Wike Condemns "Sponsored Walkout" by Rivers Women, Apologizes to First Lady

 

Port Harcourt, Rivers State - The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, currently on official duty in China, has issued a strong condemnation of the "sponsored walkout" staged by a group of women during the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu's Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) empowerment programme in Port Harcourt on Friday.

In a statement released on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Minister Wike extended his apologies to the First Lady and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on behalf of the people of Rivers State.

"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," Wike stated.

The women who staged the walkout are widely believed to be loyal to the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Their action involved leaving the empowerment programme when Theresa Ibas, wife of the state's Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, was called upon to speak, as they had reportedly anticipated the First Lady's presence.

Describing the incident as "very disturbing and embarrassing," Wike cautioned supporters of the suspended governor against actions that ridicule the state. He urged Governor Fubara to be honest and clearly communicate his intentions to President Tinubu, rather than exhibiting inconsistency in his actions and statements regarding peace efforts.

"It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace, those who genuinely want peace work and act for it," Wike asserted. "These are the same people pleading for peace, but at the same time doing things that are contrary to what they are pleading for."

He questioned the sincerity of those who claim to seek peace while allegedly sponsoring actions to insult prominent figures, including the President and his wife, stating that such "shenanigans won't bring peace."

Wike concluded by reiterating his condemnation of the incident and apologizing to the First Lady for the "embarrassing conduct of those few women who do not represent the characters and ideals of the people of Rivers State." He affirmed that he and his supporters "condemn in totality" the "show of shame."