Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has strongly condemned a sponsored walkout staged by a group of women loyal to suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara during an event graced by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Wike described the act as a calculated embarrassment not only to the presidency but to the entire people of Rivers State, emphasizing that such actions reek of political immaturity and sabotage.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the former Rivers State governor extended an unreserved apology to the First Lady and President Bola Tinubu on behalf of the Rivers people, stressing that an attack on anyone representing the Office of the First Lady is an affront to the highest office in the land.
“Insult on anyone representing the First Lady of Nigeria in an event is a direct insult on the Office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Wike said. “As a leader in Rivers State, I apologize without reservation.”
Wike also took a swipe at the suspended governor, accusing him of double standards and political insincerity. He challenged Fubara to be forthright in his dealings with the President instead of making conflicting moves behind closed doors.
“It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace. Those who genuinely want peace work and act for it,” Wike said pointedly. “You can’t say you want peace and at the same time sponsor people to insult everyone, including the President and his wife.”
The FCT Minister insisted that true reconciliation must come with honesty and consistency, warning that the antics of “up and down pleadings” for peace will only deepen the crisis rather than resolve it.
“All those shenanigans won’t bring peace, and I am sure they know that because they are not sincere.”
The walkout, which drew sharp reactions across political circles, has added another layer of tension to the already strained relationship between the Tinubu-led presidency and the Fubara political camp in Rivers State.