Remi Tinubu Snub: Wike Blames Fubara in Alleged Sponsored Walkout

–         Fubara counters, says your statement illogical

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has fingered the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, as the arrow head of Friday’s walkout on the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, by a group of women loyal to Fubara, his estranged political protege.

A statement by Wike’s Senior Special Assistant, Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, over the weekend, condemned the walkout on the representative of Senator Tinubu as disturbing and an embarrassment to the people of Rivers State.

In a riposte, Fubara described the statement credited to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on the walkout by a group of women from a programme organised by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as illogical.

Wike who also apologized to the First Lady and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on behalf of the people of Rivers State, said: “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 apologize.”

The group of women, led by some sacked Local Government Vice Chairmen, had staged a walkout during the Renewed Hope Initiative empowerment programme organised by the office of the Nigerian First Lady, held at the EUI Event Centre in GRA, Port Harcourt.

 The programme was organised to benefit 500 women in the state with various empowerment items.

Wike cautioned Fubara’s supporters to desist from ridiculing the state. He berated Fubara to demonstrate honesty and be bold enough to tell President Tinubu, what exactly he wanted, rather than being neither here nor there.

He said: “It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace, those who genuinely want peace work and act for it.

“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?

“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 that yesterday’s show of shame and we apologize 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.”

Meanwhile, Fubara has described the statement credited to Wike, purportedly blaming him for the walkout by a group of women from a programme organised by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as illogical.

The suspended governor stated this via a statement issued on Saturday by the Rivers State Coordinator of Renewed Hope Initiative, Mrs. Tonye Briggs-Oniyide.

He rubbished the statement by Wike as political mischief and a calculated attempt to politicise a well-meaning and non-partisan event.

 “The attention of the Rivers State Office of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) has been drawn to a regrettable and misleading statement issued by the Media Office of the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which unjustly attempts to drag the name of the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, into an unfortunate narrative surrounding the RHI/SDG Empowerment Programme held in Port Harcourt on Friday.

 “Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a strong supporter of the Renewed Hope Initiative and remains deeply committed to its vision and objectives. Despite being on vacation, the governor ensured full support – logistical and otherwise – for the success of the recent empowerment programme organised under the esteemed leadership of the First Lady, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

“The event was progressing successfully, with the women of Rivers State expressing overwhelming appreciation for the initiative, until a disruption occurred when Mrs. Theresa Ibas, wife of the Rivers State Administrator, was making a speech.

“At that point, the women in attendance vocally opposed her participation, stating clearly that they did not recognise her as their First Lady and would prefer not to be addressed by her.

“To insinuate that Governor Fubara would sabotage a programme he actively supported and funded is not only illogical but patently false. Such claims by Mr. Lere Olayinka are deeply misleading and appear to be a calculated attempt to politicise a well-meaning, non-partisan event,” Briggs-Oniyide said.