By Adesina Soyooye
The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has alleged that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, made a desperate move to work for the Presidential candidate of its Party, Bola Tinubu. But Wike, who allegedly, made the move to get a soft-landing from prosecution in 2023 when he leaves office was not successful.
The allegation, made by the Rivers State APC Spokesperson, Senibo Finebone, took many by surprise as Wike always swore he would never work for APC. And, contrary to Finebone’s allegation, the impression is that it is the APC which had been lobbying Wike to join their fold.
In the aftermath of Wike’s anger over the choice by Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate instead of Wike, the APC had despatched three of its Governors – Dr Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, Ondo and, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos, to Wike’s Porthacourt private residence to lobby him to work with them. They failed.
The State Chapter, however, made the allegation while reacting to an aspect of the State broadcast made by Wike on Sunday, August 7, where he threatened to pull down hotels and entertainment centres used for meetings by Politicians.
Governor Wike had alleged that politicians used such occasions and venues to recruit thugs and cultists in order to cause security breaches in the State. He, therefore, vowed to pull down such Hotels and entertainment centres which make its premises available to politicians for such political meetings.
But the APC has dared him to touch any of such properties belonging to APC members. Said the party in a statement: “The APC in Rivers State has news for Governor Wike. He is not in a position to demolish the hotel, leisure places or any property of any APC member in Rivers State under any guise whatsoever. This message should sink in adequately.”
The full text of the statement reads:
“As Wike presses on with courting the APC to secure protection after the 2023 general elections, a close ally of the APC Presidential Candidate, Gov Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and other APC stalwarts will be in Rivers State this week to either commission projects undertaken by Gov. Wike or flag off others.
“However, it did not take long for any discerning mind to know that the 19-paragraph broadcast by Gov. Wike is only a knee jerk reaction by the Governor to fight back his fear for his own shadow. This is not the first time the Governor has resorted to crude and primitive methods to intimidate and subdue his political opponents if his threat to demolish hotels and leisure places where politicians hold their meetings is anything to go by, having done so during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The APC is not surprised at the threat by Gov. Wike. His house (PDP) is crumbling fast right in his face. For obvious reasons, his main men of yesterday have turned political foes today. His entourage has seen faces change over and over again of late. We know his threat is essentially directed at his henchmen who have taken their destinies in their own hands and rebelling against the local potentate. Across the State these men have pitched their tent with Wike’s tormentor-in-chief, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“The APC in Rivers State has news for Gov. Wike. He is not in any position to demolish the hotel, leisure places or any property of any APC member in Rivers State under any guise whatsoever. This message should sink in adequately. It is absolutely the choice of his party members to let him repeat his jungle justice on them as the world witnessed during the last pandemic high noon. The anarchy Wike will bring upon himself should he attempt it against any APC member will assume the dimension of an apocalypse of immense proportions. We hope the governor takes this warning seriously.
“We want the governor to realize that his time is fast winding up. He should accept this fact and not exacerbate his fate as power and immunity depart from him in a matter of months.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu and Senator Wammako, former Sokoto State Governor, both of the APC, are billed, on the invitation of Wike, to commission projects in the State this week.
