Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has stated that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has no right to give a sit-at-home order to the people of his state as Rivers is not part of the South-East.
While speaking during an interview with Channel’s Television on Monday, Wike stressed that River State is not part of IPOB as they are in the South-South region of the country.
“IPOB cannot make an order for people to sit at home in Rivers State. I have said so clearly before because it doesn’t exist in Rivers State. Rivers State is not part of South-East. Rivers State is South-South, we’re in the Niger Delta.
“I’m not saying whether the people in the South-East shouldn’t obey what IPOB has said or not. But they cannot give orders to Rivers people to sit at home.”
The Governor also expressed sadness over the death of Ahmed Gulak, noting that there is no loss of life that is acceptable as all killings of peaceful citizens in the country must be treated as unacceptable.
He, however, advised Imo state Governor, Hope Uzodinma to remain calm and allow the security agencies carry out investigations and not assume the murder was political.
“I think that the governor of Imo State, my brother Hope Uzodinma should allow the security agencies to do their proper investigation for it is too early now for him to come out to say it is a political assassination.
“Having done that, it means that you already know those who committed the crime and that will not be fair. When things of this nature happen, allow the security agencies to really go into the matter and then say look, from our investigations, this is what we found out,” He said.
Reacting to his former Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, John Bazia, who had two weeks ago, spoke over the recent defections in the state.
Bazia, who defected from PDP to APC had said that he was not sacked by Gov. Wike but merely resigned over certain reasons.
While speaking, the ex-commissioner said : “The governor, Wike, I must tell you (that) all those who are with him, they know what they are going through. But you have been seeing him on TV and the way he has been behaving in Nigeria.
“Sometimes, you will be baffled if that is an enlightened and educated mind, the way he carries himself. He forgets that he holds the exalted position, the office of the governor. He behaves like a thug”
Wike, responding to Bazia’s comments stated that he (Bazia) only realized that he was a thug only when he (Wike) removed him from office, but did not realise earlier that it was a thug that appointed him as commissioner.
“Let me tell you, look at him talking now. When he was commissioner, did he look that haggard? A thug appointed you commissioner, you never knew that he was a thug but he appointed you a commissioner.
“So, only when he removed you that you then know that he behaves like a thug. You did not resign, you were working with a thug all the while until when the thug did not bring you back as a commissioner (for a second term in 2019), you then realised that he behaves like a thug.
“Now, look at the kind of characters we have and these are the kinds of people that you want me to respond to. Somebody who stole the ‘kola’ of traditional rulers and up till now, he has not gone to court to challenge our saying (allegation) that he stole ‘kola’ given to traditional rulers and clergymen.
“Why did he not resign when he was commissioner? When I won my second tenure, he was lobbying that I was going to bring him back, but when I appointed another commissioner, he knew that he would not come back.”
