Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, has taken a swipe at Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, accusing him of accepting defeat and celebrating a false sense of peace following recent political tensions in the state.
In a post on his verified X handle (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Oseni described Fubara’s return to office and public statements as a sign that the governor had been “bullied and subdued” rather than victorious.
“Fubara is celebrating peace of the graveyard, after he has been bullied and subdued. ‘Peace is better than war,’ he says. Play back all his tapes for him,” Oseni wrote, referring to the governor’s shift in tone after months of political crisis.
Governor Fubara had on Friday, in a statewide broadcast, urged Rivers people to reflect on the challenges faced during the six-month political crisis, including the emergency intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which helped bring calm to the state. The governor praised the return of peace, stating that “the costliest peace is cheaper than the cheapest war.”
He further explained that he had chosen not to challenge the legality of the Federal Government’s intervention to avoid further unrest and to protect the state’s stability and development.
But Oseni, known for his critical commentary on national issues, dismissed Fubara’s remarks as hollow. He implied that the governor had lost his political will and had surrendered to external pressures, likely referencing the influence of former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who is believed to still wield influence over Rivers politics.
The crisis in Rivers began shortly after Fubara assumed office in May 2023, with tensions rising between him and his political godfather, Wike. The situation escalated into a battle over control of the State Assembly, loyalty from commissioners, and key government decisions, forcing President Tinubu to step in and mediate.
Many Nigerians have viewed the resolution as one-sided, with Fubara seen as conceding to survive politically.
