The National Youth Wing of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to give an unreserved apology for his alleged insult on the Ijaw Nation during his recent media parley.
The group said it was also painful to the ethnic group that the minister disrespected their late leader, Chief Edwin Clark even before he was buried.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, Donben Donyegha, National Youth Leader PANDEF, who gave the ultimatum, observed that beyond allegedly insulting the Ijaw ethnic group and by extension, former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, who he said brought the minister to political limelight, the minister also spoke disparagingly about the PANDEF socio-cultural group, who he referred to as the “worst organization to rely on.”
Donyegha was joined by Comrade Mathew Digi, Deputy National Youth Leader and Hon. Prince Oleh Victor National Coordinator for Student Affairs.
While in office as governor of Rivers State, Wike allegedly displayed a similar attitude by insulting respected traditional rulers, telling one of them that he resembled Uthman Dan Fodio.
According to Donyegha, the same Wike had knelt down before Chief Clark to seek support for his governorship ambition.
Addressing President Tinubu, the PANDEF Youth Leader told him that Wike has been seated by all the leaders of Rivers State who he said want a peaceful Rivers State to enable Governor Siminalayi Fubara to govern “because he is doing very well.”
He alleged that Wike was using certain individuals to cause disruption in the state and therefore demanded that President Tinubu should withdraw him as a minister.
He alleged that the FCT minister has already caused too much problems in the Rivers and Niger Delta, jeopardizing the chances of a Tinubu reelection in 2027.
“The South-South will be very difficult for President Tinubu in 2027 because of the damaged Wike has already done,” he stated.
The group admonished him to emulate Senate President Godswill Akpabio, another political leader sore the Niger Delta who the group said had conducted himself in decent manner.
“We have no confidence in Wike. We are calling on President Tinubu to withdraw him as a minister and subject him to the investigation of the Code of Conduct Bureau for breaching various infractions in office,” he stated.
