Suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers says no sacrifice or concession is too great for the peace and stability of the state.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nelson Chukwu, on Sunday, said Mr Fubara made the statement while addressing his supporters during a meeting in Port Harcourt.
The governor, who is on suspension from office following the declaration of a state of emergency in the state by President Bola Tinubu, stated that the peace deal recently brokered between him, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and members of the House of Assembly was in the best interest of the state.
Mr Fubara acknowledged Mr Wike’s pivotal role in his emergence as governor and expressed his willingness to make concessions for peace.
Similarly, the governor commended President Tinubu for his personal intervention in the peace reconciliation.
He noted the anxiety and disappointment felt by many people following the peace deal, but insisted that difficult times call for tough decisions and concessions.
Mr Fubara, however, said that every step taken, including the recent reconciliation between him and Mr Wike, was done with their collective interest in mind.
He said consultations were held with key stakeholders and trusted allies within his political family at every stage.
Mr Fubara noted that the new political realities might be painful temporarily for some people, especially those who stood firmly with him through the turbulence, but said the larger goal remains the peace and stability of the state.
Mr Fubara decried the impact of the political crisis on governance in the state, noting that several development projects had suffered delays.
He expressed optimism that with the reconciliation achieved, the pace of project implementation would be accelerated.
Mr Fubara is expected to be back in office anytime soon on the heels of the second peace deal brokered by Mr Tinubu between him and his immediate predecessor in office, Mr Wike.
The second peace deal, whose details are still sketchy, follows the first truce whose collapse led to the emergency declaration by Mr Tinubu in March following the protracted political crisis between Messrs Wike and Fubara, on one hand, and between Mr Fubara and the House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, on the other hand.
Suspended alongside Mr Fubara were the deputy governor and the state House of Assembly. Only the judicial arm of government was spared in the emergency declaration.
Mr Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral, as the sole administrator of the state for an initial period of six months. Premium Times