Former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, Chijioke Ihunwo, has alleged that the declaration of a state of emergency in the state was a pre-planned arrangement between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu.
Ihunwo made the claim on Tuesday while speaking on The Morning Show, a programme on Arise Television.
The former chairman also dismissed reports of a pipeline explosion in the state, insisting that no such incident occurred.
“Nigerians have been criticizing Mr. President for the emergency declaration in our state. There is no war in Rivers State. Rivers State is very peaceful.
“And the issue of the pipeline that was vandalized is not true. The company has come out to say that nothing like that happened.
“So for me, Mr. President acted in error by declaring a state of emergency in our state. Our governor is a very peaceful man,” Ihunwo stated.
Expressing strong opposition to the emergency declaration, he insisted that the move was politically motivated.
“I totally disagree. I totally disagree with the emergency. This is a cooked-up arrangement by the FCT Minister.
“The explosion they claim happened in Rivers is not true. The company has come out to say that nothing like that ever happened, that it never existed.
“So we now see that there was an arrangement between Mr. President and the FCT Minister,” he added.
