FORMER Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says he no longer have a smooth relationship with one of his predecessors, Peter Odili, because “there are some political differences”.
Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), revealed this during a chat with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
Wike was the governor of the oil-rich South-South state from May 2015 to May 2023 before he was appointed minister by President Bola Tinubu.
At various public functions before now, Wike had described Odili, who was Rivers governor from May 1999 to May 2007, as his political father and leader.
When asked if his relationship with Odili has gone frosty, Wike said, “As it is today, politically, we don’t have good relationship. We don’t work together.”
On the rationale for the cold relationship between the two of them, Wike said, “there are some political differences”.
“For me, we have finished with this stage. It does not mean that in the next stage you will be in the same camp. No. He took a decision. I took decision.”
The minister said despite his political differences with Odili, he still considered him a father figure.
Though the minister did not clearly explain what he meant by “political differences”, the rift between Odili and Wike might not be unconnected to the fallout between Wike and the current governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who is facing impeachment threats by the state House of Assembly.
Wike also slammed some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “political buccaneers” for declaring support for Fubara.
PDP leader in Rivers State, Abiye Sekibo; ex-PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus; ex-governorship aspirant, Celestine Omehia; and ex-lawmaker, Austin Opara; had last week declared support for Fubara and called on the President to caution Wike.
However, reacting on Tuesday, Wike said Sekibo, Secondus, Omehia and Opara are all expired politicians who are not worthy to be called “elder statesmen”.
The FCT minister claimed they are all irrelevant as he kicked them out of the party. Wike insisted that Secondus was no longer a member of the PDP as his suspension was validated by the court.