The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has cleared the air surrounding his relationship with Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his stance on the recent political tensions in the state.
While speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Wike firmly denied having any personal conflict with Governor Fubara and dismissed claims that he was behind the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Wike made it clear that he had no role in the Federal Government’s move and stated that if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had consulted him, he would have disagreed with such a decision.
“I don’t have any crisis with him (Fubara). I’m not the President who declared a State of Emergency; if Mr President had called me, I wouldn’t have agreed to the State of Emergency,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also noted that the emergency move seemed to be a protective step rather than a punitive one. He suggested that the declaration might have been intended to shield the governor from the political instability surrounding a possible impeachment attempt.
“But what I said was that the declaration of state of emergency was to save the governor because he was almost impeached,” he added.
Wike expressed disappointment in what he described as Governor Fubara allowing himself to become a pawn in a wider political game. He claimed that Fubara had unknowingly aligned himself with those seeking to undermine Wike’s political legacy.
“I don’t have crisis rather the governor, unknown to me, gave himself to be the tool for those who couldn’t fight me to fight me,” he noted.
The Minister also criticized certain figures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), calling them “undertakers” of the party due to their handling of internal affairs. He questioned the rationale behind some of their actions, describing the situation as one driven by poor decisions and internal sabotage.
“I made it clear that this impunity will not stand, so what is happening in PDP is what I call undertakers because I see no reason why you will put yourself under that kind of crisis,” Wike stated.
