A former presidential candidate, Martin Onovo, has stated that only President Bola Tinubu can bring an end to the lingering political crisis in Rivers State.
News About Nigeria reports that Onovo, who was the presidential candidate of the defunct National Conscience Party (NCP) in the 2015 General Elections, made this assertion in an interview with newsmen in Lagos on Sunday.
According to Onovo, the political crisis in the oil-rich state has dragged on for too long, and the president’s intervention is urgently needed to resolve the issue.
He believes that a simple phone call from the President to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the immediate past governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, is all that is needed to end the rift between Wike and the current governor of the state.
Onovo said that President Tinubu’s intervention is crucial, as Wike is currently working with the president as a minister and is likely to listen to his advice.
He stated, “Only Tinubu can stop the political crisis in Rivers. The president just needs to call Nyesom Wike and talk to him. The crisis will stop if Tinubu tells Wike to sheathe his sword.”
Onovo also expressed his concern about the negative impact of godfatherism on politics, stating that it hinders the delivery of good governance and democratic dividends
He advocated for the political space to be purged of godfatherism, which he described as a source of instability.
It is worth noting that the presidency had earlier stated that President Tinubu’s intervention in the crisis in Rivers had nothing to do with politics.
The crisis had led to tension in the state, with the Rivers House of Assembly commencing impeachment proceedings against the current governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
However, following the President’s intervention, Fubara and Wike agreed to end their feud, and all parties agreed to withdraw court cases and drop impeachment proceedings.
The resolution signed by Fubara, Wike, and other Rivers stakeholders also recognised Martin Amaewhule as the speaker and allowed the 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to return as members of the assembly.
