A Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has launched a scathing attack on former Governor of Rivers State, Rufus Ada George, accusing him of having no positive developmental legacy and instead introducing a culture of violence, killings, and ethnic division during his time in office.
In a press statement released on Thursday, Olayinka, who serves as the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s aide on Public Communications and Social Media, challenged Ada George to name a single developmental project he executed while in office. He alleged that the former governor is better remembered for creating and backing militant groups like the “Bush Boys,” which, according to him, were used to settle political scores and unleash terror on the people of Rivers State.
“At old age, people should begin to desist from acting shamelessly,” Olayinka said, criticizing the former governor’s continued involvement in political controversies. He referenced the 2008 Rivers State Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Justice Kayode Eso, which reportedly linked Ada George to the sponsorship of the Bush Boys and violence in the state, particularly during the September 2001 crisis.
Olayinka further questioned Ada George’s political decisions after leaving office in 1993, notably his fallout with then-deputy Peter Odili and his choice to align with the All People’s Party (APP) rather than the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), where Odili later emerged as governor.
“As Rivers State Governor in 1993, when violence ensued during the Ogoni protest against Shell, Ada George sided with his former employers rather than his people,” Olayinka alleged.
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He also criticized the former governor’s handling of the Okrika chieftaincy crisis, claiming that Ada George failed to unite the community and instead exacerbated tensions by backing one faction and allegedly using militants against rivals.
Olayinka dismissed recent comments made by Ada George, in which the ex-governor accused Wike of fueling the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State and backing the imposition of a state of emergency and sole administrators across the 23 local government areas.
“At nearly 85 years old, Ada George should be focused on leaving behind a legacy of peace and dignity, rather than continuing to stoke division and mislead the public with baseless accusations,” Olayinka said.
He further accused Ada George of hypocrisy for criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the Rivers political crisis after having once described the President’s mediation as “executive rascality.”
“Rather than playing the role of a statesman, Ada George has chosen to become a megaphone of lawlessness and deceit,” Olayinka concluded.
