The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, for accusing him of waging war against the Rivers governor, Siminialayi Fubara.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, for accusing him of waging war against the Rivers governor, Siminialayi Fubara.
He also lambasted Celestine Omehia for saying that he had attracted nothing to Rivers as a minister.
Wike made the remarks as a Special Guest of Honour at an End of Year Thanksgiving organised on Thursday by the PDP stakeholders in Ahoada East and Ahoada West at Ukpata community in Ekpeye Kingdom. The Thanksgiving was put together by a former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; Chairman, Rivers State PDP Elders’ Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba; members of the House of Representatives from the area, Solomon Bob and Victor Obuzor; and member of the state House of Assembly, Dame Queen Williams.
A former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; Chairman of APC in Rivers, Tony Okocha and his counterpart in PDP, Emeka Aaron, OCJ Okocha; Minority, Leader, House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda were among the dignitaries at the occasion.
The minister further responded to critics who referred to him as a land grabber, wondering how he could be grabbing something that is constitutionally placed under his custody.
READ ALSO:
Land revocation: Wike targeting 2027 presidential aspirants — Timi Frank
Wike, who reacted to some of the verbal attacks directed to him by Secondus and Omehia during the recent project inauguration by Governor Fubara, said it was unfortunate that the real enemies like Secondus, who opposed the emergence of Fubara as governor were dining him.
He said those, who stood by his decision to make Fubara governor, had suddenly become enemies of Rivers, while the real detractors had become friends.
Wike disclosed that he kicked Secondus out of office as the PDP National Chairman because he hatched a plot to make his cousin and former Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, Rivers governor in place of Fubara.
Wike mocked Omehia for saying that he had not attracted any development to the state as a minister describing him as an imbecile.
He said Omehia was stopped from becoming a governor of Rivers through the backdoor adding that the PDP chieftain lacked knowledge of the functions of an FCT Minister.
He told Omehia that the FCT Minister has territorial jurisdiction and cannot attract infrastructural projects like roads and schools to his home state, stressing that when he served as the Minister of State for Education, he attracted many projects to Rivers State.
Specifically, Wike recalled that he brought the Faculty of Law to Rivers as a minister of education and paid grants to higher institutions in Rivers among others.
He said though he could not bring infrastructural projects to Rivers as the FCT Minister, he has been helping Rivers people adding that no governor had attracted more appointments to his state than him in the present administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He said President Tinubu through him graciously approved Rivers indigenes to occupy many offices in his government out the President’s love for Rivers.
Wike said: “I heard Secondus say the other day in Bori, I awarded the Bori Internal Road. I paid 50 per cent and thinking that we have a governor that we all agreed to continue, Secondus was saying that his enemies. Who are the enemies of the governor? Secondus that refused him to be governor.
“I kicked out Secondus as PDP chairman of the party when he wanted to make his cousin Tele Ikuru to be Governor. Today, he is saying now that we are enemies. He was the one, who refused the man to be governor, he wanted his cousin to be governor. He has now become the governor’s friend and we have now become the enemies. To God be the glory.
The former Rivers Governor queried the characters of people occupying traditional stools in Ekpeye land saying they lacked integrity.
He recalled that during his tenure, he took it upon himself to elevate all traditional stools in Ekpeye to first class position recalling that prior to his government, no Ekpeye monarch enjoyed such privilege.
He said the monarchs’ recent pronouncement that they had endorsed Fubara for a second term was dead on arrival adding that they lacked the capacity to actualise such mission.
Wike, who declared that he was proud to have married from Ekpeye Kingdom, said he was happy that the people of the area remembered many of his projects in the area.
He recalled that his administration awarded the Government Girls Secondary School project in Ekpeye, paid 50 per cent of the contract sum and asked the governor to ensure the completion of the project.
He said he constructed the Ahoada Road to Oboku and awarded the project to take the road to Omoku.
In his remarks, Nwuche told Wike that the Ekpeye people were solidly behind him insisting that the people of the area remained grateful for all his projects in the kingdom.
The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Ferdinand Alabrabra, said the organisers were simply showing gratitude to their political leader, who as a governor impacted positively in the lives of Rivers people in all local government areas