The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has confirmed that he and a former Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, have parted ways politically due to “some political differences.”
Speaking in a live media chat with selected journalists in Abuja monitored by Daily Trust, Wike, who is also at odds with his successor and estranged protégé, Gov Siminalayi Fubara, clarified that while he no longer worked with Odili politically, it did not mean Odili was no longer a father figure to him.
Wike refuted claims that he previously stated that he would never have any disagreement with Odili, stating that, “I never said so. In politics, for me, we have finished with this stage. It does not mean that in the next stage we will be in the same camp. He took a decision and I took a decision. And I said, ‘If this is your political decision, no problem’.”
Daily Trust reports that there had been reports of Wike falling apart with Odili; with David Briggs, a PDP chieftain and ally of Fubara, advising Wike to refrain from insulting Odili, stating that such actions agitated the minds of Rivers people. Briggs suggested that Wike was displeased with Odili’s decision to prioritise the stability of the state over taking sides in his (Wike) dispute with Fubara.
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Wike also criticised some PDP leaders in Rivers State, calling them “political buccaneers”, for declaring support for Fubara.
Recall that some PDP leaders in Rivers State, including Abiye Sekibo, Uche Secondus, Celestine Omehia and Austin Opara, declared support for Fubara and urged President Bola Tinubu to caution Wike.
In response, Wike described Sekibo, Secondus, Omehia and Opara as expired politicians who were not worthy to be called “elder statesmen.”