Ex-commissioner says Tinubu threatened Fubara to agree with Wike
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“The President’s reaction was very clear and simple: ‘I’m the leader of the APC in Nigeria. And you are telling me when babies are born into my family I should ask them to go?’” – David Briggs, Rivers Elders’ Forum member.
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It has emerged President Bola Tinubu threatened Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara to sign the resolution on the crisis rocking the state and in effect to kowtow to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.
David Briggs – a member of the Rivers Elders’ Forum and former Works Commissioner – who said he attended the resolution meeting at the Villa in Abuja, insisted Fubara signed the document under duress in order to save his job.
Rivers Information and Communications Commissioner Joseph Johnson had on Wednesday dismissed reports Fubara signed the resolution under duress, adding the signature on it is Fubara’s authentic signature.
Briggs countered on Thursday that Fubara signed it under threat, saying Tinubu only handed Fubara “a script referred to as resolution” to sign without his input.
His words: “I was there, so what I say is primary, not secondary. We were invited to a meeting, but that was not a meeting.
“What happened was that Mr President walked in with a written resolution, addressed us and declared that what he had in his hand was a presidential proclamation, therefore, he could whip; and emphasised the fact that he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and anybody who tends to say no to what he was saying, it had consequences.
“That, in simple layman’s words, is a threat. He (Tinubu) wrote the resolution but refused to read it. He handed the resolution to Dr Peter Odili to read.
“Now let’s get it very clear. If you were in the position of the Governor what would you do? Get up and go? Say no to Mr President with that kind of subtle but energetic threat?”
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Rivers delegation shocked by Tinubu’s autocratic attitude, Amiesimaka confronts him
Briggs said most Rivers people at the meeting, including former Attorney General Adokiye Amiesimaka, were shocked by “the President’s undemocratic attitude” and decided to ask questions, according to reporting by The PUNCH.
“One of us, specifically Amiesimaka, asked him, ‘Fubara should do this, he should do that. You (referring to Tinubu) have not said what those 25 or 27 Assembly members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress without consulting their constituency and constituents should do.
“The President’s reaction was very clear and simple: ‘I’m the leader of the APC in Nigeria. And you are telling me when babies are born into my family I should ask them to go?’”
Briggs speculated plans coaxing Fubara to defect to the APC but commended the Governor “for displaying maturity during the meeting.”
A group of concerned citizens of Rivers (CC 23) on Thursday urged Fubara and Wike to abide by the resolution reached at the meeting with Tinubu.
CC 23 said after carefully appraising the situation, especially after Tinubu’s peace meeting, the tension in the state has reduced and it is a win-win for Fubara and Wike.
This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday and signed by 16 persons, including the National Publicity Secretary of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Ken Robinson.