The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed his condemnation of the walkout staged by a group of women loyal to the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, during an event featuring the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. He characterised the incident as an embarrassment to the people of Rivers State.
Wike extended an apology to both the First Lady and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on behalf of the Rivers State populace, stating, “An insult on anyone representing the First Lady of Nigeria in an event is a direct insult on the office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and as a leader in Rivers State, I apologise.”
The walkout occurred during the Renewed Hope Initiative empowerment programme, organised by the First Lady’s office at the EUI Event Centre in GRA, Port Harcourt, which aimed to provide support to 500 women in the state.
In a statement released on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike, who is currently in China for official duties, labelled the incident as “very disturbing and embarrassing,” urging supporters of the suspended governor to refrain from actions that undermine the state.
Wike further advised the suspended governor to exhibit integrity by clearly communicating his intentions to President Tinubu, rather than exhibiting contradictory behaviour. He remarked, “It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace; those who genuinely want peace work and act for it.”
He continued, “These are the same people pleading for peace, but at the same time doing things that are contrary to what they are pleading for. How can you say you want peace and at the same time, you are sponsoring people to insult everyone, including the President and his wife?”
Wike concluded, “All those shenanigans won’t bring peace, and I am sure they know that, because they are not sincere with their up and down pleadings for peace. As for me and those who subscribe to my leadership, we condemn in totality yesterday’s show of shame and we apologise to our First Lady for the embarrassing conduct of those few women who do not represent the characters and ideals of the people of Rivers State.”
