*Says I Won’t Quit PDP, Wabara Unfit To Serve As BoT Chairman

THE immediate past governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday, August 21, foreclosed the possibility of reconciliation with his ex-political godson and Governor of the state, Siminilayi Fubara, insisting there was no going back on his decision.

     The relationship between the duo became sour not too long after Fubara assumed office and has polarised the state House of Assembly into two factions, resulting into a major political crisis in the state, which has festered, despite the intervention of the President and other major political stakeholders.

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     Speaking at a media parley to mark his one year in office as FCT minister, Wike said his focus was on delivering President Bola Tinubu’s mandate and not supporting Fubara.

Wike stated: “In good conscience, I fought for Fubara to become governor without any regrets, and you now say you don’t want to be part of the family? No problem. Aregbesola was brought by Tinubu, but he’s no longer with the President again.

“In all honesty, I can tell you that there is no going back, and my people know. What support? Have I come out of the one I did? Some people don’t play politics of integrity, but I do. He’s the one that say ‘dey your dey,’ so let me ‘dey my dey.’

“This doesn’t worry me, because I’m focused on the mandate Mr. President gave me in FCT.”

Wike described a former senate president and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Adolphus Wabara, as an inconsistent character and a sellout, saying he (Wabara) was not worthy of being the party’s BoT chairman.

Recall that on Tuesday, a delegation of the PDP BoT, led by Wabara, and including some of the founding fathers, such Chief Bode George, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, visited Fubara at Government House, Port Harcourt, where Wabara said the party was worried by news that the governor was planning to dump the party over the crisis with Wike.
    The BoT chairman expressed concern that the PDP might lose Rivers State if the crisis was not resolved.
    Fubara, who described the visit as reassuring, dismissed rumour of his planned defection from the party.

Wondering how Wabara, as PDP BoT chairman, could declare support for Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, of the Labour Party (LP), Wike added: “Wabara is the PDP BoT chairman, the governor of his state, Dr. Alex Otti, has not stayed one year when Wabara said his second term was guaranteed.

“This is the second term of another political party, and he said he is the conscience of the party. You have taken a position and you are inviting Wike? To do what? To waste my time? Wabara is not in a position to lead.

“Do you know how he became the chairman of the PDP BoT? Ask him. In 2023, he led a team to visit me when the crisis in PDP was about the presidential candidate. Ask him where the report is? I say what kind of characters are these?

“That was the team he led. He said they were going to submit the report, even in the meeting, he was telling me about the problem, that they would not budge, and I said that the right thing must be done. Ask him about the report.

“The next day, they made him acting chairman of the PDP BoT to compensate him.”

       Wike reiterated that he was not going to quit the PDP, nor is anybody going to push him out, stressing: “I’ve told you I do not run from any fight. I will stay there, I will fight it out. Who am I going to run from? The vampires? How can you say that?   

“Can I tell you something? Anybody who knows me knows too well, if I want to join APC today; when I was in then PDP, didn’t I say that I will not support your presidential candidate? Did I do it secretly?

“All those people who are saying those things, did they bring one member who has won election? Did PDP not win? I stood my ground on principle, that if this is not done, we will not accept it. People should know you for something. Integrity is very important.”