Reactions have greeted the dissolution of the Rivers State Executive Council and the sacking of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Emeka Woke, and Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Harold Koko.
The All Progressives Congress and the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation have accused the governor of prioritising politics above governance.
The dissolution and dismissal was contained in an announcement signed by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Kekvin Ebiri, in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’ read, “Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has dissolved the State Executive Council with effect from Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
“The governor’s Chief of Staff and Senior Special Assistant (Protocol) have also been relieved of their offices.
“Wike commends the members of the Rivers State Executive Council for their service and contribution to the development of the state.
“He also wished them the best in all their future endeavours.”
In a swift reaction, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, in a statement said the dissolution of the state executive council by Wike was not surprising.
Finebone stated that Wike’s style of governance promotes self interest rather than the common good.
He further said the governor’s action was to pave the way for him to recruit new supporters out of the ‘’aggrieved followers occasioned by the governor’s politics of imposition.’’
The statement read in part, “The dissolution did not come to some of us as a surprise. Any keen observer of Governor Wike’s brick and mortar style of governance should always expect him to exhibit preference for self interest above common good.
“He (the governor) started by disengaging the sanitation authorities without replacement – an action that has turned Port Harcourt into the refuse/garbage capital of Nigeria as I write.
“While we’re all burdened by the stench in Port Harcourt, the governor decided to dissolve his cabinet and send his appointees home at a critical time when governance deficit has become the order of the day in the state.
“We are not surprised because the governor places a high premium on politics over governance. We don’t call him an accidental governor for nothing.
His latest action is to enable him to raise a new army of supporters out of the aggrieved followers occasioned by the governor’s politics of imposition.”
On his part, the Chairman Rivers State Civil Society Organisation, Enefaa Georgewill, said it was too late in the day for the governor to have sacked his entire executives when he has about one year to leave office.
Georgewill, however, stated that it was within his right to appoint and dissolve his cabinet, saying “He who has the right to hire has the right to fire.”
He said, “We think that for a government that has less than one year to go, he would have allowed those who are on the saddle to consolidate on whatever gain, if there is, they have already made.
“Bringing in new people now, it will take them time to acclimatise to the job, the environment and what have you. So, we think it is too late to have dissolved his cabinet at this time.
“But it points to one direction known with our political office holders, which is that they usually dissolve their cabinet close to an election so that they can now appoint straight politicians that will do their bidding.”
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