12 Wike supporters decamp to join Fubara

Supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have collapsed their structure for the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

This comes barely four days after Achor Nna, the councillor representing the ward of the FCT Minister, resigned his position to support the Governor.

According to report, a group consisting of 12 men who were local government coordinators of Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), a political pressure group that was instrumental in the massive mobilization at the grassroots for the FCT Minister while contesting the governorship elections in the State since 2015 recently joined Fubara’s camp.

The coordinators are said to represent Ogu/Bolo, Port Harcourt City, Opobo/Nkoro, Gokana, Bonny, Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Oyigbo, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru and Obio/Akpor local government area where Wike comes from.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the former coordinator in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Collins Onunwo, said their decision to resign their leadership positions in GDI was to protect, defend and promote the interest of Rivers State.

He noted that the group had no option but to support Fubara after voting for him in the election which was affirmed by the Supreme Court.

“We want the public, Rivers people, and all Nigerians to know that GDI is the group founded by the former governor and now Federal Capital Territory Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike. That group brought him to power in 2015 and supported his ambition in 2019. That group is his strength,” he said.

“But today, we and our supporters have decided we are no longer members of GDI. The reason is simple: we want to be with Rivers people. Rivers’ interest is paramount. In 2012, GDI’s interest was to protect, defend, and promote our brother-in-law, President Goodluck Jonathan, because of our mother and sister, Dame Patience Jonathan; and it yielded good dividends to the state.

“Through that struggle, our brother, Chief Nyesom Wike, became governor in 2015; and in 2019, when Abuja politicians said he will not return for a second tenure, we all rallied around him and defended our votes, and he served for eight years.

“Today, Rivers’ interest is to protect our votes that brought in Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Executive Governor of Rivers State in the most credible, fair, and violence-free election. We have come to join millions of Rivers women, youths, elders, and other well-meaning people who insist that we must protect our votes to sustain democracy. Our concern is that we voted for PDP and Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and we must protect that mandate with all we have”.