Ignorant people accusing me of demanding 25% – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has described as ignorant those accusing him of demanding 25 per cent from the Rivers government.

Wike stated this when a delegation of the Rivers Caucus in the 10th National Assembly, comprising three senators and 11 members of the House of Representatives, visited him in Abuja.

A crisis had erupted in Rivers after an attempt by the Rivers Assembly to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

“I was governor for eight years. I am now FCT Minister, and some will say that I am asking for 25 per cent. That is madness. I am not interested in the governance of Rivers; I am not interested. I am here as a governor in FCT, but I am interested in the political structure of Rivers, which we have built over the years.

“If anybody dares to bring it down, the person will face the crisis he wants in his life. Perform or don’t perform, but don’t touch our political structure. Anybody who puts his hand in our structure, anything you see, take it,” Wike warned.

He urged members of the caucus not to disappoint the state but to work as a team for the good of the people of Rivers.

“When you make mistakes, we will call you and tell you that you are making a mistake. Take it in good faith that we are calling your attention because we think that you are derailing.

“But when we call you, don’t say we are expecting a kickback of 25 per cent from you or so and so per cent. All of us are one. We’ve built this political structure for a long time, since 2015, and we have emerged victorious.

“As the opposition party, from 2015, I saw hell. The Federal Government fought me left, right, and centre, but with your support, we survived. When you work as a team, you’ll discover that it is difficult for an outsider to defeat you at home,” Wike said.