The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike, has lambasted persons he described as political harlots in Rivers State, saying he will continue to defeat them.
Wike spoke on Sunday at a special Thanksgiving organised by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, to mark his birthday, his new position in the National Assembly, and his appointment as the Grand Patron of the Boys Brigade, Nigeria.
The ceremony was graced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, other members of the National Assembly, political loyalists of Wike, including the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, among other dignitaries.
Wike recalled how he came under pressure in 2023 to choose his successor, saying that Chinda would have been one of the very best he would have presented as his successor.
He said Chinda was not like other Ikwerre politicians, who aspired for the governorship ticket but abandoned him when they failed to get it claiming that they would not serve a master and later serve his boy.
He said such individuals were shamelessly going back to you with their vomits to serve the boy insisting that such inconsistent persons were not real Ikwerre and Rivers people.
He said: “Pressure came on me at a time we wanted someone to succeed me. One of the very best I would have presented would have been Kingsley Chinda, not those Ikwerre people, who were running around saying they wanted to be governor but that they could not serve a master and boy.
“But they are waiting on the road now to serve the boy. No real Ikwerre man says that and goes back. Chinda had told you not to bother yourself. In ikwerre tradition when you start beating the drum of wrestling, it is not that time the real wrestlers will come out.
“The real wrestlers will come in later, towards the end. Leave all these people who cannot stand ordinary hunger. Leave these political harlots, I will continue to defeat them. What you know, you know”.
Wike recalled that such individuals fought him in 2014 and 2015 and tried in vain to deny him the PDP ticket.
He said, “When I wanted to be governor in 2014 and 2015 the same people fought me. There was nothing they didn’t do to get the ticket, but they couldn’t get it. But they had no choice but to come to me.
“In 2023, just because they couldn’t get the ticket, they swore over their dead body and went and supported another presidential candidate. But for me I insisted that a southerner would be president. They fought me. But we won.
“We told the PDP that the presidency must go to the South. Forget people going from one place to another. Don’t dissipate your energy. Don’t worry yourself. Time will come and we will see who owns the game.”
Wike hailed the Speaker and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for showing consistent character and choosing to stand for truth over money.
“I want to thank the members of the state assembly who have shown character. They have decided that money is good, but money is not everything. I heard they have a judicial consultant who said they should not worry. That is there business; as far as God is the one who puts you (the speaker) there, the same God will protect you,” he said.
Wike called on the people of the state to keep supporting the speaker and members of the House, saying it was not possible for the executive to crave independence and try to deny the lawmakers their independence.
The former Rivers Governor asked people to be careful of individuals, who do not talk, suggesting that such persons could be dangerous.
He said, “You want the Assembly people not to be independent, but you want to be independent. Continue to be independent; we will never be intimidated. Don’t be afraid.
“They were lucky they didn’t show this sign early when we were still clearing road for them from polling units to tribunal to court of appeal, and they now came to claim that they wanted to remove them at the Supreme Court.
“In life, be careful of those who don’t talk. I am not saying you should be talkative. but I say, be careful of those who will never say anything.”.
Wike went down memory lane to recount some of the projects he executed as the governor, noting that in his time, Rivers stood out and was respected across the country.
He said some of the projects he completed and furnished with the intention that they would form part of the 100 days in office of his successor were not inaugurated out of envy.
He said: “I am proud to be the governor of Rivers I took this state to the level that Nigeria recognised Rivers. i built 12 flyovers in four years. I don’t want to talk about the roads. I built the cancer centre on record time and I named it after one man. I built the judicial institute and I named it after one woman.
“Look at the Magistrate complex, the law school the best in this country. I took road to Opobo. The Amayanabo of Opobo gave me the keys, that I should lock and open whenever I want. The key is still with me. In 2023, I flagged off the ring road in Opobo. I started and completed the Trans-Kalabari road.
“I awarded the first phase of dualisation of Ahoada Road and I started the second from Ahoada to Omoku. All the schools they are talking about, I did them. There is envy. The hospital at Garrison Junction, I completed it and furnished it and I said, Look, let this thing be part of your 100 days in office.
“But envy came, and they said don’t commission; he will be taking the credit. What’s my business? I did it on the entire road in Eneka. Don’t worry, God will pay everybody back. All the roads in Borokiri are named after one of these people. From Iguruta to Chokocho I did it. What are they talking about? As governor, I took Imo State for our oil wells, and we defeated them. Today, the state is collecting the money because I am not there.”.
Wike challenged his detractors and those he described as expert petition writers to drag him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), informing them that he had no immunity.
He said: “I don’t have immunity. Petition me. They are experts in writing petitions. They were the ones who wrote Amaechi to the EFCC. Let them write to me. I don’t have immunity. If you know you have what it takes, appear before the press, talk to the press, and do live coverage. Let them ask you questions. I talk with the press every day.”.
He said those posing as leaders in the state to deceive the state government lacked the wherewithal and the capacity to withstand his team.
Wike appreciated Chinda for his achievements, despite spending a few months in office as a minority leader.
He said: “Look at the project Kingsley Chinda had done. He just became the minority leader. But there were those who were principal officers, but they didn’t do anything.
“If you want peace we will give you peace. I decide to make sure that I have this opportunity to tell people not to feel bad that they are abusing me. Don’t worry time is coming. Continue to support the assembly people.
” In Rivers you have seen APC and PDP. We want our state to be united. We want our state to see what we can get from the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Our support for him he as been reciprocating by giving us federal positions. We will continue to support and he will continue to find us something”.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representative said Chinda remained one of the best the National Assembly had ever produced.
He said: “Chinda has been giving Rivers credible representation. He is one of those I am very proud of”.
