|By Chinwendu Nwani
A civil advocacy group, the Niger Delta Network (NDN), has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of escalating political recklessness that it says now threatens party stability, regional peace, and constitutional governance in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the group alleged that Wike’s political manoeuvres have crossed party lines and now pose a direct risk to democratic institutions. The statement, signed by the group’s National President, Akparawa Emmanuel Sam, and Director of Publicity, John Douglas, was made available to journalists in Port Harcourt.
The organisation argued that Wike’s actions project Bola Tinubu as a weak leader, insisting that no president should retain a serving minister who openly destabilises political parties and institutions. According to the group, Wike’s conduct has moved beyond internal party disagreements to actions capable of undermining governance itself.
NDN recalled that Wike’s earlier political battles allegedly destabilised the Peoples Democratic Party, a development many interpreted as benefiting the All Progressives Congress. The group, however, claimed that his focus has now shifted to weakening the APC from within.
The group questioned whose interests Wike is currently serving, alleging that he encouraged his loyalists in Rivers State to defect to the APC not to strengthen the party but to cripple it. It further accused him of plotting to sponsor a rival governorship candidate elsewhere against the ruling party.
NDN also alleged that Wike continues to pledge loyalty to President Tinubu while simultaneously engaging in actions that undermine both the APC and the federal government. The group warned that trusting such assurances could expose the President and the party to serious political danger, predicting a looming leadership crisis if the situation is not addressed.
Turning attention to Rivers State, the group cited public remarks by the Vice President recognising sitting governors as party leaders in their states. It contrasted this with the situation in Rivers, where Wike, who is not a member of the APC, allegedly insists that Governor Siminalayi Fubara cannot lead the party in the state.
The organisation further alleged that the prolonged crisis between Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly, including impeachment threats, was largely triggered by the governor’s defection to the APC, claiming that the development accounts for a majority of the political tension in the state.
According to the group, the unfolding events suggest that Wike now wields excessive political influence, to the extent that his actions overshadow presidential authority. It warned that any successful impeachment of Governor Fubara, allegedly driven through the State House of Assembly, could ignite widespread instability across the Niger Delta, embolden political strongmen, and deepen regional tensions.
NDN argued that such an outcome would also send a dangerous signal that governors who defect to the APC are not politically secure and that assurances from the party’s national leadership cannot be trusted. It added that if the PDP could restrain Wike from unseating Fubara for over two years, but the APC allows it to happen in under a month, it would amount to a grave institutional failure with national implications.
Describing Wike as a power-intoxicated politician, the group warned that the removal of Governor Fubara would further embolden him to seek political dominance across other Niger Delta states.
The group concluded with a stern warning to President Tinubu, urging him to act decisively to rein in the minister, cautioning that failure to do so could have severe consequences for Nigeria’s democracy.
