- Says, I’m the best governor Rivers has ever produced
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Nyesom Wike, has explained why he will not tender apology to former governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, over a statement he made to counter the latter’s position on the crisis rocking the state.
Odili, a two-term governor of Rivers State, and an elderstatesman had accused Wike of trying to turn Rivers state to his personal property by turning Fubara to a puppet.
While speaking at an event in Port Harcourt on December 28, Odili commended Fubara for preventing Wike from realizing his alleged dream of turning the state into his “private estate”.
“It has now been over 12 months since the 25th of October 2023, when a fierce existential fight, though unnecessary, was waged against Governor Fubara over the soul of Rivers State.
“With assuring fortitude, Governor Fubara confronted the challenge, prevented the quest by one man to capture the state as a private estate, emancipated Rivers people, steadied governance, and made civil servants and Rivers people happier, as it used to be until I left office in 2007,” Odili said.
Recall that Wike had initially fired back a response, which many considered unbecoming of him, to Odili. However, a group of Rivers Elders condemned Wike’s response to Odili as disrespectful.
But speaking at a reception organised to host Rivers State stakeholders on Friday, Wike stated why he won’t apologise to Odili.
He accused the former Governor of the State, Peter Odili, of encouraging Governor Siminalayi Fubara to disobey President Bola Tinubu.
He blamed Odili for what he called the failure of the peace agreement signed between his camp and Fubara’s.
“I am trying to make Rivers State the medical hub of South-South Nigeria. How did I now come to convert Rivers State into a personal estate?” Wike questioned.
“I am the best governor that Rivers State has ever produced. How did I convert Rivers State into my personal estate? And people will not answer a simple question?”
Addressing the guests, including Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, at the event, the FCT minister insisted that he would not apologise for his comments on Odili.
“He (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.
“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 said.
The battle for the political control of the state between Fubara and Wike has been raging for a while following the disagreement between the two former allies, now turned foes.
In 2023, Fubara and Wike’s camp signed a peace agreement. The eight-point peace deal was brokered by Tinubu and other stakeholders, including Odili, at a crucial meeting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But the peace deal fell apart, with Fubara alleging that he was ambushed into signing a peace deal with Wike’s camp.
