March 14, (THEWILL) – The Pan Niger Delta Forum has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of deliberately frustrating efforts to restore peace in Rivers State.
At a press conference held in Abuja on Friday, PANDEF leadership, including its President, Godknows Igali; Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Forum’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee, Victor Attah, expressed concerns over Wike’s refusal to engage with the committee despite President Bola Tinubu’s appeal for dialogue.
Attah recounted the steps taken by PANDEF to mediate in the political crisis rocking Rivers State, highlighting how Wike had continuously rebuffed their peace efforts.
Attah stated, “Following a Special General Assembly in Port Harcourt in October 2024, we set up a seven-member High-Level Peace and Reconciliation Committee. To ensure neutrality, no representatives from Rivers State were included.
“In our determination to prevent a full-blown crisis, we assembled a team of eminent elders from across the South-South. However, despite repeated attempts, we have been unable to secure a meeting with Chief Nyesom Wike, who has ignored all our outreach efforts.”
Attah further disclosed that a PANDEF delegation had met with President Tinubu on Tuesday to seek his intervention, stressing that the success of any peace process depended on Wike’s willingness to engage.
He said, “We made it clear to Mr. President that the biggest obstacle to peace in Rivers State is the reluctance of his cabinet minister to come to the table.
“It is troubling that Chief Wike dismissed PANDEF as ‘the worst organization for anyone to rely on’ in a recent media chat, yet the President himself did not treat us with such disregard when he received us.
“It is impossible to clap with one hand. Negotiation can only happen when both parties in a dispute agree to engage. If this impasse continues, we will have no choice but to disband the Peace and Reconciliation Committee and step back from further mediation efforts. However, we fear this could have dire consequences.”
Wike, during a recent media interaction, had dismissed PANDEF as “the worst organization anybody can rely on,” accusing its leaders of being financially driven and politically motivated.
Reacting, Igali described Wike’s claims as “cheeky and baseless,” noting that PANDEF comprises respected statesmen, including former governors, ministers, and traditional leaders, who cannot be influenced by financial inducements.
“Wike himself is our son, and every son of the Niger Delta is part of PANDEF,” Igali said.
He recalled how PANDEF had stood by Wike when he faced opposition over his appointment as FCT Minister.
He added, “When Wike became minister, there were insinuations that someone from the South should not hold that position, and there were even protests in Abuja against him. It was PANDEF that publicly defended him. Chief Edwin Clark, whom Wike now dismisses, issued a statement affirming that any Nigerian deemed fit by the President and cleared by the Senate could hold any position.”
Igali also debunked Wike’s claim that PANDEF took President Tinubu to court over the Rivers crisis.
“At no point did PANDEF take Mr. President to court. That allegation is entirely false. This is the first time PANDEF, as an organization, is making a public statement on the Rivers crisis since it began. While individual members may have expressed their views, the organization never initiated any legal action against the President.”
The Forum urged President Tinubu to intervene and compel Wike to come to the negotiation table before the crisis in Rivers State escalates further.
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