Intervene In Rivers Political Crisis – Clark Tells PBAT

Georgina Humphrey

Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, has asked President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the political crisis rocking Rivers state.

This is contained in a letter written by him to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja.

According to the statement, Chief Clark urged President Tinubu to personally handle the matter.

“Mr. President, I want to seek your clarification, why is the Minister keeping structures and for what purpose,” Clark adds.

According to the statement, the PANDEF Leader states that further degeneration of the political crisis in Rivers will create chaos for the country because of the state’s importance to the stability of the Niger Delta and the national economy.

“I recall that in his days as a Governor, he had attacked the concept of godfatherism as totally unacceptable and as a matter of fact, this made him to fall out with his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past Minister of Transportation, whom we know was not even directly interfering in the affairs of the state.

“So, what purpose are the structures supposed to serve when there is a governor in place? This is a question that he owes you and all Nigerians. If all governors who as a matter of right, insist on allowing their favoured candidates as successor, insist on controlling them, insist on controlling the State Assemblies, insist on controlling the structure which they left behind, what manner of confusion will we have in Nigeria?

“To further put themselves against the Governor and possibly drag you and your political party, the APC, we are now receiving a breaking news that “27 Members of Rivers State House of Assembly (all of whom are PDP like the Governor) decamped to the APC.  The question is what is going on?

“In his state, at a relatively young age of 55 years, my son Wike had been a Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Education, before serving as Governor for 8 years and now Minister of FCT.  So what does he need a structure for? This is very curious.

The statement describes the action as a bad precedent adding that if other Ministers follow this trend, then it will be total confusion.

“If strong politicians such as yourself and other former presidents never talk about controlling structures, so how can a minister be threatening a governor not to touch a structure he has left in place”.

It says the minister is focusing on the wrong problems and asked President Tinubu to call the FCT minister to order to face the work in the quietness which is demanded of him”.

“He should focus on his office and know that he is just one among a cabinet of 48 persons, besides the Vice President and yourself”.

“The country has enough problems which your government must sit down to solve. The FCT itself is full of challenges all over and he has more than he can chew and therefore avoid these distractions”.

On Monday, 27 members of the Rivers State House of assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Edited By Grace Namiji