Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not to allow his appointee and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike to plunge Rivers State into a needless political turmoil.
The former Senate President spoke on the heels of the latest move by pro- Wike lawmakers, to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The move is coming after the Rivers State Chairman of APC, Chief Tony Okocha, asked members of Rivers House of Assembly to immediately commence impeachment proceedings against Gov. Fubara.
Irked by the political developments in Rivers State believed to be engineered by Wike, Senator Wabara asked the former Rivers Governor to allow his successor have a peaceful tenure in office.
The former Senate President warned that Nigeria might not survive any instability in Rivers State considering the state’s economic importance to the country.
He noted that Rivers is very important for Nigeria’s economic stability and survival, arguing that anything capable of disrupting the peace in the state might distabilise the entire country.
Senator Wabara called on President Tinubu to prevail on Wike to give peace a chance as he would not have tolerated any godfather to dictate for him while he was Rivers Governor.
“I want to appeal to Mr President to call his appointee, Nyesom Wike to order so that his actions in Rivers do not confirm the suspicion that APC has an agenda to turn Nigeria into one party state. Wike should allow peace to reign in Rivers State.
“Mr President should appreciate the importance of Rivers as a major revenue base of the country, and should the trouble they are stoking erupt, Nigeria will definitely not escape the aftermath.”
Senator Wabara also cautioned members of the Rivers House of Assembly on the dangers of being used “as agents of distabilisation of the state.”
Wabara warned that ” history will not be kind to them,” should they sacrifice the peace of the state on the altar of selfish interests.
The former Senate President reminded the gladiators to “carefully weigh the grave implications of any attempt to forcefully remove a democratically-elected Governor from office.”
Wabara who warned that the PDP would not tolerate any further intimidation or persecution of the Governor, urged “all those involved in the political brouhaha in Rivers to give peace a chance.”
Speaking on the gale of resignation that has hit the PDP in Abia, Senator Wabara who said such scenario was not unexpected, however, urged the party faithful not to panic.
Wabara described the development as the after effect of the impunity of the last PDP-led administration in the state, and its utter disregard to internal democracy and party supremacy.
He, however, said that elders of the party had initiated moves to stop further exodus from the party, while urging members not be despair.
The BoT Chairman noted that some chieftains who are leaving the party are doing so for self protection while some join the bandwagon without any deep thought of their action.
Wabara urged PDP members in the state to remain resolute and support the on-going efforts to rebuild and strengthen the party for victory in 2027.
Recall that a number of bigwigs including a former presidential aspirant, Speaker House of Assembly, Commissioners, among other chieftains have been exiting the PDP in the recent times.
