By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt
The banter between the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, during the funeral of Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son, has sparked a row in Rivers.
Fubara in his speech during the solemn occasion highlighted the legacies of the deceased and wondered why with the ephemeral nature of life, politicians would still struggle to kill for power.
The governor said: “Here we are, people from all walks of life to pay our last respect to the Wigwes because he was able to affect lives positively when he was alive even when he was not a politician, yet he controlled the business class as well as the political class with his fame, affluent and wealth but could not control death, which brings me to a question to the politicians, why the struggle to kill and bury one another over power?”
But, Akpabio swiftly responded to Fubara immediately he mounted the rostrum to speak and told the governor to stop struggling if there was nothing in the struggle.
Akpabio said: “I will answer you. We are not talking politics. In 2006, I wanted to become the deputy governor and the then deputy governor invited me, and this office has no money, there is nothing in it. I don’t know why you still insist on removing me from here and taking over.
“So, a woman who went with me said Your Excellency, don’t wait for impeachment, just resign since there is nothing in it. He stood up and started punching the woman. I said Your Excellency, don’t punch the woman, she is telling the truth, and there is nothing in it. That’s why I want it because you are too big for it.
“Your Excellency, Governor Fubara, if there is nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle.”
The banter, however, generated mixed reactions with some stakeholders condemning Akpabio’s decision to reply to the governor on such an occasion.
Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) considered Akpabio’s response as an affront to the governor.
The party said Akpabio had become an enemy of Rivers, citing the Senate President’s past, and present actions and utterances on issues concerning Rivers and Governor Fubara.
The PDP in a statement by its publicity secretary, Sydney Tambari Gbara, accused Akpabio of consistently showing disdain, disrespect and hatred for Fubara through his utterances at public functions in the state.
Gbara said: “The Rivers Governor asked a solemn and mind-bugging question to underline the ephemerality of life and the futility of political brigandage in the quest for power. The statement itself took mourners on a philosophical drive of sober reflection on the gains and vanity of life.
“The applause from sympathizers and mourners at the burial, however, drew the anger of Senator Akpabio, who mounted the rostrum afterward to fight, after narrating a story between him and a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom state over a power struggle, attempted to ridicule Governor Fubara by asking him to resign if there was no need to struggle to kill for power.
“His actions against Rivers people had never been pleasant but embarrassing, as he seems to have taken advantage of the political impasse in the state to perfect his evil enterprise of igniting more crises to the detriment of the state.
“Another instance of display of obvious hatred for Rivers people by Senator Akpabio was the harassment and attempted abduction of an illustrious daughter of the State, Gbene Joi Nunieh from her house here in Port Harcourt, during her appointment as NDDC Acting Managing Director, just to make sure that she was removed.
“Recently, at a church service in Tai local government area, the same Akpabio had made a ridiculous remark regarding the 2027 Governorship election in Rivers State.
“At the service, Akpabio had called on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to look for somebody from the Ogoni extraction who will take over from Governor Siminialayi Fubara in 2027. Such a statement was a huge embarrassment which could provoke a crisis as the Governor has not told anyone that he would not seek reelection in 2027.”
The PDP believed that all the cited instances were indications of Akpabio’s desire to stir up sentiments and aggravate the political crisis already confronting the state.”
The party urged Akpabio to leverage his position as a statesman and Senate President to play the role of a mediator in resolving the crises instead of joining forces with the enemies of the state to fan the embers of war, disunity and destabilisation, through incisive comments.
PDP said: “The PDP, therefore, uses this medium to advise Senator Akpabio to refrain from verbal attacks on the Executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminialayi Fubara as the people of the State would no longer take for granted, such comments capable of further dividing the people”.
The party further warned that if Senator Akpabio decided to continue to choose the path of dishonour by making negative unprovoked utterances against Fubara, he would no longer be welcomed into Rivers State again.
PDP appealed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to call Akpabio to order insisting that his consistent throwing of tantrums at Fubara and the people was capable of provoking a crisis in Rivers.
It said such actions were against the tenets of the peace proclamation brokered by the President.
The party asked Akpabio to concentrate more on his job as Senate President and avoid delving into petty issues in Rivers State.
PDP said: “We enjoin Rivers people to continue to have faith in the present administration as it is poised to deliver democratic dividends to the poor and downtrodden people of the State, while also appealing to Rivers people to resist petty actions and utterances capable of derailing the direction of our focused administration under the leadership of Governor Fubara, no matter who or where it is coming from, and join forces with the party, to defend our people against enemies of the State”.
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