As the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State enters the fifth month, AMAECHI OKONKWO writes on the bated breath trailing the fresh peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu between the suspended Governor Simi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Last Thursday night, Rivers State suddenly returned to the fore of national discourse with the announcement of a truce among the gladiators in the political crisis that has rocked the state since October 2023. The peace process, which was the second intervention of President Bola Tinubu, saw suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara on one side, his political mentor, the former governor and Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and some of his supporters, on the other side.

It was declared that the parties had agreed to unite and work as a team once again in the governance of Rivers with photographs and television footages to support the reconciliation story and how soon Rivers State would return to part of democratic government.

Rivers peace agreement

To give vent to the peace deal, Fubara, Wike and Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the suspended state House of Assembly, were by the weekend seen together in the state capital, Port Harcourt at a social event for the first time since the crisis began in November, 2023. Also, that weekend following the peaceful resolution, Fubara, in a stakeholders’ meeting with his supporters, assured them that he would not abandon them in the course implementation of the peace agreement.

At the meeting with ‘Simplified Stakeholders,’ on Saturday, Fubara explained to his supporters that though the agreement would be at a heavy cost to him and his followers it was what was required for the overall interest of the state. Most importantly, he used the opportunity to dissolve and dismantle all platforms and support groups that had been behind him during the period of the crisis. There were several groups under one Simplified issue or the other but the Governor ordered their immediate dissolution of all such groups leaving behind only the praying women group.

He said, “I called for this meeting to address you formally, for you to have the first-hand information. It’s not the one you are reading in the paper, it’s not the one you are seeing on social media or wherever, you are now hearing from me. We have fought. I think, in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do. At this point, if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace — I meant it, and I’m still ready to follow it to the end.

“Nobody can take away the role the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, played — that’s the truth. Yes, we might have our differences, but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role he played. Nobody can wish away the risk he took. Yes, at a point we had our differences and if today there’s need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely believes in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do.

“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one where both of you are sitting down together to say, “Yes, this is what we want. At this point, I’ve met him and we have spoken. You can’t take away the fact that he’s hurt, he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too.

“If we believe that we are in one family and our interest is to support the President, then what is the issue? If you say you are with us and you believe in me, this is the time for us to show it.

He added that the new deal was in the overall interest of all stakeholders in Rivers. He emphasized: “Because it’s not even about me as a person — it’s about the overall interest of the state. In the midst of this crisis between me and the FCT Minister, look at the projects we’ve initiated. Many have been abandoned. We know the progress we would have recorded and the areas that would have been developed. So, there’s need for this peace — that’s the truth. I can’t abandon you people — that’s one thing I need to say here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes, I will not abandon anybody.

But the sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy, and I want everybody to prepare for it.

“Without a total reconciliation — which, by the grace of God, both of us have gotten to — there’s no way we can make progress in this state. There’s no way the President can come in to save the situation. So, I want to appeal to everyone — I have accepted that we must accept this peace, no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel, we must accept it. In my place, there’s a fish they call Atabala — you call it Tilapia. The native Tilapia doesn’t grow big. The mother Tilapia used to tell the kids that if you want to grow up to my own size, hide your head inside the mud. Every one of us should understand that at this time, we’ve done our best, and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know it’s difficult and heavy, but that’s the true situation.”

Emerging issues

However, there are serious concerns about the letters and spirits of the reconciliation as many, while welcoming the final resolution of the crisis which resulted to declaration of state of emergency in the state and suspension of all democratic institutions and appointment of a sole administrator to run the state for 6 months in the first instance.

In his reaction to the reconciliation, former member of the House of Representatives representing Etche/Omuma constituency, Honourable Ogbonna Nwuke expressed gladness with the resolution. “As Rivers people, we had come to a point when embracing peace, any kind of peace at all is better in the interest of Rivers State. “I am glad that the House of Representatives has drawn attention to the kind of looting that is taking place under the Ibas regime. So, we are glad that the major gladiators whose actions led to the Rivers crisis, whose differences have given birth to an administrative arrangement characterised by stealing, have agreed to bury the hatchet.”

The lawmaker stated that it was not his Intention to worry about the intent of the peace deal because he is “not sure that any rational mind which has heard about the peace would understand what was going through the President’s mind when he chose to write this kind of script. Looking at what we have, the peace project was not supposed to work. In my view, it was primed to fail. But we have a man in Fubara who is determined to put the Rivers State first despite what see as his humiliation.

He added, “Here is a man thrown into the sea to drown who understands that the only way he can survive the swift flowing current is to get back on the boat. There are some who say Fubara may have ended with the short end of the stick, some who say that SIM kept his quest to achieve peace at whatever cost. But I think that it is the Rivers State and the Rivers people who are the winners. We at least have the opportunity to return to self-rule; and a chance to remove those thieving toms who are allegedly stealing with great impunity in Government House.”

He, however, noted that the political future of the governor, which seems to be hampered by the conditions of the peace process, could be determined by how the governor, on his return, manages his remaining period in office. The one-time state Commissioner for Information said: “Only the Governor has the capacity to talk about his political future. I cannot discuss that. His future nonetheless will lie on how he serves out the remaining two years. Will he keep the momentum he achieved in terms of project execution? Will he continue to touch lives like he did in the first two years? All of this would determine how he will relate in the near future with those who gave him organic support.

Also speaking, an elder statesman, Senator Bennett Birabi, welcomed the reconciliation, describing it as a “surprise but necessary development.” Birabi, who represented Rivers South-East in the third republic, said that it should bring relief to Rivers people.

The member of the Rivers Elders Forum said the long-standing political crisis had taken its toll on the state, and it was time for leaders to put aside their differences in the interest of the people. “The Rivers people have had to pay the price for their disagreements,” he said. “So, I’m happy they did get together.”

While applauding the peace effort, Birabi cautioned that the terms of the reconciliation must not undermine Governor Fubara’s authority. “I just hope that this settlement allows Fubara to act independently as governor,” he stated.

Responding to concerns that the reconciliation might lead to dominance by one party, Birabi urged that personal issues should not override the collective good.

“It doesn’t matter how Wike feels about me. What matters is the interest of Rivers State,” he emphasised. “I would rather have Wike—even if he’s difficult—than a stranger governing Rivers.”

Birabi maintained that he belonged to no political faction, but his focus remains on ensuring Rivers progresses, regardless of who is at the helm. “I don’t belong to any of their factions. I’m older than all of them. But they’re all Rivers people, and what we need is peace and purposeful leadership,” the former lawmaker added.

On whether the Elders Forum has met on the matter, he noted: “The Elders Forum has not met over it, and even if we meet over it, all we can do is make platitudes, talk to them, and commend the peace move.”

As the state awaits the return of Governor Fubara to the Brick House, all eyes would be on him to see how he manages the peace agreement for the rest of the time he has to be governor of the oil and gas-rich state. (Nigerian Tribune)