The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has strongly accused former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili of actively encouraging the current Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to defy a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This agreement was part of efforts to resolve the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.
The crisis, which began in 2023, stems from a protracted power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Despite multiple interventions from key party stakeholders and President Tinubu, the situation has remained unresolved, escalating tensions within the state’s political landscape.
In a bid to restore peace and stability in the state, both Wike’s camp and Governor Fubara’s camp signed an eight-point peace deal during a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting, which brought together key stakeholders, including Tinubu and Peter Odili, sought to foster collaboration and end the political impasse. However, the peace agreement has since collapsed, with Governor Fubara publicly alleging that he was coerced into signing the deal under duress.
During an event in Port Harcourt on December 28, Peter Odili openly praised Governor Fubara for standing firm against what he described as Wike’s alleged attempts to dominate the state’s political structure. Odili accused Wike of prioritizing his personal interests over the collective good of the state.
In a sharp rebuttal during a reception for Rivers State stakeholders held on Friday, Nyesom Wike directly accused Peter Odili of undermining the peace process. He held Odili responsible for encouraging Governor Fubara to disregard the terms of the peace agreement and for contributing to the breakdown of the reconciliation efforts led by President Tinubu.
Wike said, “Odili said somebody is converting Rivers State to his personal estate, and we have now come to show statistics that it is not correct. The man who is converting Rivers State to a personal estate is you, and to crown it all, you are now the general overseer.”
He further criticized Odili’s role in the failed peace process, stating, “They said Tinubu should be careful, but Tinubu is not like you. Tinubu called Rivers people, your elder statesman (Odili), supposedly. You are Tinubu’s colleague, the President’s colleague, and Mr President read this thing (peace agreement) to them, and you read it and came back home.”
“Ordinarily, what you (Odili) should have done was to call Mr President back and say, ‘Mr President, I have tried, we have implemented A, B, C, D, E; it remains F, G, H. Is there any way we can meet again to reconcile these F, G, H?’ Never, rather you encouraged him (Fubara) to disobey everything Mr President said.”
Wike also used the occasion to reiterate his stance on national politics, particularly his role in the 2023 general elections. He boldly stated that he has no regrets for working against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s former chairman, Uche Secondus.
He added, “When I said Secondus, you will not be chairman again, yes, I did it. In 2023, they said Atiku was coming, I said where? There was nothing I was not offered. I told PDP I would not support Atiku because I am not a second-class citizen. I must support the South to produce a President. Even though I know their offer was wayo (fake).”
“I ran for the local government election in 1999, and up until today, I have never lost an election, and nobody I have supported has lost. I have no regret in supporting Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Wherever you are, pray for Mr President. We will continue to support him. It will be better this year. Mr President is taking tough decisions but for the interest of the country.”
The escalating feud between Wike and Odili has further complicated the Rivers State political crisis, leaving many stakeholders wondering about the next steps in resolving the impasse.
