Suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has
officially disbanded all his social-political support groups, including the
popular Simplified Movement, in a bid to fully embrace peace in the state.
Speaking on Saturday in Port Harcourt at a meeting with
members of his political family—including his former Chief of Staff, Edison
Ehie; former cabinet members; local government chairmen; elders; women; and
youth leaders—Fubara said the decision was made in the spirit of reconciliation
and sacrifice. His word
“I called for this meeting to address you formally, for you
to have the first-hand information. It's not the one you are reading in the
paper, it's not the one you are seeing on social media or wherever — you are
now hearing from me.
“We have fought. I think, in my own assessment and in the
assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that
we have done what we need to do. At this point, if you want to be truthful to
yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there's no price that is
too big for peace — I meant it, and I'm still ready to follow it to the end.
“Nobody can take away the role the FCT Minister, Chief
Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, played — that's the truth. Yes, we might have our
differences, but nobody here will say he doesn't know the role he played.
Nobody can wish away the risk he took. Yes, at a point we had our differences
and if today there's need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely
believes in me should understand that it's the right thing to do.
“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the
level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one where
both of you are sitting down together to say, “Yes, this is what we want.”
“At this point, I've met him and we have spoken. You can't
take away the fact that he’s hurt — he's a human being. I also have my own
share of pains too.
“If we believe that we are in one family and our interest is
to support the President, then what is the issue? If you say you are with us
and you believe in me, this is the time for us to show it.
“Because it's not even about me as a person — it's about the
overall interest of the state. In the midst of this crisis between me and the
FCT Minister, look at the projects we've initiated. Many have been abandoned.
We know the progress we would have recorded and the areas that would have been
developed. So, there's need for this peace — that's the truth.
“I can't abandon you people — that's one thing I need to say
here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make
my commitment here that whichever way it goes, I will not abandon anybody. But
the sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is
going to be heavy, and I want everybody to prepare for it.
“Without a total reconciliation — which, by the grace of
God, the both of us have gotten to — there's no way we can make progress in
this state. There's no way the President can come in to save the situation. So,
I want to appeal to everyone — I have accepted that we must accept this peace,
no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel, we must accept it.
“In my place, there's a fish they call Atabala — you call it
Tilapia. The native Tilapia doesn't grow big. The mother Tilapia used to tell
the kids that if you want to grow up to my own size, hide your head inside the
mud. Every one of us should understand that at this time, we've done our best,
and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know it's difficult
and heavy, but that's the true situation.”
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