FCT Minister Nyesom Wike suffered what could be called ‘humiliation’ as Chijioke Ihunwo, the newly inaugurated chairperson of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State ordered the removal of his name from a building in the council secretariat.
This marks the second time in four months that Mr. Wike has faced humiliation in his local government area amid his ongoing political conflict with Governor Fubara.
In June, reports revealed that local youths violently toppled Mr. Wike’s statue at the Obio/Akpor council secretariat.
They accused the minister of using police to attack them as they demanded the resignation of council officials whose three-year tenure had expired.
The former officials, who are allies of Mr. Wike, refused to step down, leading to violent confrontations with supporters of Mr. Fubara, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a police officer.
During his visit to the secretariat on Monday, Mr. Ihunwo directed that the administrative block, previously named after Mr. Wike, be renamed “Obi Wali House.”
This visit came shortly after hoodlums set fire to the Ikwerre and Emohua local government secretariats.
Mr. Ihunwo was elected chairperson during the local elections held on Saturday, although police had barred officers from providing security for the election due to a court order.
Following the elections, the police reopened all the council secretariats in Rivers.
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The hoodlums who attacked the two council secretariats took advantage of the absence of police operatives during the incident
“I want to advise Rivers State Police Command, let them be neutral,” Mr Ihunwo said in a video posted on his X handle on Monday.
“For this local government, we will protect and die,” he added. “They have burnt Ikwerre, and Emouhua (council secretariats). We are ready for them,” he said, daring the hoodlums.
“This name here,” he said, pointing to the top of a duplex in the council secretariat with the inscription “Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike ADMIN BLOCK.”
“He (Wike) does not allow the people to rest. On that note, as the chairperson of the council I have renamed it Obi Wali House,” he said amidst cheers.
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He announced that the changes would be implemented Tuesday morning and challenged anyone to contest his decision.
Mr. Wike first held the position of chairperson of the Obio/Akpor local government council for two terms, concluding in 2007.
He then became chief of staff to then-Governor Rotimi Amaechi before being appointed as the minister of state for Education under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Patience Jonathan, the former president’s wife and a native of Rivers State, played a significant role in Mr. Wike’s election as governor of the oil-rich state in 2015.
He was reelected in 2019 and served until 2023, after which President Bola Tinubu appointed him as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Currently, Mr. Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, are embroiled in a power struggle over the control of the political structure in Rivers.
The late Mr. Wali was from Obio/Akpor and was elected as the senator representing the Port Harcourt District.
Eric Teniola, a columnist for Vanguard newspaper, noted that Mr. Wali was among intellectuals like Gani Fawehinmi, Chinua Achebe, and Wole Soyinka. He described Mr. Wali’s contributions in the Senate as “exceptional.”
Tragically, the late senator was murdered in his bedroom by suspected assassins on April 26, 1993.
In 2014, the Rivers State Government honored his political and literary contributions by commissioning the Obi Wali Conference Centre in Port Harcourt. Additionally, his ethnic group, the Ikwerre in Rivers State, established an annual memorial lecture in his memory.
In a video, Mr. Ihunwo remarked that Mr. Wali was an Ikwerre who had significantly aided the people of Ikwerre.
“So, I have renamed it as Obi Wali House,” he announced.
See video below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
