Former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?s bold steps in restoring peace, law and order in Rivers State.

Nwuche, who hailed the President?s emergency rule in the state, called on all stakeholders to support the administration of Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd), to actualise his mandate in the state.

Nwuche spoke Friday when he received members of the former Councilors and Supervisors Forum from Ahoada East Local Government Area under the auspices of the Wikematic Counselors Forum (WCF) at his Port Harcourt residence.

Nwuche commended his visitors for remaining steadfast during the political crises, which saw their efforts and contributions in making Siminalayi Fubara the governor of Rivers betrayed by Fubara.

He said: ?Rather than reaping the dividends of your contributions, you were pushed aside and victimized for your stand for the truth. Those, who never worked for the emergence of the suspended governor became beneficiaries?.

Nwuche berated what he described as the ingratitude displayed by Fubara towards his benefactor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, ?who singlehandedly made him governor against all odds.?

He reminded the former councilors of the need to always show gratitude, saying: ?A river that forgets its source will soon dry up?, adding that even the Holy Bible condemns ingratitude.

He cautioned the promoters of ethnicity in Rivers politics, saying it was heightening the political tension, especially those from outside Rivers.

Nwuche, emphasised that Fubara was voted by all the tribes in Rivers such as the Ikwerre, Ogoni, Ekpeye, Etche, Kalabari among others, insisting that no ethnic group could solely make itself a governor in Rivers.

He said: ?Fubara wasn't voted as an Ijaw governor, but as A Rivers governor. He was voted for all Rivers people and not for any particular tribe?.

The former Rep urged meddlesome interlopers from outside Rivers to focus on their states and called on those at the National Assembly to direct their energies on matters affecting their constituencies.

He said: ?I feel very disappointed when I see some members of the National Assembly from neighboring states pontificating on the Rivers crisis as if it was why their constituents sent them to the National Assembly. I urge the National Assembly to sanction such members and their constituents to recall them for lack of understanding of their mandate.?

Nwuche advised those continuously sponsoring protests designed to cause a breach of peace in Rivers to retrace their steps and realize that a Supreme Court judgement had resolved all the political issues in Rivers.

He said that no amount of protests could change the position of the law on the political issues in Rivers and called on all citizens of Rivers to support the Sole Administrator in his determination to restore permanent peace and drive development within the period of the state of emergency.

Nwuche also thanked his visitors for remaining on the side of truth despite intimidation and harassment saying they had been vindicated with the Supreme Court judgement.

Earlier in his speech, the leader of the delegation, Adamu Moses, told Nwuche that they were in his house to thank him for standing behind Wike in supporting President Tinubu?s administration.

Adamu said but for the timely intervention of the President through the declaration of emergency rule, the state was already heading for full scale crises that could have led to loss of lives and wide scale destruction of national oil and gas assets.

He said bombings of oil installations started after persons, who claimed to be in solidarity with the suspended governor threatened fire and brimstone.

Adamu extolled the leadership qualities of Wike describing him as a detribalized leader, who sited developmental projects across all ethnic groups and LGAs in Rivers when he was governor.

He said Wike made an Ijaw man governor against stiff opposition from even some notable Ijaw personalities who at that time discriminated the governor as not being ?real Ijaw?.

He wondered why same persons were the ones working hard to bring the state down by preaching ethnicity and pledged that his group would continue to support the programmes of the Sole Administrator as well as Wike and the success of President Tinubu administration including his reelection in 2027.

Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Wikematic Former Councilors Forum in Rivers State, Dr Samuel Amos, thanked Nwuche for being the true symbol of the Ekpeye man known for integrity and gratitude by standing with Wike.

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