TheCable

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has criticised some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers for declaring support for Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state.

Wike and his successor, Fubara, have been embroiled in crisis over the control of political structures in Rivers state.

In October 2023, the state assembly started an impeachment plot against the governor.

Speaking during an interactive session with some media executives in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said the leaders of the PDP in Rivers are “political buccaneers”.

Last week, Uche Secondus, ex-national chairman of PDP, Abiye Sekibo, director-general of the party’s presidential campaign council in Rivers, Celestine Omehia, a former governorship aspirant and Austin Opara, an ex-lawmaker, declared support for Fubara and called on President Bola Tinubu to caution Wike.

Reacting, Wike described Sekibo, Secondus, Omehia and Opara as “expired politicians” who are not worthy of being called “elder statesmen”.

The minister said he kicked them out of the party in Rivers, adding that Secondus is no longer a member of the PDP after the court affirmed his suspension.

“The other day, I saw a political conference organised by transitional politicians. Political vampires, political buccaneers,” Wike said.

When corrected that those he referred to are elder statesmen, the minister replied, “do you know who is called an elder stateman?”

“An elder statesman is someone who must have integrity; who must not be here today and be there tomorrow.”

He wondered why the leaders were just declaring support for Fubara when they did not back him during the 2023 elections.

“Today, they are not only serving a boy but they are waiting for him on the road,” the FCT minister said.

“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 the PDP national secretariat but they were surprised that the governor went to the PDP secretariat.”