Rivers Elders Begs Tinubu To Intervene In Wike’s Alleged Threat

The Rivers Elders have called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in Wike‘s threat to “put fire” in some states for supporting Governor Fubara.

The elders, in a letter captioned ‘Nyesom Wike’s invocation of violence against some states in Nigeria’ and signed by Rufus Ada George, former governor of Rivers State and chairman, Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum, described the comment as “callous, mischievous, unacceptable, and clearly undermine our democracy and national security.”

In the letter, which was also copied to the security agencies, Governor Fubara and the Minister, FCT, the elders said Rivers people are known as “fire quenchers,” not “fire setters.”

The elders said it was unfortunate that the minister chose the state capital to make such a threat, regretting that the utterance was not good for someone occupying a public office.

Also, the forum faulted the statement, saying that the governors and individuals who visited the state governor and assured him of their support did not err because the constitution of the country allows a peaceful assembly.”

The letter read in parts: “May I, on-behalf of the Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum, use this medium of an open letter to urgently draw your attention to the recent unsavory and demeaning threat statements widely circulating on news headlines made by the former Rivers State Governor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike, on Saturday, 31st of August 2024, in Port Harcourt, which reads in parts, “Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us.

“But let me tell people, I hear some governors who say they will take over the structure and give it back 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—anything you see you take.”

“We at this Forum believe that the above statement and threats consciously made by Wike to “Put fire” in those States are callous, mischievous, unacceptable, and clearly undermine our democracy and national security. 

“Chief Wike should be made to realize the importance of the high office he holds and the responsibility expected of him by the Nigerian State. A great novelist once said, “ words are like bullets; once fired, they cannot be recalled and they are bound to cause the damage, either intended or unintended.

“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the right to association and free speech to the extent that it is not injurious to the Nigerian State. The oath Wike swore to, on assumption of office, protects those rights and caveats. It is rather unfortunate that those oaths are now being broken by him.

“That some states expressed support for the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and called on his party’s NWC to grant him his “rightful” position as the leader of the party in the state does not earn them the verbal threats Wike is unleashing on them.

“We, therefore, condemn, in its entirety, the language, the environment, and the insults meted out to their Excellencies, which we consider an indirect assault on them. These bully tactics are the hallmarks and characteristics of Nyesom Wike.

“Threat to public peace from a serving cabinet minister has the potential to snowball out of control and is a sufficient recipe for eroding public confidence in political leaders, institutions, and the democratic process as a whole with a striking strength to deepen divisions within society, thus making it very challenging to find common grounds towards peaceful resolution of disputes.

“We, the people of Rivers State, stand for peace alone and we are known as “fire quenchers” not “fire setters”. Hence, we strongly appeal to the Minister, instead of poking and wreaking new fire, let’s join hands to make sure that the fire is quenched completely.”

The elders cautioned that the statements and conducts, if not timely checked, may lead to a breakdown of peace and security in Nigeria.

“That he also chose Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, to release these provocative threats is very worrisome and condemnable.”

Meanwhile, the forum has dismissed the minister’s use of the term ‘My Structure’, saying “it is 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.’

“To put it squarely, Chief Wike served as Council Chairman under His Excellency Peter Odili’s administration. He was a boy to Sen. John Azuta Mbata who introduced him to Chief Rufus Ada George years ago as an intending councillorship aspirant.

“The political structure in Rivers State belongs to Rivers people. Wike is just one product of the Rivers political family.

“Mr. President, you are the father of the nation. Like our previous letters, we urge you to deeply reflect on this open letter in good faith and see it as a genuine expression of our concern for the unity, peace and progress of Rivers State, and indeed the whole of Nigeria.

“Our interest in all of these, is to ensure that Rivers people benefit from the dividends of democracy like every other state in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the elders have appealed to President Tinubu to direct the Inspector General of Police to unlock the 23 Local Government Council offices in Rivers State and to allow for a smooth unhindered operation and delivery of democratic dividends to the people at the third tier of government.