Elder statesman and leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately arrest the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his threat to set fire to states governed by governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
NewsNGR reports that Wike had threatened to cause fire in states under the control of PDP while speaking at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Saturday during the party’s state congress.
He was miffed that the governors of the PDP had thrown their support for Sim Fubara of Rivers, his successor and one time staunch political ally.
The governor and his predecessor fell out over the latter’s demand to control the political structure in the state and have final say on the resources of the state.
Before the governor took a different political course, Wike had appointed all the commissioners, aides as well as nominating almost all members of the state assembly for elections.
Fubara’s refusal to honour what Wike said was an “agreement” which saw his emergence as governor has set the state on fire.
Clark said Wike’s threat was a form of treason and demanded that he should be removed and arrested immediately.
Speaking during a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, Clark said the words of the minister marked a “flagrant disrespect to the person of President Bola Tinubu, who appointed him.”
He described his comments as “unbridled”, arguing that the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, and #EndBadGovernance protesters had been arrested for similar offences and that Wike’s utterances must not be treated differently.
He urged the IG to do the same for the FCT minister and get him to retract his statements.
Clark in a letter to Egbetokun, which he read to journalists called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to allow his personal relationship with Wike to jeopardise national interest.
Clark emphasised that Wike’s threats not only pose a danger to public peace but also amount to incitement, a serious crime under Nigerian law.
Citing several legal provisions, including the Public Officer Protection Act and the Violence Against Persons Protection Act, Clark called for Wike’s immediate arrest and prosecution.
“Wike has committed treason, he should be arrested with a warrant. Wike believes that the only person he respects is the President. Today, Wike is controlling everything, including the judiciary.
“Wike is already dancing naked in the marketplace, with one leg in the PDP and one left in the APC. Either he wants a structure to protect the money he has stolen in Rivers State or for something else.
“That’s why I am calling on the IGP to investigate Wike, otherwise Nigeria will be in serious trouble. The youths of the States he threatened to set on fire won’t sit down and watch him do that.”
The elder statesman expressed disappointment that a serving Minister under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could make such inflammatory statements.
“It is a flagrant disrespect on the person of President Tinubu and a threat to public peace,” Clark wrote, questioning Wike’s moral authority and demanding accountability for his actions.
Clark also criticised Wike’s alleged accumulation of wealth during his time in office as governor of Rivers State, questioning the sources of his wealth and accusing him of using state resources for personal advantages.
He called for a thorough investigation into Wike’s finances and property acquisitions, particularly in Rivers State and Abuja.
Clark called on PDP leaders and Nigerians who value justice and peace to stand united against Wike’s “inordinate ambition” to control the political structure of Rivers State.
He called on all concerned parties to uphold the party’s constitution and use all constitutional means to resist any unlawful actions by the FCT Minister.