Prominent Niger Delta activist and Rivers State Elders Forum member, Ann Kio-Briggs, has criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over comments on the 2027 political future of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Speaking in an interview, Kio-Briggs described Wike’s vow to block Fubara’s re-election as dangerous and unacceptable, stressing that no individual can claim ownership of a state or its people. She noted that political support can never be absolute, insisting that Rivers people alone have the power to decide their leaders.
Kio-Briggs reaffirmed that Governor Fubara remains the legitimate leader of Rivers State, having secured the mandate of the electorate. According to her, attempts to intimidate or dictate political outcomes threaten democracy and peace in the state.
She warned that political ambition should not be pursued at the expense of stability, urging leaders to respect democratic principles and the will of the people.
She said, “Let me put it like this, Nyesom Wike is a former Governor of Rivers State. He is a son of Rivers State. Wike is the Minister of the Federal Capital and a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party.
“Nobody can claim that any one individual has 100 per cent support in any state in Nigeria, in any place in the world. You cannot have 100 per cent support even when you put a gun to somebody’s head, the support is not 100 per cent.
“The minister is not the owner of Rivers State. He doesn’t own Rivers State, and he doesn’t own the people of Rivers State.”
Kio-Briggs further affirmed the legitimacy of Governor Fubara’s mandate, arguing that only the people can determine who governs them.
“Nobody can claim that the present governor is not the Governor of Rivers State; nobody can claim how many people can vote for him or cannot vote for him. But as of today, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has the majority of votes of the people of Rivers State,” she said.
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