By Our Reporter
Former Minister of Transport, Chief Abiye Sekibo, has revealed that he and other political leaders abandoned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu due to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Sekibo, a known Atiku loyalist, made the surprising revelation in Port Harcourt on Thursday, stating that Fubara convinced them to shift their allegiance to Tinubu.
Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the inauguration of the rehabilitated Borokiri Fire Service Station, Sekibo urged President Tinubu to disregard claims that the Rivers governor is surrounded by Atiku’s loyalists.
In his message to Tinubu, he said: “Mr President, our own President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lend me your ears. We, the Rivers people, have always supported the government at the centre. We have always worked with the government at the centre.
“This governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has convinced Rivers people that they must stand with their President, and we do stand with you. There might be persons telling you stories, especially when they see people like me, who were core Atiku men, they will say, ‘don’t you see it is Atiku people that are with the governor’.
“There are also Atiku people that are with them there in Abuja. But the governor has convinced us that the place to be is to be with our President and Mr. President we stand with you. We stand with you because that is the right thing to do.
“The elections delivered you as our President, and so we stand with you. The elections delivered this governor, our son, for the first time in 24 years, the Ijaw nation in more than eight local government areas of Rivers State have an opportunity of having one of their own as the governor of this state. We stand with him, we have no choice”.
Abiye said Fubara, through his work in Rivers, had shown that he prioritised the interest of the people and the unity of the country.
He said that at the time when the state’s funds were seized, he made sure that there was no problem in Rivers; he kept essential services active and worked tirelessly to avoid creating any problem for the federal government.
He called on Tinubu to support the governor, describing Fubara as an ally of the President.
“Standing by and working with Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the right thing to do, and I urge you, Mr. President, to stand with Siminalayi Fubara. My dear people, as we urge our President and the Federal Government to stand with our son, we all have a duty to rally round him and stand with him, no matter what happens”, he said.
Abiye said he was aware that the Supreme Court’s judgement demoralized the people, but he assured them that as law-abiding citizens, the governor had assured them that he would implement the ruling to sustain the peace in Rivers.
He said he was honoured that the governor chose him to inaugurate the rehabilitated Borokiri Fire Station.
Abiye described the project as a reflection of purposeful leadership and an indication that the governor prioritised the wellbeing and interest of Rivers people.
He said: “In a time when leadership is tested, when bold decisions are required for the progress of our people, this governor has prioritised the interest of our people, and we all have a duty to stand with him. All Rivers people, no matter which part you are coming from, this governor carries our hopes and our future.
“I was Secretary to the State Government in this State, this Fire Service Station existed, I must confess that what I am seeing today is a state-of-the-art modern Fire Service Station. Thank you for your care and love. This is also an opportunity to expand the possibilities of work for our people.
“Once there are instruments to work with, you need people to use and drive these vehicles to fight fire, and I am sure that our governor will use as a point reference to ensure that we have employment within the system that gives our youths something to do”.
While vowing that no matter the situation, they would continue to support the governor, he recalled that when the second-term ambition of former Governor Nyesom Wike was threatened, they rallied around him and confronted the military.
“When the second term of your immediate predecessor was threatened, we the Rivers people especially in Okrika and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Areas came out to dare the military. Our women went naked to dare the military and made sure that the results were not changed. My governor go and sleep because for you, we will do more”, he said.
In his remarks, Governor Fubara said the purpose of government was to provide services to the people and protect lives and property.
“So, when we are doing those things that we are elected to do and we start showcasing it, sometimes it doesn’t make any sense. But you have to show the world what you are doing so that they will know that you are working. Some will commission boreholes and advertise them. But for us, we have chosen to showcase to the world most vital and needed item of service”, he said.
Describing Fire Service Station as a very important component in every system, Fubara recalled that some days ago, his government unveiled the new headquarters of the station and chose to rehabilitate the station in Borokiri because the area is densely populated.
He said: “The essence of rehabilitating this fire service station here is to cater for the huge population that are living here. We have had cases of fire from time to time, and we have never adequately responded to them.
“I strongly believe that after this commissioning, whatever incidence that will occur, provided it is within the power of this Fire Service Station, it will be adequately combated.
“But the most important thing is that we are happy that we are doing this for our people; we are also happy with what we are seeing here, the excitement and joy on the faces of our people. It is the reason why we will continue to do more for our people.”
@The Nation