came from the governor’s team.
“Today the Caretaker Committee is subsisting. Although the outcome of the Ibadan Convention is subject of litigation as we speak. But all the actions remain valid until the Court says otherwise.
“The fourth and final issue is the Local Government thank you visit by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. Over the past one week, the FCT Minister has embarked in a thank you visit to the 23 Local Government Areas of the State. His intention, according to him is to thank the people of the state for their support during the 2023 general election for the PDP and President Bola Tinubu. He also used the occasion to solicit for their continued support.
“During his speeches in the different local government areas, the FCT Minister made some remarks about our governor and he has being very consistent about it. Keeping to agreements etc. the FCT Minister said, before the emergency rule in Rivers State was lifted, that the Governor agreed not to run for a second term, to reinstate Sergeant Awuse as Chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers, drop Tammy Danagogo as Secretary to the State Government, and Edison Ehie as Chief of Staff etc. That the Governor has refused to keep all the terms of the agreement.
“These issues should not have bothered us because the governor is no longer a member of our political party, as to the question of a second term, it is exclusive to the governor, and that of a political party.”
Ewor stated that citizens of the state and stakeholders, who are directly impacted by every activity in the state, are demanding that Governor Fubara should address Rivers people, Nigerians on all the agreements reached with the FCT Minister, the State House of Assembly, in a peace deal brokered by the President.
“While we agree that the issue of a second term is exclusive to the governor and his party, APC, Rivers people require to know the full content of the agreement reached before Mr President to enable them make informed decision.
“The governor is the governor of the state. The mandate he is holding was given to him by Rivers people, and all his actions and inactions affects all those whose mandate he is holding. Therefore, it is incumbent on him at this material time to fully disclose to Rivers people all the agreement he entered into in a peace deal brokered by the president of the Federation before the Emergency Rule was lifted,” he stated.
Ewor added that the only way the governor can be accountable and responsible to the people of Rivers State who gave him the mandate for the position he is holding and are likely to renew the mandate or otherwise in the 2027 general election, is by unveiling the agreement reached at the peace pact with the presidency.
He, however, stated that he has aligned with the Minister, Nyesom Wike for President Bola Tinubu’s re- election in 2027.
