The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili of encouraging Governor Siminalayi Fubara to defy President Bola Tinubu.
Wike blamed Odili for the breakdown of the peace agreement signed between his camp and Fubara’s. Speaking at a reception organized for Rivers State stakeholders on Friday, he addressed the ongoing power struggle between him and Fubara.
The political rivalry between Wike and Fubara, once allies but now adversaries, has escalated in recent months. In 2023, both camps signed an eight-point peace agreement brokered by President Tinubu and other stakeholders, including Odili, during a key meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
However, the truce collapsed, with Fubara later claiming he was coerced into signing the agreement. Odili, a two-term governor of Rivers State, accused Wike of pursuing self-interest. Speaking at an event in Port Harcourt on December 28, Odili praised Fubara for resisting what he described as Wike’s attempt to turn the state into his personal domain.
“It has now been over 12 months since the 25th of October 2023, when a fierce existential fight, though unnecessary, was waged against Governor Fubara over the soul of Rivers State.
“With assuring fortitude, Governor Fubara confronted the challenge, prevented the quest by one man to capture the state as a private estate, emancipated Rivers people, steadied governance, and made civil servants and Rivers people happier, as it used to be until I left office in 2007,” Odili said.
But Wike fired back at Odili on Friday, insisting that he remained the best governor the state had ever produced.
“I am trying to make Rivers State the medical hub of South-South Nigeria. How did I now come to convert Rivers State into a personal estate?” Wike questioned.
“I am the best governor that Rivers State has ever produced. How did I convert Rivers State into my personal estate? And people will not answer a simple question?”
Addressing the guests, including Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, at the event, the FCT minister insisted that he would not apologise for his comments on Odili.
“He (Odili) said somebody is converting Rivers State to his personal estate and we have now come to show statistics that it is not correct. The man who is converting Rivers State to a personal estate is you, and to crown it all, you are now the general overseer.
“They said Tinubu should be careful, but Tinubu is not like you. Tinubu called Rivers people, your elder statesman (Odili), supposedly. You are Tinubu’s colleague, the President’s colleague, and Mr President read this thing (peace agreement) to them, and you read it and came back home.
“Ordinarily, what you (Odili) should have done was to call Mr President back and say, ‘Mr President, I have tried, we have implemented A, B, C, D, E, it remains F, G, H. Is there any way we can meet again to reconcile these F, G, H?’ Never, rather you encouraged him (Fubara) to disobey everything Mr President said,” Wike said.
The FCT minister also said that he deliberately worked against the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s former chairman, Uche Secondus.
Wike said, “When I said Secondus, you will not be chairman again, yes, I did it. In 2023, they said Atiku was coming, I said where? There was nothing I was not offered. I told PDP I would not support Atiku because I am not a second-class citizen. I must support the South to produce a President. Even though I know their offer was wayo (fake).”
The minister also emphasised his unbroken record of electoral victories, saying, “I ran for the local government election in 1999, and up until today, I have never lost an election, and nobody I have supported has lost. I have no regret in supporting Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Wherever you are, pray for Mr President. We will continue to support him. It will be better this year. Mr President is taking tough decisions but for the interest of the country.”
Earlier, former Senator representing Rivers South-East, Magnus Abe, criticised the politicians supporting Governor Fubara, accusing them of doing so to undermine the FCT minister.
He said, “In the last election, everybody in Rivers State did anti-party. Your Excellency, with all due respect, I did anti-party. I didn’t allow the SDP candidate to come here and campaign. When he came to my house, I told him I was with Tinubu. Oga (Wike), you too did anti-party. You were very clear that you were with Tinubu and did not support the PDP presidential candidate. The present governor also did anti-party; he was with you and didn’t support the PDP presidential candidate.”
