The Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Elders Committee yesterday objected to the attack on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, by former Governor Rufus Ada-George.
In a letter of September 13 to President Bola Tinubu, the committee described Ada-George as a “meddlesome interloper” who does not speak for the people of the state.
Signatories to the letter included the Chairman of the Rivers Elders Forum, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba; Chief Emmanuel Anyanwu; former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief O C J Okocha (SAN); Senator George Sekibo, former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Olaka Nwogu, Chief Ken Chikere, Chief Frank Owhor, and Chief Kenneth Kobani.
Others were Ambassador Desmond Akawor, Chief Boma Iyaye Chief Felix Obuah, former Assembly speaker Ikunyi Owaji-Ibani, Prof Henry Ogiri, Chief Emmanuel Deeya, Dr Sampson Parker, Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly, Chief Marcus Nle-Eji, Isobo Jack, Chief Igo Aguma, Rufus Godwins; Director-General of NOSDRA, Chukwuemeka Woke, and Chief Nyema Weli.
The elders also accused Ada-George of encouraging Governor Siminalayi Fubara to renege on the peace brokered between him and Wike by President Tinubu.
They said the letter written by the elder statesman and his group did not represent the interests of the people.
According to the elders, from all indications, the subject-matter of that open letter is the statement made by Chief Nyesom Wike, immediate past Governor of Rivers State and the current Minister of the FCT, at the recently successfully concluded Rivers PDP State Congress in Port Harcourt.
“The letter also included other matters totally irrelevant to the subject-matter but designed deliberately to attack the person of the Minister.
“Ordinarily, we would have completely ignored the publication for two reasons. First, the letter was written by an amorphous group falsely claiming to be speaking for Rivers people and secondly, the authors are mere meddlesome interlopers in a purely Rivers PDP affair.
“But for the benefit of the reading public, we deem it necessary to correct the various false claims, petty insinuations and outright misrepresentations contained in their letter.
“The Minister, speaking at the Rivers PDP State Congress held in Port Harcourt, informed delegates of attempts by some PDP Governors to interfere with Rivers politics and political crisis and went on to advise such governors to steer clear as anything contrary shall elicit a retaliatory response from him as he would also interfere in the politics of those states.”
Throwing its weight behind Wike, the elders said This metaphorical comment during the Rivers PDP congress did not imply that he would bring in arms and ammunition or bring in petrol to set fire in any state.
They added: “That was the statement made by the Minister and which Chief Rufus Ada George and his group took out of context, mischievously twisted and characterized as “an invocation of violence”.
“This is the latest act of grandstanding by Chief Rufus Ada George and his group pretending to support the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, while masking their real motive to escalate and prolong the political crisis in Rivers State for their selfish interests.
“We are not surprised at the antics of this same group who, on 26th December 2023, addressed that ill-conceived letter titled: “Peace in Galilee” to the governor of Rivers State, urging him to renege on his commitment to peace as enshrined in the peace plan brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The elders also accused Ada-George and his group of disdain for peace in the state by instituting lawsuits to stall the implementation of the President’s Peace Plan by Fubara.
They said the latest letter sent by the group to President Tinubu to malign Wike had exposed them as the people fuelling and setting “real fire into the crisis in Rivers State.”
The elders called for the interrogation of every member of the group by security agencies for the invocation of violence in Rivers State.
They added: “How else can one characterise such elders who are only out to escalate the crisis in the state even when the governor himself had committed to peace?
“ It is therefore, laughable that they have the impudence to send a letter of appeal to Mr President whose kind and fatherly intervention to resolve the Rivers crisis was rebuffed by them.
“Furthermore, the letter by the Chief Rufus Ada-George group is replete with several false and frivolous narratives, totally irrelevant to the subject-matter, all in an effort to tarnish the political standing and achievements of Chief Nyesom Wike.
“But they failed woefully in that regard and only succeeded in exposing themselves as truly envious of his unassailable political profile which is already in the public domain.”
Hailing Wike, the elders said he left an “indelible legacy of achievements unmatched by any former governor of Rivers State and this was openly attested to at several public fora by no less a personality than a former two-time Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir (Dr) Peter Odili CON, GSSRS.”
They stressed: “His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recognised Wike’s achievements, appointed him Minister of the FCT and Wike is currently replicating his excellent performance as Governor in the FCT.
“It was therefore, no surprise that Wike, who received the prestigious Presidential Award of Excellence on Infrastructural Delivery as Governor of Rivers State has again been honoured with that award as Minister of the FCT.
“We expected Chief Rufus Ada George and his elders to commend this proud son of Rivers State for that uncommon feat and stop frustrating themselves by writing frivolous letters against him.
The elders said the group, in pursuit of its “clannish agenda and leveraging on the political crisis in Rivers State, have made it its “pre-occupation to write open letters with Chief Nyesom Wike as target.”
They stressed: “These are people who did not supported Tinubu for President and not happy that Wike was invited to serve as Minister in the Tinubu administration and is doing very well.
“It is only fair to remind them that Wike is a visionary leader, highly detribalized, whose principled stance on zoning and power-sharing, not only at the national level but also in Rivers State, puts him way above their divisive ethnic sentiments. Wike handed over a peaceful state to his successor.”
According to them, Wike’s tenure as vovernor was not “only successful in delivering unparalleled dividends of democracy, but also positively changed the dynamics of inter-ethnic relationships through his strategic collaboration with the political leadership of the ethnic groups in the state.”
They added: “Whether Chief Rufus Ada George , Chief E K Clark and their elders like it or not, Wike still maintains a very huge and stable political following in Rivers State.”
The elders said the people have lost faith in Ada-George and his group, after Wike and Fubara failed to attend a reconciliation meeting organised by them.
They urged them to “reflect on that clear failing and play a more constructive role by placing the interest of the State above personal gains.”
They said: “It is now clear beyond doubt that the resentful attitude of the Chief Rufus Ada- George group towards the Tinubu presidency is the same, if not worse, than their attitude towards Wike’s ministerial status.
“They should have examined their conscience to know if they deserved to be heard by Mr President, having rejected his Peace Plan and continued to put fire into the political crisis in the state.”
The elders urged President Tinubu to disregard their letter in its entirety for lacking merit and reason.
They added: “For the Chief Rufus Ada-George group and the likes of Chief E.K Clark, we advise them to assume a more noble role as statesmen as every attempt at witch-hunting Chief Wike will remain a wild goose chase and refrain from further fuelling the crisis in Rivers State so that Governor Fubara, who they refused to support during the elections, can govern in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.”