Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed calls for reconciliation with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
He insisted that no meaningful dialogue can happen unless the governor acknowledges his faults and seeks forgiveness.
Speaking through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, Wike maintained that forgiveness is only possible when the offender takes responsibility. His response followed a recent appeal by ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, who urged the minister to let go of past grievances and prioritise peace in Rivers State.
Tompolo, in a statement addressing the prolonged political rift between the two estranged allies, emphasised the need for unity and resolution. “Wike is angry, but he has to bring his temper down for the good of all. We will have a dialogue and resolve all lingering issues, and again Fubara will return to his seat,” he said.
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Reacting to the appeal, Olayinka asked, “Has Fubara come to seek forgiveness? The person who has wronged you must first agree in his mind that he has done so. Without that, what are we forgiving?”
Olayinka stressed that Wike had never accused Fubara of personal wrongdoing but had only urged the governor to uphold governance standards and show loyalty to those who helped him emerge as governor. “He said, ‘Those who worked to make you governor, don’t throw them away like that.’ That’s not about forgiveness.”
The aide further criticised the governor’s sudden shift in loyalty, questioning how someone who once worked closely with Wike could now turn against him. “Throughout the time Wike was taking bullets for him, he wasn’t a bad person. So at what point did he become bad?”
Olayinka ended with a metaphor to drive home his point: “You are begging a doctor to give medicine, but you are not begging the sick person to take it. What happens?”
Crediblenewsng.com
