A socio-political pressure group, The Rivers-Ijaw Mandate Forum (RMF) has asked Governor Nyesom Wike to leave his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson alone and concentrate on governance and resolve the self-inflicted insecurity in the oil rich state.
According to the group, Wike has for long been surreptitiously attacking Dickson even when the latter has done nothing to warrant it, stressing that if he uses the same energy and resources he is wasting to engage in needless political battles on addressing the critical needs of Rivers people, the state would have been better for it.
In a statement signed by the chairman of the group, Dr. Ibiapuye Braide, they pointed out that in the face of the unprovoked attacks which has for long been sustained by Wike, Dickson has maintained a dignified silence.
They opined that Wike’s grand design as he had always done while serving as Minister of State for Education is to team up with former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan to cause tension in Bayelsa, the only homogeneous Ijaw state and remove Dickson from office by hook or crook.
Braide expressed confidence that if Wike’s sinister plot crumbled like a pack of cards when they controlled federal power, no weapon fashioned against Dickson or any Ijaw Leader will prosper.
He recalled that it was the unholy alliance between Wike and Patience that demarketed the PDP in the 2015 elections and partly led to the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan and therefore called on the former president to be weary of Wike’s olive branch as the man thrives in controversies and blackmail and has proven to be an incurable traitor.
“We are not comfortable with Jonathan’s recent romance with Wike because we know that Wike was one of the governors undermining Jonathan in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after Jonathan lost power. So for Wike to now turn 360 degrees to praise Jonathan, we smell a rat”. To achieve his selfish ambition of becoming Governor, this same Wike, the group noted orchestrated the rift between Chibuike Amaechi and Jonathan which eventually fruastrated Amaechi from PDP.
“Our concern is that if Wike could humiliate and betray his former Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi whom he had served as Chief of Staff, he could replicate same on Jonathan. We therefore condemn the blackmail and attack on Niger Delta leaders by Wike and call on all Niger Delta leaders and all well-meaning Nigerians to be mindful of Wike’s antics. He is over ambitious and can destroy anybody to gain relevance” the statement said.
