The Federal Government has distanced itself from the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, his loyalists, and Governor Similaye Fubara.
Addressing newsmen after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the federal government has no hand in creating the crisis.
When asked if the federal government shares Wike’s position on the matter as a member of the federal cabinet, the information minister said;
“Well, he is a federal cabinet member; he is involved in the situation in the state. That cannot be a federal government position. How can it be the federal government’s position?
“Well, the federal government is always interested in the well-being of all the states, and in that direction, the federal government will always align with everyone in Nigeria to make sure that there is peace and tranquillity in all parts of this country.
“But you know that what has happened in Rivers is not a creation of the federal government. It is a political problem that is brewing in the state.
“Of course, the government will ensure that there is peace and stability for all Nigerians, including River State, but you can’t say that this is a creation of the federal government. The federal government never had any hand in creating that problem.”
On Asari Dokubo’s claim of President Bola Tinubu ignoring the festering crisis in Rivers State, Idris stated that what the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force said is only advisory.
The Minister said;
“I saw Asari Dokubo’s message. It was an advisory. He made an advisory. When you make an advisory, you allow time to see whether the person you have given the advice will look at it again and come back to you. That does not suggest anything. That doesn’t suggest that the federal government created that problem. It was never a creation of the federal government. It is a creation of the political situation in River State.”
