The Rivers Peoples Forum (RPF) has dismissed as laughable and ridiculous reports that the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, had said that for peace to return to Rivers State, the suspended Obio-Akpor local council chairman and councilors must be recalled.
The group, in a statement by its President, Charles Bekwele, says the junior minister is in no position to give anyone conditions and insisted on its earlier call that Wike must be arrested and prosecuted for threatening the peace and people of Rivers State.
“It is sad, very sad and unfortunate that Wike who has been certified to be a danger to democracy, who has openingly threatened the peace and people of Rivers State is still been allowed to roam the streets and make further inciting comments. Who does he (Wike) think he is, to say the suspended Obio-Akpor Council executive must be recalled for peace to return to Rivers State?”
“For crying out loud, these people were suspended for monumental fraud and a serving minister is saying they should be recalled just like that, without any investigations! This clearly shows the world the kind of character Wike is. It shows that he loves and enjoys corruption, and even thrives in it,” the statement said
Continuing RPF lambasted Wike for denying that he didn’t threatened the peace and people of the State and reiterated its call for the arrest and prosecution of the junior minister. RPF also insisted that Wike is already campaigning to be Governor of Rivers State and it is too late for him to deny it.
“Wike threatened the peace and people of Rivers State. He said the State will be uncomfortable, ungovernable… It is on record, on tape, the video is on the internet and many newspapers reported it. He cannot try to twist it now. Wike must be arrested and tried for threatening the peace and people of Rivers State. The Inspector General of Police must act now, this man should not be allowed to roam the streets and continue to make more inciting comments.”
The Rivers Peoples Forum (RPF) also dismissed claims by Wike that his campaign posters were the handiwork of his detractors. President of the Forum, Charles Bekwele urged the public to disregard the minister’s outcry stating that it is no surprise to Rivers people that Wike posters are in circulation because the minister have always been campaigning to run for the governorship of the state.
“In Rivers State, it is a known fact that Wike has been going round Local Government Areas of the state every week to fuel his campaign for governorship under the guise of inaugurating his Grassroot Democratic Initiative (GDI) group.”
“It is belated for him to come out now and cry wolf over his campaign posters being faked because it is already clear to Rivers people and even the country that Wike is campaigning to be governor and he started a long time ago.”
“Several times the factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the State, Felix Obuah loyal to Wike, has openly said that he supports Wike for governor and Wike would be the next governor of Rivers state, even at the last GDI inauguration. This has caused a loud outcry by other ethnic groups in the State.”
“At a time when the country’s education sector is in a state of comatose with the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the impending resumption of strike by their Polytechnic counterparts (ASUP), Wike is too busy campaigning to be governor of Rivers State, even when there is no vacancy yet. Instead of Nyesom Wike, a junior minister to join the Minister of Education to tackle the problem, he is more interested in the local politics of Rivers State, going round the state week in week out with his campaign for governorship in clear violation of INEC’s rule on 2015 campaigns.”
