International multimedia journalist and former BBC correspondent, Donu Kogbara, has described Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as a weak political figure following his reported withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primaries.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, Kogbara described the governor’s decision as “a complete surrender.”
“It was a complete surrender of a very weak man,” she stated while reacting to the development.
Kogbara said the prolonged political crisis between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had reached a stage where the governor either had to firmly resist political pressure or eventually yield to it.
According to her, “Either he was going to be able to completely dominate Fubara throughout his tenure as governor, or he was going to be able to remove him if Fubara refused to play along.”
The veteran journalist explained that she initially supported Fubara during the political tensions in Rivers State because she believed the governor was being unfairly treated.
“I supported Fubara, thinking that we can’t allow this man to be completely disgraced,” she said.
Kogbara also criticised the culture of political godfatherism in Nigerian politics, arguing that elected governors should not be subjected to continuous political control or pressure from influential political figures.
“I don’t think that a governor should be so trapped that he has to continuously concede to his godfather,” she added.
She further claimed that many residents of Rivers State are dissatisfied with the recent political developments unfolding in the state.
