A policy analyst, Prof. Simon Nnah, has alleged that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was deceived and manipulated into defecting to the All Progressives Congress with assurances that he would be allowed to complete a second term in office.
Nnah claimed the governor was carried away by what he described as the “euphoria that he is the 001” of Rivers State.
Speaking on News Central while analysing the political situation in Rivers State and Fubara’s withdrawal from the governorship race, Nnah said the governor joined the APC mainly for protection amid renewed impeachment threats.
Fubara had Wednesday night announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship primary, insisting that his decision was not borne out of fear or weakness, but in the interest of peace in the state.
Reacting to the development, Nnah said the governor’s move to the APC was aimed at preventing another impeachment attempt following the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
According to him, “When he came back, there were moves to impeach him, so one of the safest things he had to do was to move to the ruling party so that they could protect him. It was a protective covering.”
He further accused the APC of manipulating the political process through provisions of the Electoral Act, alleging that the party uses restrictions on candidate movement after submission of party registers to INEC to keep defectors tied to the party without necessarily granting them tickets.
