Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, on Friday, lambasted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, labeling him a liar for spuriously claiming that he attempted to impose his nephew as his successor at the twilight of his eight-year tenure as governor of Rivers State.
This is just as Secondus also warned President Bola Tinubu to be wary of his FCT Minister’s antics.
Wike had on Wednesday while addressing selected journalists on a live television interview programme to mark his one year in office as the FCT Minister, claimed that he had to rebuff an attempt by Secondus to force him to pick his nephew as the next governor of Rivers in the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
But Secondus in a statement on Friday by his spokesperson, Ike Abonyi, vehemently denied the FCT Minister’s claim, saying it was Wike who rather “sacrificed” him for his 2023 presidential ambition.
According to the statement, “Following the draconian manner Wike administered Rivers State, could anyone offer him any useful advice for him to make use of, not to talk of imposing anyone as his successor? It is common knowledge, to which Wike acquiesced, that he sacrificed Secondus for his presidential ambition.”
Secondus in his statement titled, “Wike’s woven tissues of lies,” stressed that he never made such a demand or request to Wike, adding that he “never even contemplated falling out with Wike until he started his shenanigans, which were borne out of personal aggrandizement rather than in pursuit of any provocative action or pecuniary interests.
“If such an incident ever happened, why has Secondus never complained to anyone about it and why is Wike voicing it out for the first time? The answer is not far-fetched: Wike lacks any reasonable explanation for his antagonistic actions and the only option left for him is to concoct outright lies to cover his shame.”
The former PDP National Chairman however vowed to “open up the Pandora’s box” at the appropriate time to further reveal the many betrayals and atrocities allegedly committed against him and other leaders at the state and national level by Wike.
He accused the FCT Minister of having penchant for fomenting crisis with the objective of selfishly benefitting from “such negative repulsiveness,” adding, “But very soon, the lies and depravity to which he specializes will consume him. A Nigerian adage has it that, ‘all days for the thief, but one day for the owner.'”
Secondus also expressed optimism that President Tinubu would soon “discover who Wike truly is and place him appropriately where he belongs so that he will be consigned to the dustbin of history.”
Secondus therefore also challenged Wike to an integrity test, saying, “If Wike has any atom of integrity as he claims, he should account for all the resources of Rivers State he is being accused of looting from the treasury of the state, running to trillions of Naira. He should also return the civil servant quarters located at GRA Port-Harcourt, which he converted to his possession by way of looting. The Ogoni $300m dollars he received as compensation was unaccounted for as it was converted to his personal use.”
The statement further stated, “Wike is reputed to be someone who talks from both sides of his mouth; it is no longer a hidden secret that he is a shameless land grabber who has plied his nefarious trade in both Port-Harcourt and now perpetrating same at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. He is desperate to convince Mr.President of his proprietary and fidelity, whereas, behind him, he is busy grabbing lands and looting public resources of the FCT. Very soon, nemesis will catch up with Wike.”
The full text of Secondus’ press statement reads as follows:
“The erstwhile National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has listened with trepidation and rapt attention to the tissues of lies spurned by the former governor of Rivers State and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike over his spurious claims that he ( Secondus) wanted to impose his Nephew as the Governor of Rivers State and he (Wike) rebuffed the move.
“Following the draconian manner Wike administered Rivers State, could anyone offer him any useful advice for him to make use of, not to talk of imposing anyone as his successor? It is common knowledge, to which Wike acquiesced, that he sacrificed Secondus for his presidential ambition.
“Secondus never made any demand or request to that effect and never even contemplated falling out with Wike until he started his shenanigans, which were borne out of personal aggrandizement rather than in pursuit of any provocative action or pecuniary interests.
“If such an incident ever happened, why has Secondus never complained to anyone about it and why is Wike voicing it out for the first time? The answer is not far-fetched: Wike lacks any reasonable explanation for his antagonistic actions and the only option left for him is to concoct outright lies to cover his shame.
“Secondus has promised to open up the Pandora’s box and speak at the appropriate time to reveal further the many betrayals and atrocities committed against him, and other leaders, both at the State and National level, by Wike.
“It must however be stressed that Wike strives to foment crises all his life and benefits from such negative repulsiveness. But very soon, the lies and depravity to which he specializes will consume him. A Nigerian adage has it that, ‘all days for the thief, but one day for the owner.’
“Secondus is confident that very soon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will discover who Wike truly is and place him appropriately where he belongs so that he will be consigned to the dustbin of history.”
Secondus challenged Wike to an integrity test, saying: “If Wike has any atom of integrity as he claims, he should account for all the resources of Rivers State he is being accused of looting from the treasury of the state, running to trillions of Naira. He should also return the civil servant quarters located at GRA Port-Harcourt, which he converted to his possession by way of looting. The Ogoni $300m dollars he received as compensation was unaccounted for as it was converted to his personal use.”
He continued: “Wike is reputed to be someone who talks from both sides of his mouth; it is no longer a hidden secret that he is a shameless land grabber who has plied his nefarious trade in both Port-Harcourt and now perpetrating same at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. He is desperate to convince Mr.President of his proprietary and fidelity, whereas, behind him, he is busy grabbing lands and looting public resources of the FCT. Very soon, nemesis will catch up with Wike”
