“Therefore, this servant with his antecedents, is not fully taught, hence, cannot be like his master, much more of owning the structure. The political structure in Rivers State belongs to Rivers people. Wike is just one product of the Rivers political family.”
By Ola Kay
A forum of elder statesmen and women under the umbrella of Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and the ex-governor of the state, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to desist from ascribing the political structure of the oil-rich state to himself.
This is also coming days after Wike’s address at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, on Saturday during the party’s state congress, warning PDP governors to steer clear of the party’s affairs in Rivers and threatening to “put fire in their states.” But some PDP bigwigs have responded by challenging the former governor that he cannot dismantle the party, against the backdrop of his comment.
In a communique issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Thursday on behalf of the forum, chairman of the forum and former governor of the state, Chief Rufus Ada George stated that the structure Wike now arrogates to himself belongs to the Rivers people.
”It is thus, unimaginable for Wike to assume that the current and future political structure and generations of leaders in Rivers State belong to him. He should therefore stop misleading the public with the false narrative of ‘my structure,” Ada George declared.
Chief Ada George also reminded former governor Wike how he was once under the tutelage of Senator John Mbata who paved the way for him politically.
”He was boy to Sen. John Azuta Mbata who introduced him to Chief Rufus Ada George years back, as an intending councillorship aspirant,” stated the chairman of the state elder statesmen forum.
Chief Ada George noted that there is no way the FCT Minister could rise above those who made him,even as he went the memory lane, revealing that it was during his tenure as the state governor back in 1992 that Wike was produced to aspire as councillor even though his tenure was truncated by a coup.
Chief Ada George said: “A disciple is not above their teacher, nor a servant above their master, but if fully taught would be like his master.
“Therefore, this servant with his antecedents, is not fully taught, hence, cannot be like his master, much more of owning the structure. The political structure in Rivers State belongs to Rivers people. Wike is just one product of the Rivers political family.”
The Rivers Elders Forum chairman appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call the FCT minister to order over alleged inflammatory utterances attributed to him, which according to the forum were capable of constituting threat to peace and democracy in the country, adding that the elders stance was borne out of genuine expression of concern for the unity, peace and progress of Rivers State, and the entire country.
The forum lamented that the former governor had turned down all entrities for peace. The forum chairman recalled how the elder statesmen had earlier appealed to both the governor and the minister to allow for a peaceful resolution of their differences, saying that unfortunately President Tinubu did not grant their request for intervention.
Meanwhile, the Rivers elder statesmen and women made a passionate appeal to President Tinubu to direct the Inspector General of Police to unlock the 23 Local Government Council offices in Rivers State, in order to allow for a smooth, unhindered operation and delivery of democratic dividends to the people at the grassroots level.
The forum of elders concluded by requesting the Presidency to investigate former governor Wike’s alleged provocative statements with a view to defusing tension in the state.
The former governor of Rivers State had been embroiled in political crisis both at his homestead and at his party’s national leadership over the control of structure, leading to unresolved political confusion at different quarters.
About The Author
