By our reporter
A startling revelation has come from Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, a major player in the protracted Rivers State crisis which pitched him –the state’s immediate past governor –against his political godson and incumbent governor of the petro-dollar-rich Niger Delta State, Sim Fubara.
High tension emanating from the crisis boiled over with President Bola Tinubu on March 18,2025, declaring a state of emergency on the State, subsequently suspending Gov. Fubara and all democratically elected officials for an initial period of six months.
The President then appointed a Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ekwe Ibas, a retired former Chief of Naval Staff, to replace Fubara, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Many thought the clamping of emergency rule and suspension of Fubara was the underground handiwork of Wike, who was, prior to that, involved in a dirty fight with the former over control of the soul of the state.
But, the Minister today disclosed that he was even against the move.
He didn’t, however, say if he would have preferred outright impeachment of the governor, his political enemy, who was elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At his monthly press briefing in Abuja, Wike again accused Fubara of allowing himself to be deployed as a tool by his (Wike’s) enemies to battle him.
His words: “I don’t have crisis; rather the governor, unknown to me, gave himself to be the tool for those who couldn’t fight me, to fight me.”
The Minister added: “I made it clear that this impunity will not stand, so what is happening in PDP is what I call undertakers because I see no reason why you will put yourself under that kind of crisis.
“I don’t have any crisis with him (Fubara). I’m not the President who declared a state of emergency; if Mr President had called me, I wouldn’t have agreed to the state of emergency.
“He knows when to lift, he has everything on his table, I don’t know. I have never supported it.
“But what I said was that the declaration of state of emergency was to save the governor because he was almost impeached.”
Dwelling on criticism recently made by a PDP heavyweight, Chief Olabode George, that it was the party that made Wike, the Minister fired back, demanding that George should retire home and read newspapers, if he has no job to attend to.
George also insisted that Wike should have paid the ground rent of the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television last Tuesday, George had demanded that Wike, as a PDP member who is now Minister, offsets the ground rent on the headquarters in Abuja, which was sealed by agents of FCT Administration (FCTA) on Wike’s orders, for non-payment of the rent for decades.
Aside the headquarters, companies such as Access Bank, Total Filling Station and others located in choice areas of the nation’s capital were sealed for same reason.
In the heat of the closures, President Tinubu waded in, granting a lifeline of 14 days for all the affected to pay up.
Responding to George’s tirade, Wike insisted that he, as then Rivers State Governor, made PDP popular and won elections, unlike George, who, he noted, could not help the party win elections in his home Lagos State.
The Minister asked George to retire to his house and read newspapers if he has no job.
Wike lambasted him, saying George was unable to deliver Lagos to PDP, despite alleged assistance from him (Wike) and others.
“Bode George said PDP made me by giving me a national name – I agree, but the party can’t make you; you are the one who will make the party win elections.
“Ask Bode George who PDP made popular in Lagos since 1999? Then you are talking to me, who has labored and campaigned for the party to be the major party at the state and national level.
“While in your state, the party has been crying daily. Even when Jonathan was in power, we knew what we did for PDP to take power, but it did not work.”
