Chairman, Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has said he would not join issues with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, despite his disparaging outburst against him.
Wabara made the statement in Umuahia while fielding questions from journalists.
The PDP BoT chairman’s comments came as the Supreme Court, on Monday, adjourned to February 10 for hearing in five different appeals in respect of the Rivers State political crisis.
But Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Monday, came down heavily on Wike for accusing Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara of violating a presidential peace accord.
Wike had weekend, during a live television interview, said he would have disowned Wabara if he were to be the former senate president’s father or even a relative.
However, speaking with journalists, the PDP BoT chairman said he would rather restrain himself as an elder statesman instead of exchanging words with Wike, who had established himself as an ill-mannered person.
Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, had not hidden his disdain for Wabara for not supporting him in his feud with his successor, Fubara.
Answering a question on the crisis in PDP, the FCT minister had blamed Wabara, saying, “It’s unfortunate they have a man they said is a former senate president (as) the man leading PDP BoT.”
He alleged that Wabara was corrupt, declaring, “No wonder President Obasanjo made a presidential broadcast under his tenure about corruption.”
But Wabara stated that as an elder statesman, who had been privileged to be Nigeria’s number three citizen, it would be unbecoming of his status to start speaking like a loose cannon, as Wike was wont to do.
According to him, joining words with Wike would only dignify the FCT minister, who had no dignity and was bereft of decorum.
The former senate president said he had expected Wike to refrain from wallowing in unguarded utterances, if not for self-respect but for the position “he occupies as a Minister of the Federal Republic, and as a former governor”.
Wabara said, “I will expect a man of his calibre and status to mind his language and words. He should be sure of his facts. But I don’t want to join issues with Wike and dignify him.”
Supreme Court Fixes February 10 for Hearing in Five Separate Appeals over Rivers Crisis
The Supreme Court, on Monday, adjourned to February 10, for hearing in five different appeals in respect of the political crisis in Rivers State.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, ordered adjournment to enable parties file and serve necessary court documents in the separate appeals.
However, the court ordered consolidation in four of the appeals, following request by appellants’ counsel, Chief Joseph Daudu, SAN.
The four appeals wherein the court ordered consolidated hearing were SC/CV/1174/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and another against the Rivers State government and nine others; SC/CV/1175/2024 between Rivers State House of Assembly and another against the Rivers State governor and nine others.
Others were SC/CV/1176/2024 between Rivers State House of Assembly and another against Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and nine others; and SC/ CV/1177/2024 between Rivers State House of Assembly and another against Accountant General of Rivers State and nine others.
Earlier, following a request for the withdrawal of a cross appeal filed on November 18, 2024 in SC/CV/1071A/2024 between Rivers State House of Assembly and another against the National Assembly and 16 others, Aba-Aji, announced that hearing had been fixed for February 10, 2025.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had in a judgement delivered on January 22, 2024 faulted the presentation of the 2024 budget to four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the governor.
Omotosho, in the judgement, then ordered the governor to represent the budget to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Assembly loyal to Wike.
Flowing from the judgement of Omotosho, a sister court in the Abuja division under Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, had ordered the stoppage of release of allocations from the federal government to Rivers State until the governor presented the budget before the Amaewhule-led Assembly.
However, while the appellate court affirmed the judgement of Omotosho, it upturned that of Abdulmalik.
Similarly, the appellate court, in another judgement, upturned the judgement of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had ruled against the conduct of the October 5, 2024 local government election in the state.
HURIWA Warns Wike’s Camp Undermining Tinubu’s Peace Accord
HURIWA came down heavily on Wike for accusing Fubara of betraying a presidential peace accord.
The rights group, in a statement, claimed that it was Wike, not Fubara, who sabotaged the accord brokered by President Bola Tinubu, labelling Wike’s actions as a breach of trust and an affront to the principles of governance.
HURIWA said Wike’s claim of Fubara’s alleged betrayal was unfounded and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. It added that Fubara demonstrated good faith and loyalty to the presidential directive by withdrawing a sensitive court case he was well-positioned to win.
HURIWA said, in the statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, “It is hypocritical for Wike to accuse Governor Fubara of disloyalty, when the minister himself has actively sabotaged the accord.
“While Fubara complied with the president’s directive and withdrew a critical legal matter, in a gesture of reconciliation, Wike continued to pursue multiple suits in various courts, culminating in a controversial judgement declaring his factional speaker as legitimate.
“This is the ultimate betrayal of the accord and an insult to the president’s efforts to mediate peace.”