The founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and leader of the Biafra Independence Movement, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has defended former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike while placing the blame for the ongoing political crisis on Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In the wake of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, Uwazuruike insisted that Fubara’s predicament was self-inflicted. He argued that the crisis could have been avoided had Fubara honored his political agreement with Wike, who currently serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
“Whoever advised Fubara to fight Wike, who made him governor, did not advise him well,” Uwazuruike stated on his Facebook page on Thursday.
He emphasized the importance of political loyalty and the need to honor agreements. According to Uwazuruike, leaders must either stick to their promises or decline to participate from the outset.
“If you know you are a politician and you are approached to do a dirty job which your conscience doesn’t want you to do at that moment, say ‘I won’t do it’ or ‘I can’t do it.’ That makes you a gentleman,” he added.
Uwazuruike also criticized Fubara for ignoring the counsel of political figures such as former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, suggesting that he could have avoided the current turmoil by listening to experienced politicians.
“All of these things happening in Rivers State could have been avoided if one party had kept his own part of the promise. This is very common in the Southeast and South-South,” Uwazuruike said.
“When someone brings you out of obscurity and makes you a governor, and you refuse to honor the agreement, it is not good,” he continued.
The MASSOB founder dismissed the argument that Fubara was elected solely by popular mandate. He pointed out that political structures and party influence played significant roles in the electoral process.
“Some people will say you were voted in by the masses, but which masses? If nobody gave you the chance or the party ticket, the masses would not have had the opportunity to vote for you,” Uwazuruike explained.
He further accused Fubara of betraying Wike, despite the fact that Fubara had been elevated from a civil service position to governor.
“As a civil servant, the highest you could go is becoming a permanent secretary. Somebody brought you out and made you governor, and you turned around to make him the bad guy. It is unjust,” Uwazuruike concluded.
