Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, on Thursday called for the immediate arrest of Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike over his recent threat to put fire in the State of any People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governor meddling in the affairs of Rivers PDP.
But Clark got an immediate response from an ally of Wike and ousted Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, who described him as a hypocritical old man after stomach infrastructure.
Last weekend, Wike who spoke at the PDP Rivers Congress, warned that he had the capacity to cause crisis in any PDP-controlled state working with the Rivers Governor, Siminialayi Fubara, to take over his PDP structure in Rivers.
Clark, in an open letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, said the minister’s utterance was an incitement of the people against constituted authorities, which he described as treasonable.
He said Wike had in so many ways breached the constitution and that he should be arrested and prosecuted.
He stressed that the IGP must take action to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
Clark said the words of the Minister was a “flagrant disrespect to the person of President Bola Tinubu, who appointed him”, describing his comments as “unbridled”, and suggested that his comments were a form of treason as it was capable of inciting violence in the country.
He said: “That is with respect to the recent open threat by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who happens to be the former Governor of Rivers State to “SET FIRE” in some other States.
“Even more serious is the fact that this is a violation of the laws of the country as it stands now. Wike as a lawyer should have known better.
“As one who has been in this same profession for more than 60 years, and as an elder statesman, I know that one of the greatest offenses that can be committed is to incite anarchy and threaten constituted authority of the state, as it is a sure means of inciting and causing unfavourable response in those States especially amongst the youths against the government in power either at federal or state level.
“As a matter of fact, what Wike has done is a form of treason as he is inciting his supporters and those in the other State to rise up against constituted authority.
“Let me also remind you that the laws of this country, especially the Public Officer Protection Act (1957), provides protection for public officers from harm, intimidation and violence.
“Furthermore, Assault on Public Officers (Prohibition Act of 1985), again details clear penalties for those who directly threaten public officers. Also, the Violence Against Persons (Protection Act 2015) shuns violence, including physical harm or as in instant case, ‘putting fire against public officers’. Not the least is the Police Act of 2020 which mandates your force to protect public officers, maintain law and prevent crime all over the country. “
“I’ve done my homework, I’m about 60 years at the bar, even though I’m not a SAN because I was doing Government jobs. There are various laws of this country Wike has breached.
“I’ve even got some senior lawyers to help me, who have now discovered that Wike has breached a number of Nigerian laws, public laws, and so on, has committed crimes.
“And for him to say that he will put fire in states belonging to PDP governors and so on, it’s treason, it’s treasonable. All of that totality, Wike has committed treason.”
He pointed out that the Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, was arrested for a similar offence
He said: “But here is a serving minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria saying that he will bomb the states of his colleagues, he will bomb their hands and they won’t sleep again in their houses, he will do everything to disorganise the government of those states. Nobody, no governor, no minister can go to that extent. It’s a breach of the Constitution.
“So, he has committed a series of offenses. He will come out after some time, If Peking was making my man not sleep, he’s not going to sleep.”
Clark who stressed that he was no longer active in politics, however said he would continue to talk when there was perceived injustice anywhere in the country.
“But I said in that meeting, that anything affecting the interest of Nigeria, I will fight, whether I’m inside the party or not. So, what I’m saying today, is outside party politics, ad it affects the people of Rivers State, affects the people of Nigeria.
And while I’m still alive, I must make my contribution to stop it. Because I fear only God, no human being. I respect people.
“This is our government. Whether we elected him or not. And therefore we must support.
“In supporting, we must be listening too. When in Nigeria, nobody is a first class citizen and nobody is a second class citizen. So at my 97, I’m going to 98.
I’ll continue to talk”.
But Dr. Chidi Lloyd said Clark had displayed crass ignorance to figurative use of words and wondered how he once became the Minister of Information.
Describing Clark as a non-member of the PDP, Lloyd recalled that Clark flayed the candidature of Governor Fubara during the primaries and said he was not a true Ijaw man.
He said Clark might be suffering from the megalomania of thinking that he is the Asiwaju of the Niger Delta noting the Ijaw leader was only being garrulous to protect his stomach infrastructure.
He said Clarks and other envious leaders in the Niger Delta were after Wike because of his political foresight of identifying Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the next President and working with during the election to actualise the mandate.Lloyd said: “He should be in his village and not in Abuja. We have restrained ourselves from talking to an old man. To set the record straight, if Edwin Clark is truly who he thinks he is he should be living in his village in Kiagbodo.
“He is one reason why the Niger Delta development commission has not achieved anything since inception because he sees it as his personal estate. Clark is still under the megalomania of thinking that he is the Asiwaju of the Niger Delta.
“We will advise his children to talk to their old father. At this age, Clark should be reconciling with those he has hurt. He should leave Wike alone.
“We know why the tantrums are being thrown at Wike. It is because of his political flight. Wike was able to discern and and knew on time that Tinubu would be President of Nigeria and aligned with him.
“So they think that it should not have been Wike that has this foresight. All the things you see happening to Wike is because of his political sagacity, which identified Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.
He said they were also jealous that since coming on my board the administration of Tinubu Wike had been given the necessary Presidential support to deliver his vision for the FCT
He said: “Since coming on board the administration Wike has added value because the President had also given him the free hand to deliver. The President and governor Wike share a lot in common which is the betterment of Nigeria and its people.
“All of this hate and gang up is because Wike is not somebody anybody can wish away. This is a man who has been on the news on the daily basis since 2023. You can’t wish him a way. Clark said he is not a member of the PDP. What is his usefulness to the PDP. He doesn’t vote in Kiagbodo. All he does is to be garrulous.
“This was the same thing he did to Jonathan. Why will an old man be investing in the politics of stomach infrastructure. When in 2023 we did our primaries, Clark knocked Fubara and said he was not a true Ijaw man. Facts are sacred.
“He should bother himself with what the governors of the Niger Delta are doing? He should ask Sheriff what he is doing with all the money that he is receiving. He should ask Governor Sim what he is doing and leave Wike alone. Wike is doing his bid.
“He is not a member of the the PDP. He is calling on President to arrest Wike for doing what? Wike said that anybody who comes to his state to try to whittle down his structure, he also has the capacity to cause crisis for the person in his state.
“When he used the word ‘I will put fire in your state’ was only metaphorical. A lot of problem we have is that most Nigerians have stopped reading in the 80s. Considering his age there are chances that the law of diminishing returns have set in. Clark only reports what he is told. He thinks he has an idea of what Nigeria should be but we are no longer in the Gowon era”.
