Wike: Impeachment Is Constitutional, Niger Delta Threats Are Political Gimmicks
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has dismissed concerns over the potential impeachment of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, stating that the process is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and should not be treated as a criminal offense.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during a media chat, Wike criticized those fueling speculations that impeachment could lead to a breakdown of law and order, describing such fears as baseless.
“But will you support an impeachment? If you have committed an offense to be impeached, what is wrong? Is it a criminal offense? It is provided in the Constitution. What is all this hullabaloo about impeachment?” Wike questioned.
Dismissing claims that Niger Delta militants would retaliate if Fubara is impeached, Wike mocked the narrative that only Ijaw people have the capacity for violent resistance.
“It’s the Ijaw people? Which Ijaw? And Niger Delta militants? Rubbish! Who is a militant? Who is born a militant? Who told you Ogoni people cannot blow up pipelines? Who told you Ikwerre people cannot blow up pipelines? Why do we arrogate power to a certain group of people?” he queried.
The FCT Minister also criticized the perceived contradiction in the security situation, pointing out that an Ijaw leader, Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), currently holds a federal contract to protect oil pipelines while the same ethnic group is allegedly threatening to destroy them.
“Who is doing the contract on the pipeline? Is it not an Ijaw son? Is it not Tompolo? They gave him a contract to do surveillance, and they are saying they will blow up pipelines? That’s crap. The moment I hear that, to hell! How dare you threaten a country?” Wike fumed.
He alleged that most security threats attributed to Niger Delta militants were politically motivated and orchestrated by individuals within the government to manipulate public sentiment.
“These are political things being planted by some people in government. You make an appointment of an MD for NDDC, and they threaten, ‘We will blow pipelines.’ What kind of a country are we in?”
On Political Resolution in Rivers Crisis
When asked about a possible reconciliation between him and Governor Fubara, Wike insisted that respect and loyalty must be mutual.
“The Assembly members have shown they are coming from somewhere. We cannot deny where we are coming from. We must be grateful,” he said.
He questioned why lawmakers were expected to remain loyal to Fubara when the governor himself had not reciprocated that loyalty.
“Now you want them to obey us, but you too, that came through us, don’t want to obey? Why do you want only one group to be loyal and the other group not to be?”
Wike also dismissed the notion that Ijaw people dominate Niger Delta politics, asserting that they are a minority in most states outside Bayelsa.
“Ijaw does not constitute the majority of the Niger Delta. In Akwa Ibom, Ijaw cannot be governor. In Delta, Ijaw is a minority of the minority. In Rivers and Edo, they are also minorities, but we have allowed them to thrive out of goodwill.”
‘Fubara Has Disrespected Elders’
Wike accused Governor Fubara of showing ingratitude to the elders who helped him secure power, citing how the governor allegedly insulted Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, an elder statesman who had supported his candidacy.
“This elder statesman cried in our meeting because the consensus almost favored the Ogonis. He nearly collapsed, saying, ‘Look, we should not do this to him.’”
Wike further criticized Fubara for publicly attacking prominent legal figures, including former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President OCJ Okocha and Chief Sergeant Awuse.
“This boy, of course, he is a boy, abused this elder statesman. A man who had made money long before he was born. His children went to the best of schools, but he can’t go back to him now.”
When asked whether he would take the lead in resolving the crisis, Wike insisted that Fubara had never reached out to him for peace.
“Does he think I have a role to play? Has he ever called me one day? You can take a horse to the stream, but you cannot force the horse to drink water.”
He maintained that Fubara’s challenges stem from his arrogance and failure to seek the guidance of those who paved his path to leadership.
“If he was a good person, he would have sought guidance from elders who supported him.”
As the crisis in Rivers State deepens, Wike’s comments underscore the political divide within the state’s leadership, raising further questions about the future
of governance and stability in the oil-rich region.
