•Says PDP’ll no longer tolerate intimidation of Fubara
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has urged President Bola Tinubu to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to order over the Rivers State political crisis, warning that the PDP would not tolerate any further intimidation or persecution of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Wabara, who was reacting to the latest move by the pro-Wike lawmakers to over-ride the governor, and the call by the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on the House of Assembly to impeach him, said the call had become imperative “before he (Wike) plunges Rivers State into a needless political crisis.”
The former Senate president urged “all those involved in the political brouhaha in Rivers to give peace a chance.”
He accused Wike of stoking the face-off between Fubara and the lawmakers, stressing that Nigeria might not survive any instability in Rivers State, considering its economic importance to the country.
He appealed to President Tinubu to prevail on Wike to give peace a chance, and allow his successor to discharge his constitutional roles without undue influence.
“I want to appeal to Mr President to call his appointee, Nyesom Wike, to order so that his actions in Rivers do not confirm the suspicion that the APC has an agenda to turn Nigeria into one party state. Wike should allow peace to reign in Rivers State.
“Mr. President should appreciate the importance of Rivers as a major revenue base of the country, and should the trouble they are stoking erupt, Nigeria will definitely not escape the aftermath.”
The PDP BoT Chairman advised members of the Assembly not to allow themselves to be used as tools for the distablisation of the state, “because history will not be kind to them.”
He reminded those gearing for war in Rivers to carefully weigh the grave implications of any attempt to forcefully remove a democratically-elected governor or president from office.
On the mass exodus that has hit the Abia PDP, Wabara said he was not surprised at the turn of events, and urged the party faithful to remain calm.
Describing the exodus as the after-effect of the impunity of the last PDP-led administration in the state, and its utter disregard for internal democracy and party supremacy, Wabara, however, assured that the elders of the party had initiated moves to halt further defection of members.
While stating that some of the PDP chieftains were leaving the party for self protection, he urged the PDP members in the state to remain resolute and support ongoing efforts to rebuild and reposition the party to take back power in 2027.