The South South Youth Initiative has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of instigating the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, calling on President Bola Tinubu to rein him in to restore peace in the state.
The group alleged that Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers State, is the chief architect of the prolonged political turmoil currently affecting the state.
Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, the National President of SSYI, Comrade Oscar Imeabe, expressed concern that Rivers State remains engulfed in political instability while other states are focused on governance, development, and economic growth.
Imeabe said that while several states across the country are pursuing industrialisation and economic advancement, Rivers State has been plunged into what he described as avoidable political tension, allegedly fuelled by the FCT minister.
“As youths of Rivers State and the South South region, we are not happy with what is happening in Rivers State. When every other state is thinking about industrialisation and boosting their economic situation, Rivers State faces an unnecessary political crisis orchestrated by the FCT minister.
“We want Nyesom Wike to understand that we are not happy with him as youths of the state and region. We are calling on Mr President to sack the Honourable Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike.
“We believe that if the minister is sacked, Rivers State will be at peace,” he said.
The youth leader further alleged that political opposition was suppressed during Wike’s tenure as governor, claiming that no senior government official openly criticised or challenged his administration at the time.
According to the group, youth empowerment initiatives under Wike’s administration were largely absent, with little or no impact in terms of job creation, skills acquisition, or empowerment programmes for young people in the state.
“When Nyesom Wike was governor of Rivers State, nobody, not even the local government chairman or House of Assembly members, criticised him. They were all loyalists. Nobody truncated the process or the infrastructural development of Nyesom Wike,” Imeabe said.
Reacting to the ongoing impeachment attempts against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, by 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the youths dismissed allegations of financial misconduct, describing them as politically motivated actions allegedly orchestrated by Wike.
The group also accused the Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Martins Amaewhule, of being used as a political instrument to destabilise the state and disrupt governance.
They warned that continued support for Wike by the presidency could have political consequences, noting that President Tinubu risks losing significant electoral support in Rivers State during the 2027 general elections if the situation persists.
