Former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu, has fired back at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over what he described as reckless and unguarded comments made against South East leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Egwu was reacting to Wike’s recent interview with BBC Pidgin, in which the former Rivers governor dismissed a threat issued by South East PDP leaders as empty.
The regional leaders had warned the party’s national leadership to urgently resolve the prolonged crisis over the office of the National Secretary, or risk losing their support.
Wike, however, dismissed the resolution and singled out Egwu and former Imo governor Achike Udenwa, mocking their political relevance.
He claimed they could not deliver even three percent of the votes for the PDP in their states during the last elections, nor produce governors or lawmakers.
In a sharp response, Egwu expressed disappointment at Wike’s vitriol, insisting that the South East leaders spoke collectively and should not be ridiculed individually.
“I was embarrassed by Wike’s vitriol and wondered why the collective decision of PDP leaders of the South East should be narrowed down to one or two persons,” he said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Egwu described Wike’s attack as misplaced and uncalled for, noting that Wike’s claim to power is still fresh and temporary.
“If Wike is beating his chest as someone who produced a governor in his state, it is simply because he left office as governor less than two years ago. He is living on borrowed time as his influence will soon burn out,” Egwu said.
Egwu challenged Wike to allow the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, to return fully to office and operate independently, “Then we will see whether he (Wike) will still be in a position to produce the next governor of his state,” he added.
The former Ebonyi governor insisted Wike had done nothing special by installing a successor, recalling that he too installed Martin Elechi after his tenure and also influenced the emergence of Elechi’s own successor years later.
“I produced my successor in Martin Elechi. I also played a leading role in determining who succeeded Elechi. It takes influence and grassroots appeal to achieve that.
“Wike’s boastfulness is misplaced. It is the effusions of a newcomer who thinks that everything about the system is rosy. He will begin to see clearly by the time he spends a reasonable length of time in the inclement weather of politics. For now, he can afford to bask in the glory of his new office and the powers that come with it.”
“I invite Wike to give his successor a free hand to operate as I did. It is his insistence on taking control of the state that ignited the ongoing political crisis in his state,” he said.