Kenneth Okonkwo, a Nigerian lawyer, politician, and public affairs analyst, has criticized the federal government’s approach to the political crisis in Rivers State, suggesting that the declaration of a state of emergency was unnecessary and politically motivated.
In a video interview shared by SYMFONI TV, Okonkwo said Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been subjected to repeated political humiliation from multiple fronts, including the Supreme Court, former Governor Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State House of Assembly, and President Bola Tinubu. He described these actions as “political backhands” that left Fubara politically vulnerable.
Okonkwo argued that Fubara, in a bid to survive the mounting pressure, turned to President Tinubu for support. However, he questioned the president’s decision to declare a state of emergency, asserting that Tinubu could have offered assistance without resorting to such extreme measures. He alleged that the real motive behind the move was to gain access to Rivers State’s resources and hand them over to someone who might mismanage them.
His words, “Fubara was given multiple political backhands. Supreme Court gave him a political backhand; the Wike and the political assembly gave him a backhand; Tinubu gave him a backhand. Political days filled his eyes. So, as he is staggering, he did not have any choice other than to start looking for survival, and then he’s using Tinubu now as an instrument to survive the political backhands. What he does not understand is that Tinubu would have still done everything he would have done for him without declaring a state of emergency and removing him. The whole idea of declaring a state of emergency and removing him, for me, is to get access to the resources of Rivers State and give it to somebody who, within six months, would make a mess of the resources of Rivers State.
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