A Former Commissioner for Water Resources in Rivers State, David Briggs, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu subtly threatened the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara into signing the peace deal with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike at the presidential villa, Abuja on Monday.
Briggs who was spoke to journalists in Rivers state on Wednesday, said Governor Fubara signed the resolution under duress following alleged indirect threats issued by President Tinubu before handing the Governor the document to sign.
The Former Commissioner said he was at the villa with other Rivers elders who were equally invited, hence he witnessed first-hand what transpired at the venue.
He said President Tinubu threatened that there would be consequences, should Governor Fubara refuse to endorse and abide by the document which he described as a “presidential proclamation”.
Briggs said, “I was there, so I’m a witness and what I say is primary, not secondary. We were invited to a meeting but that was not a meeting, what happened is that Mr. President walked in with a written resolution, addressed us declared that what he had in his hand is a presidential proclamation, and emphasized the fact that he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, therefore, he can whip anybody who dares to say no to what he is saying would face the consequences.
“That is not democratic. That, in a simple layman’s word is a threat. He wrote the resolution but refused to read it but handed it to Dr. Peter Odili to read and interject and each time he interjects, it comes with a subtle, polite and smiling insult and thereafter, he asked the Governor to speak.
Let’s get it very clear, if you are in the position of the Governor, what would you do, get up? say no to Mr President with that kind of subtle but energetic threat?
The Former Commissioner disclosed that most Rivers people who were present at the meeting including Adokiye Amaesimaka were shocked at the President’s attitude and decided to ask questions.
“That being the case, one of us asked him (President Tinubu) a simple question, to be specific, Adokiye Amaesimaka asked him, you said Sim should do this, Governor should do that, you have not said what the 25 or 27 assembly members that defected from PDP to APC without consulting their constituency and constituents, what they should do.
“And of course you can see the situation, the President’s reaction was very clear and simple but very dangerous.
“It was a concrete intimidation to say he’s the leader, in fact he withdrew from his seat and said I’m the leader of the APC in Nigeria and you’re telling me that when babies are born into my family, I should ask them to go? No they can’t go, we have welcomed them and I want anybody who was there to contradict what I have said.
Recall that Governor Fubara and Wike the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been at loggerheads over control of the state’s political structure since October.
A development gave rise to President Tinubu’s intervention on Monday, where all parties agreed to an eight-point resolution signed by Fubara, Wike, and other Rivers stakeholders.
Some of the resolutions had directed that all impeachment proceedings against the Governor be dropped, as well as all matters instituted in courts consequent upon the crisis be dropped, among others.
Meanwhile the state Commissioner for Information, Joe Johnson had insisted that Governor Fubara didn’t sign the peace agreement with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike under duress at the presidential villa on Monday
Johnson, who spoke on Wednesday during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics programme, explained that he was at the meeting and did not see the Governor negotiate from a position of weakness.
“There is nothing to doubt about it, we have gone beyond the issue as to who signed and who didn’t sign, if you listen to the Governor at the Pamo University convocation ceremony yesterday, he said no price is too high for peace and the Bible that we all profess says we should pursue peace with all men at all cost.
“I was in that meeting and for anybody to say the Governor was negotiating from a weak position is an overstatement and I take exception to it.”
