Senator Benneth Birabi, is a medical doctor, former minister, former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, former member of the House Of Representatives and a retired partisan politician. In this exclusive chat with Ibrahim Bakare of TheNEWS magazine and PMNEWS in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital says he wishes he had the power to end the crisis between Siminalayi Fubara, and Nyesom Wike because he doesn’t understand it.
The governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, recently celebrated the first anniversary of the political feud between him and his political godfather. As a member of the Rivers State Leaders and Elders Forum which became involved in the matter from day one, can you help us with a summary of the crisis?
I can’t summarise a problem that I don’t understand because I don’t understand the feud between them. We know that somebody wants to remain in office, even though he has left, and we know that the incumbent is seriously inconvenienced and encumbered by the situation. But none of the players has spoken to us as elders. Not one of them has spoken to us as elders. What we as elders are working on is what we see in the media and newspapers. I don’t remember Fubara ever talking to elders in the state in person. Also Wike, to the best of our knowledge, now Wike doesn’t have any elders. He knows no elders. So, he too, hasn’t spoken to anybody in person. So, you can’t draw a conclusion based on speculations and based on newspaper reports. That’s unelderly.
So, since we’ve not spoken to any of them individually, I don’t think I’m in a position to summarise or draw any conclusion from what’s going on. But what we’ve been working on is based on principles. The state didn’t start today. Others have ruled this state before he came into power. And if you ruled and left, then there’s no reason the person who’s there now shouldn’t be allowed to rule. And when his turn is over, he also leaves for a new person to come. That’s basically what has been the principles behind the elders.
We’re aware that your forum, that’s the Rivers State leaders and Elders forum has taken several steps towards resolving the present political crisis. What is the present position of things in the state?
I’m saying exactly the same thing. You can’t resolve any crisis between two people, neither of whom is talking to you. Fubara hasn’t spoken to us, Wike hasn’t spoken to us.
But you’ve been taking steps?
If you take steps and it doesn’t go anywhere, what do you do?
So, what is the problem?
I should have been asking you that.
You people are on appeal at the Appeal Court over the defection of the 27 lawmakers. What’s the position of that matter now?
Well the question again is, you see, we’re dealing with a situation that everybody is trying to shy away from the truth. The truth of the matter here is that Nigerians generally, from top to bottom, we’re in denial of the fact that there’s no law and where there’s no law, there’s no offence. So, everything goes. We simply have a state of lawlessness. And when you have a state of lawlessness, the man who shoots the bigger gun is the king. We haven’t seen the end of it. But we’re hoping that we shall see the end of it.
The way forward ?
I wish I could design or decide the way forward. In a civilised society where there are laws written, when you break the law, you go to court and ask the court to interpret the law.
Would you support another intervention by the President again on this matter?
If the first intervention was genuine, we shouldn’t be where we are. So, if the first one has not made any difference, what difference will the second one make.