Leave Wike alone, 45 Rivers elders tell Odili

The Rivers State Elders Council has warned individuals stoking fire between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and former Governor of the State, Dr Peter Odili, to cease immediately.

This is as they condemned the recent comments made by a group of ‘concerned elders’ led by the former Governor of the State, Sir Celestine Omehia, who had asked Wike to apologise to Odili.

Wike and Odili have been engaged in a war of words recently over the political crisis in the state, with the latter taking sides with the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, against Wike.

The Rivers State Elders Council in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday described the comments of their counterparts under the aegis of Concerned Elders as “puerile” and lacking in courage.

The statement was signed by Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, Emmanuel Anyanwu, Senator Magnus Abe and 42 other prominent Rivers elders and sent to newsmen.

The council queried the motives of the concerned elders, alleging that they were individuals who had hitherto worked closely with Wike, but now parading themselves as supporters of Fubara.

The council said despite Odili’s active role in the current Rivers State crisis, Wike had never made any negative remark against him, because of the respect he has for Odili.

The council, however, condemned what it terms Odili’s disparaging remark against Wike at a Christmas service to the effect that Wike wanted to capture Rivers State as his private estate, describing it as unacceptable.

The statement partly reads, “We consider it unfortunate that the comments came from elders who lacked the courage to let the public know what prompted the remarks by Nyesom Wike.

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“Did Dr Odili deserve respect in return for being deliberately disrespectful to the Minister of the FCT? The answer is no.

“Dr. Odili, an elder and former governor of Rivers State, should not have thrown decorum to the wind in making statements in his quest to please the governor, who was his Special Guest of Honour at the event, no matter what the incentive may have been.”

The council urged the concerned elders to summon the courage to advise Odili to be more circumspect in his utterances in the future, even as they alleged that the concerned elders were manipulating the Governor for their selfish interest.

It added, “We advise Dr Peter Odili and his cohorts to kindly leave Chief Nyesom Wike alone, while they continue with their exploitative manipulations of the Governor of Rivers State, their new benefactor. “