Pauline Onyibe 
Chibudom Nwuche, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has called on all stakeholders to support the administration of Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd), to actualise his mandate.
Nwuche, who hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in the State, commended the President for taking bold steps to restore peace, law, and order.
Speaking in Port Harcourt while receiving members of the former Councilors and Supervisors Forum from Ahoada East Local Government Area, under the auspices of the Wikematic Councilors Forum (WCF), Nwuche praised them for their steadfastness during the political crisis that saw their efforts to make Siminalayi Fubara governor “betrayed by the same Fubara.”
He berated the governor for what he described as ingratitude toward his benefactor, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, who he said singlehandedly made him governor against all odds.
Nwuche reminded the former councilors of the importance of gratitude, saying, “A river that forgets its source will soon dry up.” He emphasized that even the Holy Bible condemns ingratitude.
He also cautioned against the promotion of ethnicity in Rivers politics, particularly by individuals from outside the state, warning that it was fueling political tension.
“Fubara was voted for by all the tribes in Rivers – Ikwerre, Ogoni, Ekpeye, Etche, Kalabari, among others. No ethnic group can solely make itself governor in Rivers State,” he said.
He urged meddlesome interlopers from outside Rivers to focus on their states and called on National Assembly members to concentrate on issues affecting their own constituencies.
“I call on all Rivers citizens to support the Sole Administrator in his efforts to restore permanent peace and drive development during this emergency period. Fubara was not elected as an Ijaw governor, but as a Rivers governor. He was voted for by all Rivers people, not a particular tribe,” Nwuche stated.
He lamented that those who contributed to Fubara’s emergence were sidelined and victimized, while those who never played any role became beneficiaries.
“I am disappointed when I see National Assembly members from neighboring states pontificating on the Rivers crisis, as though that is why they were elected. The National Assembly should sanction such members, and their constituents should recall them for failing to understand their mandate,” he added.
Nwuche advised those sponsoring protests to destabilize the state to desist, noting that the Supreme Court has already ruled on the political issues in Rivers. He emphasized that no amount of protest could change the legal position.
He thanked his visitors for standing by the truth despite intimidation, saying the Supreme Court judgment has vindicated them.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Adamu Moses, thanked Nwuche for his unwavering support for Wike and President Tinubu’s administration.
He said if not for the President’s timely intervention through the emergency rule, Rivers was on the brink of full-scale crisis that could have led to loss of lives and destruction of national oil and gas assets.
Adamu said the bombing of oil installations began after loyalists of the suspended governor issued violent threats.
He described Wike as a detribalized leader who executed projects across all LGAs and ethnic groups when he was governor. He recalled that Wike defied opposition—even from some Ijaw figures—to support Fubara, an Ijaw man, as governor.
He wondered why those same figures are now working to destabilize the state with ethnic narratives.
He pledged continued support for the Sole Administrator, Wike, and President Tinubu’s administration, including Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Wikematic Former Councilors Forum in Rivers State, Samuel Amos, thanked Nwuche for being a symbol of integrity and gratitude, and for standing by Wike.
