Minister Wike says political relevance at the heart of Rivers crisis

Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, has broken his silence on the political turmoil in Rivers State, stating that it’s a matter of political relevance and a party affair. He made these comments during a visit by a delegation of South-South leaders to Abuja on Tuesday.

In his address, he highlighted the significance of maintaining political relevance in the face of challenges. “Anybody who knows me knows too well that what I’d never take is a threat. You know me, I would not agree. If heaven would come down, let heaven come down,” he added.

Wike also said, “It is a party affair; the party knows how to resolve it through their own mechanisms. It is not an ethnic affair. Our party is looking into it. That is what I will say. Every politician has his own interest.”

“I have seen all kinds of abuses on social media, I said I won’t talk. I know in politics… ‘Oh, he said he should be bringing N20 billion every month. Because somebody did not give you N20 billion.’ But nobody said this when I was fighting. Nobody said that.”

Wike went on to discuss the importance of political bases, saying, “All of us want to maintain our political structures. Would you allow anybody to cut you off immediately? Everybody has a base, isn’t it? If you take my base, am I not politically irrelevant? At the appropriate time, we would know who is right and who is wrong.”

This marks the first time Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, has publicly commented on the ongoing political crisis in the South-South state.

The political crisis in Rivers State took a new turn when some lawmakers in the House of Assembly attempted to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The crisis has been linked to a rumored rift between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike.

Read also: Tinubu intervenes in Fubara/Wike crisis

In recent developments, Wike and Fubara met at the presidential villa, signifying their first meeting since the crisis erupted. Additionally, Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi and chairman of the PDP governors forum, revealed that President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the crisis.

Following this intervention, PDP governors held a meeting to address the turmoil and commended Tinubu’s efforts to restore peace in the state. The PDP also called on all parties involved to seek a peaceful and amicable resolution to the issues at hand.