Victor Ezeja
AdminLeader of the Pan Niger Delta Elders’ Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark has expressed surprise over the public utterances of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike against the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, urging President Bola Tinubu to call Wike to order.
The elder statesman made this demand in an open letter addressed to Tinubu on the same Monday that 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike, who is the immediate past governor of state, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While noting that the Rivers polity seem to be degenerating by the day, he asserted that Rivers State is very important to the stability of the Niger Delta and the overall national economy warning that any breakdown of law and order will not be in the overall interest of all.
Clark said, “On one occasion, he stated that ‘impeachment is not a military coup”, ‘a total outrage when all hands are on deck to consolidate this democracy under your leadership.
“In fact, in his recent interview held on Friday, 24th November, 2023, the Minister charged to one of his group of guests that the Governor is ungrateful, concluding that ‘I cannot stand ingrates’.
“He continued stating how he had helped the Governor to become what he had become today and threatening publicly that he would continue the fight if the Governor ‘changes the structures which I left in the state’.”
The former Federal Commissioner for Information wondered why the FCT minister is maintaining political structures in Rivers State and for what purpose. He recalled that Wike had attacked the concept of godfatherism as totally unacceptable which made him to fall out with his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi.
“So, what purpose are the structures supposed to serve when there is a governor in place? This is a question that he owes you and all Nigerians. If all governors who as a matter of right, insist on allowing their favoured candidates as successor, insist on controlling them, insist on controlling the State Assemblies, insist on controlling the structure which they left behind, what manner of confusion will we have in Nigeria?” Clark queried.
The nonagenarian maintained that Wike is just one of the 48 ministers in President Tinubu’s cabinet and he should be called to face his job as FCT minister and not insist on controlling the political structure in his home state, Rivers State.
He said, “As a member of your cabinet, you may need to call this minister to order to face the work in the quietness which is demanded of him.
“He should focus on his office and know that he is just one among a cabinet of 48 persons, besides the Vice President and yourself.
“The country has enough problems which your government must sit down to solve. The FCT itself is full of challenges all over and he has more than he can chew and therefore avoid these distractions,” he said.
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