Rivers crisis: Fubara has been whipped back in line- Rufai Oseni

By Jude Opara

Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has claimed that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been forced to align with powerful political interests, arguing that the ongoing political crisis in the state is driven by personal ambitions rather than the welfare of the people.

Oseni made the remarks on Wednesday during The Morning Show on Arise Television while reacting to recent political developments in Rivers State.

His comments followed Fubara’s appearance at the unveiling of the Rainbow Coalition’s candidates in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, where the governor presented the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag to Ogundu Kingsley Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 general election.

During the event, Fubara also acknowledged Wike as the political leader in Rivers State and urged those who had described him as the state’s political leader during the crisis to desist from doing so.

Reacting to the development, Oseni argued that Fubara, who had previously sought to assert his political independence, had now been compelled to return to the political arrangement he had fought against.

“Fubara has been whipped back in line, and it is all about their interest and not the people of Rivers State,” he said.

The broadcaster further questioned the benefits of the peace efforts and reconciliation being celebrated by political stakeholders, arguing that the process appeared to serve the interests of the political elite rather than ordinary residents struggling with their daily challenges.

According to Oseni, the reconciliation efforts have largely centred on power-sharing and the distribution of resources, while the concerns of Rivers residents have received insufficient attention.

He maintained that the people of Rivers State stood to lose the most from the political developments, as their welfare and interests were, in his view, being sidelined in the negotiations among political leaders.