A former Rivers State House of Assembly leader, Chidi Lloyd, has alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara admitted to being unprepared for the governorship position during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries.
Lloyd, who previously served as a key figure in the Rivers State legislature, claimed that the state has been in turmoil since Fubara assumed office. Speaking in an interview with AIT on Monday, he accused the governor of making incendiary remarks that could further destabilize the state.
Lloyd, who made headlines in 2013 for striking fellow lawmaker Michael Chinda with the House mace during a legislative session, expressed concerns over the current state of governance in Rivers. He suggested that Fubara’s leadership had plunged the state into a prolonged crisis.
His remarks come amid ongoing political tensions, with Anabs Sara-Igbe, a former spokesperson of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), arguing that President Bola Tinubu has no constitutional authority to suspend the governor, his deputy, or members of the House of Assembly.
However, Lloyd countered this argument, asserting that the President was well within his constitutional rights to intervene by declaring a state of emergency and appointing a sole administrator to restore order.
“We have been under siege in this state since Governor Fubara assumed office. This is nothing new; we have gotten used to it,” Lloyd said. “Imagine a situation where a governor would mobilize street urchins and instruct them to be on standby, claiming he would lead from the front. These are statements unbecoming of a state leader.”
Lloyd went further to recall Fubara’s own admission of inexperience during the PDP governorship primaries.
“This governor himself told us from the beginning that he was not prepared for this position. On the day of his primaries, he said he should have been informed 20 years ago so he could learn the ropes of governance. So, sometimes, I find it difficult to blame him,” Lloyd stated.
Using a metaphor to illustrate his point, Lloyd compared Fubara’s leadership to an inexperienced driver being handed a luxury vehicle.
“If someone is learning to drive, they are usually given an old, faulty car to practice with, not a Bentley. But in Rivers State, we gave a learner driver a Mercedes-Benz, and this is the outcome. Among all 36 states in the federation, Rivers has remained in crisis for nearly two years now.”
The political landscape in Rivers State has been fraught with power struggles, party infighting, and governance challenges, leading to growing concerns about the state’s stability. With both state and federal actors weighing in on the crisis, the coming months will likely determine the trajectory of leadership in the oil-rich region.
