Rivers
Why PDP must Expel Nyesom Wike now, by Chief Edwin Clark
In an open letter to the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, Chief Edwin Clark has accused Nyesom Wike of anti-party activities and urged his expulsion from the party.
Clark, a leader of the Ijaw nation, alleged that Damagun is colluding with the Minister of FCT and former Governor of Rivers State to destroy the PDP.
He criticized Damagum for not taking action against Wike, despite his open defiance of the party.
The letter, titled “Whither Peoples Democratic Party (PDP): To be or not to be,” accused Wike of insulting party leaders, including Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Clark called for a probe panel to investigate Wike’s activities and recommended his expulsion.
He also criticized Wike for pretending to support President Tinubu while secretly working against him, and accused him of having no standards, being ungrateful, and abusing those who helped him.
Clark questioned Wike’s claim to own PDP structures in Rivers State, citing the history of the party’s leadership in the state. He alleged that Wike is using bribery and intimidation to control the party and disrupt the governorship position in Rivers State.
The elder statesman called for Wike to leave the PDP, citing his destructive behavior and lack of discipline. He also mentioned his meeting with Major General Oyilola, the new chairman of the reconciliation committee, and questioned who Wike is being reconciled with, suggesting that Wike’s actions are causing problems within the party.
The letter reads, in part,
“As Acting National Chairman of your party, you took your party’ s NWC to court on the defection of the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, that because they did leave the PDP properly, they are still members of the party, even after the 27 members had publicly declared that they have defected, and had already been received by the APC.
“Your position Mr. Acting National Chairman is antithetical to the position of Section 109. You took your party’ s NEC to court, an organ you preside over.
“Yet you still have the presence of mind to remain in office, earning benefits that come with the office.
“From all indications, you are conniving with detractors of PDP to ruin the party, for the All Progressives’ Congress (APC). Allow Nigerians to decide what party they want through the ballot box.
“Stop colluding with Barr. Nyesom Wike to destroy the party. A day of reckoning will come for all of man’ s activities.
I wish and pray that you will not sell your soul and conscience for pecuniary and worldly gains, otherwise you, Barr Wike and your cohorts, will be consumed by the Rivers State crisis.
“Therefore, let me state again, set up a probe panel to investigate the obvious and open antiparty activities of Barr. Nyesom Wike and for insulting the foremost leader of the party, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman, Board of the Trustees of the party, which is the soul of the party.
“In fact, he should be expelled from the party for his crime against the party.
“I also wish to use this medium to call on all responsible and reasonable PDP party elders and members to take a bold step to flush out Barrister Wike from the party.
“He is not above the party. He should be expelled from it.
Just last night, I watched the news when some persons claiming to speak in the interest of the PDP, in a press conference, were berating Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, a young man who today, is the only person who is openly speaking against the activities of Barr. Wike which are against the party.
“This group claim that Hon. Ugochinyere is working for the APC. If I may ask these young men, between Hon. Ugochinyere and Barr. Wike who is working for the APC, who is playing antiparty activities?
“I pray that these young men will search their conscience because everybody knows that Barr. Wike’ s madness in politics has
made him dance naked in the public, with one leg in the APC and the other in the PDP, with all the intention to bring down Siminilayi Fubara’s government, Nyesom Wike has to go, if PDP must survive. This is my humble submission.”
He took a swipe at Wike for pretending to support President Tinubu while secretly working against him.
Clark accused Wike of having no standards, being ungrateful, and abusing those who helped him, including former Governor Peter Odili.
He questioned Wike’s claim to own PDP structures in Rivers State, citing the history of the party’s leadership in the state.
The elderstatesman alleged that Wike is using bribery and intimidation to control the party and disrupt the governorship position in Rivers State.
He also condemned Wike’s use of the police to supervise illegality and protect his interests.
He called for Wike to leave the PDP for the party to survive, citing his destructive behavior and lack of discipline.
Clark mentioned his meeting with Major General Oyilola, the new chairman of the reconciliation committee, and questioned who Wike is being reconciled with, suggesting that Wike’s actions are causing problems within the party.
In a heated accusation, former APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is behind a calculated scheme to unseat Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Frank claims the President is applying pressure on Fubara to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) or face removal from office.
The allegation follows a Federal High Court ruling that seized Rivers State’s monthly allocation funds, which Frank condemned as unconstitutional and a means to destabilize the governor. Frank expressed the believes that the court decision is part of a plan led by Tinubu, designed to force Fubara into the APC after the governor’s refusal to join the ruling party, reportedly at the encouragement of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
“The President has remained silent on the clear constitutional violations occurring in Rivers,” Frank said in a statement he issued in Abuja on Friday.
He added that the President is allegedly upset with Fubara’s stance, influenced by Wike, who is said to doubt Tinubu’s chances of winning Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election if Fubara remains independent.
Frank further asserted that federal security agencies are acting against Fubara under directives, intending either to secure his loyalty to the President or initiate his removal.
He specifically condemned Justice Joyce Abdulmalik’s controversial ruling on Rivers’ statutory allocations, asserting it would have “dire consequences.”
Frank warned Tinubu against further actions that might undermine Rivers’ financial autonomy or jeopardize Fubara’s position, cautioning that such moves would meet with strong opposition from the state and across the Niger Delta.
He urged Fubara to stand firm, stating that the people of Rivers are solidly behind him.
Frank also called on the international community to address the growing crisis, warning that a larger regional conflict could disrupt operations of International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta.
He emphasized that timely intervention is needed to prevent escalations that could affect the region’s stability and economic interests.
Frank, who is also the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, condemned the court ruling as a significant blow to democracy in Nigeria, urging Nigerians to hold the President accountable for any harm directed at Governor Fubara or the people of Rivers State.
The Rivers State Government has dismissed as false a social media report alleging that Governor Siminalayi Fubara ordered the shutdown of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and all oil companies operating in Rivers State.
Describing the news as “spurious” and “propaganda from enemies of the State,” the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, clarified that Governor Fubara remains committed to lawful governance and would not resort to extreme measures that could harm the economy. He assured the public that the Governor had never contemplated or issued any directive to close down NNPCL or oil companies in the state.
The government has urged Rivers residents and Nigerians to disregard this “fake report,” noting it was circulated by an unverified source.
Rivers
Rivers State Government to Challenge Court Ruling Halting Allocations Amid Political Tensions
The Rivers State Government has moved to appeal a Federal High Court decision that has suspended the monthly allocations from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This ruling has intensified the ongoing political strife between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, who is affiliated with former Governor Nyesom Wike.
The court’s ruling, issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, found that Governor Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to only four Assembly members was unconstitutional. The judge highlighted the governor’s improper use of state funds without full legislative approval, labeling it a breach of constitutional mandates.
In a statement, Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, voiced confidence in the appeal, criticizing the trial judge’s rejection of significant motions, including the inclusion of 23 council chairmen and the state’s efforts to change its legal counsel.
The ruling requires the CBN, along with Zenith Bank and Access Bank, to prevent disbursement of state funds until the budget is properly approved by a constitutionally valid Assembly. This decision stems from a lawsuit initiated by the Rivers House of Assembly, which contends that Governor Fubara did not adhere to a prior court order to resubmit the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the faction led by Amaewhule.
As the appeal process unfolds, the political climate in Rivers State remains fraught with uncertainty, with both parties preparing for potential repercussions in this escalating conflict.
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