A former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Austin Tam George, has said that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s defection to the All Progressives Congress has significantly altered the political dynamics in Rivers State, weakening the influence of political forces loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Tam George noted that political calculations in the state have shifted within the last three weeks, a development he said appears to have unsettled Wike and his allies.
Speaking during Prime Time on Arise Television, the former commissioner said the recent visits by Wike to several local government areas in Rivers State were a reaction to the changing political landscape.
According to him, the governor’s defection reduced the leverage previously enjoyed by the Wike camp over the Rivers State Government, compelling them to seek alternative means of reasserting their influence.
He, however, cautioned that the prolonged political tension and instability arising from the rivalry could have negative consequences for the state and its residents.
Tam George said, “The movement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to APC in the last 21 days has changed the political calculation in Rivers State.
“You know, in the past two weeks or so, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has been going from local government area to another local government area, threatening the government of Rivers State, even insulting the leadership structures of the APC at some point.
“He even accused some senior leaders and the Tinubu administration of going to Rivers State to literally accept, take money or bribes, also from the Rivers State government.
“So what I think is happening is that the defection of the governor has obviously threatened the original leverage that the Wike’s camp had over the governor, and they are finding a way to look for a way of asserting what they thought might be a threat to their leverage.
“But the regret is that it is the state ultimately that suffers from this kind of instability.”
The comments come amid heightened political tension in Rivers State as the impeachment process against Governor Fubara continues, according to PUO Reports.
