Rivers crisis: 26 pro-Wike lawmakers gone forever, their seats remain vacant, Fubara mocks

…says ‘they’re their own undoing, they’ll go back home for defecting from PDP’

. Mocks Wike, says ‘they dance in the media but cry behind’

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the 26 lawmakers in the state House of Assembly loyal to his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have permanently lost their seats.

He also said that his administration had started the process of preparing the 2025 budget.

The governor insisted that the seats of Martin Amaewhule and the other state lawmakers who defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state remain vacant.

Fubara said that the lawmakers will eventually return home because they chose to suffer such a fate when they voluntarily defected from the platform on which they won their election voluntarily.

The Governor spoke when he received opinion leaders, women, and youths of Etche and Omuma Local Government Areas led by Ogbakor Etche, who paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi.

Fubara called on the pro-Wike lawmakers to wake up from their slumber to see how the state was being run smoothly.

He disclosed that without them, his administration had started preparing details of the 2025 Appropriation Bill, which would give priority to education, healthcare, and agriculture.

The Governor said, “Let me assure you that agriculture is an area that we have promised the very special and peace-loving people of Rivers State that our 2025 budget, which we have already started preparing, will address.

“Don’t bother about those people who are delusional. They think we are still sleeping. Let me tell you people so that they can hear anywhere they are.

“I wanted to help them, sincerely because I know them. And I have said it before, these are people that I have helped. I paid their children’s school fees. I paid their house rent. So, I wanted to help them.

“We all knew what happened when they crossed (defected), and how did they cross? Because of our God, for them to make that mistake, they crossed! They are gone, and they are gone. Now, let me tell you: when I wanted to help them, I accepted to help them because we are all one. We disagree to agree as it is said.”

According to him, the three priority areas that the 2025 budget will focus on will ensure that even if more roads are constructed, emphasis will be placed on providing quality healthcare services to keep the people healthy.

He added, “Our children need to go to quality schools. Even if they can’t go to private schools, let them go to the public ones that have standards. We need to go to good health facilities owned by the government and get standard healthcare services.

“Even if we cannot afford those private hospitals, when you go to the public ones, you can get the same services with qualified professionals. That is our thinking.

“And when we get to the issue of agriculture, it will address the issue of unemployment. When we start engaging our youths, they won’t have time to be involved in crime. So, our thinking is to secure and protect our State.”

Fubara reiterated that his administration is not fighting anybody and will continue to show appreciation to those who have contributed to the good fortunes that he has received in life.

But the Governor explained that being loyal does not mean losing one’s liberty, sense of discretion, and what is right, adding that’s why he won’t be a Governor forced on his knees.

*Fubara mocks Wike*

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara, on Wednesday took a swipe at his immediate predecessor, Wike.

The Governor, who spoke when the people of Ogbakor Etche paid him a solidarity visit in Port Harcourt, was apparently reacting to Wike’s dancing video that went viral on social media last week.

On Monday last week, Wike had sparked debate on social media when a video clip that captured his dance steps emerged online.

Wike in the video wore a Versace blue street-style coat, reportedly worth over N2million.

The video generated reactions from Nigerians, who lamented Wike’s decision to spend such a huge amount of money on fashion amid the ravaging economic crisis in the country.

Speaking while addressing the Etche people on Wednesday, Fubara urged his followers not to be deceived by the actions of his political foes, saying they only dance in the media but cry behind the scenes.

According to him, “Don’t let anybody deceive you. They can come to the media and dance but when they go behind, they cry.

“The truth is that we don’t know how to dance, but we say it the way it is and we stand tall anywhere we go.”