• State’s elders apologise for Fubara’s ‘embarrassment’
• It’s family affair, will be resolved amicably, gov assures

Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he would not succumb to intimidation from anybody, especially on the political crisis in his state.

He disclosed this, yesterday, amid moves by governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and prominent elders in Rivers State to solve the imbroglio.

The state was thrown into confusion on Monday as loyalists of the former governor, Wike, attempted to impeach current helmsman, Siminalayi Fubara.

Receiving the governors led by Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, in his office, Wike said: “Nobody can intimidate me. If I want to do something, I will do it.

Impeachment is not a military coup; it is provided for under the Constitution. I’m not interested in all the rumours, money, this, and that. Rubbish! Absolute rubbish! I just left the office, how many months ago? And I’m FCT Minister, so which money?

“But nobody can take away our political structure. No one! You cannot work and people will begin to bring enemies…those who fought you when you were struggling for the person to be in office. Nobody does that. I’m not a political ingrate, but don’t touch the political structure of the state. I will not shut my eyes,” Wike said.

Earlier, Mohammed, who is also Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, thanked Wike for his willingness to resolve issues.

Also, at a news conference in Abuja, some elders from Rivers State, led by Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, cautioned Fubara’s “new found friends” to retrace their steps and avoid throwing the state into chaos, adding that the governor misread a legislative plot as an existential threat.

Alabraba said: “At our visit to Wike, the elders assured him of our steadfast, complete and undiluted loyalty. We apologised for the embarrassment caused him by Fubara and all others who played various roles in the unfortunate drama.

“We vehemently condemn the intrusion by some Ijaw leaders from other states who so soon have forgotten that it was Wike who insisted on producing a Rivers governor of Ijaw extraction and paid a heavy political price in the process.

“We advise those encouraging Fubara to engage in a needless and fruitless battle with Wike to desist forthwith and allow the governor concentrate on consolidating on the extraordinary achievements of Wike while he was governor.”

Meanwhile, Fubara assured that the crisis, which he described as a family affair, would be resolved amicably.

He made this known, yesterday, during a courtesy visit by Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwarbin Musa, to Government House, Port Harcourt.