Elder Statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, Tuesday, took a long look at the Monday’s intervention into the Rivers State crisis by President Bola Tinubu, and submitted that the eight-point resolution was a smokescreen to hand over the state to former Governor, and current Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The former Information Minister, who made the declaration during a press conference he held in Abuja, also submitted that it was strange and somewhat sacrilegious for such resolutions to have emerged from the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Among others, the intervention parley at the State House on Monday had mandated Governor Siminalayi Fubara to withdraw all suits he filed in court and not tamper with the State House of Assembly. The House, on the other hand, was instructed to halt the impeachment scheme it was trying to hatch against the Governor.
But while reacting to the presidential intervention, Chief Clark rejected the resolutions, describing them as “unacceptable” and “undemocratic”.
He declared that the resolutions were a ploy to hand over the political leadership of the state to Wike. He described the resolutions as “unconstitutional, absurd and obnoxious”, adding:
“And for the fact that such thing was done at the Villa, the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria, is sacrilegious because any place housing or is a custodian of symbol of authority, ought to be sacred.
“It is obvious that Governor Siminalayi Fubara was ambushed and intimidated into submission.”
The Elder Statesman warned that he and other South-South leaders would resist President Tinubu if he dared take any unconstitutional action on the crisis even though the situation seems to have calmed a bit now with Monday’s intervention.
“We will resist such draconic, arbitrary and unconstitutional action by Mr. President and his customer, Nyesom Wike,” Clark maintained.
