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Lawyer and activist, Chetam Henry has described the political turmoil in Rivers State as a power struggle fuelled by Wike’s desire for control, accusing the minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike of being inconsistent with upholding his principles.
“Everything has to be about him,” he said. “If you’re not in line with whatever he’s doing, you’re a bad person, you don’t have character, you don’t keep to your word…All his principles, everything he fought against as governor, he has now gone against them. None of his principles has he kept.”
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, lawyer and activist Chetam Henry weighed in on the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, asserting that the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara are part of a larger power struggle involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Henry emphasised that while impeachment is a constitutional process, it must be carried out properly and not used as a political weapon.
“It is not about waking up in the morning to say, ‘Oh, we want to impeach the governor,’” he said, explaining that Section 188 of the Constitution outlines clear steps that must be followed. According to him, the process involves not just the House of Assembly but also the Chief Judge, who is required to appoint a seven-man panel to investigate the allegations.
“Until they are able to prove these allegations to be true, there are procedures to impeachment,” he noted.
However, Henry argued that the political crisis in Rivers State goes beyond legal procedures, pointing directly at Wike’s influence.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly as of today has made itself a puppet to the FCT minister,” he said. “And it’s actually unfortunate and sad. This has kept our state in the situation it is facing today.” He accused Wike of orchestrating the entire situation, claiming that the Assembly members were merely acting on his instructions.
“Just on Saturday, the minister had stated clearly that they must impeach the governor. And if the minister has said they must impeach the governor, the Assembly members, who are his puppets, followed suit,” he alleged.
Henry went further to claim that Wike had personally funded the election campaigns of the lawmakers now pushing for Fubara’s removal, ensuring their loyalty.
“Don’t forget, this same minister bought forms for all the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and he controls whatever they do. They are not even loyal to the Rivers people who they seek to serve. They are loyal to the minister of the FCT,” he said.
On the broader implications of the crisis, Henry expressed disappointment that despite a Supreme Court ruling meant to resolve political tensions, progress remained elusive.
“We felt when the decision from the Supreme Court came that these issues would at some point be relaxed and that we would make progress as a state,” he said. “But it’s not looking likely that we are going to make progress because somebody wants everybody to bow before him and worship him. That cannot happen.”
When asked about the claim that Governor Fubara himself was handpicked by Wike and is now resisting the man who installed him, Henry acknowledged the role Wike played in the election but maintained that the governor is now standing up for the people.
“Even in the last elections that led to the emergence of this current governor, we saw the high-handedness of the FCT minister,” he said. “He made sure that he brought his preferred candidate into office.” However, he argued that Fubara has since chosen a different path. “The man was elected by my people to serve my people. We cannot continue with this hanky-panky thing against Rivers people, against their interests,” he insisted.
Henry accused Wike of attempting to maintain control over Rivers State through Fubara’s administration, likening it to a “third term by proxy.” According to him, the root of the disagreement between the governor and the minister is Fubara’s refusal to be controlled.
“What Wike wanted was a situation where he would have a third term through the current governor of Rivers State,” he stated. “And the governor has looked at it and said, ‘No, whatever the plans of the minister are, they are not in the best interest of Rivers people.’”
The activist also criticised the way elections have been conducted in Rivers State under Wike’s leadership, alleging a lack of transparency.
“I can’t remember the last time we had a free and fair election in Rivers State,” he said. “We all know how Wike muscled his way through that particular election, how he stopped opposition from campaigning.”
Henry further claimed that Wike is now using intimidation tactics to maintain control, even targeting the state’s Chief Judge.
“Today, anybody who does not support him, he wakes up in the morning and calls them names,” he said. “As I speak to you today, they are after the Chief Judge of the state. This same Chief Judge who was appointed under his administration, and now, because the man seems not to ‘play ball’ with them on this impeachment matter, they suddenly remember he falsified his age.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
The post Chetam Henry: Wike Has Betrayed Every Principle He Once Fought For as Governor appeared first on Arise News.
