A social media user has claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has weighed in on the political crisis in Rivers state.
According to the claim, Obasanjo visited Fubara and asked him to shut the state house of assembly and withdraw the security personnel attached to the assembly members.
The post also claimed that Obasanjo advised Fubara to order the closure of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and to demolish any facility that may be used to host his impeachment.
The claim that surfaced on X on Monday has garnered 4.3k likes, 1.5k reposts, and 620 comments.
“OBJ BLOWS HOT — Shutdown Rivers Assembly. Declare State of Emergency in Rivers State — Obasanjo Visits SIM Fubara,” the post reads.
“Withdraw security personnel from all Rivers Assembly members. Shut down NNPC, shut down NDDC, and dismantle any forces that may rise against you.
“You are the governor, elected by the people. You are the Chief Security Officer of Rivers State. What you order stands—neither Tinubu nor Wike put you in power. Demolish any hall or arena set to host your impeachment. Tinubu needs Rivers votes to win the 2027 election, and you stand in his way.”
THE RIVERS POLITICAL CRISIS
Rivers state has been embroiled in a political crisis due to a power struggle between Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor, and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Monday, the rift peaked after the state lawmakers initiated an impeachment procedure on Fubara and Ngozi Odu, his deputy, “over gross misconduct”.
On February 28, the supreme court upheld a federal high court ruling barring the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing Rivers statutory monthly allocations.
The court also invalidated the local government elections conducted in the state on October 5, 2024. Fubara pledged to comply with the supreme court’s ruling in a bid to address the state’s political impasse.
The assembly adjourned plenary indefinitely, after the governor wrote to the assembly the second time, requesting a new date to present the 2025 appropriation bill.
However, there have been calls from different quarters for the restoration of peace in the state.
VERIFYING THE CLAIM
CableCheck reached out to Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo’s media assistant, who said the claim was false.
Akinyemi noted that the former president did not visit Fubara and had not instructed him to strip the lawmakers of their security.
“As you know, Obasanjo does not have a social media account, and he didn’t visit the governor or make any such comments,” Akinyemi said.
We also observed that no reputable media platform reported the claim.
The Rivers government has also debunked the report, describing it as a “plan to cause chaos and anarchy in the state”.
A statement issued on Tuesday by Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara’s chief press secretary, said neither Obasanjo nor any delegation visited the governor on the prevailing crisis in the state.
Chukwudi added that the governor had expressed his willingness to comply with the apex court ruling on the issue.
“Let it be clarified that there was no such visit by any delegation of PANDEF to Governor Fubara on the said date, neither did Chief Obasanjo visit him as claimed by our detractors,” the statement reads.
VERDICT
The claim that Obasanjo visited Fubara and asked him to shut the state assembly and withdraw all security personnel attached to the lawmakers is false.
The former president also did not order the closure of NNPC and NDDC.
