Former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday attacked some politicians widely regarded as elders in the state, describing them as “political vampires”.
Wike also said his relationship with one of his predecessors, former Governor Peter Odili, had turned frosty, stressing that as it is today, he has no form of affinity with him.
Odili was one of Wike’s biggest supporters during the latter’s tenure as governor. In return, Wike sang the praises of the former governor to high heavens, even gifting him a house in 2022 on his 74th birthday.
But speaking in an interview with some journalists from four television stations, which was broadcast live, Wike alleged that the elders, including former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, were people who lacked integrity.
He stated, “As it is today, politically, we (himself and Odili) don’t have any relationship. No, we don’t work together. There are differences. It has nothing to do with a personal thing.“
He added that he and Odili had taken a decision as to which of the feuding parties in Rivers State to support, referring to his faceoff with his successor, incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
emphasised that he was aware of alleged plots against him for opposing Atiku’s presidential bid.
Wike said, “When we went to Supreme Court, I put my international passport in my bag. And I told my wife, look, if we lose this today, I will go from there. So, you take care of this, you take care of that. All these people, I know the whole plot against me.”
Asked what he could have done differently to avoid the current impasse, Wike agreed that he made Fubara Rivers State governor, but hinted that in politics, just like in business, people must learn to count their losses and move on.
He stated, “Sometimes, you may invest in business. Sometimes you’re at a loss. Will you kill yourself? If you kill yourself, will you go back to the business? It’s not every investment you make that you will reap from. Sometimes, personally, I have lost. And that’s the only way I can move forward. I don’t think about it.”
He accused the Rivers elders of playing political games and latching onto the governor, like parasites only interested in collecting money and threatening to deal with him. He boasted that in the past, he showed them shege, insisting that none of them has the capacity to run him down.
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