“Suspend Nyesom Wike for Fomenting Crisis in Rivers State, Says Sara-Igbe”

Amid the ongoing crisis in Rivers State, Anabs Sara-Igbe, a member of the Rivers Elders Council, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike. Sara-Igbe, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, criticized the President’s decision to remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, arguing that the suspension of the governor was unconstitutional.

“He has no constitutional power to suspend the governor,” Sara-Igbe stated. “But a minister who is fomenting the whole problem that he appointed, he has never questioned or sanctioned him. What stops him from sanctioning the minister that is causing the whole problem?”

The call comes after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, suspending the governor, his deputy, and all elected lawmakers of the Rivers Assembly for six months due to escalating violence, including explosions and the vandalism of petroleum pipelines. This unrest has been linked to political crises in the state.

Sara-Igbe placed the blame on Wike, accusing him of being the main instigator behind the problems in the state. He argued that the President’s actions were inconsistent, suspending an elected governor while sparing Wike, who he believed was the root cause of the crisis.

“You have suspended an elected governor, but you cannot suspend a minister who is the root cause of all the problem,” he remarked. “If two children are fighting, you will beat the two of them, heaven will say that you are fair. You cannot flog one child all through and abuse him when he is not the troublemaker.”

Sara-Igbe also condemned Wike for his divisive rhetoric, citing insults aimed at ethnic groups and stirring unrest across the country, while the peaceful Fubara was sanctioned.