The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Malagi, has refuted accusations that the Federal Government engineered the political crisis in Rivers State.
During an interview on Thursday’s Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, Malagi clarified that the participation of individuals linked to President Bola Tinubu in the crisis should not be construed as an implication of the All Progressives Congress government.
“The occurrence of the crisis in Rivers does not automatically implicate the Federal Government as the orchestrator,” he asserted.
The minister emphasised the absence of concrete evidence linking the Federal Government to the crisis, saying, “I’ve not found evidence to suggest that the Federal Government is engineering the crisis.”
Malagi acknowledged the propensity for speculation arising from the participation of individuals linked to the central government, especially members of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
He pointed to analogous political scenarios in states like Ondo, emphasizing occasions when the President had intervened to resolve crises within the same political party.
The minister emphasized the government’s dedication to addressing political challenges in different states, reiterating that the primary focus is on preserving stability and promoting resolution rather than instigating unrest.