Countdown to Fubara’s return: Ibas must account for allocations he got – Linkor-Tariah

•Emergency rule’ll count against Tinubu in 2027

By Daniel Abia

MR Opunabo IInkor-Tariah served as a media aide to former Governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State. Few days to the September 18 end of the six months emergency rule and return of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, he wants the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ette Ibas to account for all the money he received during the 180 days political interregnum in the state. He also spoke on politics of 2027 saying Mr Peter Obi would give President Bola Tinubu a good fight in 2027 if supported by the opposition.

On how Rivers State has 

fared since the 

emergency rule was declared on March 18, 2005 by President Tinubu

It has fared abysmally in the sense that the people of Rivers State have been denied the dividends of democracy for five months. Most of us in the state initially thought that the state of emergency was to protect the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to escape an impeachment proceeding. But it seems to me that it was a façade. If you have a state of emergency as a result of insecurity in the state, you don’t expect a man you sent here, which most of us are averse to, to begin to tamper with governance. He dissolves and appoints board members at will and so on. What is the nexus between that and governance?

It looks that there are ulterior motives in what they actually intended to do. They conducted local government elections on August 30. But the Supreme Court said it should be re-conducted, it did not say it should be conducted under military rule.

The Supreme Court directed that the statement of re-conducting the council election to the state governor and not to a military administrator. Well, people are already in court challenging that election. Let us wait after the judgment.

Secondly, when this sole administrator came to Rivers, he said the state was peaceful contrary to public opinion. When he started to inspect projects, he said those projects were good projects and were almost 80 percent completed. There was no insecurity in Rivers State before, during and after the coming of the sole administrator.

To say everything is stagnated is to be economical with the truth. There is retrogression in Rivers State. A youth corps member just called to tell me that since they suspended the governor, things have not been good with them. I didn’t even know that the governor extended his benevolence to the youth corps members. What President Tinubu and Wike are doing is to divest the governor of his powers. The House of Assembly will come back, the local government chairmen are Wike’s men, the commissioners are going to be nominated by Wike. The governor will just come and remain like that.

Rivers people are beginning to ask for the actual sum of money that came to the state’s coffers in these five months…

Vice Admiral Ibas will account for every kobo he collected from federal allocation and the IGR. We all know what is happening in the state. Our internally generated revenue is over N20 Billion monthly. The governor’s budget was just N1.1 trillion, Ibas re-presented about N1.8 trillion or so to the National Assembly. He has been spending money based on the budget that was passed by Rt. Hon Victor Oko Jumbo.

Everything in Rivers state right now seems to tilt towards 2027. The FCT Minister appears to have a firm hold on both PDP and APC, where will Rivers be in 2027?

I really cannot say with certainty where the state will be then. Many people believe that the injustice done to Rivers State must be addressed through the ballot. Many also believe that a man like Tinubu should not return to power, not just because of the Rivers problem but the general economic hardship. Many people actually believe that we should not even vote for the PDP because it is being controlled by a man who put them in this quagmire. They believe that we should wait for the third force. But the problem now is how prepared, how portent will the third force be especially with the scramble for the presidential ticket? If they can allow ADC to garner strength and the traction it deserves and allow Peter Obi to clinch the ticket, he will give Tinubu a tough fight. Last time, he won in Lagos. He won in Rivers State. If they present a man like Atiku, it is going to be an abysmal failure. Let Atiku give the support to Peter Obi then we can wrestle power from Mr. President. Well, there is yet another group of people who want the President to continue.

There appears to be a northern glamour for Goodluck Jonathan to join the presidential race, how do you see this?

Jonathan should not even contemplate it. He should just shut up anybody that comes to him to mention that kind of a thing to him. If he loses any election now, it will rob him of his pedigree and global respect. Nigeria is not Ghana. I am not saying Peter Obi is a saint. I am not talking about him saying as a governor he never collected salary. But Obi is one man that can give this president a tough fight.

There are two prominent Rivers men who are working to grab 2027 from diverse poles. Amaechi is aiming to get the ADC presidential ticket while Wike is assiduously working for Tinubu and APC, where will the state be in 2027?

Except if they rig the election, Tinubu will never win Rivers State. Amaechi is an honest man. He loves Rivers State and its people. As a minister he performed very well. I am not saying he is a saint, but he is good. We are talking about a nation and not Rivers State. If you place Peter Obi side by side with Amaechi, Obi has more acceptability. Amaechi has to work assiduously to reach Obi’s status.

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