Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has broken his silence over the resignation of Edison Ehie as both the factional speaker and member of the state House of Assembly.
Ehie, who loyally identified with Fubara during the crisis, decided to quit his position as a member representing Ahoada-East Constituency II in a letter dated December 29, 2023 and addressed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
While addressing dignitaries including former governor Peter Odili and his wife, Mary, at the first state banquet he hosted at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Monday night, Fubara said Ehie’s resignation indicated the extent he could go to achieve peace in Rivers.
Referring to Ehie as the immediate past speaker, Fubara said: “Therefore, whatever it will take as seen in our decisions; yesterday most of you were worried why the speaker will resign. It is to tell you what we can do for peace.
“It is not about what we want to gain. It is not about the power we want to exercise. But at the end of the day, ask what we are leaving for our people.
“So, we took those decisions, not out of fear, but because at the end of the day when we leave here, we want you to remember us not as leaders with fear but remember us for our simplicity, remember us for our care, remember us that we are people, who are prepared to give in anything for the interest of our dear state”.
The governor had earlier said he never wanted to speak on the matter but decided otherwise because of what he read somewhere.
He insisted that all the decisions he took were not borne out of fear, but were compelled by the state’s interest and respect for elders.
The governor, whose speech intermittently drew applause from the crowd, said though everyone would not like the content of the peace agreement, it was in his place as a leader to enforce it.
Fubara insisted that he would not like to be involved in any dirty political fight because of its negative implications for peace and development.
