Secondus calls for probe on Wike over allegations of threats
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has implored President Bola Tinubu to order a probe into the allegations of threats made against the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued on Friday by his media adviser, Ike Abonyi, the former PDP leader said the investigation had become expedient following a series of such allegations in the public space.
Secondus warned that bloodshed for the sake of politics in Rivers must stop, calling on law enforcement bodies to do everything to respect the sanctity of life.
The former PDP boss’ statement followed the recent threat-to-life allegations made against Wike by the National Chairman of Zenith Labour Political Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, and similar reports in the past on a member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere; and former Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo.
“Any action that would lead to the intimidation and cowing of persons with opposing views on issues must be discouraged in a democratic era,” Secondus said.
At his interview on Tuesday on the Rivers State crisis, Nwanyanwu had chastised Wike for alleged undue interference and alleged that a man he identified as Moses Emmanuel believed to be linked to Wike confronted him at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja threatening to kill him.
Reacting to this, Secondus said, “A good politician and a democrat should rely on his popularity, not on the use of coercion to achieve his aim.
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“If the former Governor now resorts to threats to life on everyone who has an opposing view to his own, it then means he has lost the people’s legitimacy and the earlier he realizes this the better for him.”
Secondus said the attitude of Wike is “unflattering and ugly-looking,” recalling how he also recently threatened a Senator of the Federal Territory, Ireti Kingibe, for having an opposing view on the way he was running the affairs of her senatorial area.
Secondus called on Tinubu to “rein in the minister and put a check on his reckless and impetuous attitude before he brought huge embarrassment to his administration.”
“To avoid a decisive action on these critical allegations now amidst the biting economic hardship in the country is to set fears in the society on innocent people,” he added.
Secondus commended Nwanyanwu and Ugochinyere “who continue to stand for what is true and just” on matters concerning Rivers State despite not being indigenes of the state.