Chieftains within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have responded to comments made by the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Wike had made provocative statements at the PDP state congress in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, threatening to interfere in the affairs of other states governed by the PDP if the party’s leadership in Rivers was tampered with.
He warned Governors against attempting to take control of the PDP structure in Rivers, asserting that any such move would be met with “fire”.
“Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us. But let me tell people, I hear some governors who say they will take over the structure and give back to somebody.
“I pity those governors because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace – anything you see you take,” he had said.
These remarks came in response to the PDP Governors’ Forum, led by its Chairman, Bala Mohammed, which had called for a review of the party congress results to support the leadership of incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The ongoing dispute between Wike and Governor Fubara has significantly disrupted governance in the state, leading to divisions within the state House of Assembly, where factions loyal to both leaders have emerged.
Insisting that Wike lacks power to dismantle the Party, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, downplayed Wike’s threats, asserting that the party has endured much more significant challenges in its 25-year history and that no single individual could destroy it.
“Those were his entitled personal opinions at most. They don’t constitute threats to the PDP, which has survived even worse machinations 25 years down the road. No single individual has the capacity to terminate the life of this party, PDP,” Abdullahi told Punch on Sunday.
The Osun State chapter of the PDP also criticized Wike, urging him to focus on his duties as a minister and stop threatening those who support Governor Fubara.
The Director of Media and Publicity, Osun PDP, Oladele Olabamiji, said Wike’s statement was reckless and irresponsible.
“Wike’s statement is rather a reckless and irresponsible one, to say the least. Governor Fubara is not an outcast. He is a PDP governor. On that premise, it is out of place for Wike to threaten PDP governors for supporting one of their own.
“At the PDP Governors Forum, they can offer help to one of them that needs it. Attacking them for doing that is out of place. We urge PDP governors to protect one of their own. Wike is not the President of Nigeria. He has a job in Abuja. He should face it and stop handing down threat.
“He can do it sometimes and get away with it. But in our case here, he can’t get away with such a reckless statement,” Olabamiji said.
READ ALSO: I Will Set Your State On Fire – Wike Warns PDP Govs Thinking Of Interfering In Rivers’ Crisis
Sydney Gbara, Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, called on security agencies to investigate Wike’s comments, arguing that they could incite a national crisis.
Gbara also expressed confidence in Governor Fubara’s leadership, dismissing Wike’s claims of control over the PDP structure in Rivers State.
He noted that the party’s future leadership would be determined through legal channels and that Governor Fubara had the support of the majority in the state.
“Well I feel that as an elder statesman, nobody will expect that he will make such utterances.
“So, threatening that you are going to cause crisis in 13 states out of the 36 states in Nigeria means planning to cause crisis in the entire country. That is what it means, security-wise,” Gbara said.
According to the Commissioner, the FCT minister’s remarks were aimed at misleading his supporters, especially those defected legislators from the state House of Assembly who are no longer in office.
He said, “In my own view, I only see it as a message of hope to his already disgruntled supporters who he has for over the time made several promises to on what will become their fate in the state, which has never worked out.
“We recall that he promised the former local government chairmen that their tenures would be elongated by six months, today they are no longer in office. The assembly people who he advised to cross the carpet to the APC have lost their seats.
“So, it is just a message of hope so that it won’t look as if they’ve lost out completely. But it will be good if the security agencies prove that they mean well for the country, to step into such utterances and investigate anybody, somebody that has made such kind of utterances because it’s a direct affront to the security of Nigeria.
“When you threaten state governors and you promise them that they will never sleep in their states, you promise them that they will never do governance again all they will face is crisis, it’s a serious issue,” he said.
The Commissioner said as supporters of Governor Fubara, they will continue to salute his courage.
“We respect his (Fubara’s) demeanour and we are proud of him that he’s been able to maintain his cool and calm nature. He has been able to display a high level of maturity and a rare virtue of leadership by not being allowed to be cajoled into plunging the state into unnecessary crisis.”
On the claim by Wike that he was in control of the PDP structure in the state, Gbara added, “In Rivers State, when they say being in charge, Governor Fubara is completely in charge, he’s not struggling any structure with anybody. He has the majority of the supporters.
“As for PDP, they already know who the leader is and they all know, we equally know that the congresses that have been held in Rivers State are all under litigation, of which at the appropriate time, the court of competent jurisdiction will take their decisions as to whether this exercises fit the legal term or not.
“For us, we don’t see it as an issue. Rivers people have moved with Governor Fubara and that is where we are. In the end, we know that he will carry the day. The structure of PDP will be given to the right person like it has always been in the state. This time around it will not be different, so we are not bothered at all.”
While the PDP Governors Forum has yet to respond to Wike’s statements officially, the situation continues to develop, with party leaders emphasizing their commitment to resolving the ongoing conflicts.
