The Full Story Of Operation Wetie in Rivers State: Beginning To End

The Full Story Of Operation Wetie  In Rivers State: Beginning To EndSince the return to civil governance in 1999, Rivers State, often referred to as the treasure base of Nigeria, has seen five governors: Peter Odili, Celestine Omehia, Chibuike Amaechi, Nyesom Wike, and currently, Simnalayi Fubara. The state’s first major political crisis emerged in 2006 during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship nomination for the 2007 election. Amaechi won the primary, but former President Olusegun Obasanjo dismissed his victory, claiming it had a “k-leg.” Consequently, Amaechi was denied the party nomination, and the ticket was controversially awarded to Celestine Omehia, who had not participated in the primaries. However, on October 25, 2007, the Supreme Court annulled Omehia’s election and ordered that Amaechi be sworn in as governor.

This ruling became a legal precedent. The court determined that voters primarily cast their ballots for the political party rather than individual candidates, which was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2016 during the Kogi State election when Yahaya Bello inherited the votes cast for the late Prince Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

During Amaechi’s tenure as governor, Wike served as his Chief of Staff (2007–2011) and had previously been Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government (1999–2007). Wike later became Minister of State for Education (2011–2014). He and Amaechi had a falling out when Amaechi defected to the APC in 2013. With the support of former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan, Wike secured the PDP governorship ticket and won the 2015 election, serving two terms before leaving office in May 2023. Prior to the 2023 elections, Wike played a key role in ensuring his former Accountant-General, Simnalayi Fubara, succeeded him as governor.

It is widely speculated that Wike financed many of the political officeholders elected in Rivers State during the 2023 general elections. His influence remains significant, as he is believed to control the Rivers State House of Assembly and appointed several commissioners in Fubara’s administration. Nine key commissioners resigned from their roles in May, including those overseeing Justice, Finance, Education, and other vital sectors.

Governor Fubara’s tenure began peacefully following his May 29, 2023 inauguration, but tensions arose by late October. On the night of October 29, a fire, reportedly caused by arson, engulfed the assembly complex. By the next morning, October 30, members of the Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara, accusing him of gross misconduct. Two factions soon emerged in the Assembly, each claiming legitimacy and holding parallel sessions. The judiciary became entangled, with both sides obtaining ex-parte orders and injunctions from courts in Port Harcourt and Abuja. On December 12, a High Court ruling recognized Edison Ehie as the legitimate Speaker, while restraining other members from claiming the role.

This ruling emboldened Fubara, who hastily presented an N800 billion budget for 2024 to a minority Assembly group and signed it into law. He also ordered the demolition of the House of Assembly complex, which had been damaged in the fire. On December 11, 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike defected to the APC, citing a split within the PDP and grievances over unpaid salaries and allowances.

President Bola Tinubu intervened in the escalating crisis, mediating an eight-point resolution on December 18. This agreement called for the withdrawal of court cases, the cessation of impeachment proceedings, and recognition of Speaker Amaewhule and the 27 defected lawmakers. Governor Fubara was also tasked with re-presenting the 2024 budget and reinstating the names of the resigned commissioners.

While Fubara implemented most of the resolution’s points, he failed to re-submit the budget to the Amaewhule-led Assembly. When the tenure of 23 Local Government chairpersons ended in May 2024, the Amaewhule faction extended their terms by six months. However, a May court ruling declared this extension unconstitutional. Fubara responded by appointing caretaker committees to oversee the LGAs until proper elections could be conducted.

A significant development occurred on July 11, 2024, when the Supreme Court granted financial autonomy to local governments, mandating that all councils be democratically governed. Although federal and state governments agreed on a three-month moratorium on the judgment, Fubara hurriedly organized LGA elections on October 5, citing fears that the Federal Government would withhold allocations to LGAs if elections weren’t held before the October 31 deadline.

Meanwhile, in a political twist, Fubara’s camp lost to Wike’s faction during recent PDP congresses, prompting the governor’s supporters to join the Action Peoples Party (APP) for the local government elections. APP dominated the polls, winning 22 of the 23 LGA chairmanship positions and 314 out of 319 councillorship seats. However, violence erupted following the elections, with council secretariats in Ikwerre, Emohua, and Eleme being torched. There were also reports of deaths, signaling a deepening power struggle in the state.

President Tinubu has called for calm, urging aggrieved parties to resolve disputes in court. However, if the violence continues unchecked, it could severely destabilize the state and threaten Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. The situation bears unsettling parallels to the “wetie” crisis in the Western Region during the 1964 and 1965 elections, which led to Nigeria’s first military coup in 1966. Tinubu must act decisively, particularly in restraining his Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whose loyalists are believed to be fueling the unrest. Given Rivers State’s strategic importance as an oil hub, the stakes are too high to allow political instability to persist.

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