Elder statesman Edwin Clark has written to President Bola Tinubu, seeking his intervention over the lingering crisis rocking Rivers State.
The State has been in disorder following the fallout between the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Worried by the situation, Clark urged the President to act decisively and uphold his democratic principles to restore peace in Rivers State and address security challenges elsewhere in the country.
In his letter dated June 25, he warned that Wike’s loyalty is only to himself and that his actions may undermine the President’s efforts to resolve the crisis.
“Mr President, you can see clearly the wicked and mischievous confession of your Minister Nyesom Wike sabotaging the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State and his legitimate administration in order to bring down the government because he wants to be the leader and continue maintaining his structure in Rivers State.
“Nyesom Wike has definitely danced naked in the market with one leg in PDP and the second leg in APC, using the two legs to create crisis and insecurity in his own State, Rivers State and it may be too late for Mr President to discover him.
“Mr President, even though you trusted Nyesom Wike to the extent of appointing him as Minister of FCT, you did not really know who Nyesom Wike is,” he said.
Clark added, ”Wike is only loyal to himself and nobody else, irrespective of his feigned allegiance. He may kowtow and genuflect before a political leader, as he is currently doing in Abuja, but once he can no longer use you, he goes into a fit of incoherent vituperative verbal assault, denigrating his benefactors.”
”Let the truth be told to you Mr President, Nyesom Wike is not ready for any form of peace. Therefore, I call on you once again, to caution Mr Wike and call him to order in the overall interest of Nigerians to allow the elected Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, whom he, Nyesom Wike, claimed he made, to govern Rivers State peacefully.
”Finally Mr President, I humbly submit that given my age and status as a senior citizen of Nigeria, I cannot accept on behalf of my people any actions that undermine or violate the provisions of the 1999 Federal Constitution of Nigeria as amended.
”’As you well known, I have served the country in different capacity including serving in the same cabinet with three colleagues at the time (General Murtala Mohammed, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and General Olusegun Obasanjo), all of whom later became President of this country.
”That some of us have kept quiet on issues such as this is not because we are afraid to speak out but for the respect and support which we have for your office. I have seen a lot in politics and governance, both in Nigeria and around the world.
”What may seem irrelevant to you today can become a major difficulty to the government in no time. As one old enough to be your father since you are only 73 years old, I advise again, let this small fire in Rivers State be quenched immediately and not allowed to conflagrate further.
”Specifically, I am calling on you to tread the path of great honour as a self-professed democrat in bringing the very troubling situation in Rivers State to an immediate end. This is because not doing so will appear as the proverbial Caesar sitting on his oars when Rome was burning. Let me remind you that the situation in Rivers State is like a banana peel and if nothing is done early, could engulf everywhere.
”Once again, I want to express on behalf of our people in the south-south our profound gratitude and appreciation for the patriotic and authoritative release from the Presidency concerning the present situation in Rivers State.”
