Prince Uche Secondus, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, is the brain behind Governor Siminalayi Fubura’s political troubles .....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The PDP leader, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday, May 11, said Fubura was being hounded by his political opponents for daring to prevent the looting of the state.
According to Secondus, the political crisis in Rivers State was orchestrated by those who demand unfettered access to the finances of the state, a demand the governor has refused to accept.
Speaking further, Secondus said Wike’s conduct, utterances and unrelenting feud with the governor have cast the state in a bad light as he fights his successor, Vanguard reported.
The PDP chieftain said Wike, as a governor, destroyed Rivers state’s economy with his draconian policies.
He said the FCT minister has also failed to attract any federal project to Rivers state since he assumed office.
“Wike has been Governor for eight years and is now Minister of the FCT. As Minister, what, has he (Wike) attracted in terms of Federal projects to our dear State since he assumed office? Perhaps misery, grief, and anguish. As Governor he had supervised the exit of investors from the state due to his draconian policies.
“He had on an occasion mentioned that he is capable of causing crisis and he is not far from the truth, as he is causing an unfathomable crisis in Rivers state,” he said.
Secondus further said he and Nigeria’s former first lady Patience Jonathan worked for Wike’s emergence as the Rivers state governor but didn’t treat him like he’s treating his successor, Fubara.
“Mrs Patience Jonathan and I worked for his emergence as governor, have we ever breathed down his neck? Instead what we get is disrespect and insults,” he said.
Secondus accused Wike of squandering and mismanaging Rivers state’s resources when he was in power.
He asked the former Rivers state governor to account for the $300m he allegedly collected from the NNPC for the Ogoni Oil well and the cash refund made by the Saipem oil and gas company.
The PDP chieftain also asked Wike to account for over N4 trillion allegedly “realized, mismanaged and squandered” during his eight-year tenure.
Secondus appealed to President Bola Tinubu to put the FCT minister in check, warning that what is happening in Rivers might dovetail into a national crisis if not properly checked.
“I call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to stop overheating the Rivers state political atmosphere and allow Fubara to work,” Secondus said.
Whatever Wike thinks he is, tt must be stressed that Rivers people made him.”
Meanwhile, the Oduduwa Youths Initiative (OYI) has also rebuked Wike , accusing him of disrespecting President Tinubu by allegedly breaching the Peace Accord initiated by the Nigerian leader.
In a statement signed by its leader, Otunba Gbenga Ojo, the OYI said it is against the culture of the Yoruba people to disrespect elders and authorities in government like Wike has done.