Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has denounced the actions of a group of women loyal to suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who walked out on the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at an empowerment session in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The minister referred to the episode as a “show of shame” and an embarrassment to the people of Rivers State.
The women, led by some sacked local government vice-chairmen loyal to Fubara, reportedly walked out of the venue after being sidelined and replaced on the programme list by Wike supporters.
The Renewed Hope Initiative organised the event, which was hosted at the EUI Centre in GRA, Port Harcourt, with the goal of empowering 500 women across the state.
Wike, who is now in China for official reasons, released a statement on Saturday via his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
He termed the walkout as a blatant affront to the offices of the president and first lady, and he apologised to President Bola Tinubu and his wife on behalf of the people of Rivers State.
“As for me and those who subscribe to my leadership, we condemn in totality yesterday’s show of shame, and we apologise to our First Lady for the embarrassing conduct of those few women who do not represent the character and ideals of the people of Rivers State,” the statement partly read.
The former Rivers State Governor further claimed that the walkout was organised by his successor, Governor Fubara, and that his “shenanigans” — referring to the incident — would not bring peace to the state.
He urged Fubara to “demonstrate honesty by being bold enough to tell President Tinubu what exactly he wants,” pointing out that the governor’s actions contradicted his peace appeals.
“It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace; those who genuinely want peace must work and act for it. These are the same people pleading for peace, yet doing things contrary to their words.
“How can you claim to want peace and at the same time sponsor people to insult everyone, including the president and his wife? All these shenanigans will not bring peace, and I am sure they know that — because they are not sincere in their back-and-forth calls for peace,” he added.
