Amid ongoing political crisis rocking Rivers State, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has outlined conditions for restoration of peace and harmony across the state, saying the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, must be ready to abide by the rule of law.
Wike, who identified the governor’s disregard for the rule of law as the major reason for the political impasse, stated that Fubara’s utterances and disposition to law and order was improper from a governor who was elected to uphold the institution of government.
The former governor noted that Fubara disobedience of court order which prohibited the state from conducting elections, set a bad precedent that could aid violence in any state.
He added that the governor’s stance further led to the widespread destruction experienced after the council poll which the APP won 22 seats and AA had one.
“A governor came to a national television to say, I will not obey the court, I do not need police, in that case who is inviting anarchy”, he added.
The former governor stated this on Tuesday while responding to questions from journalist on a political program held in Abuja.
Meanwhile, he disclosed why he didn’t support the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 presidential election.
Wike, who currently serves as a minister under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, and has been in the headlines partly on allegations of anti-party activities, said his decision was based on his choice to support “equity, fairness and justice.”
The PDP had nominated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate in the election, which was later lost to Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
However, Wike added that for the governorship election, he was in support of the PDP, which was why the party won the election in Rivers State; thereby producing his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Wike said, “For the presidential election, I said I am going to support equity, fairness and justice. On the other one, I am going to support my party and that is why we won the governor, National Assembly election.
“For presidential, I have no apologies because I don’t believe in injustice. Today people say ‘Discipline Wike, he did anti-party.’ I did not do anti-party. I have no regret at all.”
The FCT minister had declared in a previous interview that he isn’t an outsider in the PDP.
“There is nobody, no governor today in PDP, not anybody born of a woman can say I am an outsider. I dare anybody in the PDP to come out on national television. I dare any governor, I dare any National Working Committee member, to come out on national television to say I am a mole,” he said.
While correcting his alleged anti-party activities and giving clarification for accepting the ministerial job, he noted that he had never hidden his motives for whatever he did.
“Before I took this appointment, I wrote to PDP. I wrote to PDP National; I wrote to PDP Zonal; I wrote to PDP in my state. My governor also signed a letter, that I should take the appointment. Yes, it’s true. The zonal party wrote that I should accept. Who in the PDP did not write or nominate names by President Tinubu for appointment?
“They did. Yes! Let them come to say they did not do it. You see the problem we have in this country is that some people think they are too smart, they want to use people; I’m not that kind of person. What I want to do, I will do; what I will not do, everybody knows I won’t do it”, Wike added.
