Wike’s GDI lieutenants dump movement, join Fubara

The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who picked on Fubara for charging politicians to desist from bickering and meaningless struggles for power that can’t impact the society.

The party, in a statement yesterday, threatened to bar the Senate President from visiting Rivers State should he continue on the path of dishonour by making negative utterances against the governor.

The party’s reaction followed comments by Akpabio in response to a statement by Fubara during the burial of the late Herbert Wigwe, wife, and son at Isiokpo, in Ikwerre Council of Rivers State, at the weekend.

Recall that the governor, during his speech at the funeral, challenged the political class to reflect on the essence of the struggle for power when it is not actually deployed in impacting society positively, urging them to reflect on the essence of life.

However, while speaking, Akpabio asked the governor to desist from the struggles if there’s nothing in it. “If there’s nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle,” Akpabio stated.

MEANWHILE, there seems to be a renaissance of the political order in Rivers State as loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, are crossing over to the camp of the incumbent Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The Guardian had reported a seeming crack among the pro Wike lawmakers over an alleged bulletproof car gift to the Speaker of the State House Assembly by Wike, but was denied by a source from their camp, insisting that they are united.

Following the political tussle between Wike and his successor, Fubara, over the control of the state’s political structure, there had been alignments and realignments of politicians.

However, PDP in a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary Sydney Tambari Gbara, condemned Senator Akpabio’s statement, expressing worry that he had consistently shown disdain, unimaginable level of disrespect and hatred for Governor Fubara ,through his utterances at public functions in the State. 

The party said it was obvious that the  Senate President by  his  actions and utterances on issues concerning the State, does not want peace and progress of the  state.

The PDP said, “His actions against Rivers people had never been pleasant but embarrassing, as he seems to have taken advantage of the political impasse in the State to perfect his evil enterprise of igniting more crises to the detriment of the State”.

The PDP said it was unfortunate  that  rather than Senator Akpabio who is a Statesman in his position as Senate President to play the role of a mediator in resolving the political crisis, as a South/south son, he is joining forces with the enemies of the State in fanning the embers of war, disunity and destabilization, through incisive and provocative comments each time he visits the  State.

The party  frowned that does not exhibit same action in his home State of Akwa Ibom,  noting that in Akwa Ibom Senator Akpabio preaches peace, unity and progress in public functions but does the opposite in Rivers State”.

“The PDP in the  statement also recalled that in 2021 when Youths from Rivers State in conjunction with Niger Delta youths blocked the Akpajo -Onne section of the East/west road in a peaceful protest following its dilapidated nature, Senator Godswill Akpabio, then  Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, allegedly deceived the youths by hiring some road construction equipment, moved them to the road, thereby raising the false impression that the contractors had moved to the site to commence work on the failed part of the road.

The statement said, not long after the youth withdrew from the road  Senator Akpabio, removed the equipment from the road, leaving it worse than it was and causing a number avoidable deaths of Rivers people and other users of the road”.

The statement reads in part, “Another instance of display of obvious hatred for Rivers people by Senator Akpabio was the harassment and attempted abduction of an illustrious daughter of the State, Gbene Joi Nunieh from her house here in Port Harcourt, during her appointment as NDDC Acting Managing Director, just to make sure that she was removed”.

“Recently, at a church service in Tai local government area, the same Akpabio had made a ridiculous remark regarding the 2027 Governorship election in Rivers State”.

At the service, Akpabio had called on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to look for somebody from the Ogoni extraction who will take over from Governor Siminialayi Fubara in 2027. Such a statement was a huge embarrassment which could provoke a crisis as the Governor has not told anyone that he would not seek reelection in 2027.

The latest is that a group of 12 men, who were Local Council coordinators of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), a political pressure group that was instrumental to the massive mobilisation at the grassroots for Wike ahead of his 2015 governorship election, have joined the Fubara camp.

This development came barely a week after the Councillor, representing Rumuepirikom and Elioparanwo ward 9 at the Obio-Akpor Legislative Assembly, AchorNna, resigned his position to join Fubara’s camp.