From Fred Itua, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he was no longer in a harmonious political relationship with his godfather and former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili.
In his monthly television interview in Abuja, yesterday, Wike disclosed that there were some political differences between Odili and himself.
“As it is today, politically, we don’t have a good relationship. We don’t work together,” Wike said.
When probed further on the reasons for his political differences with Odili, Wike said: “There are some political differences. For me, we have finished with this stage. It does not mean in the next stage you will be in the same camp. No. He took a decision. I took a decision.”
Wike, however, said he holds Odili in high esteem as a father despite existing political differences.
Responding to the support declared by some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, Wike described the PDP leaders as ‘political buccaneers.’
A PDP leader in Rivers State, Abiye Sekibo; former PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus; former governorship aspirant, Celestine Omehia and former deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Austin Opara; had, last week, declared support for Fubara and called on the president to caution Wike.
The FCT minister described Sekibo, Secondus, Omehia and Opara as expired politicians who are not worthy to be called ‘elder statesmen.’
Wike said they were all irrelevant, adding that he had kicked them out of the party. He added that Secondus was no longer a member of the PDP as his suspension was validated by the court.
He said: “The other day, I saw a political conference organised by transactional politicians. Political vampires, political buccaneers.”
Reminded that those men were elder statesmen, Wike replied: “Do you know who is called an elder statesman? An elder statesman is someone who must have integrity; who must not be here today and be there tomorrow.”
Wike said it was ironic that the same set of people who had refused to support Fubara before the 2023 polls now declare support for him after the poll.
He said: “Today, they are not only serving a boy but they are waiting for him on the road. Do they have integrity? The same people who said this governor was a neophyte, how can they bring themselves to support him? They wrote a petition when this governor wanted to collect his certificate in PDP, they carried a rumour on how he became chairman and that he is being looked for by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. They said he was not coming to the PDP national secretariat but they were surprised that the governor went to the PDP secretariat.”
Wike said he was aware of the ‘antics’ of the PDP leaders, adding that Fubara wants to be on his own with these political vampires who are always sucking. “My pity for them.”
Wike continued: “They are calling Nigerians to support Tinubu. That me, I am a selfish person. All of them were in power but what did they do for their people?”