Renowned journalist and politician, Chief Dele Momodu, has asked Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, not to compare Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State with his Rivers State counterpart, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Momodu said this while responding to Daily Trust’s story on Wike’s claim that President Bola Tinubu could have sent him to Osun if he wanted the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the election at all cost.
“If the President had wanted to win the Osun State election at all costs, I would have been there and we would have won it, and there’s nothing the governor can do,” Wike had boasted during an interactive session with reporters earlier on Tuesday,
The minister’s comment came against the backdrop of the APC’s loss to Adeleke, who ran on the platform of Accord Party.
But responding to Wike, Momodu said, “Osun people would have demystified you mercilessly. Adeleke is not Fubara!! My kobo advice, stop equating yourself to God.”
Fubara lost traction after falling out with Wike.
After surviving a series of impeachments, he was suspended for six months and reinstated after reportedly agreeing not to seek a second term.
Fubara had tried to bypass the agreement by defecting to the APC, but he was not cleared to contest the primary election, let alone getting the ticket.
At a media chat earlier this month, Wike described Fubara as the biggest loser in the Rivers political crisis.
He said the governor lost the opportunity to return for a second term because he listened and acted on wrong advice from his supporters, who deceived him and worsened the crisis in the state.
He said Fubara’s failure to preside over the last local government election, which produced the current council chairmen in the 23 LGAs, and having no control of the state House of Assembly showed he was not in charge even as governor.
“Impeachment is constitutionally provided but it is used as a political tool. When you are having two people quarreling, at a certain stage, you have to surrender. If you don’t surrender, this is what will happen to you. Now you have to weigh the option. For the interest of peace, let us sheathe our swords.
“Impeachment is constitutionally provided for, but you don’t come out every time to say you want to carry out impeachment. That is only done when you see that things are not working very well. Even in that situation, you have to be very careful; there is a process. Remember the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.
“All these are political tools but provided in the Constitution. A time comes when you discuss the tools. So that is what has happened here. In the interest of peace, look, you give and take.”
Wike expressed disappointment that the governor could not break into the state House of Assembly during the crisis, saying that, of the 29 members of the House, none was with him, nor were any of those who were his supporters.
“Assembly of 29 members, not one was taken away. What does it tell you? You’re a leader, for example, in Okrika, the Assembly member is here. You’re a leader in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government, the Assembly member is not with you. You’re a leader in Khana Local Government, the Assembly member is not with you. You’re a leader in Andoni Local Government, the Assembly member is not with you. You’re a leader in Obio/Akpor, you don’t have one Assembly member.
“You’re running to the governor that we are with you; with you with what? He (Fubara) couldn’t break the Assembly. What does it tell you? Everything is money, money. If it is money, who has the money?
“All these people who surrounded the governor, look at all the fights. What impact or input did they make to help the governor succeed? They were there and a state of emergency was declared. What did they do?
“When I said the governor is losing, what I mean… the governor did not preside over the local government election. He did not. The one he did was nullified by the Supreme Court and they were all sacked. How do you think that, as a governor, I did not superintend over the election? Two, because of some people who surrounded him, giving him advice, the governor did not secure a second term,” he said.
Asked how Fubara is the biggest loser, he said, “If you want me to say the bitter truth, I feel for him. But yes, he is the biggest loser. Yes, he lost because, look at it, God gave you something on a platter of gold. There is no problem; there is no basis. In fact, as a strategist, how would you stay 100 days in office, assuming, as you said, though not conceding, that he is under pressure to bring money? One hundred days in office, and you cannot stomach it.