“Wike was boy to Senator Azuka Mbata who introduced him to then Governor Ada George as a Councilorship Aspirant. Wike’s conduct (now) is capable of igniting serious crisis in the Country”
A former Governor of Rivers State, Chief Rufus Ada George, has described as misleading, nebulous and utterly self serving, the idea of anybody laying claim to the ownership of “a political structure in the State.”
This is even as the Rivers State Elders Council condemned, in very strong terms, Nyesom Wike’s threat to ignite crisis in some parts of the country ,on account of protecting such a non existent personal political structure in the oil rich State.
Chief Ada George, on behalf of the Rivers State Elders Council, spoke late Thursday, September 5, 2024, against the backdrop of the threat issued by Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, to make ungovernable States which Governors are lending support to his successor in office, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Wike accuses the Governor of making efforts to undermine and/or erode his political structure in Rivers state.
But in a statement issued on Thursday, Ada George said: “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 (Wike) was boy to Senator John Azuta Mbata who introduced him to Chief Rufus Ada George years back as an intending Councilorship aspirant.
“The Holy Bible states in Matthew 10.24, said ‘A disciple is not above their teacher ,nor a servant above their master but if fully taught would be like his master’.
Therefore, this servant with his antecedents, is not fully taught, hence cannot be like his Master, much more of owning the structure
“The political structure in Rivers state belong to Rivers people. Wike is just one product of the Rivers Political family.
“Rivers State before, and at inception our democratic journey, has been conservative and pro- North and South in terms of her voting / electoral learnings and patterns .
“Late Chief Melford Okilo ,the first civilian Governor of (old) Rivers State had an alliance with the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC. Chief Rufus Ada George (the political son of Chief Okilo ) who later became Governor in 1992 ,was Okilo’s Secretary to State Government.
“His Excellency, Dr Peter Odili, who later became Governor in 1999, was Chief Rufus Ada George’s Deputy Governor.
“Both Celestine Omieha and Rotimi Amaechi who were Governors served in different capacities under Chief Rufus Ada George and Dr Peter Odili.
“It is, therefore, unambiguous to state that almost all the contemporary set of leaders with Wike had, at one point or the other served/worked under previous Governments.” the statement noted.
Condemning Wike’s threat to PDP Governors , the Rivers Elders Council, described the development as both unsavory and demeaning.
According to Council, Wike’s threat to ignite “fire in some states ,to protect his political structure is callous, mischievous, unacceptable and clearly undermines both Nigeria’s democracy and the unity of the country.
“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 cannot be recalled and they are bound to cause the damage either intended or unintended.
“That some State Governors 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 as an indirect assault on them .
“These bully tactics are the hallmarks and characteristics of Chief Barr Nyesom Wike. We, the people of Rivers State stand for peace alone and we are known as ” fire quenchers not fire setters “. the Rivers Elders stated .
While appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to caution Wike, his appointee, Chief George, expressed concern that such reckless utterances as made by the FCT Minister has the potentials to snowball into a national crisis.
According to the Rivers Elders, unguarded statements are a sure recipe for eroding public confidence in political leaders, institutions and the democratic process as a whole with a striking strength to deepen divisions within the society.
“The statements and conducts of Chief Barr Nyesom Wike, if not timely checked, may lead to a breakdown of peace and security in Nigeria”, the statement
stated.
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