Tinubu Has Constitutional Right To Remove Me As FCT Minister — Wike

…Says Atiku Will Repeat 2023 Defeat In Rivers

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reserves the constitutional right to remove him from office if he so desires, amid renewed calls for his sack over the lingering political crisis in Rivers State.

Wike asserted on Sunday at the grand finale of his “Thank You” tour of local government areas in Rivers State, held at the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola. The tour comes against the backdrop of escalating political tensions between his camp and that of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The former Rivers governor said his political alignment with Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was borne out of conviction rather than any formal agreement, adding that he and his political structure in the state openly and consistently supported Tinubu before, during and after the polls.

According to Wike, President Tinubu’s emergence was significantly bolstered by the support of the political family he leads in Rivers State, popularly known as the “Renewed Hope” group.

“Like the Minority Leader said, we never signed any agreement with the President in 2023. We never sat down with him. All he told us was, ‘Support us and you will not regret it.’ And by the grace of God, he saw what we did,” Wike said.

He added that Tinubu had since reciprocated the support through his appointment as FCT minister and other interventions benefitting Rivers people.

Wike, who was accompanied by prominent members of the Renewed Hope family, including factional chairmen of the Rivers State chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the group would continue to support Tinubu ahead of future elections.

Taking a swipe at supporters of the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Wike claimed that Atiku secured no more than 10 per cent of the votes in Rivers State during the last election. He further predicted that Atiku, who he said has since defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), would suffer a similar electoral setback in the state should he contest the presidency again in 2027.

Earlier, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, whose faction of lawmakers is currently locked in a political standoff with Governor Fubara, openly declared Wike as their political leader.

Amaewhule, an indigene of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area like the FCT minister, said the lawmakers, alongside factional leaders of the PDP and APC and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, remained firmly aligned with Wike.

He said the group was fully committed to supporting President Tinubu’s re-election, describing Wike as a central figure in their political direction and strategy going forward.