Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State attributed the ongoing disagreement with his predecessor to a struggle for power within the state.
Fubara made this assertion during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
While addressing the recent spike in violence that led to the burning of two local government secretariats, he revealed that individuals close to him have been targeted for arrest in connection to the unrest.
When asked why the relationship between him and his former boss went sour, Fubara said, “Honestly I won’t want to discuss this here; but for those who know the issue it’s very simple; it’s about power control. I even said it in that case that if elections have held in Rivers State and council chairmen have been inaugurated in the whole situation do we need anybody to go obstruct them from entering the secreteriates?
“May be there is somebody somewhere who still believes he is above and high than the authority in the state.
“It’s just the issue of power. I don’t want to discuss it and I don’t want to join issues with that. I want to focus on governance and manage the situation as much as I can. That is what is important to me.”
When asked whether he breached an agreement he signed with Wike, Fubara added he kept all the agreements he reached with his predecessor.
He said, “I don’t think there is any understanding that I have not kept. There is no understanding we have that I have not kept. That is the truth.
“As I said I don’t want to discuss those issues. What I feel is that everyone shelve their sword, even the minister, my oga. There is no need to destroy Rivers. He once ruled the state. Another person is there now. What you need is to give him support. After four or eight years, I will also leave. Another person will take the government.
“That should be the spirit. When it comes to election period, you can fight but now it’s time for governance. We need all the support.”
