Apparently miffed by the decision of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to approach the party’s national leadership to hand over the party’s structure in Rivers State to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has threatened to instigate crisis in any state whose governor interferes with the politics of the state.
The PDP governors had in a communique issued after a recent meeting held in Jalingo, Taraba State capital, restated their support for Fubara in the political crisis in the state, promising to “engage the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party to revisit the congress to correct the anomaly and allow His Excellency Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.”
Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, signed the communique.
Reacting to the development on Saturday, while addressing the delegates of his faction of the PDP, who gathered to elect new executives at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike boasted that nobody would take away the structure he constituted, insisting that he is the leader of the party in the state.
The FCT minister told the PDP governors who said they would “take their structure and give to somebody” to expect political crises in their own states.
Addressing the delegates who are loyal to him, Wike insisted that he is the leader of the party in the state, adding that nobody can destroy his structure.
He said: “And let me tell people – I heard some governors who said they will take away my structure and give it 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, then whatever you see, you take.
“I don’t understand simply because l hear they got some money from a signature bonus; and so, their heads are getting big, that you put a hand in my own state. Prepare, prepare, because I have the capacity to also do the same thing in your own state.
“Whether you are from Bauchi, I don’t give a damn. Whichever state you come from, as far as I know, that you are trying to put yourself in Rivers State, your hand will get burnt. And you will never sleep in your own state.
“You will not be governor again. You will see a political crisis as far as PDP is concerned.
“So, I have told them now that you have started, when I will start, don’t say I’m the one that destroyed PDP. You are the one that is trying to destroy the PDP,” Wike added.
The FCT minister encouraged PDP supporters to be courageous and not to allow anyone to intimidate them, assuring they would repeat the feat of the 2023 general elections in the 2027 elections.
He said: “I assured you; we have done our own part by electing a government in the state. If the governor says he does not want us, will you kill yourself? Will you run away from the party you built?
“We are the party members and we have taken over our party. The way we did it, how we did it in 2023, the same God will allow us, will support us, and will be with us in 2027.
“Let nobody be intimidated. I know how it is when you have worked hard and at the end of the day you are pushed away. I know how bad you feel. But, again, it is not every business you enter into that you get profit.
“So, see this one as one of those businesses you invested in and you lost. But that will not make you not work hard. You have to invest in your future and make a profit. So, be strong.
“They said that we are finished; they are finished. Anywhere they are they say we are finished. Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure from us. Not while we live!” Wike vowed.
Wike warned against any external interference in the political affairs of Rivers State, disclosing that “these unstable characters” want to decamp to APP.
He tackled those working against him, saying that no amount of abuse would move him, adding that if he decided to move to another political party, it would be a tsunami.
He said: “Allow Rivers State to conduct the affairs of the party. We are aware of these unstable characters. We know that they are joining the APP. Let them wait until the time they should face us in the election.
“Don’t bother about their abuses. We have thick skin. We don’t even know what abuse is. So, don’t say anybody is abusing me. If I am nothing, they will not abuse me.
“They thought that we would come begging. Are we begging? We are not begging. Let them go and see what is happening in Abuja. So, they know that if they are talking about politics in Nigeria, we are more than them. If today I said I would move to a party, it would be a tsunami. But we have said we will remain where we are,” he added.
Governor Fubara and his supporters shunned the congresses, supervised by some national officers.
A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had barred the PDP from conducting its congress in the state.
The court gave the order in a suit number: PHC/2282/CS/2024, which was filed by Hon David Chinedu Omereji, Prince Solomon Eke, Isodoye Tobin, and others.
Wike’s outbursts were strong indications that the peace efforts initiated by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees BoT of PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and other leaders of the party, have failed.
Wabara had barely a week ago, led the leaders of the party to Rivers State, where he told Fubara that contending issues would be constitutionally addressed to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We, the Board of this party came here in search of peace and unity of the Peoples Democratic Party,” Wagbara reportedly said.
Chuks Okocha and Blessing Ibunge
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