Senate President Godswill Akpabio criticized Governor Fubara for remarks he made at the memorial of Herbert Wigwe and his family. Fubara’s comments were deemed insensitive by Akpabio, who felt they were not appropriate.
During his speech at the funeral service, Governor Fubara of Rivers State questioned the politicians in attendance about their reasons for seeking power.
He said: “What is this struggle all about? You want to kill, you want to bury, what is it all about? This is a man, he’s not a politician. He made his money through us, our investments.
“He has the world in his palm financially. He controls even the political classes. But today, with all the power financially, an’t control life.
“Is it not enough today to ask ourselves why are we struggling? Why are we not making an impact in the lives of our people? Please, political class, let’s go home with that question, and be answering it in our minds, and reflecting it in what we do.”
In response to Governor Fubara’s comments, Senate President Akpabio said that if there is no purpose to the struggle for power, the governor should step down. Akpabio’s remarks were a direct challenge to Fubara’s earlier comments.
In his remarks, Akpabio also shared his own experience of once having ambitions to become the deputy governor of Akwa Ibom. He challenged Governor Fubara to reflect on whether his own struggle for power was similarly motivated by personal ambition, and to consider whether he should rethink his approach. It is unclear whether Fubara will take Akpabio’s words to heart.
He said: “We’re not going to cry in one day alone, we’ll cry so many days. When you look at the university, you will cry.
“When you pass through his personal house and edifice, you will cry. Any of the Access Bank branches worldwide, whether the one in Dubai, or whether the one in Kenya or anywhere, you will cry.
“The children that he touched, those that he sent to school and the lives he touched, when they are talking about it and they mention his name, you will cry.
“Then you will ask yourself, just like Governor Fubara said, what is the struggle all about? Your excellency, Governor Fubara, if there is nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle.”