The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, branding them as ‘political buccaneers’.
Wike, who served as the governor of the oil-rich South-South state from May 2015 to May 2023, slammed the PDP leaders in the state for throwing their weight behind his former political protégé, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Last week, News About Nigeria reported that PDP leaders in Rivers State, including Abiye Sekibo, Uche Secondus, Celestine Omehia, and Austin Opara, declared their support for Fubara and called on President Bola Tinubu to rein in Wike.
However, in his response on Tuesday, Wike dismissed Sekibo, Secondus, Omehia, and Opara as ‘expired politicians’ who were undeserving of the title ‘elder statesmen’.
The FCT minister claimed that he had expelled them from the PDP and stressed that Secondus was no longer a member of the party, citing a court-validated suspension.
Addressing journalists, Wike referred to the PDP leaders as “transactional politicians”, “political vampires”, and “political buccaneers”.
When challenged by a journalist who referred to them as elder statesmen, Wike said, “Do you know who is called an elder statesman? An elder statesman is someone who must have integrity, who must not be here today and be there tomorrow.”
Wike pointed out the irony of PDP leaders who had previously withheld support from Fubara before the 2023 elections but are now rallying behind him post-election.
He criticised their sudden change of heart, questioning their integrity and highlighting their past opposition to Fubara’s involvement in the PDP.
“Today, they are not only serving a boy but they are waiting for him on the road. Do they have integrity? The same people who said this governor was a neophyte, how can they bring themselves to support him?
“They wrote a petition when this governor wanted to collect his certificate in PDP, they carried a rumour on how he became chairman and that he is being looked for by EFCC. They said he was not coming to PDP national secretariat but they were surprised that the governor went to the PDP secretariat,” the minister said.
Wike also expressed his disappointment with the political differences that have strained his relationship with former Governor Peter Odili.
